


Magic in Aredrinnor

by Faeremma



Category: ASTRO (Band), EXO (Band), GOT7, Mamamoo, Monsta X (Band), SEVENTEEN (Band), SHINee, Stray Kids (Band), VIXX, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Angst, Battle Royale - Freeform, Battledome, Everyone just wants to CUDDLE dammit, First Kiss, Fluff, For people who like a STORY, Jinwoo hates his magic, Kings and Castles, Lots and lots of skinship, M/M, Magic Academy, Magic Guilds, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Myungjun and Jinwoo are soft damaged boys who need each other, Myungjun grows pretty flowers, Myungjun has a thing for Jinwoos arms, Myungjun in a crop top uwu, Panic Attacks, Rocky is quirky and owns a pet rock named Rocky Jr, Sanha is scared of bugs, Slow Burn, Smut, They fight monsters in dungeons, multifandom - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2020-01-15 03:07:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 278
Words: 744,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18490072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faeremma/pseuds/Faeremma
Summary: A scream of agony pierced the night.“Once more, you’re doing a good job” the man encouraged. “Hold on now, you can do it.”Another scream, more desperate this time, then silence.“It’s a boy” The man’s voice came again, filled with nothing but love and warmth. He moved to wrap him in a shawl but came to a sudden stop when something caught his eye.Fear flooded through his body and his breath caught in his throat as he stared at the tiny birthmark on the inside of the boy’s wrist.“Magic” was the last word he uttered before the boy let out a cry and the tiny stone hut and the people inside were engulfed in vivid green flames.





	1. The Beginning.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!  
> This is my first ever fic so I'm nervous to post it but I worked really hard to share it with you guys.  
> Astro centric because they are my ULTs but other groups are incorporated throughout.  
> IMPORTANT:  
> The boys are aged down for the beginning of this fic as I plan to continue it on and watch them grow how I would like.  
> PURELY FICTIONAL, I hope nothing ever makes them sad or causes them harm. Based entirely on my wild imagination.  
> GRAPHIC DEPICTIONS OF VIOLENCE AHEAD.

A scream of agony pierced the night.

“Once more, you’re doing a good job” the man encouraged. “Hold on now, you can do it.”

Another scream, more desperate this time, then silence.

“It’s a boy” The man’s voice came again, filled with nothing but love and warmth. He moved to wrap him in a shawl but came to a sudden stop when something caught his eye.

Fear flooded through his body and his breath caught in his throat as he stared at the tiny birthmark on the inside of the boy’s wrist.

“Magic” was the last word he uttered before the boy let out a cry and the tiny stone hut and the people inside were engulfed in vivid green flames.

*

Our story begins in a small town, located in the western region of the kingdom of Aredrinnor. A picturesque town surrounded by fields and mountains, with a sun that seems to shine eternally. At first glance it appears to be a perfectly normal dwelling. Farmers sow their fields and children play by the stream, mothers tuck their children in at night and families gather to eat hearty meals, but upon taking a closer look, at one little boy in particular, proves that not everything is as it seems.

At 5 years old, Myungjun heard the whispers of the trees for the first time. He couldn’t make out what they were saying, but somehow, he knew they were content. How he knew that, he wasn’t entirely sure, but he whispered back kind words and patted their trunks with his tiny hands. He stayed there, losing track of time, until a group of boys found him and chased him away, throwing insults for his weird behaviour. Myungjun was too young to understand their words but he didn’t care anyway. All he cared about was walking the short distance home to tell his mother of his new friends.

When he reached the small cottage, he ran inside and relayed his whole story excitedly, deciding to leave out the insults the boys had spoken. Halfway through, his mother had frozen in place and didn’t appear to move until he had finished. She swiftly crouched down to his level and gripped his arms tight.

“You are not to talk to the trees again, do you understand?” his mother exclaimed with a hint of fear. Her grip on his arms tightened and he winced in pain, trying to wriggle out of her grasp but she held tight.

“Do not talk to any plants at all” she continued. “The trees, the flowers, the shrubbery, NONE OF THEM or you will be in serious trouble. Now tell me you understand what I’m saying.”

He nodded his head automatically but remained confused and a little frightened at her sudden aggressiveness.

Later that night, after being tucked into bed, Myungjun thought back to what she had said. A small smile bloomed across his face.

“I can talk to flowers too?” He whispered to the stars through the tiny square window. He promised himself he would attempt that tomorrow and that no one would catch him doing so.

On the day of his eighth birthday, Myungjun was running through a field on his way home with the eggs he had bought from the market for his birthday cake, when he heard a cry beneath his feet. He looked down to see a little flower, crumpled and broken. He dropped the eggs he was carrying and collapsed to the floor with a sob.

“I’m so sorry little flower!” He managed to say through his tears. He closed his eyes and prayed to the deity to forgive him and bring the little flower back to life. When he opened his eyes, he was surrounded by flowers that hadn’t been there before. They withered just as quickly as they came, and he stared around himself in awe. He felt a tingle on the inside of his wrist, so he rolled up the sleeve of his cotton shirt and noticed there was a faint glow coming from his oddly shaped birthmark. As he went to touch it, he felt a tingle across his palms. As if by instinct he placed his hands onto the grass and visualized the flowers he had just seen. The tingle spread across his palms to the tips of his fingers and a single delicate flower sprouted through the earth into full bloom. He cried out in astonishment at what he had just done as he watched it wither, just as quickly as the others. Had he really just done that? He grinned brightly and stood up, full of excitement and staring down in wonder at his glowing mark. He heard voices coming his way and swiftly rolled down his sleeves before hurrying away.

On his way home, eggs long forgotten, he started to wonder if that was why his mother made him wear long sleeves even on a hot day like today. She always played it off as not wanting him to get burned from the summer sun, but he was beginning to suspect otherwise. Was it bad? It certainly wasn’t normal he guessed. He was eight, not stupid, and he’d never seen anyone else with a glowing birthmark that’s for sure.

He debated risking it and telling his mother what he had done. He usually got a smack on the back of the head when he was caught doing things he shouldn’t be doing. However, if she made him hide his birthmark it must be for a good reason…right? He could just leave out the part where he magically made flowers appear, seemingly out of nowhere. Then he wouldn’t technically be lying.

After deciding it was too important to keep from her, he wrung his little hands together and set off home. As he walked down the weathered path to the door, he tried to calm his nerves. He knocked three times and waited, scratching absently at the birthmark through his shirt until she opened the door expectantly.

“Junnie where are the eggs?” She asked, after realising he wasn’t carrying anything.

“Mother I need to talk to you.” He said in a small voice, walking past her into the house. He felt like he was going to be sick from the anxiousness.

His mother eyed him warily before leading him to sit down at the old rickety table in the kitchen. He thought it would be best to just get it over and done with, so he took a deep breath and blurted everything out. He cursed at himself internally for being weak when he realised he’d literally told her EVERYTHING. So much for leaving stuff out.

His mother grabbed his wrist and forced the sleeve up to look at his birthmark. It looked completely normal.

“I can show you.” Myungjun said, before letting the tingling feeling spread through his palms again.

The birthmark began to glow faintly, and his mother dropped his hand to clutch at her heart.

“It’s happening.” she whispered shakily to herself.

He didn’t get a chance to ask for an explanation before she was up and dragging him towards her bedroom. She told him to wait as she pulled a carved wooden box out from underneath her bed. She had a determined glint in her eyes, but her hands still shook as she opened the lid. Myungjun automatically took a step back but the look she shot him made him freeze in place.

“This was going to happen sooner or later” she said, more to herself than him.

Myungjun finally opened his mouth to speak. “What’s happening to me? And what’s in that box?”

She ignored his questions and pulled out a vial filled with small white pellets. After shaking a few out onto her palm, she looked at him and held out her hand.

“Do not ask me any questions, just take this or you will have to leave this home, do you want that?” she threatened.

Myungjun didn’t understand but he didn’t want to leave, so he swallowed thickly before shaking his head and he took the pills from her hand. He looked them over carefully and not noticing anything too strange he swallowed them down. His mother smiled at him in relief and ruffled his fluffy hair.

“Good boy. Now you must come to me every morning to take your new medicine okay?”

“Yes mother.”

He excused himself and went to his room to sit on his bed. He focused on making his birthmark glow and his palms began to tingle more strongly this time, before it quickly receded and completely disappeared. He tried again but nothing happened. He tried a few more times, panicking before giving up completely. It was strange, he felt numb, as if a part of him had be ripped away leaving behind a hollow shell.

*

He continued to take his ‘medicine’ everyday for the next 5 years and never felt that part of him come back. He closed in on himself and became broody and dark. If his mother noticed, she never said a thing. He tried so desperately for weeks after the first dosage to talk to the trees and the flowers, but it was like the whole world had gone silent. It was deafening.

The teachers at his school and his fellow classmates realised his change of attitude. Gone was the bright, bubbly ray of sunshine that laughed loudly and cracked jokes. Instead the teachers had to deal with him staring out of the windows during lessons and disappearing at lunchtime so he wouldn’t have to be near the other students. His mother was called in, but she just brushed it off as adolescence and promised to talk to him. She never did, there was nothing to say. She knew why he was acting so different and chose to keep it that way.

On his thirteenth birthday he returned to the field he had been in on the day his happiness was ripped away. He laid back on the grass and watched the clouds pass overhead. He threaded his fingers through the grass, and all too soon felt the familiar lump forming in the back of his throat as he blinked back tears. What would be the point of crying again? Nothing would change. He still had to wake up and take his medicine to make his mother happy. Could he even call it medicine? What sort of medicine makes a person so sad? He cursed her and rolled over onto his stomach. Smelling the earth up close like this always comforted him slightly but it was short lived. The sound of laughter in the distance broke through the silence and he tensed upon recognising who exactly it had come from. He thought about making a break for it, but it was too late. They’d already spotted him, and he wasn’t as fast as they were, if he did decide to run. So, he stood up, set his face into a stony expression and faced them boldly as they made their way over.

“Beautiful day isn’t it Myungjun?” asked Jung-hoon gleefully. “Want to know what we’ve been doing huh?”

Not particularly.

Jung-hoon took his silence as a cue to continue and stepped closer as he opened his mouth to speak. His next words made Myungjun’s blood run cold.

“We’ve just been down to the river and stumbled across your little…project.” He said with a smirk. “We’ve been watching you, watching how you went down there every day at lunchtime to plant your stupid little flowers and talk to them like they’re people, when you’re too stuck up to talk to any of us at school.” His tone took a bitter turn towards the end.

“What do you want?” Myungjun asked through gritted teeth.

“I want you to roll up your sleeves.” said Jung-hoon casually.

Myungjun paused. Roll up his sleeves? Why would he want him to do that? Unless…

“Ahh look he’s catching on boys.” said Jung-hoon with a chuckle to his two friends that flanked him on either side.

“I don’t have to do what you say.” said Myungjun, sounding a lot braver than he felt.

“Why? Got something to hide?” asked Jung-hoon cockily.

“I..I... I don’t know what you mean” Myungjun stumbled. Great. Why did he have to sound weak now?

Jung-hoon laughed manically. “Sure you do, you know exactly what you are, you filthy magic user.”

The words cut deep and Myungjun flinched and took a step back. He’d tossed and turned every night in bed for years trying to come up with an explanation as to why he could talk to plants and why his birthmark used to glow. The only two reasons he could think of were either he was crazy and had imagined everything, which is why his mother gave him medicine, or he had some sort of magical powers. Either way the self-hatred he grew for being different in one way or another, to all the normal kids in town, felt confirmed with those harsh words from Jung-hoon. After all, he was just a freak who only found happiness in the mutterings of nature. But how did Jung-hoon know?

Jung-hoon didn’t give him a chance to talk before he was speaking again.

“You’re a filthy magic user who talks to plants because you have no friends. My mother told me that all magic users should die, and I agree,” He cracked his knuckles and stepped forward before lowering his voice. “but it wouldn’t be any fun if we killed you straight away. So, I thought to myself, how could I make you suffer? And that’s how I suddenly found myself down at the lake ripping out all of your little friends.”

Myungjun gasped and covered his mouth with his hands as tears sprung to his eyes. It felt like his heart had been ripped out. They didn’t need to kill him, it didn’t matter if they did because he was sure this was worse than death. His mind raced as he recalled all the time he had spent lovingly caring and nurturing those flowers, trying to find some form of happiness in his bleak life and even though it wasn’t the same as before when he could converse with them, it kept him sane. However, now that very sanity was slipping away as fast as the river water where they grew. He knew the flowers would have suffered being cruelly torn apart and he saw red. Gasps rose from the other boys as they pointed at the ground beneath his feet. He looked down to see flowers blooming and only allowed himself a second to smile.

With an anguished cry he flew at Jung-hoon and punched him in the jaw. Jung-hoon staggered back, and with a growl, he launched and bowled Myungjun over. They rolled around on the grass fighting and cursing until Myungjun got the upper hand and rained punch after angry punch onto the demon below him. He was swiftly pulled off by Jung-hoons lackeys and restrained, as they held his arms behind his back. Jung-hoon got up and rubbed at his bloody mouth with the back of his hand.

“You and your whore mother are going to rot in hell!” He spat before punching Myungjun square in the face.

Myungjun felt his nose burst and his legs buckled. He felt the overwhelming urge to be sick as his head spun from the pain. Their laughter rang in his ears as he received punch after punch, kick after kick as he slowly slipped away from consciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter down!  
> I just wanted to say I'm sure MJs mother is a lovely woman so I apologise to her.  
> Also I really want to fight Jung-Hoon, honestly.


	2. Lost Memories.

He woke up exactly two and a half days later, to the feel of a wet cloth being carefully rubbed over his face. His mother quietly gasped when she realised he was opening his eyes and she swiftly removed the cloth and set it inside the bowl on the floor.

“Sweetheart can you hear me?” She asked worryingly as she gripped at his small hands.

Myungjun groaned in response and tried to sit up. She stopped him gently with a hand on his shoulder and he looked down groggily to see his right arm in a cast.

“I was so worried.” She cried as her eyes swam with fresh tears. “I couldn’t believe it when you were brought here looking like you...” She choked on the last words and pushed his hair back delicately. “I called the best doctor in town and he came right away.”

“What happened?” asked Myungjun. “Why does my whole body hurt?”

“You don’t remember?” his mother questioned worriedly. “A nice man called Mr Choi found you in the field behind the church and brought you here.”

“I don’t remember anything.” Myungjuns lack of memory was starting to panic him. “Did someone hurt me? Why would anyone hurt me? Are they going to come back for me?”

His mother leaned forward shushing him comfortingly and went back to running her fingers through his hair. After a while he calmed down and mumbled an embarrassed apology.

“I do not want to hear any apologies; I just need you to get better.” she said. “Do you need anything?”

Myungjun thought for a moment then croaked out “Water.”

She bustled out of the room and left Myungjun to survey the damage. He tried again to sit up, and after a struggle, managed to prop himself up on the pillows. The hem of his shirt had risen slightly when he moved, and he saw a bruise blooming across his hip bone. He lifted his shirt and inhaled sharply. His chest and stomach were littered with cuts and bruises and he could only imagine the damage to the rest of his body. He felt the panic rising in his chest again, so he pulled his shirt down and took deep breaths as he waited for his mother to come back.

“Your water Prince Junnie.” She said, trying to cheer him up.

It worked. He giggled and drank it down in a few gulps.

“Now lay back down and get some rest.” She instructed.

Myungjun did as he was told and, with some help, was snug under the covers again. Just as his mother was about to leave, he called out to her.

“Mother how long have I been here?”

“Around two to three days now I think, why?” she asked.

“I have to take my medicine soon don’t I?” he said with a pout.

“Oh, don’t worry about that you won’t be needing it anymore.” she answered calmly, as if that wasn’t the best news he had received in a long time. She wouldn’t explain further after being questioned and left the room after demanding he go to sleep. He lay back down feeling thoroughly confused at her sudden change of attitude about something that had ruled his life for years. Despite that, he felt excitement well up inside of his heart, but he had to do as his mother said and sleep.

He awoke sometime that night to the sound of his mother rummaging through his room and sobbing quietly to herself.

“Mother what’s wrong?” He called out groggily on the edge of sleep.

“Nothing sweetheart, I’m just cleaning up a little bit, go back to sleep.” She left sometime after and Myungjun fell back into his dreams.

The next morning, he woke up feeling sore but full to the brim with energy. He slowly climbed out of bed and shuffled to the bathroom to wash up and relieve his aching bladder. He couldn’t recognise himself when he looked in the mirror. His bottom lip was split and covered in dried blood and medical tape had been placed over the bridge of his nose, which was very clearly broken. He sighed and went to look around for his comb to brush out the tangles in his hair but couldn’t find it. Maybe his mother had moved it elsewhere whilst she was cleaning last night. He didn’t dwell on it for long, as he had more important matters to attend to. He shuffled out into the garden where he could feel the grass under his feet and located his favourite patch of flowers. He sat down in front of them and moved a shaking hand towards the petals.

He hesitated, what if it didn’t work anymore? What if his medicine had permanently changed him? He tried to push the doubts as far away as he could, there was only one way to find out and he had to try. He held his breath and touched the petals of the rose delicately, with a shaking hand, and was instantly overwhelmed by the whispers. He cried out in joy and greeted them all individually with a heart full of love and a feeling of pure euphoria. He was worried for nothing; everything was back to normal. Well, as normal as a magical 13-year-old could be.

Someone cleared their throat behind him, and he jolted in surprise, whipping around at a speed that shocked his aching body. Myungjun groaned in pain before looking up at the person before him.

“Sorry I didn’t mean to scare you.” The man apologised with a warm smile. “Are you Myungjun?”

Myungjun didn’t know why but he felt as if he could completely trust this man, so he nodded quickly and without hesitation asked him for his name in return. In the back of his mind he was shocked at his own behaviour. He had avoided human interaction (except his mother of course) for the past five years, which warranted a certain amount of social anxiety and here he was holding a conversation with a stranger. But he didn’t have more time to think about it as the man was talking again.

“My name is Mr Choi; I was the one who found you in the field and brought you back here.” he said as if it was an everyday event.

Myungjun moved to stand up to greet him formally but Mr Choi stopped him and sat down next to him instead.

“Thankyou so much for helping me.” said Myungjun quietly. “I don’t really remember what happened though, did you see anything?”

Mr Choi shook his head sadly. “If I knew anything I would have told your mother. I’m not here to talk about that though. I’m here to talk about your magic.”

His bluntness shocked Myungjun and he readied his defence, but Mr Choi held up his hand and spoke again.

“I’m not here to hurt you or say it is bad. You don’t believe me, do you? No? Well let me show you something.”

He opened his hands, palms up and closed his eyes. After a second a small ball of light appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and proceeded to roll across his palms before being absorbed back into his skin.

“See? I’m magic like you” he said simply.

“H…how did you do that? Can I do that too? Will you teach me?” He started to fire off questions after getting over the initial shock and the man just chuckled.

“I can’t teach you, but I can take you somewhere you will be able to learn.”

Myungjuns excitement died down slightly. “Where is that?”

“The Academy in the city of Voredan.” My Choi explained. “It’s a special school for magic users like us. Students go to learn how to control and develop the powers residing inside of them.”

Myungjun sat quietly in thought. He’d heard of Voredan before but never the Academy. He also had never seen another magic user before but here one was sitting right in front of him discussing magic as calmly as one would discuss the weather.

“You’re not safe here anymore Myungjun.” said Mr Choi sadly. “Your mother told me of how she made you hide your magic from the people of this town because they would never accept it and my guess is: someone found out and made you pay for it.”

Myungjun shivered at the thought and went back to looking at the flowers.

“That also means they could tell and get others involved. That not only puts you in a great amount of danger but your mother too.” He said softly.

Myungjun thought about his mother. Despite everything she had done to suppress and hide his magic he knew she still loved him very much. She was still the woman who cooked him meals and helped him with his homework, who ran her fingers through his hair when he was feeling overwhelmed and smiled brightly when he tried to act cute. Finding out she had done it all to protect him made his heart swell and he knew he had to do everything he could to protect her too.

With the help of Mr Choi, he stood up and shuffled inside. His mother was already waiting inside with his bag packed, knowing he would be convinced. He felt tears well up in his eyes as he made his way over to hug her, being careful of his cast.

“I packed for you last night” she whispered, fearing her voice might break if she spoke any louder. “I hope you don’t mind.”

He shook his head and buried himself further into her embrace. They stayed like that for some time until Mr Choi cleared his throat behind them.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but I have more children to collect and I’m running a bit late.”

Myungjun looked up into his mother’s face and blinked back his tears so he could speak. “I’m going to protect you now okay?” He said with a watery smile.

She laughed lightly and kissed the top of his head. “Okay my prince, I know you’ll do a good job. Now I want you to go and live freely, learn all you can about your magic, make lots of friends and most importantly enjoy yourself. We’ll be back together before you know it.”

She ruffled his hair and stepped back. He reluctantly let her go and picked up his bag with his good hand and walked with her to the bottom of the garden path. No matter what happened he would be back, he promised himself. He knew this was the best thing for both of them, but it didn’t make it any easier. The thought of his mother being harmed steeled his determination however. So, with one last good bye to his mother and a quick wave to the flowers in the garden he departed from his old life.

“You’ll see each other again one day I’m sure.” said Mr Choi brightly before grabbing Myungjuns bag and leading him towards whatever adventures await.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prince Junnie uwu  
> New characters will be introduced in the next chapter.


	3. New Friends.

Myungjun was silent for most of the journey. He was warring with his emotions and it was a tiring battle. He missed his mother, but he was excited to have his magic back. He was nervous about going somewhere he had never even heard of, but he knew he could trust his mother’s words.

As Mr Choi had said, he had to pick up two other children on the way.

When they stopped to pick up the first child, Myungjun couldn’t help but look up curiously. It was a boy, he climbed into the carriage carefully and sat directly opposite Myungjun, causing their knees to knock together. The boy apologised quietly and tried to pull his legs back. His eyes widened slightly as he looked at Myungjuns battered face but didn’t comment on it. Instead he introduced himself as Chae Hyungwon, then proceeded to look out the window and didn’t talk again. Myungjun didn’t press for information. He felt too self-conscious about his appearance. So, he also looked out of the window as the carriage started to move again. However, after a time he got bored and his curiosity got the better of him. He let his eyes drift towards the boy’s face. He was very handsome and seemed quite tall, Myungjun automatically sat up straighter in response. Hyungwon sighed quietly and closed his eyes, falling asleep within minutes.

The journey went on for a few hours with only the sounds of Hyungwons soft snores filling the carriage. It eventually came to an abrupt stop and Mr Choi called out that he would be back soon. Myungjun needed to stretch his legs, so after shaking Hyungwon awake and telling him of the latest development, they both got out to look around. They were on a dirt path in the middle of a forest and the sun was setting through the trees.

Myungjun shivered slightly in the chilly evening air and went to go find his bag to find something to cover himself. He didn’t get far as Hyungwon stepped in front of him and placed his cardigan over his shoulders being gentle to avoid hurting his arm. Myungjun tried to protest.

“You can’t give me this you’ll get cold too.” He said with a pout.

Hyungwon gave him a small smile for the first time that day and shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s impossible for me to get cold.” He explained and held a hand out in front of him turning his palm downwards. After a few seconds it started to snow, tiny snowflakes fell from his palm and disappeared before hitting the ground.

Myungjun stared in amazement and Hyungwon laughed at the look on his face.

“I’m still not very good yet, I can’t make the snow stick to the ground.” He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

“That’s AMAZING!” squealed Myungjun in excitement. “Can I do that too?” He held out the palm of his left hand, like he had seen Hyungwon do, and pictured little snowflakes. He felt the familiar tingle spread to his fingers, but nothing happened. He frowned and looked to Hyungwon for help.

Hyungwon thought about it for a second then asked, “What type of elemental magic do you have?”

Myungjun paused. He didn’t understand what Hyungwon was asking.

“I didn’t realise there was different types.” he admitted feeling stupid.

“Didn’t your parents teach you about it?” Hyungwon asked disbelieving.

Before Myungjun could reply, a loud laugh rang through the forest. Mr Choi was back with another boy who was wearing the weirdest assortment of clothes Myungjun had ever seen. The outfit consisted of a knit jumper, sewn together with different coloured fabric, a pair of bright red shorts, a long green coat with the sleeves cut off which reached all the way down to…his bare feet. Myungjun couldn’t help but stare as they made their way over.

“…and then I fell into the lake.” the boy finished his story with another loud laugh and Mr Choi shook his head but was smiling too.

The boy finally noticed the presence of Myungjun and Hyungwon and he hurried over to greet them.

“Hi!” he said cheerfully, bowing slightly. “My names Jung Hoseok, its nice to meet you! What’s your name? Wow what happened to your face?” He spoke quickly, full of energy and Myungjun struggled to keep up.

Hyungwon cleared his throat and stepped forward. “My name is Chae Hyungwon, what happened to your shoes?” He interjected swiftly, staring pointedly at his bare feet.

Hoseok looked down at his feet and wiggled his toes. “Hmm good question, where ARE my shoes?” He thought about it for a second before shrugging his shoulders and looking at Myungjun.

Myungjun stared back before realising he hadn’t introduced himself and he quickly bowed, forgetting about the condition of his body, and winched in pain. “My name is Kim Myungjun, its nice to meet you.” He managed to say through gritted teeth.

Hoseok stepped forward with concern in his eyes and asked him if he was okay. When Myungjun confirmed that, yes, he was, Hoseok helped him back into the carriage anyway and took the seat right next to him. Hyungwon climbed in after and took his original position looking back out of the window. The next few hours passed a lot quicker and a lot louder as they conversed and got to know each other. Hyungwon interjected a few more times here and there but mostly slept. Myungjun found out many things about Hoseok, including the fact that his favourite colour was green, and he had an older sister who wasn’t magic and worked in the tailor’s shop in his town.

“She doesn’t like me visiting her at work, can you believe that?” Hoseok exclaimed looking offended.

Myungjun looked at his clothes and didn’t say a word.

Mr Choi stopped the carriage after night had fallen and came around to open the door to let them out.

“We’re stopping here for the night.” he explained, gesturing to the small inn up ahead. “I’m going to stable the horses, so take this money and get us a place to sleep.” He handed the pouch of coins over to Hoseok who set off out of the carriage at once. Hyungwon opened his eyes and climbed out of the carriage sleepily before helping Myungjun down the steps. He wordlessly took their bags and set off to the inn too without looking back.

Myungjun wasn’t ready to go inside yet so he looked around and spotted a large oak tree that was planted to the side of the weathered building. He went and sat down beneath it placing his hands on the rough bark of its trunk to hear the whispers. He still couldn’t make out what the whispers meant but the sound comforted him. He stayed there until he felt tired enough to go inside. After standing up he brushed the dirt from his trousers and shuffled to the door. He was greeted by a little old lady who immediately started to fuss over his beaten appearance.

“Come with me dear, your friends are eating some supper right now and would like for you to join them. Then after that you can take a nice long soak in the bath upstairs.”

Myungjun thanked her and followed her to the table where Hyungwon and Hoseok were eating their food. He sat down opposite them, and the little old lady bustled off to get him some food. Hyungwon was picking his food apart and not eating much of it, which was quite the opposite to Hoseok who was shovelling his down like there was no tomorrow. Hyungwon looked over to him and silently offered the rest of his meal which Hoseok took happily.

After Myungjun had finished his meal, wincing every bite he took from his split lip, he asked Hoseok where his room was. When he got no reply, he looked up to see the other boy had fallen asleep. He looked peaceful like this and very young. Hyungwon looked up when Myungjun giggled and followed his eyes to look at Hoseoks sleeping form.

“I’ll go and find Mr Choi. I doubt we could wake Hoseok now and I’m not strong enough to carry him.”

Myungjun opened his mouth to offer before remembering his cast and let the words die in his throat. He watched Hyungwon leave and smiled to himself. He decided he liked the two boys he had gotten to know so far.

*

Myungjun awoke with a groan and sat up in bed, gently stretching his aching limbs. Hyungwon was snoring in the bed next to his and Myungjun wondered how someone could possibly sleep so much. He heard the birds chirping outside and carefully slid out of bed to look at the view past the window. He heard Hyungwon roll over and ask in a gravelly voice, “What time is it?”

“Just after daybreak.” answered Myungjun brightly before asking if he wanted to go get some breakfast.

Hyungwon confirmed that he was hungry and sat up. Myungjun laughed when he saw Hyungwons bedhead. His hair with sticking up in all directions and was only made worse as Hyungwon run his hands through it trying to tame the wild strands.

“I don’t know why you’re laughing,” Hyungwon grumbled. “Your hair is just as bad.”

Myungjun lifted his hands to his hair with a dramatic gasp and hurried to raid his bag for his comb. He found it and quickly brushed out the tangles before passing it to Hyungwon. Hyungwon cared much less about his hair and only ran the comb through a few times before handing it back. After getting changed they made their way downstairs.

A while later they were sat at the table eating and wondering where Mr Choi and Hoseok were. Myungjun realised that Hyungwon wasn’t eating much again and voiced his opinion that he should eat more because he was too skinny.

Hyungwon scowled and pushed his plate away. “Yah! Watch what you say, I’m older then you and taller then you, you should be calling me Hyung.”

Myungjun pouted. “You’re only older then me by 2 months! And that fact that your taller definitely means you need to eat more.” He finished smartly.

“You sound like my mother.” said Hyungwon huffily.

“Well I couldn’t possibly be your mother because you’re older than me, HYUNG.” Myungjun retorted cheekily.

Hyungwon rolled his eyes but grinned and shoved a whole egg in his mouth. “Happy?” he asked with yolk running down his chin.

Myungjun giggled and pretended to think about it. “Hmmmm…” He dodged the fork that Hyungwon threw his way and made a dash for the door. They ran outside giggling and collapsed under the large oak tree.

After catching his breath Myungjun touched the tree and whispered a soft hello. Hyungwon looked over and upon noticing what he was doing told Myungjun he had earth elemental magic.

“Earth magic?” asked Myungjun. He placed his left palm on the ground and tried to read the earths thoughts, but nothing happened.

“Earth magic comes in two forms, plant manipulation and ground manipulation.” Explained Hyungwon. “You’re clearly a plant manipulator.”

Myungjun looked up at the clouds and let that sink in. It certainly explained a lot. He decided to ask more questions later. For now, he wanted to enjoy the early morning sun on his face. They stayed like that, getting drowsy, until an ungodly screech yanked them back to reality. They both looked up fast to see Hoseok running towards them yelling about snakes.

It took a long time to calm him down after that and as they made their way back to the inn to get packed and ready to leave, Hoseok clung to them both, jumping at every noise. Right before they got inside Myungjun screamed 'SNAKE' pointing at the grass near Hoseoks feet. Hoseok jumped away from them and nearly passed out from shock.

“Stop it.” Hoseok snapped. “You’ll scare the baby!”

“Where’s the baby?” asked Hyungwon looking around.

“Me, I’m the baby.” Hoseok answered giving them both his best puppy dog eyes and pout.

Myungjun cooed at him and apologised, whilst Hyungwon headed inside making noises of disgust.

Mr Choi greeted them at the carriage when they were finished packing and helped them load their bags inside.

“This is the last stretch of the road boys. We’ll be at Voredan by noon and I’ll be taking you straight to the Academy.”

The boys looked at each other excitedly and began to chatter about what they thought it would be like.

“I heard that the Academy was founded by the Deity of Eden herself.” said Hoseok looking up to the sky in awe.

“That makes sense, I heard it’s the oldest building in Aredrinnor.” Hyungwon added.

Myungjun didn’t have anything to add to the conversation considering he knew nothing of the place, other than he was supposed to be taught about his magic there.

“Do you think we could share a room?” he asked instead. “It would be nice if we could stay together.”

Hyungwon frowned. “No, we get split up depending on our element.”

Earlier that day Hoseok had revealed that he had water magic, but the water manipulation type compared to Hyungwons ice manipulation.

“Will you two be together?” Myungjun asked.

“Probably.” said Hyungwon with a shrug.

Myungjun made a noise of acknowledgement and tried to act like that didn’t affect him. Hyungwon saw through him and sighed. “We’ll come see you often and we’ll probably have classes together anyway.” Hoseok agreed with him.

Myungjun felt comforted a little but stayed silent looking down at his hands. It wasn’t until Hoseok poked him in the side and he shrieked out a giggle that he started to cheer up. The rest of the morning flew by and before long they could see the sprawling city in the distance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hyungwon is caring in his own way and Hobi has lost his shoes.  
> Brilliant.


	4. The Academy Guesthouse.

“Nearly there boys.” Mr Chois bright voice floated in through the open window.

Hoseok clung onto Myungjuns good arm excitedly as Hyungwon bumped their knees together grinning at him. Myungjun felt excitement and anticipation well up inside of him. Soon enough they were being waved through the city gates by a smartly dressed guard.

Myungjun couldn’t keep his eyes off the people they rode past. He was shocked, some of them were openly practicing magic on the streets. It was a stark opposite to the way he had lived his life. He shook his head to clear away the memories and looked closer at the magic the people were performing. One man was moulding a sword out of metal with his bare hands. He then passed the finished product to a woman who held it as gently as one would hold a new-born. Her mouth was moving, and the sword began to glow. Myungjun tore his eyes away to look into the window of a shop named ‘Tailorre’ where a woman was waving her hands over a sheet of material and it was shaping itself into a pair of trousers. The carriage swiftly took them further down the street, to where a man was creating bubbles that flowed from his fingertips, to the amusement of a crowd of young children. Nothing could prepare Myungjun for what he saw next, however.

As they turned the street corner the view opened up to expose the biggest castle he had ever seen. He gasped audibly and tried to take in every detail. The thick stone walls were pearly white and appeared to be glowing in the light. Giant stained-glass windows were reflecting the sun, painting some of the walls varying shades of the rainbow. The windows themselves depicted tales of the eternal battle between the Deity of Eden and the Prince of Darkness. Myungjun knew the story well as his mother used to relay it to him often. The castle walls themselves were so tall Myungjun wondered if they ever really ended. The castle had multiple towers that reached even closer to the sky and Myungjun wanted to climb them and touch the clouds. The gates that lead to the castle looked to be made of solid gold and it matched the accents on the uniforms of the men that guarded them.

“It’s beautiful.” He whispered to himself.

Soon they turned down another street and the castle was blocked from view by high rising buildings on either side. There were people hanging their washing out of the windows and children rushing in and out of the open doors. The houses were packed tightly together but the people seemed happy.

“A lot of people must live here.” said Myungjun to no one in particular.

Hoseok answered him though. “Big cities always attract lots of people and this is the safest of them all.” He carried on rambling but Myungjuns mind drifted.

He liked that word. Safe. He wanted to feel safe here.

“You will.” Hyungwon muttered softly.

Myungjun looked up quickly to see Hyungwon giving him a small smile. He blushed and looked away. He hadn’t meant to say that out loud. He didn’t get a chance to feel embarrassed for long as Mr Chois voice drifted into the carriage.

“It’s just up past these trees now.”

Myungjun used this as an excuse to avoid eye contact with Hyungwon as he opened the window the whole way and stuck his head out to look ahead.

The Academy wasn’t as big as the castle, but it was no less grand. It had the same structure and colouring and a huge expanse of land to go with it. In the distance Myungjun could make out a lake that seemed to go on endlessly. On top of that lake, large objects were seemingly floating, but it was too far away to tell. The Academy was flanked on all sides, by forests made of tall, beautiful trees. He couldn’t wait to hear their whispers and see if they were happy here. He expected them to go straight up to the giant doors entering the building, but Mr Choi took them down a smaller path. When the trees opened up, they could see a large house. Very cosy looking with a big greenhouse to one side and a small children’s playground to the other.

Finally, they stopped, and Mr Choi called them out. So, this is it, thought Myungjun. I'm really doing this; I really just left my mother behind to start a new life in a place I've never even heard of before. He climbed out of the carriage shakily and looked around. He saw faces peering at him from the windows and he felt like an animal in a cage being ogled at, despite being the one outside. He felt panic rise in his throat and turned around to get back inside the carriage and away from curious eyes. He promptly bumped straight into Hyungwon who was caught off guard. They stumbled back into Hoseok who was just coming down the carriage steps and with an almighty screech fell back onto his bottom.

After making sure Hoseok wasn’t hurt, Hyungwon turned to Myungjun, about to scold him, but softened when he saw his face. He crouched down to his level and made him look up.

“Yah Myungjun-ah, you’ll be okay.” He said comfortingly. When he saw Myungjuns eyes swimming with fresh tears he sighed and pulled him into a soft hug. He remembered seeing Myungjun running his hands through his hair a lot when he was overwhelmed and thought no one was looking, so he started to do that now. Running his hands through Myungjuns soft hair appeared to be the right thing to do as he felt him relax.

“I’m sorry.” Myungjun sniffled.

Myungjun felt a new warmth as Hoseok latched onto his back. “Don’t be sorry Junnie, when you get scared we’ll be here to look after you. That’s what friends are for.”

Myungjun felt a warmth spread across his chest as he realised he really did have friends now. Hyungwon pulled away first and looked down at something that caught his eye. Flowers littered the floor around them, bright and vibrant in full bloom and he smiled. Hoseok noticed next and released Myungjun in order to get a closer look but the flowers withered quickly after and disappeared. Myungjun was staring in shock at where they had grown. Those flowers were different from the others he had grown before.

“Wow pretty!” Hoseok exclaimed. “Did you do that Junnie?”

Myungjun snapped out of his thoughts and nodded shyly. This time is was Hoseoks turn to coo at him.

The door to the house opened and a kind looking lady stepped out.

“Ah just in time.” said Mr Choi coming around the back of the carriage holding all their bags. “This is the house matron Mrs Ko.”

The boys hurried to stand in line and bow deeply to the woman before them. She bowed her head in response and told them to come inside. Hyungwon lead the way and Hoseok grabbed onto Myungjuns hand, rubbing soothing circles with his thumb. Myungjun felt grateful to have people who looked out for him, so he let himself feel a little braver and looked around the place when they stepped inside. The walls were covered in pictures the children had drawn and a few group photographs hung here and there. A small child ran past them and out of the door towards the playground. Mrs Ko tutted and muttered something about children running and no one listening to her. She led them into the kitchen and asked them all to sit down whilst she made drinks. After everyone’s thirst was quenched, she spoke.

“Welcome to the Academy guesthouse boys. You will be staying here for the next two weeks before the Academy opens officially for the start of term. We house students of all ages who are both ready,” she gestured to them all, “and…unready.” She gestured to the other end of the table where a baby was gurgling happily in her highchair.

“Where’s her mother?” Myungjun asked curiously.

“I wish we knew.” said Mrs Ko sadly. “She was left here just last week, and no-one has been back to collect her. That’s what usually happens. A lot of the children you will see here do not have parents, they have either died or simply abandoned them. The Academy believes in education for all, so no child is turned away but sometimes we get a little full, so new beds are constantly being added. We have about 20 children here this year, not including you three.”

Myungjun made a sympathetic noise and counted himself lucky that he still had a mother.

“Before I show you to your rooms, you must undergo a simple test.” explained Mrs Ko. “Don’t look so worried its nothing hard. I will give you all a form to fill in and take you one at a time out into the garden. So, if you two take these,” she handed Myungjun and Hoseok the pieces of paper and some pens, “and you come with me.” Hyungwon rose from his seat and said goodbye to the others.

“Good luck!” called Myungjun to his receding figure. He exchanged worried looks with Hoseok before looking down at the form.

Full Name:  
Easy enough. He filled in Kim Myung Jun and moved on.

Age:  
13 and one week, he wrote proudly. Hoseok looked over and snorted.

“Is the week really necessary?”

“Very necessary.” said Myungjun seriously.

Hoseok rolled his eyes and went back to his own form. The questions continued asking him about his basic information, so it didn’t take long. He hesitated, however, at the box labelled ‘Father’. He didn’t know much about his father. His mother never spoke of him willingly and when he did ask, she simply said that he had left. He looked over at the baby gurgling away in her highchair and wrote down: Abandoned me.

After a few minutes Hyungwon came back into the room and told Myungjun to go out next. He grabbed his forms shakily and left to the sound of Hoseok bombarding Hyungwon with questions. He easily found his way out into the garden and saw Mrs Ko sitting in the middle of the grass with a pot of soil. Myungjun made his way over to her and she gestured for him to sit.

“I hope you don’t mind,” she started “but I asked your friend if he knew what type of magic you possess to hurry this process up. He told me earth magic of the plant variety, so I have a simple test. Make a flower grow in this pot.”

Myungjun felt confident as he leaned over and let the magic flood through his hand. He pictured a single flower and when he opened his eyes…nothing happened. He tried again and frowned as the soil stayed empty.

“I..I don’t understand!” he stammered as she tutted and wrote something down in a leather bound notebook. “I’ve done it before, loads of times before! Lots of flowers grow around me, and I even made one grow in the field by my house when I touched the soil.” He was speaking quickly, rushing to get it all out and prove he wasn’t lying.

“I believe you.” She said calmly. “but I can make an educated guess as to why that was.”

Myungjun instantly stopped his tirade and waited for her to speak.

“Tell me how you had been feeling whenever the flowers grew around you.”

Myungjun thought long and hard. The first time he had been so, so sad after trampling over that little flower and the flowers had grown and he had felt nothing but awe as he made the singular one appear. The second time he had felt pure happiness at the realisation that he had made friends and the flowers had bloomed brilliantly around him.

“I guess every time I was feeling very emotional.” He said slowly.

She nodded her head as if satisfied with his answer. “You lack self-control, like most children your age who haven’t had the chance to practice their magic freely. There is no need to worry as you will be taking classes at the Academy that can help you with that.”

Myungjun hadn’t realised how little he lacked self-control and suddenly everything made sense.

“To get into the academy there is an assessment, rather like this one, to see how much existing knowledge you have about your own magic. I would like you to remember what you have learned today and use these two weeks to practice controlling your emotions.” She instructed. “Losing control of your emotions with the amount of magic you have tapped into so far is harmless, but it becomes more dangerous the more magic you learn to release. Many have been known to kill those they love after letting their emotions get the better of them and I would not want you to carry that guilt. It is a heavy burden.” She added sadly. Myungjun sensed there was a hidden meaning behind her words, but he didn’t pry.

“Now please go and send Hoseok to me and ask him to bring a bowl of water. When he is finished, I will show you to your rooms.”

Myungjun thanked her and hurried inside. He relayed the instructions to Hoseok and sat down with a sigh. Hyungwon patted him gently on the back to comfort him and they sat in comfortable silence until Hoseok came back, grinning widely. True to her word, Mrs Ko lead them to where they would be sleeping.

“Each floor of the house has rooms for each type of elemental magic.” She explained. “Earth users have rooms on the first floor, Water users on the second, Air users on the third and fire users have rooms on the basement level.”

Myungjun thought it odd that they would have to sleep down in the basement but was too busy struggling up the stairs as his bruised legs were hurting with the strain. Mrs Ko noticed and helped him the rest of the way. Myungjun got taken to his room first and Hyungwon set his bag down on the bed for him.

“Need help unpacking?” he asked.

“No thanks.” said Myungjun with a grateful smile as he moved to sit next to his bag. When they left, he opened his bag and emptied all of his clothes haphazardly into the provided chest of drawers. He set his comb and his toothbrush down and went to pull the last few things from his bag. His mother had packed his favourite stuffed toy and a book she had slipped a note into.

Myungjunnie,  
I did not want you to leave without your favourite toy. I know you probably think you are too old, but I hoped you would find comfort in having it.  
If you get bored on your Journey, I packed you this book to read.  
Remember to do your best and come back to me soon.  
I love you.

The end of the note was smudged with tears and he felt himself well up. He rubbed furiously at his eyes and reminded himself that he needed to control his emotions better. He secretly rejoiced in not being separated from his little stuffed bird and hugged it tightly to his chest. Someone knocked on the door and he immediately shoved the letter, book and toy into his bag and under his bed.

“May I come in?” came Mrs Ko’s voice.

Myungjun opened the door to let her in. She looked him up and down before telling him to follow her. She led him downstairs and into a small corridor he hadn’t noticed before and she came to a stop in front of a door with a sign that read ‘Infirmary’.

“I can tell you had a non-magic doctor look you over and patch you up, so it will take a while for you to heal.” She said opening the door to reveal a small room with four beds lined up. One of the beds had the curtains drawn around it and Myungjun wondered who was inside. “However, I will be able to heal that nose and arm of yours right now so you can take that cast off, and I can also remove the aches and pains you have.”

Myungjun wondered if it was really possible and she must have seen the doubt on his face.

“I’ll have you fixed up in no time, just take off your shirt so I can get to the cast and see the damage to your torso.” she instructed kindly.

He unbuttoned it clumsily and dumped it onto the bed. Mrs Ko tutted as she walked around him inspecting his wounds. “What happened to you?” she asked coming round to face him again.

Myungjun decided to answer truthfully. “I don’t know.” was all he was able to say. “The last thing I remember was laying down in a field and the next thing I know I’m in bed with this.” He waved around his arm with the cast and gestured to his body.

“You must have been through something quite traumatic to have repressed your memories like this.” Mrs Ko said thoughtfully. “I’m sure in time the memories will come back so don’t worry.”

Myungjun wasn’t sure if he wanted to remember what happened but nodded at her words all the same. She started on his arm first, cutting away the cast carefully to reveal what was underneath. Myungjun couldn’t even look at it, he was sure he would be sick.

“This may hurt a little.” Mrs Ko said before placing her hands gently onto his arm. She murmured some words under her breath and he felt a warmth spreading across his skin. His bone started to vibrate as it fused itself back together. It didn’t particularly hurt but it made him feel even more nauseous to have his bone moving so unnaturally. She proceeded to do the same to his nose which healed almost instantly.

“All done.” She said after a few seconds and then proceeded to deal with the rest of his body. “I can’t do anything about the scarring or the bruises, but they will disappear naturally over time.” She explained.

Myungjun stretched and thanked her excitedly as he realised he no longer felt any pain.

Suddenly, a boy with curly red hair, burst in through the door sporting an impressive nosebleed. Myungjun took this as his chance to exit as Mrs Ko fussed around him.

“For goodness sakes Sanha, you need to be more careful! This is the second time this week!” scolded Mrs Ko.

“I can’t help it if my feet hate me and want to trip me on every little part of the floor!” The boy Sanha whined.

Myungjun closed the door behind him and set off to find Hyungwon and Hoseok to tell them the good news about his arm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sanha is a clumsy baby and needs protecting at all costs.


	5. The Boy With The Sad Eyes.

It didn’t take him long to find out what room they were in as he heard Hoseoks loud voice from the top of the stairs. As he got closer to the open door, he realised they were arguing.

“But Hyungggg, I don’t want to sleep in the top bunk, I’m deathly scared of heights.” moaned Hoseok, looking up at the bed with fear in his eyes.

Hyungwon rolled his eyes. “Well I can’t sleep in the top bunk because I’m too tall and will hit my head on the ceiling every time I get up. Do you want to be the cause of my concussions?” he argued back.

Hoseok huffed in annoyance and threw his bag up on the top bunk. “Fine but if I die from falling off the bed in the middle of the night you’ll be responsible.”

Myungjun cleared his throat from the doorway and they turned to look at him. Hoseok was the first to comment on his new appearance.

“Wow you look so different without your nose all busted.” He said staring at it closely, only inches from his face. “You look better now, doesn’t he Hyung?”

Hyungwon cleared his throat awkwardly and said “Yeah, you look alright I guess.”

Myungjun giggled at his awkwardness and pushed Hoseok out of his personal space.

“I want to go practice my magic for the entrance test, wanna come with?” Myungjun asked the others.

They agreed, Hoseok more quickly so he could get away from his new bed and they raced each other down to the gardens.

They found a spot by a little pond where they could sit and Myungjun got to work trying to coax a flower out of the ground. He gave up after a few minutes and chose to watch Hoseok suspending little droplets of pond water with the palms of his hands instead. Hyungwon had curled up on the grass and fallen asleep in seconds so they didn’t talk much to avoid waking him up.

Myungjun looked up some time later to see the curly haired boy, Sanha, coming out of the house and walking in their direction looking at his feet. He didn’t look up until he was a couple of feet away from them and squeaked in surprise.

“Sorry I didn’t know anyone was out here.” He said backing up.

Myungjun quickly spoke before he could run away, “You’re Sanha right?”

Sanha looked at him suspiciously. “How do you know? I haven’t seen you before.” He looked at Hoseok who was busy concentrating on moving the water, then down at Hyungwon who was snoring lightly. “I’ve never seen any of you before.”

“We arrived just today,” said Myungjun. “and I saw you come into the infirmary for a nose bleed. Mrs Ko had just finished fixing my broken nose, amongst other things.” He said the last part more to himself.

Sanha sighed dramatically and flopped down onto the grass. “It’s so unfair, she always scolds me even though its not my fault! If I don’t look down at my feet then I trip, but if I do look down at my feet, I’m always bumping into things!”

Myungjun thought Sanha was cute. He went from being suspicious and wanting to run away to completely trusting and sitting with them in a matter of seconds. He tried to comfort him but Sanha wasn’t listening, so he went back to trying to make the flowers appear. Sanha watched him quietly for a while.

“You suck at magic.” he said bluntly.

“You suck at walking.” came Hyungwons sleepy voice as he sat up and stared at Sanha. “I heard your conversation earlier.” He explained when Myungjun looked at him curiously.

Sanha visibly gulped and muttered something about eavesdropping before excusing himself and rushing inside. Myungjun was proud of him for not tripping once on his way back.

“You scared him away.” Hoseok observed.

“I didn’t do anything.” Hyungwon snapped back before getting up. “I’m going to sleep inside.” He walked off with his hands in his pockets.

“What’s his deal?” said Hoseok.

Myungjun shrugged and asked Hoseok to go check on him. He left immediately, concerned about his friend and left Myungjun to lay back on the grass. He was on the verge of falling asleep himself when he heard a murmur of voices carried over by the wind. They didn’t sound happy so Myungjun got up to investigate. He tracked them down soon enough and saw a group of boys who had backed up another lone one against a tree.

“...shouldn’t spy on people its weird.” The one at the front of the group said.

The boy backed up against the tree looked uneasy but not scared.

“I wasn’t spying on anybody.” He said. “Now you should leave before you get into trouble.”

The boys laughed at him and the obvious ring leader stepped up into his face. Seeing them gang up on the other boy made Myungjun feel particularly unsettled for some reason, so he couldn’t just stand by and watch.

“Hey!” he called out, walking over to them. “I’ve called Mrs Ko and she’s coming to sort you out.”

The boys took one last look at their prey and scattered.

“Are you okay?” asked Myungjun as he approached the boy. He had a mop of light brown hair and sad eyes.

“I’m fine, you didn’t really call her, did you?” he asked sounding more nervous than he had before.

“You’re smarter than they are at least.” Myungjun laughed breezily.

The boy’s eyes widened, and a light blush dusted his cheeks.

“My names Myungjun.” he offered his hand for the other boy to shake but it went ignored as the boy bolted back through the trees. Myungjun stood there in shock. He looked down at his hand, he was sure it was clean so why had the boy run away? He’d just saved him too and didn’t even get a thank you. Slightly annoyed he made his way inside.

The next few days went by uneventfully. Myungjun got used to the routine of the house and liked to help wherever he could. He formed a friendship with Sanha after catching the boy as he tripped on the stairs. They had gone down to breakfast together after and bumped into the boy with the sad eyes as he made his way out of a bathroom. He darted again before Myungjun could open his mouth and he made a noise of irritation.

Sanha had flattened himself against the nearest wall with a dramatic gasp and Myungjun just rolled his eyes at him.

“What are you freaking about?” he asked making his way towards the kitchen.

“That boy, he’s dangerous!” Sanha said not losing any of his dramatic air.

“Dangerous my butt.” muttered Myungjun remembering how scared the boy had looked to see him.

“Hyung I’m being serious.” Sanha whined pulling on Myungjuns arm. “Apparently he’s killed people!”

Now Myungjun audibly laughed at that. “Yeah and I’m secretly a unicorn.” He said in a low whisper.

“That’s not very believable, unicorns are pretty and cool, you’re neither of tho- OW OW OKAY I’M SORRY” he screeched as Myungjun grabbed him in a headlock.

As they sat down to eat, with Sanha grumbling about his neck hurting, Myungjun promised himself that the next time he saw the boy he would ask him why he was so scared.

“Yah Sanha stop whining, you're giving me a headache.” said a very ruffled looking Hyungwon as he wandered into the kitchen having clearly just woken up.

Sanha jumped at the sound of his voice and shovelled the rest of his rice into his mouth before hurrying out of the room. Hyungwon took his seat opposite Myungjun.

“Stop scaring the poor boy away, I like him.” Myungjun pouted. “I didn’t even get to ask him if he knew that boys name.”

“What boy?” Hyungwon asked staring at him curiously whilst fixing himself some breakfast.

“The one who’s scared of me.” Myungjun said sulkily.

Hyungwon made a strangled noise as he choked on his rice. After a few hits on the back he choked out a laugh.

“No-one could be scared of you, you’re too small.” Hyungwon pointed out. He yelped in pain as Myungjun leaned over the table to smack his arm.

“Now boys I hope you’re not fighting.” Mrs Ko’s voice came from the doorway.

Hyungwon immediately retracted the hand he was moving towards Myungjun and they both mumbled out an apology.

“If you’re really sorry you’d help me do these dishes.” she said gesturing to the pile by the sink.

Hyungwon made an excuse about going back to sleep before slipping from the room. Myungjun sighed and got to work. He would definitely make Hyungwon pay for this traitorous behaviour.

*

The days seemed to fly by, and soon enough, it was the boys last night in the guest house. They had spent all afternoon setting up tables outside and making food to celebrate joining the academy tomorrow. Mrs Ko had dug out an old record player and music was tinkling lightly in the background. Myungjun made sure to set up a table with four chairs for him and the other boys. He folded the napkins carefully and placed a couple of half used candles in the centre. It wasn’t exactly the epitome of luxury, but he had to use what he could find. He realised he had nothing to light them with, so he hurried inside to look for matches. He gave up looking after a few minutes and resigned himself to the fact his candles would have to go. He pouted sulkily and wandered back outside. The other boys were seated at the table and someone had lit the candles for him. He ran over happily and plopped down into his seat next to Sanha.

“Who lit them? I couldn’t find the matches.” said Myungjun, gesturing to the candles in front of him.

“Thought you did.” Hyungwon answered. “They were already lit when we got here.”

Myungjun shrugged it off and started chatting away excitedly about what would happen when they woke up in the morning. Myungjun had practiced hard over the past couple of weeks, and with the help of the other boys, had finally had a break through and made a tiny flower sprout through the earth. It was the same flower as the ones that had grown around him upon arriving at the academy. He still hadn’t been sure as to why they had changed and when he voiced this to Hoseok he had just shrugged and said that maybe Myungjun was the one who had changed instead.

Food was served as the sun was setting and Myungjun looked around to see if he could spot the boy with the sad eyes. He had seen him a few more times since the bathroom incident but had never gotten close enough to talk. He was left disappointed as the boy was no where to be seen. He felt sad that he wasn’t including himself in the celebrations but couldn’t do anything about it, so he cleared him from his mind and focused on the food in front of him. It wasn’t until after dinner, when night had fallen, and everyone was slowly trailing back inside, that Myungjun saw the boy sneaking out of the house and into the trees. He automatically stood up and told the others he would see them tomorrow. They didn’t stop him and said their goodbyes before heading sleepily inside with the others. He hurried in the direction of the trees he had seen the boy disappearing into and looked around. It was dark but the moon was shining through the tree’s lighting his path. He walked further in, looking around at the various plants. A twig snapped behind him and he spun around expecting to see the boy but instead realised he had been followed by the gang who had bullied the boy by the trees before. He felt a weird feeling go through his body and automatically tensed up.

“Beautiful night isn’t it Myungjun?” the boy at the front asked.

Myungjun felt as if he’d had this conversation before and winced as a dull ringing began in the back of his head.

“What do you want?” he asked calmly. “You seem to know me, but I don’t recall your names.” He began stalling for time because they were stepping closer and he was beginning to feel increasingly uneasy.

“Our names aren’t important.” He answered smugly but his face changed in an instant. “What does matter however, is the fact you’re a snitch who nearly got us into trouble over that little creep who we found spying on you. You should have been thanking us for protecting you but instead you ran and got the matron.”

Myungjun laughed, “I never called for the matron, you were just stupid enough to believe me.” The ringing in his head got louder as the boy stepped forward cracking his knuckles.

“You’re the stupid one, provoking us when you’re outnumbered. You’re just asking for a beating.” He growled, causing Myungjun to back up a few steps bumping into the tree behind him. They had him cornered and he could almost laugh from the irony had it not been for the ringing in his head growing louder. He begun to panic, not understanding why he was feeling this pain.

“S…stay back!” he warned. “I’ve been practicing my magic!”

The boy laughed but stopped advancing looking a bit apprehensive. “Go on then pretty boy, show us what you got.” He challenged.

Myungjun focused all the energy he could through the pain in his head and a few measly flowers bloomed around him. The boy laughed manically at him and reached forward to tug the flowers from the soil. The pain in his head reached its peak as he was flooded with memories. Jung-hoon finding him in the field, asking what a beautiful day it was, Jung-hoon ripping up the flowers by the lake and the feeling of his nose breaking when he was punched in the face. He gasped and fell to his knees clutching his head. He groaned in pain and felt tears stream down his face.

“GET AWAY FROM HIM.” came a loud, angry voice from the branches of a nearby tree. Myungjun looked up through his tears to see a figure drop down to the ground and ascend on the bullies.

“Oh, look boys it’s the creep himself!” the other boy said gleefully. “Why don’t you get a good look at his face Myungjun.” He leaned down and grabbed a fistful of Myungjuns hair yanking his head up. Myungjun cried out in pain and opened his eyes to see the boy with the sad eyes looking at him. Except he didn’t look very sad right now, he looked PISSED. He took a step towards Myungjun but was forced to stop as the boy gripped his hair tighter and Myungjun burst into tears. His head was pounding, and he couldn’t find the energy to fight back. The boy with the angry eyes seemed torn between wanting to run away and staying to fight. He seemed to make up his mind as he held his hands out and muttered a few words before pitch black flames burst from his palms.

“Let him go.” He said, low and dangerous. That seemed to be all it took as the boy let go of his hair and dashed out of the forest followed closely by the others. Myungjun fell to the floor clutching his head and the boy ran forwards to crouch down beside him.

“Are you okay?” he asked, voice full of worry.

The ringing in Myungjuns head started to recede and he rolled over onto his back panting and crying. “Who are you?” was all Myungjun asked before passing out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If my work ever contains spelling mistakes don't be afraid to tell me.  
> I write all of these chapters sleepily in the middle of the night :) love that


	6. Jinwoo.

He woke up some time later looking up at the trees, where the sun was beginning to rise, with his head resting on something soft. He moved his arm up to touch his sore head and winced before turning his head to see where he was. He had his head on the boy’s lap, who had fallen asleep with his back against the tree. Myungjun was surprised but didn’t have the energy to move just yet. So, he studied the boy’s face instead. He looked a lot better up close. He snored softly; his hair being stirred by a gentle breeze. The boy looked vulnerable like this, a stark difference from how he had looked last night. Myungjun hadn’t been able to believe Sanha when he declared this boy had killed people before, but had he heard that last night he might have believed it. He shivered and looked down. The boy had placed his jacket over Myungjun to keep him warm and his heart softened a little at the thought. Someone that nice couldn’t kill people, he thought, before hugging the jacket closer and looking up at the boys face again. He noticed the boy had a smudge of dirt on his cheek, so he reached up and gently wiped it away. The action caused the boy to stir and Myungjun quickly pulled his hand away, scared of being caught. The boy opened his eyes slowly, blinking hard to chase the sleep away. He looked down and stiffened as he saw Myungjun looking up at him owlishly.

“Your lap is very comfortable.” Myungjun said not moving. He didn’t have a choice however, as the boy quickly wriggled out from under him.

“What the hell was I thinking?” He sounded annoyed but there was a hint of fear there too.

“Probably thought you couldn’t leave me to freeze to death.” offered Myungjun hugging the boys jacket closer.

The boy stared at Myungjun for a few seconds before snapping out of it and holding out his hand for his jacket.

Myungjun pouted and held it closer. “It’s cold out here.” he whined.

The boy seemed to struggle internally before sighing and retracting his hand. Myungjun smiled brightly.

“Thank you sad eyes.” He said standing up and shrugging the jacket on.

“What?” the boy asked confused.

“I don’t know your name,” explained Myungjun. “and you have sad eyes.”

The boy frowned as he looked at the floor lost in thought for a second. “Jinwoo.”

“No, my names Myungjun.”

“Not you dummy, me, I’m Jinwoo.” the boy said fidgeting uncomfortably. “My name is Jinwoo.”

Myungjun said his name a few times, letting the sounds roll off his tongue and decided he liked it. “Well Jinwoo with sad eyes, I should thank you for helping me out last night, but you never thanked me the last time so lets just call it even.”

Jinwoo looked confused before realisation hit him. “Umm yeah sorry about running away like that.” He said sheepishly and didn’t meet Myungjuns eyes.

“You ran away every time after that too, have I done something to upset you?” Myungjun asked sadly.

Jinwoo quickly looked up and hesitated before taking a step forward. “No, you didn’t do anything, I’m just…”

“Shy?” Myungjun asked. “Not good with people?”

Jinwoo shrugged, “Something like that.”

“Me neither.” said Myungjun happily. “I didn’t speak to anyone for 5 years; it was very lonely.” He finished quietly.

Jinwoo seemed surprised. “But you have lots of friends now, the tall handsome one, and the loud one that dresses…strange? And that clumsy kid, Sanha.”

“Wow you really have been spying on me.” teased Myungjun.

“No, I haven’t!” Jinwoo denied fiercely making Myungjun laugh brightly. “You just always seem to be in my line of sight that’s all.” He finished awkwardly.

“Well Jinwoo with the sad eyes who always happens to ACCIDENTLY be staring in my direction, lets be friends!” Myungjun grinned widely and held out his hand. Jinwoo had run away from it before so it was almost a challenge to see if he ran again. However, he stepped up and took Myungjuns hand in his.

“I’ll only be friends if you stop calling me sad eyes and just call me Jinwoo.” He said.

“Deal!” Myungjun smiled shaking his hand vigorously. “Now let’s go back, I don’t want people to worry if they notice we’re missing.” He didn’t let go of Jinwoos hand as he dragged him back through the forest. Jinwoo followed along without complaint and only pulled away when they could see the house.

“I don’t want people to see you with me or they’ll avoid you too.” He said sadly and gestured for Myungjun to go first. Myungjun just rolled his eyes and linked his arm through Jinwoos pulling him along again.

“I don’t care, we’re friends now and I’m the clingy type so get used to it, the others have had too.” Myungjun said proudly. “Plus, I’m still wearing your jacket, which I’m pretty sure is your favourite because I see you wearing it all the time.”

Jinwoo didn’t say a word as they walked back inside. Myungjun realised it must have still been early because only Mrs Ko and the baby were awake and having breakfast in the kitchen. She looked up in surprise.

“Boy’s where have you been? I didn’t know you were friends.” She asked curiously.

“Out for a morning stroll.” said Myungjun happily. She eyed them suspiciously but chose not to comment.

“There’s some rice leftover if you want to eat and I’ve put some side dishes from last night into the fridge.” she stood up, finished with her meal. “I’m going to bath this little one, remember to get packed, the Academy opens soon.” she bustled out of the room and left them alone.

“Thank the deity, I am STARVING.” whined Myungjun dramatically, finally dropping Jinwoos arm and moving to the fridge. “Let’s eat.”

Jinwoo cleared his throat and stood around awkwardly. “I don’t usually eat out here, I just take my food to my room.”

“Should we eat in your room then?” Myungjun asked absentmindedly, rummaging around for the best food. He picked up a container and looked inside, he had liked the taste of that last night, so he put it out on the side. He realised Jinwoo hadn’t replied so he looked up to see him staring at the floor with a blush dusting his cheeks.

“Jinwoo?” he asked taking a step towards him.

Jinwoo snapped his head up and waved his hands around in front of him “No no, its fine I can eat up here.” To further enforce his point, he sat down heavily on one of the chairs and stared down at the table top.

Myungjun shrugged it off and went back to picking out food. After a couple of minutes, he had a simple meal set up at the table and handed a pair of chopsticks and a spoon to Jinwoo. He accepted them with a small thankyou and the boys dug in. They ate fast and soon enough all the food was gone. Myungjun groaned and sat back in his chair rubbing his stomach. Much to Myungjuns surprise, Hyungwon came stumbling into the kitchen, asking about coffee. The surprise didn’t last long as Hoseok followed straight after. There would be no way Hyungwon would get up so early, but with a morning alarm like Hoseok it was entirely possible.

They both sat down at the table and Jinwoo visibly stiffened.

“Boys this is my new friend Jinwoo with the…nevermind just Jinwoo.” He managed to correct himself.

“Hi just Jinwoo.” Hoseok said cheerfully. “When did you two become friends? I’ve never seen you before, you have a leaf in your hair by the way.” He leaned over the table to get it out of Jinwoos hair but Jinwoo shot from his chair and backed away looking overwhelmed.

“Uhhh..Uh..Ummmm I have to go.” He said before moving quickly from the room.

Myungjun sighed irritably. “Why do you two have a habit of scaring all my friends away?”

“Yah I didn’t even say anything you brat.” said Hyungwon. “I really need some damn coffee.” He got up to search the cupboards. Hoseok just sat there looking perplexed. Myungjun sighed again and got up.

“I’m going to pack, see you soon.” He said leaving the kitchen and making his way upstairs. When he got into his room, he flopped down onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Today was finally the day he was joining the academy. He rolled over excitedly and grabbed his stuffed bird.

“I’m going to learn lots of new magic and make even more new friends!” he told it happily. The bird stared. “Don’t worry, you’re still my best friend.” Myungjun whispered to it before leaping out of bed to pack his bag. He didn’t have a lot of stuff so soon enough it was time for him to go and find the others. Hyungwon was already packed and watching a panicked Hoseok wriggling around under the bed muttering about a missing sock.

“Just meet us downstairs.” Hyungwon said to him before grabbing Myungjuns free hand and dragging him out of the room. “He’s been doing my head in, I told him to start packing last night but he never listens.” He looked down at Myungjun. “I came to your room last night to find you, but you weren’t there.” He didn’t ask but the question was left hanging between them.

“I stayed the night outside with Jinwoo.” Myungjun answered, swinging his bag as they walked down the stairs.

“The boy at breakfast? Why?”

“I was trying to find him at dinner when I saw him going into the forest out back after we had finished eating, and some of the guys from dinner followed me.” Hyungwons hand tightened around Myungjuns but he let him continue. “I’d scared them away from Jinwoo before and they came to get me back I guess.” He laughed bitterly. “It wasn’t all bad, it helped me get my memories back, so now I know how I got beaten up the first time.”

Hyungwon made a noise of sympathy and asked what happened next.

“Jinwoo jumped out of a tree and chased them away with his black fire. He looked soooo cool Hyung.” Myungjun finished dreamily. “I wish I had fire magic.”

“I like you just the way you are, you don’t need fancy fire magic.” said Hyungwon leading them into the kitchen. “Those guys didn’t hurt you, did they?” he scanned Myungjun, looking for any signs of damage.

“Not really, don’t worry.” said Myungjun with a smile before gesturing to the table. “Let’s sit here until Hoseok is ready.”

It didn’t take long. Hoseok came into the kitchen looking defeated. “It’s gone.” was all he said.

“I’ll buy you another pair just stop sulking.” said Hyungwon, ruffling his hair.

Mrs Ko came through the kitchen door and told them all to collect on the lawn outside as she was taking them to the Academies main building. They hurried outside excited and ran into a frantic looking Sanha.

“What’s wrong?” Myungjun asked grabbing his arms to stop him from wearing the grass down with his constant pacing.

“This is my third year trying the entrance exam.” He explained pale and shaking. “I wasn’t ready the first time and screwed up the second. What if I mess up again?”

“You’ll be fine. You have us to support you this year!” Myungjun encouraged him. Sanha gave him a pained smile before jumping at Mrs Ko’s voice behind him doing a head count.

“…8..9…10…Who’s missing? Jinwoo? Where’s Jinwoo?” she asked looking around.

“HERE!” he called, running from the house with a heavy looking bag.

Mrs Ko sighed in relief and told them all to follow her. Myungjun told the others to go ahead and walked back towards Jinwoo.

“Hi friend.” He said, flashing a bright smile. “Need help? What do you have in there anyway? Bricks?” He laughed loudly at his lame joke and Jinwoo rolled his eyes but smiled all the same.

“Books, lots and lots of books. I like them more then people.” He opened the bag to let Myungjun see.

“More then me? I’m hurt Jinwoo.” he said dramatically with a hand over his heart.

“Yeah, I like them a lot more then you, I’ve only known you for, what? Five minutes?” Jinwoo said back teasingly.

“Yet you let me sleep on your lap. Interesting…” Myungjun teased back.

When he looked up Jinwoo was blushing furiously. “Yah, forget that ever happened okay?”

Myungjun stopped to pull Jinwoos jacket from his bag. “I believe this belongs to you.” He handed it over and Jinwoo slung it over his shoulder as it wouldn’t have fit in his already bulging bag.

They looked ahead of them to see the Academy looming.

“Do you think the exam will be hard? Sanha said he already failed it twice.” Myungjun asked quietly, suddenly full of nerves.

“You’re not Sanha.” Jinwoo pointed out. “Just because Sanha failed before doesn’t mean you will too. Anyway, I’m sure Sanha will make it this year. I see him practising all the time and he’s gotten much better.”

“Oh, so it’s not just me you spy on?” Myungjun asked feeling better already.

Jinwoo rolled his eyes. “I do not spy on people. They just-”

“-walk into your line of sight. Yeah of course I believe you.” Myungjun finished sarcastically after cutting him off.

Jinwoo huffed and tried to walk on ahead but Myungjun hurried to catch up. It wasn’t long before they reached the others who had gathered around the steps that lead to the academies big, oak front doors. Mrs Ko cleared her throat and begun to speak.

“Other potential students will be arriving any minute now; I will be taking you to a room where you will be registered, and your birthmark will be revealed. From there you will wait to be called upon for the examination. It is just to test your knowledge about your magic and see if you are ready or not. If you pass you will be taken to your living quarters but if you fail, you will come back to the guesthouse with me. Good luck everyone, I hope you all succeed.” She finished with a glance at Sanha who looked positively green.

Mrs Ko led them through the giant doors into a wide-open lobby with a grand staircase leading to the upper levels and doors and archways leading off in every direction. Myungjun gaped up in awe at the giant glass chandelier dangling above their heads.

“So pretty.” He whispered.

“Yeah, sure is.” Jinwoo said. Myungjun could hear the smile in his voice without needing to look at him and chose to smile up at the chandelier instead.

They were moved through one of the archways and towards one of the doors, which was open, revealing an overly excited man and a very bored looking woman.

“Line up in front of this desk now children.” said the man cheerfully and they all moved to do so. Sanha was in the front looking determined and the man called him over first.

“Hello Sanha, nice to see you again. Let me check your birthmark and then you can go with Ms Yeo to the examination room.” said the man taking his wrist and waving his hand over it. Sanha got the all clear and was taken away.

An older looking girl was up next and waved through quickly. The process carried on fast and efficient and soon enough it was Myungjuns turn.


	7. The Entrance Examination.

He walked up to the smiling man and told him his name. The man wrote it down on a sheet of paper and asked to see his wrist. Myungjun was curious to see what would happen, as all he saw during this process were the backs of the other children, but some had let out little gasps and it had piqued his interest. The man took his wrist gently and waved his fingers over his birthmark. It had always been an oddly shaped blob so Myungjun was shocked to see it start to move and take shape. After a few seconds it morphed into the shape of a leaf.

“Earth elemental, plant manipulation variety.” stated the man as he wrote it down on the sheet. He folded the paper and with a flick of the wrist it was enveloped in flames and disappeared. “You’re free to go for your examination, good luck!”

Myungjun wondered what had happened to his form but didn’t dwell on it for long as he let his feet guide him to Ms Yeo. He looked down at his wrist and run his fingers over the changed mark. He loved it. She took him to a room on the other side of the corridor where a kind looking man was sitting next to a plant pot. Myungjun smelt burnt paper and looked down to see his form, slightly singed but mainly intact smoking at the man’s feet.

“I’m guessing its your first time seeing this way of communication.” The man chuckled looking at Myungjuns shocked expression.

“Will I be able to do that?” Myungjun asked.

“You will use your plants rather than fire like Mr Wang, but ultimately yes, you will be able to send messages this way, its very handy.” The man said before gesturing to the cushion in front of him. “Please sit so we can start the examination Myungjun.”

Myungjun sat down and breathed deeply in and out to calm his nerves. The man picked up the plant pot and set it gently in front of him.

“I’m sure you know what to do but let me tell you anyway.” The man begun. “Please make a flower bloom in this soil.”

Myungjun rotated his wrists and flexed his fingers to loosen up before placing his hands over the soil. He closed his eyes and calmed his thoughts. He could do this. He had practiced countless times with Hoseok, Hyungwon and Sanha cheering him on. The thought of them made him smile and his chest felt warm. He felt the energy rush through his fingers, and he opened his eyes to see multiple flowers blooming in the pot. The man clapped his hands.

“Excellent!” he said happily. “Its rare to see a student so in tune with their powers this early on. I can see you must have practiced hard. Also, you grow yellow roses which signify friendship and joy so you must be very happy right now.”

I’m not sure if I’m in tune with my powers just yet, thought Myungjun, I just have good friends. The smile didn’t leave his face as he left the room with a pass and instructions to wait in the courtyard through the door to his left. He walked outside and was attacked with a hug from a sobbing Sanha.

“I did it Hyung!” he cried. “I passed!”

“Congratulations Sanha, I’m so proud of you!” Myungjun said hugging him tight. “I knew you could do it.”

Sanha pulled back sniffling and rubbing his eyes. Myungjun ruffled his hair and led them to a stone bench to sit and wait on. Sanha shrieked as an insect flew towards him. He held up his hands and blasted it away with a small gust of air.

“Stop blasting all the bugs away.” Myungjun scolded him. “They’re not hurting you.”

“They’re DISGUSTING.” Sanha shuddered and curled up against Myungjun.

The time passed slowly as the courtyard began to fill up. Hyungwon and Hoseok came through smiling and exclaiming they had passed and Jinwoo came not long after. He was quiet and sat down on Myungjuns other side. Myungjun gave Hoseok a warning look as he looked like he was about to start firing more questions at Jinwoo and Myungjun didn’t want him to be scared off again. Soon other children started to come through the door who Myungjun had never seen before. A pretty girl with a round face and jet-black hair came through one of the doors and Myungjun couldn’t help but stare. She walked with confidence and flames were rippling across her fingers.

“She looks dangerous.” said Sanha lowly, cuddling further into Myungjun.

Jinwoo shifted uncomfortably and put his hands into his pockets. Myungjun realised Jinwoo probably felt uncomfortable as he possessed the same magic as the pretty girl, so he reached into the pocket closest to him and pulled out Jinwoos hand to hold it. He wanted Jinwoo to know that he didn’t think his fire magic was dangerous and the message appeared to have reached him as Jinwoo gave him a small smile.

Hoseok scoffed from his seat on the floor by Sanha’s feet. “If you’re that scared Sanha I’ll just go put out her fire with my magic.”

Now it was Sanha who was shifting uncomfortably. “No Hyung, that would be rude! And I’m not scared I was just observing.” He added with a pout.

The whole courtyard fell silent as a boy walked through the doors. Myungjun could have sworn he had ethereal blood as this boy didn’t look completely human. The boy looked annoyed, but it did nothing to dampen his image. Myungjun realised he was looking for a place to sit so he scooted close to Jinwoo, pulling the clingy Sanha with him. The ethereal boy looked over at them and gave a small nod of thanks before making his way over.

The boy stopped before Myungjun and bowed slightly in greeting. “My name is Dongmin, nice to meet you.” He was very well spoken and stood with an air just as confident as the fire girl.

Myungjun introduced himself less confidently and the others followed suit. Hyungwons voice suddenly spoke from behind Myungjun and made him jump. He hadn’t realised Hyungwon was behind him. When he turned to look, Hyungwon was glaring coolly at Dongmin who looked confused.

“Do we know each other?” Dongmin asked politely.

Hyungwon laughed with no warmth. “Of course, you wouldn’t recognise me.” Was all he said before turning on his heel and walking off.

Myungjun turned back to look at Dongmin. “What was all that about?”

“No idea.” He replied shaking his head before taking the empty space next to Sanha. A silence fell over them and the air grew cooler as the hours passed.

Myungjun was falling asleep with his head tilting closer to Jinwoos shoulder when four people walked through the door calling for silence. He shot up in his seat, jostling a whining Sanha, and shook the sleepiness away.

“Congratulations to you all for passing the entrance exam and welcome to the academy.” said one of the men, his voice carrying across the courtyard. “I’m the fire leader here, you can call me Blaze. I will be escorting all fire users to their living quarters. You’ll have the chance to unpack and freshen up before the welcoming feast tonight. The other leaders are here to take the rest of you so listen up and wait to be called. Fire users follow me now.” He finished, clapping his hands loudly and people started to jostle their way through the crowd towards him.

Myungjun felt Jinwoo moving and squeezed his hand gently before letting it go. “See you later.” He said with a smile and Jinwoo smiled back with a small goodbye before picking up his bag and leaving, pushing his way to the front.

The process went quicker after that with each leader calling out their respective element. A tall slim man by the name of Grove called for all earth elementals so Myungjun wriggled out of Sanha’s grasp and made his way to the front. The man smiled warmly at them all before leading the way back through the castle. Myungjun looked around at the other students following him. Most looked excited whilst others just looked tired. Myungjun walked over to one of the tired looking boys and offered to carry his bag.

“You look like you could use some help, do you want me to take your things? I won’t run away with it I promise; we’re going to the same place after all.” He said kindly.

The boy yawned and shook his head. “No thanks, I just had a long journey here, but I can still carry my own stuff.”

“How long of a journey here?” asked Myungjun. He didn’t really know anywhere outside of his hometown, so he was curious how much more the world had to offer.

“About two weeks” he said casually.

“TWO WEEKS?” Myungjun shrieked. “That’s such a long time! Where did you come from? It only took me and my friends a few days.”

“I came in from Zepheholde with my friend Moonbin.” He said as if it explained everything. He carried on when he saw Myungjuns lost expression. “Zepheholde the city of trade?...Where the port is?...Where the lands biggest marketplace is?...I’m sorry, how do you not know this already? Did you live in the desert or something?”

“Desert?” asked Myungjun tilting his head. The boy looked exasperated.

“Seriously you must have lived away from civilisation to not know anything about Zepheholde. Everyone calls it the city of magic and adventure. People go to all the foreign lands using the port there and come back with so many exciting stories! I’d love to travel across the sea one day.” The boy said, eyes glazing over as he stared into the distance.

“I’ve never seen the sea, but my mother spoke about it sometimes.” Myungjun said quietly.

“You didn’t get out much I’m guessing.” The boy speculated.

“I didn’t know much about anything apparently.” Myungjun said sulkily. The boy smiled and patted him on the back.

“I’m Minhyuk by the way, Park Minhyuk, but everyone just calls me Rocky.”

“You can just call me Myungjun.” He replied brightening up. “Why do people call you Rocky?”

Rocky opened his bag and pulled out a rock about the size of a fist. “This is Rocky Jr. The first rock I ever made. I haven’t been able to make one since but he’s enough.”

Myungjun stared at the rock. Had this kid just named his rock? And why was he stroking and cooing at it like that? He didn’t want to ask and sound rude, so he chose the safest question.

“You make rocks?”

“Earth elemental, ground manipulation variety.” Rocky said proudly, showing off his birthmark.

Myungjun presented his birthmark in return, and they chatted all the way to the edge of the forest surrounding the Academy. They only stopped when Grove shouted for their attention.

“Welcome to your new home!” he called out, pushing aside a rock with his foot and placing his hand on the ground. His birthmark started to glow and the empty forest in front of them slowly came to life. The view of the empty forest disappeared and was replaced by hundreds of large trees with ladders hanging down the trunks. When Myungjun looked up he saw they led to huts nestled in the branches with sturdy looking bridges connecting all the trees. Students around him gasped in awe and started to mutter excitedly.

“Plant manipulators your home is here. Find your name on one of the plaques, at the base of the big tree here, to find your room. Ground manipulators follow me, you will be housed in the underground burrows through this cave entrance to my right. Quickly now, the feast begins in a few hours.”

Myungjun said a quick goodbye to Rocky and made his way to the plaques to find his name. After a few minutes of searching he found his name listed with two others.

Tree House #74  
Kim Namjoon  
Kim Myung Jun  
Choi Young Jae

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recently rewatched the video of Sanha screaming at seeing a bug in the tree during one of their earlier photoshoots and I couldn't stop laughing when I wrote about him blasting the bug away.  
> All the Astro members have been introduced/mentioned now yay!


	8. The Welcoming Feast.

He looked around at the signposts through the trees to find which way he needed to go. After locating the one he needed he set off with a spring in his step. His mother never let him have a treehouse. Probably because she thought he would never stop talking to the trees otherwise. He’d always wanted one for that very reason so he was elated to realise this would be his new home. Students ran past him, shouting happily and chasing each other. Myungjun stopped every now and then to say hello to the pretty flowers that littered the sides of the paths and came to a stop a short distance from the base of the tree labelled ‘#74’. There was a boy staring up the ladder visibly sweating. He was muttering to himself and wiping his sweaty palms on his shorts. Myungjun walked over to him.

“…just a short ladder, you can do this. You only fell off the last ladder because you weren’t careful. Just do it slowly and everything will be fine.” He hesitantly touched the ladder and immediately retracted his hand. “You’re going to die; this is the end.” He whined dramatically before turning around to leave. He jumped when he saw Myungjun and put his hand on his chest.

“You scared me.” He breathed. “You shouldn’t sneak up on people like that.”

“I’m sorry.” Myungjun apologised, feeling genuinely bad. “Are you scared of heights?” He gestured to the tree in front of them.

“Oh, not really.” The boy said sheepishly. “I just don’t like ladders much after I fell from one when I was younger and shattered my elbow. It’s all better now it just aches sometimes you know.”

Myungjun wiggled his mended arm and nodded. “Yeah I understand. Don’t be scared though, I’m here and I’ll catch you if you do fall.”

The boy laughed shakily. “Okay.” He stepped back up to the ladder. “So, you’re either Namjoon or Myungjun?”

“I’m Myungjun, which makes you Youngjae.” He smiled stepping up behind the boy. The boy nodded quickly before placing his hands on the rungs and placing his first foot on. He breathed shakily and pulled himself up. The first few steps were slow, but he sped up quickly enough until they were both standing on the wooden decking at the top. Youngjae sighed in relief and flashed Myungjun a blinding smile. Myungjun returned it with one of his own and stepped up to open the door. The other boy who could only be Namjoon was snoring loudly on one of the beds with a book in his hand and his glasses askew. The boys entered quietly and unpacked their bags, giggling with each other when Namjoon let out a particularly loud snort. When Myungjun had finished unpacking, he gently took the book from Namjoons hand and the glasses from his face, placing them carefully on the small cabinet beside his bed. He placed a cover over the top of the sleeping boy and signalled for Youngjae to step outside. They sat outside on the decking watching the sun set through the trees. They had been outside for a while when they heard a clatter and a sad cry from inside. They rushed back through the door to see Namjoon, kneeling on the floor, holding his glasses which he had clearly knocked off the cabinet. Myungjun got closer to see the glass had cracked in one of the lenses and the frame had split down the middle.

Namjoon looked up at them miserably. “These were my new glasses.” He said sadly, close to tears.

Myungjun crouched down on the floor in front of him and took the pieces gently from his hands. “Hello, I’m Myungjun and I put your glasses on the side so it’s my fault, I’m sorry.” He ran his finger over the cracks and tried to think about how to fix it.

Namjoon sighed. “It’s fine I would have broken them one way or another. Do you have any tape so I can at least put them back on?”

Youngjae rushed to his bedside cabinet and opened the drawer he had just unpacked some of his stuff into. He pulled out a reel of rainbow tape and handed it over embarrassed. “Sorry that’s all I have.”

Namjoon took it, seemingly unaffected by the bright colours and clumsily tore some pieces off for Myungjun. Myungjun taped the two pieces back together as best as he could and placed the glasses onto Namjoons face. The bumpy tape made the glasses sit funny on his nose and Myungjun giggled.

“You look cute now.” He said as Namjoon flushed.

A tinkling bell rang through the forest signalling the start of the feast, so the boys quickly scrambled to wash up and make their way down. On their way out of the forest they bumped into Rocky who was chatting to a girl with blonde hair and carrying Rocky Jr protectively in his arms. Quick introductions were made, and they set of racing each other to the Academy's doors. Namjoon trailed far behind the rest and gave up, choosing to bury his face into his book again as he walked. Hyungwon was standing at the door waiting for Myungjun looking very wet and very angry.

“What’s wrong?” Myungjun asked rushing up to him and taking off his jacket to wrap around the taller boy’s shoulders.

“Hoseok, I’m going to kill him.” seethed Hyungwon. “He freaked out when we were crossing the lake and pushed me into the water.”

Myungjun held back a laugh. “I’m sure he didn’t mean to push you. He just got scared that’s all. Where is he now anyway?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t care. I smell like lake water and I’m hungry as hell, so can we please just go and get something to eat so I can go back and get into bed?”

Myungjun nodded before taking his hand and walking into the Academy. They were swept along the sea of moving bodies and found themselves in a huge room, tables and chairs dotted about everywhere, most of which were taken already. Myungjun heard someone calling his name and looked over to see Sanha gesturing for him to come over to a table where Jinwoo and Dongmin were already sitting. Dongmin greeted them politely but Jinwoo kept quiet, staring at the table and tracing patterns on the wood with his fingers.

“Has anyone seen Hoseok?” Myungjun asked quietly so Hyungwon wouldn’t hear him. Sanha pointed to a table across the room where Hoseok was seated, clearly hiding from Hyungwon. Myungjun rolled his eyes and sighed before taking the seat next to Jinwoo and pulling Hyungwon down into the seat on his other side. He grabbed some napkins off the table and attempted to dry Hyungwons hair. Jinwoo stood up abruptly and left, muttering about needing the toilet. The door he was walking to opened and trays of food started floating out. He ducked quickly and looked back at their table in embarrassment before rushing out of a different door. Sanha laughed loudly and Myungjun kicked him under the table to silence him. The food floated around the room slowly and soon enough everyone’s plates were full. Jinwoo crept back and gave Myungjun a small smile as he filled up Jinwoos plate with food he had saved for him. The food was delicious. There was more food then Myungjun knew existed. He ate something that smelt like fish but tasted rubbery and everyone laughed when he spat it out with a look of disgust.

After he had finished eating, Myungjun looked around and was happy when he spotted his new friends dotted around various tables laughing and eating. He never knew he would have this many friends. If someone had told him that a few weeks ago, he would have laughed and told them to stop making up lies. Namjoon was sitting next to Hoseok and they were whispering amongst themselves and shooting glances in Hyungwons direction every few seconds. Youngjae was laughing loudly at something a smaller girl had said and waved when he noticed Myungjun was watching him. Myungjun waved back before turning his attention to Rocky who was standing up and stretching. He made his way over to Myungjuns table, petting Rocky Jr, and asked if they had any leftover food. Myungjun handed over a few fries and looked on baffled as Rocky placed the fries carefully on the floor. He was about to ask what he was doing before Rocky lifted Rocky Jr into the air and brought it down, hard, on top of the fries. They were completely crushed under the force and Rocky stood up looking disappointed.

“Rocky Jr doesn’t like the taste of those either.” He said sighing. “I don’t even know what rocks like to eat.” He turned on his heel and stalked off.

Myungjun turned back around in his seat to see what other people thought about that display of behaviour but no one else seemed to have noticed. Sanha was asleep with his hand in his drink and Dongmin was watching a boy with bright pink hair cross the room. Myungjun looked at Hyungwon who had suddenly stood up.

“HOSEOK I SEE YOU!” He shouted angrily at the boy, who jumped up with a shriek and raced from the room. Hyungwon followed him fast and everyone jumped out of the way to let him pass. Myungjun sighed and stood up to follow them to make sure no one died but Jinwoo stopped him.

“Let them sort this out, it will be over quicker that way. You’ll probably get hurt in the crossfire if you go now.” Jinwoo said wisely.

Myungjun sighed and flopped down into his seat. “I’m sure Hyungwon will just push him into the lake for revenge or something. I swear I feel like the oldest here sometimes.” He looked over at Jinwoo and pouted.

Jinwoo grinned. “Let’s act our age then, wanna start a food fight? I’ve heard about them before, they sound fun.”

“They are not the least bit fun and you smell a lot afterwards.” said Dongmin from the other side of the table.

“Only if the food hits you.” said Jinwoo excitedly, reaching over the table to pick up some food. Before he got there, a loud voice carried over the room. He sat back looking disappointed as Dongmin breathed a sigh of relief. Sanha woke with a start and knocked over his glass. After helping him clean it up they all looked over to see a man standing on a raised platform.

“Hello everyone, I hope you ate a lot and made lots of new friends. I’m the Head of this academy, Mr Bang and I would like to welcome you to this prestigious institute. Legends claim that the Academy was founded by the Deity of Eden herself, to give magic users across the land the chance to hone their abilities and improve characteristically in order to ascend to her kingdom after death. It is our job to help you achieve this and we will do our best and hope that in return, you will try your best too. Now it is time for the welcoming feast show, students in their final year of their training will come up here and showcase everything they have learned during their time here to give the new students a taste of what is to come.” Mr Bang gestured for students to come up and Myungjun looked on excitedly. He couldn’t wait to see what he would learn to do.

The show was spectacular. Students of each element performed the ability they were most confident in. One student caused the whole room to shake with the power of the tremors he created with his hands placed on the floor, causing stray cutlery to fall from the table edges. When the excitement died down another student created a little cloud above her head making it rain down onto her. She didn’t get wet however, as her very skin absorbed the water that fell and everyone applauded her as she bowed quickly, embarrassed, before running off stage. The next student got the loudest cheers as she created a blast of air from her palms and used it to propel herself from one side of the room to the other, above the heads of astonished students.

Sanha clapped excitedly. “I have air magic! I’ll be learning that too.”

Everyone voiced their jealously before gasping in amazement as another student chanted a few words causing giant plants to rise from the ground and walk across the room; where they were promptly frozen in place by a sullen looking boy. He waved his hands and snow fell from the ceiling in vast amounts that soon settled on the tables. Myungjun wished Hyungwon was still here so he could see how his powers will improve, they weren’t very strong from what he had shown in the forest on their way to the academy before. Myungjun looked across the table to see Dongmin waving his hands to create a little pile of snow next to his plate, unlike Hyungwons attempts, Dongmins actually settled and he looked proud of himself.

The room grew cold as the snow got fiercer before a gasp of shock came from behind them. Another older boy was walking through the room with heat waves radiating off his skin. The ice melted and people sighed in content from the warmth. The boy started to shoot balls of fire across the room which exploded into fireworks. Everyone cheered but Myungjun was no longer watching. He had turned to see Jinwoos reaction to what he would be learning but the boy looked far from happy. In fact, he looked terrified. Jinwoo stood up from his seat causing it to fall back with a clatter. Black flames spread across his palms and he looked down in shock. He was losing control. He clenched his fists tight, digging in his nails until blood dripped through his fingers. Myungjun panicked and reached for his hands to stop him but Jinwoo tore them away as if his touch burned and fled from the room. Myungjun ran after him to the shouts of his friends behind him.

The sound dampened considerably as he left the room and he followed the sounds of Jinwoos feet on the floorboards. He ran for what seemed like a long time, down corridor after corridor until the sound of Jinwoos steps slowed down to a stop. Myungjun turned the corner to see the boy shaking and falling through the door to an empty room. He followed him inside and caught him before he fell. He turned him towards his chest and pulled him in for a hug. Myungjun didn’t understand why Jinwoo was so scared but he held him tight. Jinwoo tried to fight, to push Myungjun away, but he wouldn’t let go. Jinwoo cried and cried until he tired himself out with Myungjun running soothing fingers through his hair and shushing him comfortingly. After a while, they sunk to the floor and Myungjun pulled back to look at his face. Even in the minimal light Myungjun could tell that Jinwoos eyes were swollen and tears streaked his face. Myungjun wiped them away gently and dug around in his pockets to find a tissue to wipe Jinwoos nose with. Jinwoo quietly thanked him and lay down putting his head in Myungjuns lap. He was quiet for a few seconds, letting Myungjun play with his hair.

“I’m sorry, I don’t usually have panic attacks in front of people.” He croaked out sounding close to tears again.

“If you cry again, I swear I’m going to cry with you.” Myungjun warned with a shaky voice. A little laugh bubbled up from Jinwoos chest and he looked up at Myungjun. The only light in the room was coming from the moon shining in through the little window and it fell across Jinwoos face, making the tears that clung to his eyelashes sparkle. Myungjun thought he looked beautiful. Jinwoo flushed and looked away. Had Myungjun said that out loud?

“Well its true.” Myungjun finished embarrassed before letting the silence envelope them again. They stayed like that until Myungjun thought Jinwoo had fallen asleep, but he suddenly spoke again.

“I don’t like my magic.” He said quietly and Myungjun felt his shirt get damp as Jinwoo buried his face into his stomach. “I wish I was normal.”

Myungjun rubbed soothing circles onto his back to let him know he was listening but didn’t want to interrupt.

“I wish I hadn’t been born. I don’t even want to be here to learn about my magic. I don’t deserve it.” He said, voice full of spite towards himself. Myungjun felt his heart clench painfully and he hugged Jinwoo closer.

“Don’t say that. I might not know why you feel this way, but nothing could be so bad that you should genuinely feel like this.”

That seemed like the wrong thing to say as Jinwoo laughed at his words bitterly not saying anything. After a few seconds he sat up looking like he’d made his mind up about something. “I shouldn’t even be here with you; I shouldn’t be around people and you should definitely stay away from me.” He stood up to leave. “Lets just pretend we never met.”

Myungjun scrambled to get up and grabbed the back of his shirt before he reached the door. He didn’t understand why Jinwoo was suddenly saying such things, but it made him upset to hear them. “Please don’t do this Jinwoo. Don’t leave me alone.” He said feeling tears well up in his eyes. “I was alone for so long; I don’t want you to leave me too.”

Jinwoo pulled away gently. “You’re not going to be alone; you have plenty of other friends.” He said moving towards the door.

“They’re not you though!” Myungjun called out desperately. This made Jinwoo pause and he turned around slowly to look at Myungjun. “They’re not you”. Myungjun repeated. “They didn’t save me that night in the forest and look after me all night. That was you and I’m glad we met. Not just because you saved me but because you’re a good person Jinwoo. You’re so kind and funny and I don’t want you to leave me.” He slowly walked up to Jinwoo and held out his hand. “Please stay.” He pouted sadly.

Jinwoo stared at him and slowly looked down at his outstretched hand. He closed his eyes and breathed in loudly before letting it out slowly, reaching blindly to take Myungjuns hand in his own. He opened his eyes and shot him a small smile. “No ones ever spoken about me like that before.” He said before pulling Myungjun into a hug. “I liked it.” He added quietly and Myungjun couldn’t help but giggle.

Myungjun pulled back first and cleared his throat awkwardly. “I know I made a big deal out of you not leaving but I really think we should go back to our rooms before everyone gets worried.”

Jinwoo seemed to be thinking before he replied. “I don’t remember how to get back to my room, do you?”

Myungjun thought back and realised he had been speaking to Rocky on the way there and racing the others to the Academy on the way out. He hadn’t been paying enough attention to his surroundings and he cursed himself.

“I have no idea.” He replied. Jinwoo sighed and felt around the nearest wall for a light switch. He found one and light flooded the room blinding them both temporarily. When Myungjuns eyes had adjusted to the light he looked around. They had ended up in some sort of storage room and he cheered happily when he pulled out a pair of old curtains after a few minutes of rummaging.

“We can sleep on this.” He presented the curtains, proud of himself for finding them. When he looked up at Jinwoo his face fell. Jinwoo was holding a much nicer looking blanket.

“Show off.” Myungjun mumbled before dumping the dusty curtains back onto the pile haphazardly.

Jinwoo rolled his eyes and got to work setting out the blanket neatly. He looked at his handiwork proudly before freezing with a look of dread on his face. “There’s only one blanket.” Was all he said.

Myungjun hit his arm annoyed. “Don’t be so dramatic, I thought something was actually wrong looking at your face.”

Jinwoo spluttered. “There is something wrong! We both have to sleep on this blanket.”

Myungjun was struggling to see the problem. “I’ve slept on your LAP Jinwoo, we can both share a stupid blanket. Just turn off the light, I’m tired.” He walked over and lay down on one side of the blanket making as much room as possible for Jinwoo. “See, you have so much space. Now turn off the light you chicken.”

Jinwoo seemed to snap out of it and hurried to the light switch to turn it off. They were plunged into darkness and Myungjun waited patiently for Jinwoo to lay down. After what felt like an eternity Jinwoo lowered himself cautiously onto the blanket and shuffled all the way to the other side with his back to Myungjun, who just sighed and closed his eyes waiting for sleep to take him. Jinwoos breathing evened out and Myungjun guessed he was asleep. He was cold so he rolled over to press up against Jinwoos warm back. “I’m glad you were born.” He whispered before falling into his dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jinwoo needed to be told he was beautiful okay?  
> This somehow got more angsty then usual but they're both soft boys at heart, they'll find it hard to stay mad at each other for long~


	9. First Day Of Class.

Myungjun woke to the feeling of someone shaking him. He mumbled incoherently and rolled over trying to go back to sleep.

“…jun you need to wake up we’re going to be late.” Jinwoos voice penetrated his sleep addled mind.

Myungjun groaned and opened his eyes, blinking a few times. He looked around to see Jinwoo hovering nervously by the side of the makeshift bed.

“We need to go pick up our timetables for classes today.” Jinwoo explained and offered his hand hesitantly to help Myungjun up.

Myungjun took it gratefully and with minimal effort was hoisted to his feet. He stretched until he felt his spine pop and sighed in relief. “I HATE sleeping on floors.” He declared dramatically before kicking the blanket into the corner. “Let’s go before we get into trouble.”

Myungjun and Jinwoo had a hard time finding their way back after running frantically through the corridors, with no sense of direction, the previous night. Eventually they made it back to the big hall they had eaten in, just as the last few students trailed out holding their timetables. Myungjun exchanged a worried look with Jinwoo. Just how late were they? They hurried inside to see the place was clear of tables, with only a few booths at one side where the elemental leaders were seated, talking amongst themselves. Grove looked up and waved Myungjun over.

“You’re very late.” He said sternly. “I handed out my last timetable a while ago and was just getting ready to leave, I do have classes to teach today.”

Myungjun stumbled over his apology and took his timetable with a deep bow. He looked over to see Jinwoo getting similar treatment from Blaze as the other two leaders looked on amused.

“C’mon now Blaze, don’t be too hard on the kid. He got here before we left didn’t he?” said one, she rolled her eyes at the look Blaze sent her way. “Why are fire users so hot tempered?” She got up out of her seat and glided out of the room.

“Well done, you’ve managed to piss her off again.” said the last leader, who Myungjun guessed oversaw the water elemental students, as he was creating patches of ice wherever he stepped on his way out of the room.

Blaze rubbed his hands over his face with a groan. “You’re dismissed.” He said to Jinwoo before hurrying out of the hall after the others.

Myungjun thanked Grove before quickly dragging Jinwoo out of the Academy building. He only let go when they reached the edge of the forest and he flopped down under one of the trees, patting the ground beside him. Jinwoo sat down next to him and looked at his timetable.

“Wow we have a lot of classes.” He said before peering down at Myungjuns timetable. They compared classes and were happy to see they had a few together.

“Basic combat and weapons training?” Myungjun read apprehensively. “I can’t fight.”

“Yeah that’s why you’ll learn it here dummy.” Jinwoo said, avoiding Myungjuns hand with a laugh. “Do we have that class together? Yeah, we do. I hope I get paired with you, I’d win all the time, you can’t even hit me properly.”

Myungjun was offended and dived forward, tackling Jinwoo to the ground. They rolled around laughing until a loud voice caught their attention. Sanha was running across the grounds towards them looking upset. Myungjun climbed off Jinwoo just in time as Sanha barrelled straight into him and hugged him tight.

“Where were you?” he whined angrily. “Dongmin-Hyung was worried about you and made me go with him to look for you last night!”

Myungjun felt really guilty to put them through that as Sanha had already been really tired at dinner. He just hoped they hadn’t looked for long. “I’m sorry.” he whispered rubbing Sanha’s back. “Jinwoo wasn’t feeling good so I had to make sure he was okay.” Myungjun pulled back to see if Sanha was okay as well, and to his relief he looked a bit better.

“But why didn’t you go back to your room last night? A boy with rainbow tape on his glasses asked me if I’d seen you at breakfast this morning and said you hadn’t been back.” Sanha questioned.

Myungjun and Jinwoo exchanged an awkward look and Sanha jumped back screeching. “EW DID YOU TWO STAY IN THE SAME ROOM?”

Myungjun said yes just as Jinwoo said no and Sanha covered his mouth with a dramatic gasp. “Did you two...kiss?” he said the last word quietly as if it was the most disgusting thing on the planet before clamping his hands over his ears. “Actually, I don’t want to hear it, I’m going to tell Dongmin-Hyung.”

Myungjun and Jinwoo were noisily denying it and tried to stop him but Sanha raced back into the Academy without looking back. Myungjun just sighed and laid back down on the grass. Why was Sanha so annoying?

“Why did he have to say it like that?” Jinwoo mumbled grumpily.

“He’s a baby, kissing is too much for him.” Myungjun replied.

“He’s not a baby he’s 10.”

“Exactly. A baby.” Myungjun said wisely.

Jinwoo just rolled his eyes and grabbed his timetable before standing up. “See you at dinner.” Was all he said before leaving Myungjun to watch his receding back as he disappeared into the academy.

Myungjun reached back to touch the tree behind him. He felt its amusement. “I’m glad one of us finds this whole situation funny.” He said sulkily before getting up to make his way back to his room. He owed Namjoon and Youngjae an explanation.

They were understanding about it and promised not to report his absence to Grove. Myungjun was grateful, he didn’t want to annoy the man any further today, or ever if possible.

The next morning, Myungjun woke with excitement coursing through his veins. Today was his first day of classes. He sprung out of bed and run over to Youngjaes, jumping on top of him as the boy moaned and tried to bury deeper under the covers. However, as soon as Myungjun reminded him of the day ahead, he shot up, bumping his head into Myungjuns chin. The boys yelped in pain before dissolving into giggles as Namjoon rolled out of bed in a panic wondering what was wrong.

They washed up and rushed down the ladder in record time. Other students were emerging from their rooms and a boy with chubby cheeks ran past dragging another taller boy.

“Slow down Jimin, I’m going to trip!” the taller boy said stumbling after him. The other boy, Jimin, just giggled and ran faster as they disappeared through the trees.

“You can feel the excitement.” Namjoon observed, pushing his glasses further up his nose.

“Even Rocky Jr is excited.” came Rocky’s voice from behind them. He hurried to catch up and presented the rock for them all to see. Youngjae looked from the rock to Rocky’s happy face and decided to stay quiet.

Myungjun greeted him happily and petted Rocky Jr. He was in such a good mood; nothing could faze him today. They made their way to breakfast, discussing what classes they had for the day. Rocky excused himself to go to the toilet and Myungjun led the others to the table where Sanha, Hyungwon and Hoseok were seated.

“Where’s Jinwoo?” Myungjun asked looking around the room. He couldn’t see him anywhere.

“He was just finishing by the time we got here and went to class early.” Hoseok explained helpfully, with a mouth full of food. Hyungwon looked at him disgusted, as he pushed his food around his plate.

“Eat hyung.” Myungjun told him pointing his spoon in his direction threateningly. Hyungwon sighed but ate a little more anyway.

Dongmin joined them not long after and ate quickly. Namjoon told him to slow down or he’d get indigestion and Dongmin obliged with a shy smile. “Sorry I’m just excited. I have weather manipulation class first and I’ve read all about it. It’s really interesting” Sanha leaned over the table excitedly, asking for tips. Hoseok and Hyungwon listened closely as they would be joining Dongmin and Sanha for that class. The four of them left after Dongmin finished explaining, eager to get to class and were replaced shortly after, by Rocky and the pink haired boy that Myungjun had seen Dongmin staring at the other night.

“This is the friend I was talking to you about Hyung.” Rocky said to Myungjun.

Myungjun thought back to their conversation about where Rocky had come from. “Moonbin, right?”

The pink haired boy nodded and smiled. Myungjun thought he was cute, kind of puppy like.

“My names Myungjun.” He said brightly and introduced him to Namjoon and Youngjae.

“It’s nice to meet you all.” Moonbin said politely before ramming a huge spoonful of food into his mouth.

Soon enough it was time for Myungjun, Namjoon and Youngjae to depart for their first lesson. Herbology. After looking at his timetable Myungjun decided that this class would probably be his favourite. He couldn’t wait to learn about all the different flowers and how to use them to help people. He also had another reason; he wanted to know why his flowers had changed whenever he created them. The first time in the field his flowers had been smaller and a pretty white, now they were vibrant yellow roses that signified friendship and happiness, according to his examiner anyway. Namjoon pulled out a parchment roll from his pocket and opened it carefully. It contained what appeared to be a map of the academy. He saw Myungjun looking and handed it over to him.

“We got given them before getting our timetables to help us find our lesson’s, but I know you were late. You can have mine; I’ve memorized it already.” He said with a yelp as Myungjun hugged him tight.

“Thankyou Namjoon you’re a lifesaver, I’d be getting lost all of the time otherwise.” He pulled back to shoot the boy a bright smile. Namjoon grinned back and led the way towards a different part of the forest.

“Our herbology classes are outside?” Youngjae asked happily. “That’s so cool!”

They walked for a few minutes through the trees before coming into a clearing. Myungjun gasped as he looked around. It was covered in plants and flowers, more then Myungjun could have imagined himself. The sun was shining down and making them sparkle, all different colours of the rainbow. Some of the plants were taller then Myungjun whilst some were so tiny Myungjun wanted to coo and tell them how cute they were. Sitting amidst those flowers was a little old lady who smiled warmly at them when they approached.

“You’re here a little early, boys. Come and take a seat.” She gestured to the sprinkling of boulders around her that were covered in moss. Namjoon sat down first stretching his long legs out in front of him. Myungjun and Youngjae opted to sit together on one of the bigger stones and Myungjun patted the moss, whispering a thankyou for the added comfort.

Other students slowly trickled into the clearing, looking equally as surprised as Myungjun had been. The seats started to fill and Myungjun recognised the boy from earlier, Jimin, taking a seat close to the old lady.

Once everyone was seated, she clapped her hands to call for their attention and gave them all a warm smile. “Welcome to herbology my dears. You are the new generation of plant users and I’m going to teach you all there is to know.”

Myungjun clutched Youngjaes hands in his and they exchanged excited looks.

“I have a pile of text books here,” she pointed to the stack of leather-bound books resting under the nearest tree. “and I would like you to collect one each. They will be yours until the end of the year so look after them well.” She waited patiently until everyone was seated again with their new books in hand. “Now what I want you to do for todays class; is identify some of the plants in this field and sketch them using the supplies provided. These drawings will go with you into next years lessons as you will be returning the textbooks, so do them well.”

Namjoon sighed unhappily and turned to Myungjun. “I can’t draw.”

Myungjun returned the look, “I don’t think I can either.” He got up to fetch them all drawing supplies and they made their way to the first patch of flowers. The flowers themselves were gorgeous and Myungjun reached out to them. They were cheerful and Myungjun smiled. “I’m happy too!” he said to them.

Youngjae looked over at him strangely. “They’re talking to you?”

“Not really I can just sense how they feel.” Myungjun shrugged nonchalantly.

Youngjae looked at him in awe before a small voice piped up behind them. “My grandmother told me that it means you have a talent with plants if you can sense them so early on.”

They turned around in surprise to see Jimin staring down at them shyly. “Hello, my names Park Jimin, can I join you?”

They made a space for him and he crouched down to touch the flowers. He was quiet for a few seconds. “Okay, I’ll ask Ms Jung for some water.” He said before standing up.

Myungjun stared at him in confusion. “Why do you need water?”

“The flowers are thirsty.” He said with a smile before skipping off to find the teacher.

Myungjun excused himself and ran after him. Jimin was surprised to see him tagging along.

“How did you know they were thirsty?” Myungjun asked curiously. “I only sensed that they were happy.”

“I lived surrounded by plants in my grandmothers’ shop.” Jimin explained, sounding wistful. “I was around plants so much that I learned over time how to communicate with them better. My grandmother is the best at it though. She talks to them more than actual people and others think that’s strange and look at her weirdly, but I think she’s brilliant.”

I wish I grew up around people like that, thought Myungjun. He immediately thought of his mother and felt a twinge of guilt. She had tried to raise him as well as possible, given the circumstances. Jimin went up to ask for some water and came back with a pot.

“We need to go collect the water ourselves.” He explained to Myungjuns confused expression. “I know where to go.” He led them through the clearing up to a taller plant at the back. It was nearly as tall as them, with a thick, sturdy looking stem and it appeared to be budding. Jimin walked up to it and placed a hand on it gently. “May we have some water?” he asked kindly, and to Myungjuns surprise the plant head bloomed to reveal bright blue petals. The plant leaned forward, and water began to trickle from the centre of the flower into Jimin’s pot. Myungjun was astonished, he’d never seen anything like it and wanted to touch it. So, he reached out towards it but before he made contact the plant closed in on itself as if not wanting to be touched. Jimin laughed at Myungjuns pout. “Try asking it nicely.” He advised.

Myungjun leaned forward tentatively and gently placed his hand on its stem. “May we have some water?” he asked as nicely as possible. The plant opened up fast and sprayed water up into the air, it fell like rain, sparkling in the sunlight and drenching them both. Jimin laughed loud and bright and thanked it before dragging Myungjun away, who was looking very offended.

“I asked nicely!” he whined, shaking the water from his hair.

They made their way back over to Youngjae and Namjoon who were finishing their drawings. Namjoon looked defeated and sighed as he put his drawing down. He stretched out his back with a groan before looking at Myungjun who was sulkily watching Jimin water the flowers.

“Why are you wet?” Namjoon asked.

“Plants hate me.” Myungjun replied shortly.

Youngjae looked up and laughed. “I’m sure they don’t, now hurry up and copy my drawing so we can move on.”

“Hey! You didn’t let me copy your drawing.” accused Namjoon.

“Yeah it’s because I REALLY wanted to see if you draw as bad as you say.” Youngjae said cheekily. “and you really do.” He added with a laugh.

Namjoon stomped off mumbling about unfairness in the world as Myungjun got to work, drawing out each petal and leaf with care and adding extra notes of its benefits on the back.

The rest of the lesson went smoothly and they each left clutching a small pile of their drawings. Namjoon was still sulking because he had somehow managed to rip one of the pages from his textbook after opening it and the teacher had reprimanded him. She had given him what she called a ‘heavy duty’ version with stronger binding in the spine. It seemed like she had come across children like Namjoon before, so she wasn’t too harsh.

“Lunchtime!” said Youngjae cheerfully. “Race you too the Academy!”


	10. Jinwoos Strange Behaviour.

“We have an empty slot after lunch, what do you want to do?” asked Youngjae making his way to one of the tables in the hall to eat.

“Well I’m going back to our room to get dry.” said Myungjun, pulling at his shirt that was clinging to him, still wet from the plant’s attacks.

They sat down and placed their drawings to the side before collecting some food from the trays that were floating past their table. Myungjun decided on chicken and vegetables and dug in hungrily. He hadn’t eaten much for breakfast, too busy trying to make sure Hyungwon was eating properly. Myungjun was on his second helping when the others joined them, noisily exclaiming about how cool their weather manipulation class had been. Myungjun listened enviously. He would have much rather been learning how to make it rain than being rained upon without his consent. He excused himself and made his way back to his room, wanting nothing more then to wash up to get rid of the dirt and get changed into a clean and dry set of clothes. He was too busy trying to ring out his shirt and bumped into something solid. It made a noise.

“Ouch, be caref- oh, Hi Myungjun.” Jinwoo said. “Why are you so wet?”

“Why are you out of class so late and why did you go so early?” Myungjun decided to ask, instead of answering his question.

Jinwoo looked a bit uncomfortable as he said “Oh, nothing interesting, its just an important class to me that’s all.” He didn’t offer any further explanations as he skirted past Myungjun mumbling about food.

His weird behaviour wasn’t helping Myungjuns mood. He walked off in a huff and made it back to his room in record time. He scrubbed the dirt from his hands and knees before changing into his softest sweater. It was bright yellow and was a birthday gift from his mother last year. He flopped down onto his bed and decided to go for a nap as he didn’t have another class until after dinner, so he pulled his stuffed bird to his chest and fell asleep.

“…looks so cute!” came Youngjaes voice from somewhere above him. Myungjun opened his eyes to see Youngjae only inches from his face.

Myungjun was startled and pushed the boy away. “Yah! Why are you watching me sleep?”

“We didn’t mean to.” Youngjae started before Namjoon cut in.

“What do you mean we? You’re on your own.” He said before going to put his drawings, from their previous lesson, away.

“Okay, I didn’t mean to,” Youngjae correct before continuing. “but you just looked so cute, I never knew you had a stuffed toy, I want one.”

Myungjun hid his bird under the pillow defensively. “You’re not allowed to touch him, and don’t either of you ever tell anyone okay?” he said trying to sound threatening. Even though Youngjae wanted to tease him some more he knew when to be quiet. Myungjun was older than him after all.

Youngjae backed away with his hands up. “I won’t tell anyone, we just came here to ask if you wanted to go for dinner, we have class soon.”

Even though all Myungjun had done was sleep, he felt like he could eat again. So, he got out of bed and slipped into his shoes. “Let’s go.”

Jinwoo was already eating when they entered the hall and despite being annoyed at him earlier Myungjun went to sit next to him. Jinwoo seemed quiet, sad almost and ate his food slowly. Myungjun wanted to ask what was wrong but held back knowing how uncomfortable Jinwoo was around the others still. He doubted the boy wanted to reveal what he was feeling with an audience, so he waited until he had finished eating, which took a very long time, before dragging him outside. Jinwoo looked confused as he looked at Myungjun and waited for him to speak.

“You’ve been weird all day, what’s wrong?” asked Myungjun, his concern seeping into his voice.

“It’s nothing hyung,” said Jinwoo looking down and scuffing the floor with his feet.

“You rarely call me Hyung which makes me even more concerned.” Myungjun stated, reaching forward to hold Jinwoos hand. Jinwoo shied away and put his hands behind his back. This just confirmed to Myungjun that something was wrong.

“Please don’t touch me.” Jinwoo said quietly.

Myungjun felt hurt by his request but kept the pain off of his face. “Okay I wont touch you but why? You should tell me that at least.”

Jinwoo seemed to shrink in on himself and muttered incoherently under his breath.

“What was that?” Myungjun asked leaning forward. Jinwoo took a small step back.

“I said I had to use my magic today.” Jinwoo said louder this time. “I hated it, but I had to do it.”

Myungjun remembered Jinwoo saying that he didn’t like his magic and wished he was normal back in the storage room. He sighed and thought carefully about what to say next.

“If you had to use your magic why did you go so early this morning? Surely you would have tried to be late to miss as much as possible?”

“No, my first class was meditation and discipline. I need that more than anything, so I went early and stayed behind to have as much time as possible. I had my practical skills lesson after lunch. That’s when they make you use your magic.” He said bitterly.

“Why do you hate your magic so much?” Myungjun asked quietly. He felt sad for Jinwoo whenever he heard that. He adored his own magic and was happy it was inside of him so he couldn’t imagine how Jinwoo would manage hating something that was a part of him. Jinwoo seemed to be thinking and opened his mouth to speak.

Before anything came out however, Hyungwons voice drifted out of the doors towards them. “Where is Myungjun? We’re going to be late to class.”

Jinwoo looked up startled and took his chance to leave.

“Jinwoo wait!” Myungjun called before moving to follow him. Hoseok stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

“No time for that lover boy, we have class.” He smiled apologetically to Myungjun and linked their arms before walking over to Hyungwon. “Found him.” He declared proudly before pulling them towards the edge of the forest.

Myungjun couldn’t stop thinking about Jinwoo all through their next lesson. It was Zoology of magical creatures and their class was, yet again, in the forest with the sun setting between the trees. He couldn’t concentrate properly, and the others noticed. Hoseok whispered something to them and Myungjun was grateful because they didn’t ask any questions but made extra notes for him instead. When the lesson ended all Myungjun wanted to do was see if Jinwoo was okay but Dongmin stopped him.

“Hyung I have a question.” He said fiddling with the textbook in his hands. He seemed nervous but his face wasn’t giving any emotions away.

Myungjun peered up at his friend. “What question?” He really hoped it wasn’t about Jinwoo.

“You’re friends with that Minhyuk kid, right?” he started. “The one everyone calls Rocky.”

Myungjun was so used to calling him Rocky by now that he had completely blanked at the boy’s real name. “Oh yeah, sure we’re friends why?”

“He’s friends with the boy with pink hair…right?” he began to look nervous now and Myungjun was struggling to understand where this was going. Had Moonbin been mean to him or something? Was Dongmin coming to ask him to confront Moonbin about it as he was the Hyung?

“Yeah, Moonbin is his name. What’s the actual question?” he asked, his mind already losing interest and shifting back to his Jinwoo problem.

“Actually, you just answered it.” Dongmin said before thanking him and hurrying off, leaving Myungjun more confused than ever.

He decided to just forget about it for now and go to find Jinwoo. He set off at a brisk pace out of the forest before coming to a stop. He couldn’t remember Jinwoo telling him what class he had last. That’s fine I’ll just go to his room, Myungjun thought before continuing. He got to the edge of the forest and stopped again. He couldn’t remember Jinwoo ever telling him where his room was, and he didn’t even know where the students with fire magic would be housed. He sighed, feeling frustrated. He resigned himself to the fact that he would have to wait until tomorrow, before spotting Sanha leaving the academy. Myungjun remembered Sanha saying at dinner that air users had the next class with the fire users and Myungjun saw his opportunity to find out where he was. He made a beeline for Sanha, but he realised the closer he got that Sanha was looking distressed. All thoughts of Jinwoo disappeared and he rushed over. He felt extremely protective of Sanha because the boy was so young, so he wanted to fix whatever was making him this way.

Sanha saw him coming and breathed a sigh of relief. “Hyung you need to come with me, Jinwoo-hyung got hurt.”

Myungjun took a few seconds to process what he had heard before gripping Sanha’s arms. “What do you mean hurt? Where is he?” he spoke fast and couldn’t stop the panic that was slowly creeping in.

“We had Alchemy class and I guess he wasn’t paying attention and spilt all this nasty smelling liquid down him, he started screaming it was awful, the teacher had to rush him to the infirmary and told us to pack up but not to touch what he’d spilt.” Sanha explained all of this as tears rolled down his face.

Myungjuns heart went out to him, it must have been so traumatic for him to see, even if he had been scared of Jinwoo at the beginning. Myungjun quickly wiped his tears away before demanding he take him to the infirmary. They got there quickly and Myungjun knocked on the door, jiggling his leg impatiently. Sanha sat on one of the chairs outside and told Myungjun that he didn’t want to go inside and see Jinwoo in such a state. Myungjun let him know that he understood and spun around as the door opened.

Blaze poked his head out looking tired. “Oh, its you, sorry kid but Jinwoos asleep right now, he can’t have any visitors just yet, if you come back tomorrow, I’m sure he’ll be awake.” He didn’t say anything more before shutting the door. Myungjun just stared at the wood not knowing what to do. Sanha came up behind him and pulled him away from the door.

“We should go to bed Hyung, we have class tomorrow, you wouldn’t be able to see him until lunch time anyway.” He said gesturing to the sign that stated visitation times. Myungjun just stood there staring into space. He was remembering how distressed he had seen Jinwoo before and couldn’t help imagining how bad of a state he must have been in whilst in so much pain. He didn’t realise he was crying until Sanha blotted his eyes with his sleeve. Myungjun sniffled and agreed to go back to his room, worrying outside the infirmary door all night would get him nowhere. They parted ways at the edge of the forest and Myungjun said goodnight before using his magic to open the way to the treehouses. He climbed up the ladder and opened the door to the room where Namjoon and Youngjae were already snoring, oblivious to the pain Myungjun was feeling.

He collapsed in bed without removing his clothes and pulled his bird out from under his pillow. “I’m really worried about him.” He whispered into the darkness. He tossed and turned for what felt like hours before falling into a fitful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise that chapter 12 onwards contains the fluffy Myungjin we all deserve<3


	11. Siren Venom.

He woke up with a start as he fell out of bed.

“I told you he’d fall out of bed sooner or later” Namjoon said before helping Myungjun up.

Myungjun groaned in pain as he tried to stretch out his arms. His right one was aching from where the bones had been mended.

Youngjae came around to speak to him. “Are you okay Hyung? Were you having nightmares? You were moving around a lot.”

Myungjun tried to think back to what he had dreamt about but memories of yesterday came to him instead. “Jinwoo.” He said panicked before pulling off his rumpled clothes to get changed.

Youngjae stepped out of his path as he flew past to his dresser to pull out new ones. “You had nightmares about Jinwoo? How come you never got changed last night?”

Myungjun pulled on his new clothes before turning to answer him. “No, Jinwoo got hurt yesterday, really bad by the sounds of it and I didn’t even think about getting changed.” He rushed to the other room to get washed up and the two boys followed him looking concerned.

“What happened? Is he okay?” Namjoon asked, leaning against the door frame and watching Myungjun furiously brushing his teeth through the mirror.

Myungjun rinsed his mouth and rushed past them back out into their room. “I don’t know exactly what happened and I don’t even know if he’s okay. I got told he was sleeping and that I couldn’t see him until lunch today. Where are my shoes?”

Youngjae chucked him a pair and Myungjun put them on.

“Well why are you getting dressed so early if you can’t see him until lunch?” Namjoon asked, putting his glasses on.

“I’m not waiting until lunch; I at least want to see if he’s okay.” Myungjun shrugged before saying goodbye and going out the door.

He jumped down the last few rungs of the ladder and set off quickly through the forest. He spotted Jimin and the tall friend he had been pulling around the forest before, they were whispering behind one of the trees. He left them to it and jogged over to the Academy. He was outside of the infirmary doors before he realised, he didn’t have a plan. What if he got caught and told off for visiting before he was allowed? What if that was a serious rule and he got expelled? He hesitated before deciding to just go for it and quietly pushed one of the doors open. If he did get caught, he would just tell them his arm was hurting. It wasn’t a lie at least. He poked his head inside and to his relief there seemed to be no one around. Only one of the beds had the curtains pulled shut so he walked over to it quietly before slipping inside and pulling the curtain closed behind him.

“Myungjun what are you doing here?” Jinwoos voice startled him and he turned around quickly.

His reply got stuck in his throat as he saw the bandages covering half of Jinwoos chest. Jinwoo saw him staring and quickly pulled the covers up looking embarrassed.

“It’s nothing.” He said looking anywhere but Myungjun.

“That is most certainly not nothing!” Myungjun fretted his voice rising.

Jinwoo looked up at him “Shh, do you want to get caught?”

Myungjun whispered an apology before sitting on the edge of his bed. Jinwoo tried to move but hissed in pain and slumped back against the pillows.

“Don’t move, I have enough room.” said Myungjun, reaching over to move Jinwoos hair out of his face. To his surprise Jinwoo let him do it and just closed his eyes.

“Why are you here?” he asked quietly.

Myungjun scoffed, what a ridiculous question. “I’m here to make sure you’re okay of course.”

He was startled to see Jinwoo open his eyes, that were swimming with unshed tears, to glare in his direction. “Why do you even care about me?”

Myungjun was lost for words. Why was Jinwoo suddenly so upset with him? He struggled with what to say but eventually spoke. “Because you’re my friend. Sanha told me you got hurt so I came straight here but got turned away at the door last night.”

“You shouldn’t have bothered.” Jinwoo said, squeezing his eyes shut. “Please just leave.”

“No.” Myungjun said stubbornly. “I won't leave until you tell me what I’ve done wrong.”

Jinwoo sighed and gripped the blanket tight before opening his eyes again. “You haven’t done anything wrong Myungjun. I’m just better off alone.”

Myungjun felt himself getting annoyed. “How is that better off? Being lonely and miserable is better than being my friend?”

“Stop twisting my words.” Jinwoo said angrily. “I didn’t say that did I?”

“No but that’s what you implied!” Myungjun retaliated. “Why is it so bad being my friend? I’ve always been nice to you, haven’t I?”

“It’s because you’ll end up leaving when you find out the truth about me!” Jinwoo erupted. The blanket started to smoke where he held on tight and Myungjun panicked.

“Jinwoo the blanket!” Jinwoo looked down and pulled his hands away fast. The quick movement made him cry out in pain and Myungjun yanked the cover down to see blood seeping through the bandages.

“Oh no Jinwoo, let me go and get someone!” Myungjun went to stand up but Jinwoo grabbed his wrist to stop him.

Myungjun yelped in pain as the heat from Jinwoos hand burnt him. He pulled away reflexively and cradled his wrist. He felt a flutter of fear in his chest as his wrist started to sting but he pushed it down. He wasn’t afraid of Jinwoo, he didn’t want to be afraid of him. Jinwoo looked from Myungjuns wrist to his own hand in shock and burst into tears.

“Hyung I’m so sorry! I didn’t think, I just didn’t want you to get in trouble by getting someone when you’re not supposed to be in here!” He pulled his hands to his chest. “I can’t control it, this is why I hate my magic, I only ever hurt people, this is why you need to stay away from me!”

Myungjun thought the pain his heart felt at that moment, was worse than the pain on his wrist. He sat there quietly until Jinwoo calmed down, not wanting to touch him in case it upset the boy any further.

“It’s okay Jinwoo, I was just surprised by how warm your hands were that’s all, I didn’t get burned.” He lowered his sleeves a bit further to hide the damage and waited for Jinwoo to look at him. When it became clear that he wasn’t going to, Myungjun continued. “I had to learn to control my powers when I first arrived here and I’m still not very good at it either. I did get a little better though and you wanna know how?”

Jinwoo finally looked up at him, looking impossibly small and scared.

“I had the help of Hyungwon and Hoseok and Sanha, my friends.” He put extra emphasis on the word friends in a hope that Jinwoo would catch on quicker. “I’m your friend Jinwoo let me help you too.” He finished with a small smile.

Jinwoo was quiet for a few seconds before hesitantly nodding back. Myungjun felt relieved and patted his leg gently. They both froze at the sound of a door opening.

“Get under the bed!” Jinwoo hissed nudging Myungjun off the bed with his leg.

Myungjun scrambled under the bed just in time. He saw the curtain open and a pair of black, polished shoes approached, stepping dangerously close to his leg.

“Jinwoo you’re awake? How are you feeling today?” the woman’s voice held no warmth but was not unkind.

Myungjun heard Jinwoo shifting above him and the woman sighed. “I told you not to move around so much. Now I’ll have to change the bandages before the healer gets here.” Her shoes turned around and disappeared, so Myungjun took the opportunity to wriggle back out.

“See you later!” he whispered with a big grin before dashing across the room to the door. He dived behind one of the beds and looked around, making Jinwoo laugh before giving him a final wave and slipping out of the room. He hurried towards the hall in hopes of picking up something to eat before his first class.

He rushed through the doors and looked around for a place to sit. Jimin was sitting by himself sipping his water so Myungjun made his way over, trying to ignore the sting of his wrist.

“Where’s your tall friend?” he asked grabbing a slice of toast from Jimin’s plate.

Jimin didn’t seem to mind as he pushed the rest of his breakfast in Myungjuns direction who accepted it gratefully.

“My tall friend?”

“The one you’re always in the forest with.” Myungjun said through a mouth full of food.

Jimin thought for a moment before his face lit up mischievously. “That’s my best friend TaeTae, he’s a water user so he’s not allowed in our area, but I sneak him in, don’t tell anyone though.”

Myungjun laughed as Jimin looked genuinely worried that he might tell, and he shook his head. “I won’t tell, I promise.” Jimin still looked a little sceptical. “If I tell, which I won’t, you can snitch on me for sneaking into the infirmary before visiting hours.” He offered and Jimin relaxed.

“Why were you in there?” Jimin asked, finishing his water with a smack of his lips and a sigh of satisfaction.

“I went to check on a friend.” Myungjun said stuffing the last slice of toast into his mouth. “Let’s go to class.”

They left and Myungjun pulled out his timetable. “We have alchemy now with the water users.” He told Jimin as he led them to the right room. Hyungwon was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed as Rocky and Moonbin chatted excitedly off to the side. Moonbin must be a water user, Myungjun thought before realising Hoseok was missing.

“Where’s Hoseok?” Myungjun asked searching through the sea of heads to find his friend.

Hyungwon shrugged. “Dongmin dragged him somewhere when we got here, and they never came back. He said they’d be back when class started.”

“What’s the deal between you and Dongmin anyway?” Myungjun asked. “On the day of the examination you acted really cold towards him and acted like you knew him already.”

Hyungwon shrugged. “Nothing interesting.” Before Myungjun could say anything, he stood up straight, wrinkling his nose. “Why does it smell like somethings burning around here?”

Myungjun crossed his arms as casually as possible to hide his wrist. “I don’t know, why are you avoiding my question?”

The door next to them opened and their conversation was cut short by a serious looking man. He beckoned them all inside and shut the door loudly.

“There will be no messing around today, a student was already careless enough to get hurt yesterday and I will not have it happening again. Do you understand?”

The class murmured out a yes and he nodded, seemingly satisfied. There was a knock at the door, and it opened as Hoseok and Dongmin slipped inside. They apologised for being late and the teacher waved them off and told them to take the remaining seats. There was a seat left next to Namjoon and another seat left next to Moonbin. Hoseok took one look at Dongmin before diving into the seat next to Namjoon. Dongmin stood frozen and only moved when the teacher cleared his throat. He sat down in the chair and moved it to the other end of the table in a manner he must have thought was subtle but turned out to look completely obvious. Moonbin looked confused but went back to looking at the teacher when he began to speak.

“Today we’re going to be learning about the history of alchemy. I want you to take notes as I speak and, at the end, I will show you some ingredients. I would like you to guess what they are based on the notes you have written. Come and collect a text book each and we’ll get started.”

Myungjun grabbed a stack and handed them out. He gave Dongmin a questioning look when he handed a book over, but the boy just shook his head before opening it up and pretending to read it. Myungjun sighed and moved on. The book was upside down. He’ll tell me when he’s ready too, Myungjun thought.

The lesson went on and all that could be heard was the voice of the teacher and the scratching of pens on paper. At the end he pulled out a box and carefully took some items from it.

“I may as well show you this one first because I don’t want any of you to hold it considering the mess it caused yesterday.” He held up a bottle of black liquid. “This is concentrated siren venom. Sirens are alluring creatures but if you get bitten by one its venom will eat you from the inside out. If it gets on your skin, it will eat straight through it. We must dilute it before we use it, to make it less potent and I usually let students do this themselves, but I don’t think I will do that today. Maybe next time.”

Myungjun looked at the bottle and felt sick. He thought about the bandages on Jinwoos chest and wondered if his skin had been eaten away too and how diluted it had been when it touched him. He drowned out whatever else the teacher was saying to focus on not being sick and at the end of the lesson he rushed from the room where he promptly threw up his breakfast into a toilet. He groaned and wiped his mouth.

“Junnie are you okay?” Hyungwons voice floated through the toilet door.

Myungjun reached behind him to open the door and Hyungwon stepped inside holding a hand to Myungjuns forehead. “Are you sick?”

Myungjun shook his head and reached up to wipe his mouth. His sleeve slipped down and Hyungwon stared in shock at his wrist. “What the hell happened to your wrist?” he asked grabbing it to get a better look. Myungjun tried to pull away but Hyungwon held on strongly. “Tell me now Junnie, it looks like a handprint, who did this to you?”

“Nobody.” Myungjun said, finally snatching his hand back. “It’s nothing hyung just leave it alone.”

Hyungwon was silent for a few seconds before speaking. “Was it Jinwoo? He has fire magic right?” When Myungjun hesitated to reply Hyungwon snarled. “Sanha told me he was dangerous, but I didn’t believe it. I’m going to kill him.” He turned to leave and Myungjun grabbed onto his arm, full of fear.

“Hyung don’t! He didn’t mean to, he was scared, and he was trying to stop me from getting into trouble!” Hyungwon paused at this and turned to look at him.

“Why did he burn you then?”

“I’d made him upset and he couldn’t control it, but I promised to help him learn, like you and the others helped me.” Myungjun looked up into his eyes desperately. “Please Hyung I want to help him, please don’t tell anyone and don’t tell him you know. I already lied to him and told him it was nothing. He’d feel even worse if he found out.”

“He deserves to feel bad.” Hyungwon said coldly.

“If he feels even worse about it, he won’t let me help him.” Myungjun squeezed his arm gently. “and I NEED to help him. Please.” He whined with his best pout.

Hyungwon sighed and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Why are all my dongsaengs so annoying?” he groaned loudly before looking down at Myungjun. “Fine, I’ll keep quiet but on one condition; we go to the infirmary and get that burn tended to before it gets worse.”

Myungjun was ready to agree before he realised Jinwoo would be there. He said this to Hyungwon who sighed again. “Let’s go check first and if he’s there we’ll go back another time, deal?”

Myungjun agreed and let himself be taken to the infirmary. Hyungwon peeked in and confirmed that all the beds were empty. A few minutes later Myungjun was sitting on one of the beds and a salve was being rubbed over his burns. It stung at first but then the pain died down and left a cool tingling feeling behind. It was wrapped in a bandage to let the salve work without being disturbed.

“You’ll be fine by tomorrow.” The woman said before sending them away. Myungjun pulled his sleeve down to cover it up. He only had to hide it for the rest of the day. That wouldn’t be too hard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love writing protective Hyungwon.  
> Jinwoo needs to realise he is cared about dammit!
> 
> Its all sunshine and rainbows in the next chapter <3


	12. The Twin Mutes.

Myungjun thought the deity must be punishing him for lying to Jinwoo earlier, as his life was being made extremely difficult. After lunch he had communications class…with Jinwoo and the other fire users. He groaned loudly when he spotted Jinwoo waiting by himself down the corridor. Rocky stopped to look at Myungjun who had pressed himself against the wall.

“What’s wrong?” Rocky asked.

“Nothing, I’m just being punished for lying and I definitely deserve it.” Myungjun sighed before adjusting his sleeve and walking up to Jinwoo. “Hey how comes you're back in classes already?”

Jinwoo looked up startled but softened slightly at the sight of Myungjun. “An actual healer came in and sorted me out. It hurt a lot, but I feel better now.”

“Let’s see.” said Myungjun leaning forward to lift up Jinwoos shirt.

“No way!” Jinwoo crossed his arms over his chest looking scandalised.

Suddenly, Rocky yelped in pain beside Myungjun. He was jumping around and clutching his foot. “Rocky Jr attacked me!” he said. “I was attacked by my own son, this betrayal.” Rocky Jr lay on the floor near his feet.

“Did you drop him?” Myungjun asked, trying not to laugh.

“No. He ATTACKED me.” Rocky said, sounding genuinely hurt.

Myungjun rolled his eyes before bending down to pick up the rock. He gave it a telling off before handing it back to Rocky who looked much better. Myungjun turned back to Jinwoo who looked lost.

“What was that all about?” he asked when they were seated in the classroom.

“He seems to think that rock can hear him and has feelings.” Myungjun explained quietly. Rocky wasn’t sitting with them, but he would hear if they spoke too loudly.

“Like how you sense and talk to your plants?” Jinwoo asked, trying to make sense of the situation.

Myungjun hadn’t thought of it that way before and nearly agreed before saying “No, plants are living things, rocks aren’t.”

“So, he’s just crazy?” Jinwoo said bluntly.

Myungjun giggled and hit him lightly. “Don’t say that, he’s not crazy, just…different.”

Jinwoo pretended to be hurt by Myungjuns hit and they sat giggling until the teacher called for silence.

“Good afternoon everyone, I’m your communications teacher, Mr Seo. In my class you will be learning about the art of communication using your magic and your mind.” He was quiet for a moment and then his voice rang through Myungjuns head.

*You will learn to communicate like this*

Myungjun gasped at the weird sensation. He had heard the voice clearly, but the man had not opened his mouth to speak. Jinwoo had also gasped, amongst some of the other students so Myungjun guessed he had spoken to them all too.

“For today’s lesson I would like you to focus on trying to read the person sitting next to you. You must have contact to do this so early on in your knowledge, so hold hands, lean against each other, do it whatever way you want. You over there, I didn’t mean kissing!”

Myungjun looked over to see the pretty fire girl from the courtyard leaning over a scared looking boy who was trying to back away from her. She laughed loudly and leaned back, looking just as confident as ever. “I’m only joking.” She said lazily before taking the boys hands.

Jinwoo had tensed whilst looking at her and turned back to look at Myungjun. “I really don’t like her. She loves her fire too much and it makes her act cocky knowing how dangerous she is.”

Myungjun chose not to comment and reached forward to take Jinwoos hands. He hesitated before they made contact, waiting for Jinwoos permission and Jinwoo gave him a small nod before closing the rest of the distance. Myungjun closed his eyes and focused his magic to his palms, he pictured himself reading Jinwoos mind and heard his voice.

“You look constipated.”

Myungjun gasped excitedly. “I heard your thoughts!”

“No, I just spoke out loud.” Jinwoo said with a laugh as Myungjun pouted unhappily.

“Don’t trick me like that! And I’m not constipated, I’m concentrating. Unlike you.” He added childishly.

Jinwoo rolled his eyes and closed them. Myungjun took the time to look at his face. He didn’t often get to see it up close like this and he liked looking at all the little details. Like the faint scar he has under his eyebrow and the length of his eyelashes.

“You’re staring at me.” Jinwoo said, sounding amused as his eyes stayed closed.

Myungjun gasped again. “Did you just read my mind?”

“No, I can just feel you burning holes in my face. I know I must be totally interesting to look at,” he said sarcastically, “but now you’re the one who’s not concentrating.”

Myungjun huffed in embarrassment and closed his eyes. He tried really hard to get a read. So hard in fact, he ended up giving himself a headache.

At dinner, Jinwoo gave him some water and let Myungjun rest against him to try and ease the pain. Myungjun just whined at every loud noise and snuggled up closer.

“Do you want to go to the infirmary?” Jinwoo asked quietly.

“No, I’ve already been today because my arm hurt. I can’t go again, it’ll be embarrassing.”

Jinwoo tensed and Myungjun realised what he had let slip. He shot up fast and tried to think of a way out of his mistake.

“I meant that the arm I had mended was hurting earlier because I’d fallen out of bed. Isn’t that right guys?” He looked across the table to where Youngjae and Namjoon were eating. They confirmed his story without a second thought and Jinwoo seemed to relax. Myungjun cursed himself for being so careless and leaned back in cautiously when Jinwoo patted his shoulder. The pain in his head was subsiding when he heard someone clear their throat and sit down in the seat on his other side. He looked over to see Hyungwon, who wasn’t looking very happy and he sat up quickly. Hyungwon looked at Jinwoo untrustingly before pulling Myungjun closer to himself.

“If you want to lay your head somewhere, lay it on me.” He said. “Where I know you’ll be safe.” He added quietly.

Myungjun just rolled his eyes at his over protective behaviour before shooting Jinwoo an apologetic look. He snuggled up to Hyungwon and let himself be babied. He asked Hyungwon to feed him and was immediately denied. Hyungwon changed his mind quickly however, when Jinwoo offered, and shoved a piece of meat into Myungjuns mouth. Myungjun choked and had to be smacked on the back a few times.

“Sorry Junnie.” Hyungwon said handing him a glass of water.

“It’s okay.” said Myungjun after taking a few sips, eyes streaming. “It happens to the best of us.” He patted Hyungwons arm before standing up. “I’m going back to get changed into better clothes. We have Basic combat and weapons training next.” He said looking at Namjoon, Youngjae and then Jinwoo.

Hyungwon eyed Jinwoo suspiciously. “I can always skip my class and come join you.” He offered looking up at Myungjun. Myungjun just laughed and told him not to be silly.

He said goodbye to Hyungwon and Jinwoo before dragging Youngjae and Namjoon back to their room. They all got changed into comfy clothes and made their way down to the combat centre behind the academy. Myungjun would have never known it was there if they didn’t have to take this class. It wasn’t a small building by any means, but it was overshadowed by the beauty of the academy building itself.

They spotted the rest of their class on a flattened piece of land that was lit by torches to combat the setting sun. They made their way over to see not one, but two teachers standing side by side. Myungjun guessed they were twins because they looked eerily similar. What was more eerie is they didn’t talk. At all. They gestured for the class to follow them and started to jog towards the direction of the lake. They then proceeded to run around the lake, gesturing again for them to follow. The lake was even bigger then it had looked the first time Myungjun had seen it. He could have sworn he had seen big objects floating on the surface before but obviously not as the surface of the lake was completely clear now. Myungjun got halfway around the lake before collapsing and rolling onto his back, looking up at the afternoon sky and panting like a dog. A teacher came back for him and created water with her hands for him to drink. He drank it gratefully before getting up to try again. Jinwoo was way ahead before he realised Myungjun wasn’t beside him anymore and he jogged back to get him.

“Are you okay?” he asked, slowing down to Myungjuns speed.

“No, I’m sure I’m dying” He wheezed out. “But the real question is, why aren’t you dying with me?”

Jinwoo laughed and ran backwards so he could look at him as he talked. “When you have no friends, you have to do a lot of things to entertain yourself. I used to watch the students from previous years run around this lake and learn how to fight. I’d run at night when everyone was asleep and learnt to fight by observing their moves and practising them by myself.”

Myungjun was impressed and made it clear. “Wow I wish I’d done that too; this is too much for me right now.”

Jinwoo just laughed and turned around to jog properly.

“You said you used to watch students from previous years, does that mean you’ve lived in the guesthouse for a long time?” Myungjun asked trying to distract himself from the fire in his lungs.

“Haven’t we already spoken about this?” Jinwoo asked. Myungjun wasn’t sure but he didn’t have the greatest memory either. He said that to Jinwoo who just shrugged. “Well even so, I’ve lived there for as long as I can remember. This place is my home.”

Myungjun couldn’t quiet interpret the emotion in Jinwoos voice as he said that, but he didn’t want to chance making him sad again, so he sped up temporarily to jump on his back. Jinwoo yelped in surprise but held him up.

“Please carry me, my legs are going to fall off.” He begged.

Jinwoo just laughed and hoisted him up properly before setting off again. Myungjun cheered every time Jinwoo passed another tired student and they all looked up at Myungjun in envy. Rocky was already sitting on the grass at the finish line, running his hands through the lake water. Myungjun jumped off Jinwoos back, who collapsed to the floor groaning.

“How long have you been here?” Myungjun asked Rocky as he sat down beside him.

“A while.” He said serenely, looking up at the first stars twinkling in the night sky. “I like to run. Its very relaxing don’t you think?”

Myungjun thought back to him collapsing in exhaustion and having to use Jinwoo for a ride and found he couldn’t quite agree with Rocky’s sentiment.

Myungjun waited for the teacher who gave him water to cross the finish line with other tired students before approaching her and asking her to give some to Jinwoo. She gestured for him to make a bowl with his hands and proceeded to fill it up with water. He quickly transported it to Jinwoo and poured it into his mouth. Jinwoo wiped the water from around his mouth that hadn’t quite made it in and thanked him with a tired smile.

Youngjae and Namjoon made it across the finish line last and after getting some water, told the others that it was time to go. Myungjun helped Jinwoo and Rocky to their feet and walked with them back up to the academy.

“Where are fire users housed anyway?” Myungjun asked.

“Under the academy.” Jinwoo replied gesturing to the floor.

Myungjun frowned. Jinwoo had be underground in the guesthouse and now in the academy.

“Why do they keep putting you down there?” Myungjun mumbled.

Jinwoo laughed at Myungjuns face. “Don’t look at me like that, It’s a good thing. Everyone’s safer if we stay down there. The rooms aren’t that bad either.”

Myungjuns reply was cut off as Youngjae wrapped an arm over his shoulders and pulled him towards the forest. “We’re going this way, bye Jinwoo have a nice sleep!” Youngjae called over his shoulder. Myungjun tried to look back and wave and Jinwoo just laughed and waved back.

“I was having a conversation!” Myungjun protested pulling away from Youngjae when they reached the edge of the forest. Namjoon used his magic to open the path and they moved towards their treehouse.

“I was listening in and you have absolutely no tact.” Youngjae stated. “Fire users have to be kept away because they cause devastating accidents if they lose control. Its best they do it down there where they can’t burn each other because they’re all immune to that. I’m sure Jinwoo is covering up his true feelings about it by telling you that it’s a good thing. So, I stopped you from running your mouth and making him feel worse. You should be thanking me.” He climbed up the ladder and left Myungjun to his thoughts. Was Jinwoo really covering up how he felt? Didn’t friends tell each other everything? He was left with a bunch of questions which he wasn’t sure he’d get the answers too.


	13. Hyungwon Vs Dongmin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT:  
> Small time skip to keep the plot going.  
> The big (not really) reveal of the beef between Dongmin and Hyungwon ahead~

It has been a month since Myungjun started his classes and he was enjoying it more then he ever thought possible. In herbology he’d finished sketching every single plant in the clearing and learnt a great deal more about them from Jimin. That boy was a library of knowledge when it came to plants and Myungjun was so grateful that he had been willing to share what he knew. Namjoons drawings had gotten increasingly better over the course of these lessons and now he didn’t look so sad when leaving at the end of class.

Myungjun excelled in practical skills as he could already grow multiple flowers in one go, where some students still struggled with one. When his friends asked him for the secret to doing it, he explained it was all thanks to their friendship. They didn’t believe him of course and Youngjae pretended to gag behind his back. Myungjun had moved on to trying to grow plants from random seeds, which proved much trickier. He didn’t know what was inside, so he couldn’t just visualize them to make them appear. He spent days trying to make the little seeds grow and often got frustrated. He’d even taken a few back to their room, in little pots, so he could practice more there.

What was even harder than that, were the basic combat and weapons training lessons. They started every lesson with a lap around the lake and had finally moved on to light sparring, without weapons. Myungjun always paired with Jinwoo as he was the best person to partner with. Not only did he have extensive knowledge about all the techniques already, but he was also patient and would explain things repeatedly if Myungjun needed it. The other person who thrived in this class was Rocky. He was so quick it was hard for his partners to land a hit. Myungjun felt sorry for them as they fell to the floor time and time again under Rocky’s stern glare. Myungjun decided Rocky was much scarier in this lesson and tried to avoid him as much as possible.

However, Myungjun hated no lesson more than history and law. He could have cried after the first class when his hand cramped up horribly. The teacher was an ancient relic himself but spoke extremely fast. He told them to take notes and threatened severe punishment to anyone who was caught slacking. Naturally, Myungjun had been terrified, and had written as much as he could. He was shocked to look up at the end of the lesson to see that Jinwoo had fallen asleep. He was sitting too far away, so Myungjun couldn’t warn him to wake up before the teacher saw. He’d breathed a sigh of relief after a short haired girl had nudged him awake just in time. The teacher, Mr Hwang, turned around and dismissed them all without checking their work.

“Why would he make such a big deal out of us making notes, if he wasn’t even going to check them?” Myungjun had grumbled on his way out of the room.

“If you’d bothered looking up from your book, you’d have realised he had his back to the class the whole time. He didn’t turn to check once, which is why I decided to take a nap.” Jinwoo had said, stretching out his cramped muscles.

Myungjun checked this theory the next lesson, and alas, Jinwoo was telling the truth. Mr Hwang never turned around, only to dismiss them, so Myungjun decided to use the time to catch up on some sleep too. They had it Wednesday evenings after all, so he was already tired by then.

Present day Myungjun however, was dozing off on a chilly Sunday morning during his meditations and discipline lesson. On the weekends all first year students were to attend these lessons early in the morning and Myungjun had stayed up late the night before, trying to sprout the seeds in the little pot by his window. He was regretting it today, as he found himself being poked awake every few minutes by Hyungwon sitting next to him.

“Why are you so sleepy?” He whispered to Myungjun. “You weren’t with Jinwoo were you?”

Asking this question had become Hyungwons hobby, Myungjun decided. He heard it so often he’d learnt to ignore him. So that’s what he did today. He turned away from Hyungwon and continued to try focusing on emptying his mind. It was hard when all he could think about was how to make his stupid seeds grow. He didn’t realise he was dozing off again until he was awakened by a disgruntled looking man, who was clearing his throat obnoxiously. Myungjun looked up at the teacher and apologised.

“If you’re not going to attempt this class, and keep distracting my other students with your snoring, you should leave.” He said haughtily before turning on his heel and walking away. The students around Myungjun giggled and he stood up flushed with embarrassment. He could only hope he hadn’t been too loud. He started to leave and looked up to see Jinwoo looking his way. He waved goodbye before walking from the room and was startled to feel a hand on his arm a few seconds later.

“Where are you going?” Jinwoo asked stepping in front of him. “These lessons are important.”

“I know, I’m just super tired. I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.” Myungjuns yawn was perfectly timed. “I just kept falling asleep and that old monk embarrassed me in front of everyone. I’m sure I don’t snore that loud.” He started to walk in the direction of the lake and Jinwoo followed.

“I’ll come with you then, I’m not really feeling that lesson today anyway.” Jinwoo said casually.

“I thought you said it was important.” Myungjun replied, breathing in the fresh, crisp air when they stepped outside.

“It is, but I do it five times a week, missing one day won’t hurt much.”

“I still don’t understand how you can do that. Two times a week is enough for me.” Myungjun replied, flopping down on the grass beside the lake.

Jinwoo sat down and gently manoeuvred Myungjuns head into his lap and leaned back to look across the water. This type of skinship had become a regular thing for them now and Myungjun was happy that Jinwoo was beginning to trust himself around him.

“I choose to do the extra three so I can have better control.” Jinwoo said slowly.

“You seem to have excellent enough control already.” Myungjun complimented, looking up at him.

Jinwoo continued to look across the lake without saying anything.

“I’m going to take a nap.” Myungjun said sleepily a few minutes later.

“Not here.” Jinwoo said gently. “You’ll catch a cold.”

“Says the one wearing a short sleeve shirt in Autumn.” Myungjun retaliated, with half the amount of his usual vigour.

Jinwoo scoffed. “I make fire with my body, I’m never cold.”

Myungjun shuffled closer to him. “Exactly, stay here with me and I won’t catch a cold either.”

Jinwoo just sighed and ran his fingers through Myungjuns hair. “You’re so stubborn.” He said as he watched Myungjun drift off to sleep.

Myungjun woke up a while later to the feel of Jinwoos fingers still carding through his hair. He was warm and didn’t want to move.

Jinwoo chuckled and poked his cheeks. “You have to move at some point.”

Myungjun had begun to realise he had the worst habit of saying things aloud which he thought he was only saying in his head. He groaned and clung to Jinwoo like a life line. “Don’t make me, I’m fragile.”

Jinwoo just laughed and pushed him away. “Everyone’s leaving class now, we should go.” He stood and pulled Myungjun up, to the sound of his many protests. Once Myungjun had stopped fussing, they walked back to the academy for lunch, where they picked a table and waited for the others to join them.

“Are you still going to the chapel later?” Myungjun asked, spooning food onto his plate.

Jinwoo made a noise of acknowledgment before eating some food and chewing it slowly. “Wanna join?” He asked after swallowing it.

“I’ll pass on that one.” Myungjun said. He never understood why Jinwoo would want to sit in a cold, stony room, listening to the brother of the chapel, drone on for two hours about the deity who may or may not even exist. Jinwoo already had the busiest timetable of them all, with his extra meditation and discipline lessons. Myungjun had been shocked to hear he was adding on the extra time every Sunday night too. What had surprised him the most however, was how Sanha had heard and asked to tag along. Myungjun didn’t know the young boy was religious. That was the major turning point in Sanha’s and Jinwoos relationship. Sanha was no longer scared of him and they’d formed a close bond. It was heart-warming to see, if Myungjun was going to be honest.

The others joined them for lunch soon after and before long there were groans of satisfaction around the table. With full stomachs, everyone began discussing the most important news of the day. They had all found out on Friday that there would be a special announcement after the weekend, and they’d been making guesses as to what it could be. The most exciting guess had come from Moonbin, who suggested that they would be allowed out of academy grounds to explore Voredan city. It had gotten everyone excited for a few hours yesterday afternoon, discussing everything they knew about the city and what they wanted to do. The most boring guess however, had come from Dongmin and Namjoon, who suggested that exams could be coming soon.

“Who has exams one month into the academic year?” Hyungwon had pointed out. Everyone sighed in relief at the sound logic whilst Namjoon and Dongmin had actually looked a little disappointed. This lunchtime, they just revisited all the old guesses before wearing them out completely. The topic changed to what they wanted to do that afternoon.  
Everyone had Sunday afternoons off and it wouldn’t be until evening that Sanha and Jinwoo would leave for their service. Usually on Sundays, they would just sit by the lake and tell each other stories of their lives before the academy or watch in amusement as Moonbin and Rocky re-enacted grand adventures that some sailor or other had told them as they were growing up. Myungjun always found himself absorbed in the stories and promised himself that one day he would visit their hometown, Zepheholde, to have his own adventures across the sea. However, as the weather grew cooler it no longer seemed so appealing to sit by the lake and listen to these stories.

“We could always go down to the combat centre and have a mini tournament to see who’s improved the most.” Rocky suggested looking competitive.

“Or we could go to the library and study.” Dongmin countered.

That’s how they found themselves down in the combat centre, a while later, stretching and trying to comfort a whining Dongmin.

“I’m bad at fighting, I’m going to lose straight away so what’s the point?” he sulked and Myungjun patted his shoulder sympathetically. They turned around to look when Rocky called for their attention.

“To make this fair,” He begun. “I’ve written our names on some parchment and I’ll pick them at random to see who goes against who.”

Everyone agreed, some more reluctantly then others and Rocky proceeded to pick out the crumpled pieces of parchment with his eyes closed.

“Okay, first up is Sanha and Namjoon.” Rocky declared waving the papers around to let everyone see. Namjoon walked over to the mats they’d set up in the middle of the room and Sanha reluctantly followed.

“Are you any good at fighting Hyung?” Sanha asked him, looking nervous.

“Not really.” Namjoon replied, offering an apologetic smile.

“Rules first.” Moonbin called out, standing up so everyone could see him. “Rule number one: No attacking each other’s faces. Rule number two: If you fall, you lose. That’s all.” He sat back down next to Rocky to watch the fight.

“There’s only two rules?” Dongmin squeaked fearfully and Myungjun couldn’t help but feel nervous too. He wasn’t terrible at hand to hand combat, he had Jinwoo teach him after all, but he knew how competitive everyone would get.

Rocky called out for them to begin and Myungjun watched as Sanha hesitantly approached Namjoon. The boy looked scared but determined. He was screaming the next second, as Namjoon lunged towards him. He jumped back, causing Namjoon to reach out too far and lose his balance. He fell clumsily to the floor and everyone cheered. Sanha looked perplexed as he was presented as the winner but smiled as everyone hyped him up.

“Our baby is the best!” Myungjun shouted, running over to give Sanha a hug.

“Hyung I’m not a baby. I’m 10 years old.” Sanha said grumpily trying to wriggle out of his grip.

“Exactly, you’re a baby.” Myungjun said ruffling his hair and letting him go. Jinwoo laughed in amusement at the familiar line.

When the noise died down, and everyone made sure Namjoon was okay, Rocky picked the next two names.

“Moonbin and Myungjun.” He said and gestured for them to come up.

Myungjun looked over at Moonbin, who was walking up to the mat confidently. Myungjun had never seen him fight but had heard from Rocky that he was really good and that Rocky and Moonbin practiced together on Thursday nights. Myungjun could feel himself sweating already as he made his way over.

“I’ll go easy on you.” Moonbin smirked, getting into position.

Myungjun felt his competitive streak kick in and was the first to move when Rocky called for them to begin. He moved forwards fast and aimed a punch at Moonbin’s chest. It connected with his shoulder instead, as Moonbin moved to dodge, and the resulting sound of the skin on skin contact was loud and echoed through the room. Someone gasped behind him but Moonbin just laughed.

“Is that all you’ve got? I barely felt that.” he said cockily before proceeding to kick Myungjun straight in the stomach.

All the air was knocked out of him and he stumbled backwards, doubling over, only just managing to stay on his feet.

“You can do it Myungjun!” Jinwoos voice came from somewhere nearby. “Don’t forget what we practised.”

Myungjun regained his posture just in time, as Moonbin aimed a punch his way. He dodged it and pushed Moonbin’s arm to the side, hard. Moonbin wobbled on his feet, dangerously close to falling and for the first time looked worried. It spurred Myungjun on and he landed a kick to Moonbin’s thigh. Moonbin grunted in pain and flung himself at Myungjun. He bowled him over and Myungjun landed on his back having the air knocked out of him a second time.

Rocky declared Moonbin the winner and he climbed off Myungjun before helping him up.

“Sorry Hyung.” He said flashing Myungjun a puppy-like grin. Myungjun just laughed it off and congratulated him before sitting back down to nurse his damaged pride. He saw Jinwoo hurrying towards him, as the others congratulated Moonbin, but Hyungwon got there first.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” He asked poking and prodding Myungjun. Myungjun just batted his hands away and told him that he was fine. Hyungwon seemed satisfied and sat next to him to watch the next pair. It was Rocky and Youngjae, the latter falling within seconds. It didn’t surprise Myungjun in the slightest that Rocky won. The next pair was Jinwoo and Hoseok and everyone laughed as Hoseok ran around screaming instead of fighting back. Jinwoo eventually tripped him up and was declared the winner. Finally, the last pair was called. Myungjun felt uneasy about this, as it was clear there was something going on between Dongmin and Hyungwon.

The boys faced each other, Dongmin looking terrified as Hyungwon glared his way. The others had picked up on the bad blood between them over the last few weeks, so the atmosphere was tense. Myungjun knew that neither of them were good fighters, so he couldn’t imagine how this would go.

Upon hearing they could begin, Hyungwon moved forwards fast and, to everyone’s surprise, slapped Dongmin hard across the face. The slap was louder then Myungjuns punch had been and it rang through the room, bouncing off the walls. Everyone was frozen, looking between the two boys.

Dongmin tentatively reached up to touch his throbbing cheek and winced at the pain. “Rule number one: No attacking each other’s face.” He said quietly, looking up at Hyungwon.

“I don’t care about the stupid rules.” Hyungwon seethed, towering over him. “You never cared about going against the rules and cheating before.”

Myungjun wanted to get between them but knew this conversation had been a long time coming, so he decided to stay back unless it got too much. The others seemed to share the same sentiment.

Dongmin just stood there, looking confused. “What do you mean? I don’t cheat or break rules.”

Hyungwon hissed in frustration before stepping up and grabbing him by the collar. “You’re a filthy liar. I remember your face; you were the one who sabotaged my chance of winning the competition in Voredan. I NEEDED that prize money to help my parents and you ruined everything.”

Realisation dawned on Dongmins face and he looked at Hyungwon in horror. “It was you.”

“Yes, it was me! I trained for weeks and travelled all the way there by myself for that money and you took it away from me. My parents lost our house because of you.”

Myungjun was shocked to see tears running down Hyungwons face. He was used to seeing him angry sure, he was always angry at Hoseok, so it was nothing new, but Myungjun had never seen him so upset.

Hyungwon cut Dongmin off as he tried to speak. “You and your parents were known as the stuck-up family of our town did you know?” He asked with a laugh. “You got a nice comfy ride to Voredan and snatched up that money from underneath me. You ruined my life.”

Dongmin tried to pull away from his grip but Hyungwon swept his legs out from under him and slammed him down against the mat.

“I’m sorry.” Dongmin choked out. “I didn’t know, I HAD to win, you didn’t know what it was like for me, my parents would have been enraged if I didn’t.”

Hyungwon looked crazy, he was openly sobbing now whilst laughing through his tears. “I didn’t know what it was like for you? FOR YOU? YOU DIDN’T LOSE YOUR HOME DID YOU?” His voice dropped to a deadly whisper as he leaned down into Dongmins face. “I lost my home, and you got to move to a nice big one in the city with your parents, and they got to use MY prize money to start up their fancy little business. I heard about you all the time, how great your parents were and how many people they helped. It made me SICK.”

The room dropped in temperature as Hyungwon began to unravel and his birthmark began to glow. Dongmin looked down and panicked. He tried to push Hyungwon away, but it wasn’t working.

Myungjun realised he needed to stop them; they’d end up killing each other otherwise. So, he shakily got to his feet and rushed towards them. He knew Hyungwon was losing control and he needed to find a way to distract him. He dropped to his knees near Dongmins head and pulled Hyungwons face up to look at him.

“Hyungwonnie its me. I need you to let go now okay? I need you to listen to my voice and calm down. Can you do that for me?” he asked quietly, looking into his eyes, searching for anything that remained of his best friend. Hyungwon blinked a few times and let go of Dongmins collar. Myungjun sighed in relief thinking he had gotten through to him and reached for his hands. He realised his mistake when Hyungwon reached up instead, and pushed him away, hard. He heard the crackle of magic and an icy coldness spread over his chest. He landed a few feet away with a grunt and heard people moving frantically around him. He strained his head up to see Hyungwon looking at him with a horrified expression before being tackled to the ground by Moonbin. Myungjun let his head fall back with a thump and shivered as the ice penetrated his lungs. He gasped for breath as Sanha appeared above him, looking terrified.

“Jinwoo-Hyung, the ice is spreading you need to help him.” Sanha’s voice sounded muffled as his blood roared in his ears, but Myungjun could hear the panic it held. He tried to reach out to comfort him but found he couldn’t move.

“You need to use your magic to melt the ice.” Sanha begged.

Myungjun tried to speak but all that came out was a strangled gasp for breath. Don’t make him use his magic, he wanted to say. His pleas went unheard as Jinwoos face appeared above him. Myungjun could tell he was struggling but he spoke calmly.

“Myungjun I’m going to help you, but you need to hold on and not move or I might hurt you.”

Myungjun wanted to stop him, to tell him he’d be fine and that Jinwoo didn’t have to use the magic he hated to help him, but he could feel his consciousness slipping at the lack of oxygen entering his lungs. The last thing he felt was a warmth in his chest and hot tears hitting his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact:  
> I literally did what Rocky said and put everyone's names on paper to pick at random who was going to fight who. It was F.U.N~~


	14. The Birth Of Rocky Jr.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I laugh every time I read this chapter honestly

Myungjun woke up in the infirmary to see the light in the room dimming. He felt a hand in his and looked down to see Dongmin dozing off at the side of his bed. The boy awoke with a start when Myungjun moved to sit up.

“Let me help you Hyung.” He said, moving to prop up his pillows.

When Myungjun was settled he asked how long he’d been there.

“Not long,” Dongmin said, looking out of the window. “A couple hours at most. It’s dinnertime now.” That explained the absence of the others.

“Why are you here and not eating with them?” Myungjun asked. He could already guess his answer and it was confirmed with Dongmins next words.

“I can’t eat, I feel too guilty.” He began quietly. “This only happened to you because Hyungwon was mad at me, I’m so sorry Hyung, I wish it was me lying there instead.”

“I didn’t have to step in and help though did I?” When Dongmin shook his head Myungjun continued. “Exactly, I CHOSE to help, so you have nothing to feel guilty about. In fact, I feel fine, a lot better then fine honestly. So, stop worrying about me.”

Dongmin looked up and gave him a small smile. “You’re the kindest person I know Hyung, I want you to know I’m really grateful you helped me out and I’d do anything to repay you.”

Myungjun thought for a second before coming up with the perfect idea. “You can repay me by sorting things out properly with Hyungwon. It was already hard watching my two friends avoid each other when we were all together and now that it’s turned outright hostile, I can’t imagine how difficult things will be.”

Dongmins lower lip began to tremble and he looked tearful as he spoke. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to sort things out with him. What I did to him was really terrible and he lost his home because of me. I wouldn’t want to forgive me if I was in his shoes.”

“I know you Dongmin, you wouldn’t have done it without a reason, right?”

Dongmin sniffled and rubbed his eyes. “I did it because I was scared. My parents are awful Hyung, they push me to do well in everything and told me there’d be consequences if I didn’t win that competition. They wanted the money to set up a business in our hometown but after I told them what I’d done they made us move so people wouldn’t find out.”

“Do you want to tell me what you did?” Myungjun asked kindly and waited patiently as Dongmin seemed to think it over. He shook his head and Myungjun sighed. “That’s fine, but you need to explain why you did it to Hyungwon, he deserves that much don’t you think?”

Dongmin nodded miserably before getting up to leave. “I’ll go and see if he’s at dinner and try to talk to him.”

Myungjun nodded happily and said goodbye before closing his eyes. He considered going down to dinner too because he was starting to get hungry, but as he went to move, the nurse came around to check on him.

“How are you feeling?” she asked in her usual business tone.

“I feel fine.” He said. “What did you do to me?”

“I didn’t have to do much of anything. Your friends bought you up here and Jinwoo told me he had tried to stop the ice spreading to your heart. He was worried he hadn’t done a good job but after I checked you over you seemed fine enough, so I sent them away so you could rest. One boy refused to leave your side though, so I let him stay.” Myungjun smiled at the thought of Dongmin stubbornly staying by him. “What your friends wouldn’t tell me, however, was how it happened. I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me either?”

Myungjun was relieved to hear that no-one had told on Hyungwon, as he was sure that would have resulted in him being immediately expelled and he shook his head to the woman’s annoyance.

“Fine, I’m not very surprised, boys your age are always doing silly things.” She asked him a few more questions to make sure he wasn’t being bullied and there wasn’t a chance of it happening again before she left to bring him some food. He ate it quickly and she told him to lay back and get some rest.

He awoke sometime during the night to the sound of rustling near the end of his bed. Jinwoo was pulling the curtain around his bed closed and looked up at Myungjun like he’d got caught doing something terrible.

“Sorry, did I wake you?” he asked quietly and sat at the end of the bed.

Myungjun shook his head and smiled at him. “I’ve had plenty of rest now so its okay. What are you doing here?”

Jinwoo chuckled softly. “This feels familiar doesn’t it? I’m here to make sure you’re actually okay. The nurse said you’d be fine, but I wasn’t sure I believed her.”

“I feel great, you did a good job.” Myungjun said encouragingly before becoming quiet. “Thankyou for saving me again, I’m not sure what I’d do without you at this point.” He looked up to see a blush dusting Jinwoos cheeks.

“It’s fine.” He said awkwardly.

“It’s not fine.” Myungjun said and Jinwoo looked up in surprise. “You don’t like using your magic and I tried to tell you not to back there, but I couldn’t get my words out.”

Jinwoo looked flabbergasted and leaned forwards. “How could I not do anything? You would have frozen to death. I might hate my magic, but I’d use it time and time again if it meant saving your life.” He leaned back and sighed. “because you’re my best friend, the first true friend I’ve ever had.”

Myungjun felt the familiar warmth in his chest and smiled brightly. “I’m glad you feel that way, I didn’t want you to spiral and push me away after using your magic on me again.”

Jinwoo smiled back at him and grabbed his hand. “I won’t try to push you away this time. You never let me anyway.” He added lightly.

Myungjun squeezed his hand gently. “Did Dongmin and Hyungwon sort things out at dinner?”

Jinwoo looked confused. “Hyungwon didn’t come to dinner. Hoseok said he’s refusing to leave their room.”

Myungjun sighed and leaned back against the pillows. He should have known how much this would affect Hyungwon and decided if he wasn’t out of his room by tomorrow, he’d make him come out.

*

The next day was Monday so Myungjun had to get to class. He thanked the nurse before stepping outside and was greeted by Youngjae and Namjoon, who walked down to Herbology with him. He took his usual seat near his plant pots and tried again to make the mystery seeds grow. He gave up trying to visualise what could be in them and focused purely on his magic instead. He poured as much magic as he could into the soil and opened his eyes feeling exhausted. A cry of joy slipped through his lips as he noticed a tiny green leaf poking through the soil. It wasn’t much and he’d expended nearly all his energy for it, but it was still more progress then he’d made all week. Ms Jung hurried over at the noise and congratulated him cheerfully for his efforts.

Myungjun left for lunch with a spring in his step and ate three servings of food to reward himself.

“Hyung if you keep eating so much all the time, you’ll get fat.” Sanha said around a mouthful of his own food. He spat some of it across the table as Moonbin smacked him on the back of the head for his rudeness. Sanha swallowed the rest of his food and mumbled an apology.

Myungjun put his hands over his soft stomach protectively and pouted. He felt, rather then saw, Jinwoo sit down beside him with his own food and the boy nudged his shoulder gently.

“Why the sad face?” he asked, sipping on his water.

“Am I fat?” Myungjun whispered, moving his hands away from his stomach. Jinwoo poked it and shrugged.

“You’re a little squishy but there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Myungjun stood up sulkily, if Hyungwon was here he would tell him he wasn’t and chastise anyone who said otherwise. He stalked off leaving a confused Jinwoo behind.

It was too cold to go outside so he wandered to the library and walked amongst the shelves. He didn’t have another lesson until after dinner, so he pulled a few interesting looking books down and sat in one of the comfy chairs to read. The first book he opened was similar to the textbook from his zoology of magical creatures’ class. He flicked through the pages, mainly looking at the pictures. There was a section on ghost animals that made him shudder. If things were to die surely, they should just stay dead? He hurriedly moved on and looked down in interest at the different types of nymphs. A couple more pages and he came across the picture of a siren. He felt panicked as he remembered what the siren venom had done to Jinwoo and closed the book with a snap. He discarded it to pick up the book about Dragons.

He had heard of them in the stories his mother used to tell him when he was a child, but he’d never seen a picture of one. He flicked through the pages before he came across a bunch of pictures showing the life cycle of different species. He thought they looked scary with their sharp claws and spiny tails and couldn’t imagine letting one near his plants, they’d be incinerated. He closed the book and got up to put them back on the shelves. He still had time left until dinner, so he went back to curl up in the chair and rest. His mind kept drifting to Hyungwon and it made his heart ache. He missed him already and wondered how he could fix things. After a while of mulling it over he sighed and made his way down to dinner. If Hyungwon didn’t turn up for the next class he’d ask Hoseok to take him to their room.

He walked into dinner and saw Rocky sitting by himself trying to feed Rocky Jr again, so he went and sat with him.

“I don’t think he likes human food.” Myungjun pointed out. Rocky just sighed and put the piece of chicken back onto the plate.

“I think you’re right, but what else am I supposed to feed him?” he asked exasperated.

Myungjun shrugged. “Maybe he’s a cannibal and likes to eat other rocks.” He joked, but the smile was wiped from his face when Rocky jumped up.

“You might be right!” He said excitedly before dumping Rocky Jr onto Myungjuns lap and rushing off outside.

“Where’s he rushing off to?” Jinwoo asked, taking his empty seat. “and why did he leave Rocky Jr behind?”

“I think I’m rocksitting.” Myungjun said before patting it gently and stealing some fries from Jinwoos plate. “I told him Rocky Jr might be a cannibal and now he’s run off to find some sacrifices”

Jinwoo sprayed water across the table as he laughed. He wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve and turned to look at Myungjun. “Why would you even suggest that?”

“I don’t know, but I’m bored of watching him smashing food all over the place.” He stopped talking when he noticed Rocky rushing back into the room with an armful of stones. Myungjun asked if he’d made them and Rocky just shook his head.

“I took them from the plant pots outside.” He explained, dropping the stones on the floor and taking Rocky Jr from Myungjuns lap.

“Are you even allowed to do that?” Jinwoo asked.

Rocky chose not to answer that question and began smashing Rocky Jr against the stones. Myungjun hid his face in embarrassment as the few students in the hall started muttering and pointing their way. He looked up when Jinwoo gasped to see Rocky’s birthmark glowing. Jinwoo hadn’t gasped at that though; he’d gasped because Rocky Jr seemed to be absorbing the resultant debris of the smashed rocks and was growing in size.

“What the hell is that?” Sanha shrieked from behind Rocky, as to everyone’s astonishment, the rock seemed to grow legs. It stood up shakily and leaned precariously as two arms sprouted from its right side and one sprouted from the other. Rocky frowned and waved another stone in front of what Myungjun guessed was its head. The features started to develop, and Rocky Jr leaned forward to crunch the offered stone. Its second arm grew out the left side with a pop and it garbled gibberish in a gravelly voice.

“That is my son.” Rocky presented proudly as an answer to Sanha’s question.

Myungjun had seen a lot of weird and wonderful things since entering the world of magic but this took the award for being the most bizarre. He stared open mouthed as Rocky Jr stumbled around trying to get used to its new body.

“He really wasn’t crazy after all.” Jinwoo said disbelieving.

Rocky looked up at him offended. “Who said I was crazy?”

Jinwoo hurried to deny it but Rocky was already looking back at his ‘son’ and appeared to not be listening. When Rocky stood up, Myungjun saw that Rocky Jr reached knee height and watched as it stumbled clumsily after Rocky as he left.

Sanha sat down opposite Myungjun and rubbed his temples. “That was the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.” They both agreed and relayed the events to the others when they arrived to eat.

Dongmin listened patiently before nodding his head. “I’ve read all about that in books, being able to animate rocks, crystals and metals is entirely possible for ground manipulators like him. It’s usually a higher-level skill so he must secretly be really in tune with his magic.” Myungjun let that process and clapped his hands excitedly.

“It’s like the student we saw at the feast animating the plants to walk around.” He said.

“Exactly.” Dongmin smiled. “Now, let’s go to Zoology class so we can check Rocky Jr out.”

Hoseok and Youngjae rushed from the hall first, excited to take a look. Myungjun said goodbye to Sanha and Jinwoo, who had alchemy together instead, and followed behind the others. They made it to the forest in record time and weaved their way through the trees to the location of their lesson. Hoseok squealed in excitement as he saw Rocky sitting on the floor, with a smile on his face, watching Rocky Jr running around making his strange gravelly noises. The other students were sitting far away from him looking a bit scared.

The lesson started soon after and the teacher had wheeled a large cart full of cages into the clearing. Rocky Jr growled lowly and moved to stand by Rocky’s side.

“Now then class, today I have a special assignment for you. I’m sure you will remember that last Friday I spoke of an announcement that will be made after the weekend.”

Myungjun was starting to get a bad feeling about this. He was starting to think that Moonbin’s idea of exploring Voredan city had been too farfetched.

“Your assignment begins with picking one of the cages here. They are magically protected, and you cannot see inside. They each contain a copy of a unique magical creature and your task is to look after them until February. It will make up 50 percent of your final grade, so you need to look after them well.”

Myungjun looked over at Hoseok knowing he was the biggest scaredy cat of them all and wasn’t surprised to see that the boy had turned a pale shade of white. They were told to come up one by one and pick a cage. Myungjun went last and had to climb into the cart to pick his. There were two cages left, one for the missing Hyungwon. He sighed and picked the one on the left. He jumped down, careful not to jostle it around too much and went over to his friends.

Namjoon had already opened his cage and an owl had hopped out, its head continuously spinning. Namjoon looked concerned and tried to stop it but the owl flew up into the nearest tree and they spent the next ten minutes trying to coax it down.

Dongmin had picked one of the larger cages and opened it to reveal, what appeared to be smoke, but formed into the ghostly visage of a dolphin. It swam through the air around him and Dongmin looked enamoured. Myungjun remembered what he had seen in the library and shuddered again.

Moonbin’s cage opened next and a group of girls screamed as a wolf sprung out of it and growled their way. Moonbin jumped in front of it and growled back and the wolf backed down whimpering. Myungjun thought they looked like the perfect pair, two overgrown puppies.

He turned to look at Youngjae who had squealed in delight as he opened his cage. A tiny horse had stepped out on wobbly legs and on closer inspection Myungjun could see it was sprouting a miniature horn.

“A unicorn?” He asked full of envy and moved over to stroke its colourful mane. Youngjae looked happy and was showing it off to anyone who would listen.

Myungjun knew he had to open his cage, but he was feeling too nervous. For all he knew a siren could pop out and bite him.

“Why aren’t you opening your cage Hyung?” Rocky asked walking towards him. He was followed along by Rocky Jr who was fending off a little white tiger that was being playful and swatting at his head.

“I’m scared.” Myungjun admitted and Rocky offered to open the cage for him. Myungjun let him and stepped away as the door opened. He covered his mouth in horror as the creature crawled out.

No way, he thought. I did not just pick a dragon. He could smell his plants burning already.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was off my head on pain medication when I wrote the draft for this chapter and it SHOWS


	15. Operation: Cheer Up.

Myungjun had made up his mind. Hyungwon still had not left his room and he couldn’t take the absence of his best friend anymore. He found Hoseok at the end of class, hiding behind a tree. His assignment was his worst nightmare. A giant snake was slithering his way and promptly vanished. Myungjun rubbed his eyes, to make sure he wasn’t seeing things, but realised it must have invisibility powers. His theory was confirmed a second later when the snake reappeared, wrapped around the base of the tree, looking up at the terrified boy. Hoseok whined and backed away.

“Please leave me alone, I’m scared of snakes, go find a new owner.”

Myungjun must be going crazy because he thought the snake had looked sad for a second. It wound its way further up the tree and watched its new owner from afar. Myungjun shifted his dragon so it was sitting more comfortably on his shoulder. He had tried carrying it in his arms earlier, but the thing had wriggled around and scratched his arms with its claws. This seemed like the safest option, even if it was currently nibbling his ear. He swatted it away for the billionth time before stepping up to Hoseok.

“Take me to your room.” He said bluntly.

Hoseok tore his eyes away from the snake in the tree and eyed Myungjuns dragon suspiciously before speaking. “I feel like I should take you on a date before that.” Hoseok joked weakly.

“I need to see Hyungwon-hyung” Myungjun intervened, ignoring his crude humour. “He’s depressed because of me so I want to see him.”

“Correction; he’s depressed because of what he did to you, not the other way around.” Hoseok pointed out before looking back up in the tree and groaning. “That thing has disappeared again, on the deity, I’m about to have a heart attack.”

Myungjun snapped his fingers in front of Hoseoks face to get his attention back. “Will you take me or not? You know I’m the only one that can make him leave. He’s not eating, and he rarely eats enough anyway. He’ll starve to death in there from stubbornness, sooner rather than later.”

Hoseok sighed. “I don’t even know if you’ll be able to get in. We have to use our magic to make the huts appear and its different from your magic.”

Myungjun was ready to give up before he remembered seeing Jimin tugging his friend he called TaeTae through their forest before. “Hold on one second, I need to ask Jimin something.” He called over his shoulder, running off to find the boy.

He found Jimin gathering up his things at the edge of the clearing. Something small and fluffy was whizzing around his head making a high-pitched squealing noise and Jimin caught it swiftly before stroking it, receiving a purr in return.

“Jimin I need to ask you a question.” Myungjun said approaching him. His dragon nipped his ear particularly hard and he yelped and pulled it off his shoulder. He put it on the ground where it screeched up at him in annoyance.

“Cute pet.” Jimin observed. “What’s your question? If its about your dragon, I don’t know as much about them as I do plants, but there are some great books in the library.”

Before Myungjun could get side-tracked with his dragon problem he focused on the matter at hand. “How did you get TaeTae into our forest if he has different magic?”

Jimin lit up at the sound of his best friend’s name. “Oh, that’s easy, I just keep hold of his hand to share my energy with him and he can see everything. If I let go it all disappears and he can’t see anything. Did that answer your question well enough?”

“Yes, thank you.” Myungjun called, running to get Hoseok. His dragon stumbled after him, flapping its under developed wings.

Myungjun found Hoseok cowering a few feet from his previous spot and trying to shoo the snake away. “For goodness sakes Hyung, she just wants to be accepted by you.” To prove it, Myungjun stepped up and ran a hand over its scaly body. Hoseok gagged and tried to regain his composure.

“I don’t have to touch it do I?” he asked looking down at his hands.

“Probably not, but it wouldn’t hurt to let it close to you. It’s worth 50 percent of your final grade after all.”

Hoseok seemed to mull it over before sighing. “Fine, but slowly.” He added, pointing a threatening finger at the snake, as it was already making its way over. It actually slowed down and gently brushed up against his shoe. Hoseok didn’t jump away at least, Myungjun was proud of him.

“I’ve found a way to see Hyungwon, just hold my hand and don’t let go.” Myungjun said reaching out to grab Hoseok.

Hoseok led him down to the edge of the lake and touched the water. Myungjun remembered seeing the giant objects floating on the water when he arrived at the academy before, so he wasn’t too surprised to see them materialise in front of him. What did surprise him, however, was seeing what the little huts were floating on; giant lily pads. Hoseok led him over the bridges and kept a tight hold on him. Myungjuns dragon stayed back at the edge of the lake and hissed as the snake curled up nearby.

“I wonder how this works anyways. Jimin said something about sharing energy but I didn’t really understand.” Myungjun wondered aloud, turning back to look where they were going.

“I’ve noticed that students who don’t have water magic can’t see the huts but can swim in the lake without bumping into any of them. The strangest thing is, If I’m sitting at the window in my room and they step into the lake they disappear, and I can’t see them anymore.”

Myungjun thought his words over, it was strange, but he didn’t have time to think about it further as Hoseok had stopped at one of the doors and was opening it, calling out Hyungwons name.

“I bought you a visitor.” He said, turning on the light to reveal an oddly shaped lump on one of the beds. The lump didn’t stir and Myungjun tugged Hoseok over to sit beside it.

This did make him stir and he grumbled sleepily. “Hoseok go away, I told you I want to be alone.” He sounded sad and Myungjuns heart hurt.

“Hyung its me.” He said quietly and the lump finally moved. A mop of blonde hair appeared as Hyungwon peeked his head out, eyes not used to the light yet. His eyes were swollen and Myungjun knew he had been crying.

“Junnie is that you?” He asked in disbelief and reached out to grab him. “How did you get in here?"

“I need to keep hold of Hoseok or its all going to disappear.” He explained.

“Just hold onto Hyungwon so I can let you talk in peace.” Hoseok said, sounding uncharacteristically serious.

Hyungwon grabbed his hand and immediately started apologising the minute Hoseok left the room.

“I’m so sorry Junnie, I don’t know why I did that. I saw you but I wasn’t really seeing you, you know?”

Myungjun shushed him and shot him a smile. “Don’t worry about it Hyung, I’m fine now honest, look.” He pulled down the collar of his shirt to reveal a chest clear of ice. “Jinwoo saved me.” He added quietly. He knew Hyungwon got annoyed whenever his name was mentioned, so he held his breath when Hyungwon spoke.

“I should go and thank him then I guess.” He said stiffly. He looked up at Myungjuns astonished expression and carried on. “I always thought he was too dangerous to be around you, but it looks like I’m just as bad.”

“Well I forgave Jinwoo and now I’m forgiving you.” Myungjun said simply and squeezed his hand. “You’re my best friend of course and I missed you a whole lot today. You didn’t even come and see me in the infirmary.”

Hyungwon had the grace to look embarrassed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think you’d want to see me.”

Myungjun scoffed. “I always want to see you, now scoot over, its cold out here and I’m tired.”

Hyungwon made room and they snuggled down under the cover. They heard the door open and Myungjun peered over Hyungwons shoulder to see Hoseok sneaking in and asking if it was okay to come in now.

“You know it is anyway, I bet you were listening at the door the whole time.” Hyungwon mumbled.

Hoseok made an offended noise. “I didn’t actually, I snuck into the kitchens to get you some food.”

Hyungwon sat up fast as his stomach gave a loud grumble. “Sorry Seokkie.” He said sounding genuinely bad. “Please pass me the food, I’m starving.” He made room on his other side for Hoseok to climb in and ate the food quickly. When he was finished, they snuggled down under the covers again. Myungjun and Hoseok cuddled up to Hyungwon making him laugh and they fell asleep feeling better then they had in ages.

*

Myungjun woke up sweating. Hoseok was wrapped around him, breathing hot air into his face. Myungjun whined. “Hoseok you’re too hot get off.” He didn’t realise his mistake until it was too late. Hoseok rolled away and the contact with his magic broke. The bed disappeared and Myungjun fell into the lake with a scream. He kicked his way to the surface and broke through the water with a gasp. It was shockingly cold, and he felt a dull ache set into his mended arm as he swam to the embankment.

He crawled out of the water and fell onto his back breathing hard. He heard a screech and looked up to see his dragon breathing smoke from its nostrils above him.

“I’m okay.” Myungjun said tiredly, reaching up to pat its scaly head.

“Myungjun is that you?” Hyungwon called out walking towards the lake, carrying plates of food. He dropped them when he realised what had happened and hurried over.

“I leave you for five minutes and Hoseok does this! I’m going to kill him.” Hyungwon seethed, all the affection he’d held towards Hoseok last night had disappeared. “I even got that boy breakfast to say thank you. Wait, is that a dragon? What the hell is going on?”

Myungjun just laughed and pushed himself up. He shivered hard and wiped the water from his face. “I need to go and get changed; I’ll see you in alchemy.” He left Hyungwon mumbling incoherent thoughts and turned around when he reached the edge of the forest. Hyungwon was eyeing the giant snake warily before disappearing onto the lake.

When Myungjun entered his room, he swiftly moved his little plant away from the eyes of his curious dragon. He briefly wondered why the dragon had come into his room and not into the other one last night but was interrupted by Namjoon.

“Why are you always wet?” He asked, pulling on his shirt and staring up at the ceiling mournfully, where his owl was perched in the rafters. Its head was still spinning at an absurdly fast rate.

“I fell in the lake.” Myungjun said before going to get dry.

Namjoon seemed to accept it and left him to it. Youngjae was nowhere to be seen so Myungjun guessed he’d already gone to get breakfast. He was in the process of pulling on new clothes when a sneeze wracked his body. He groaned loudly; he really didn’t want to get sick.

*

Unfortunately, as the day progressed it seemed to get worse. Hyungwon noticed his change of demeanour as they were mixing ingredients in alchemy. Hoseok had come over to apologise and Myungjun had waved him off before sneezing and dropping too many fish eyes into the pot. It started to smoke, and they were told off by their teacher for wasting ingredients. Hyungwon asked him if he was okay and Myungjun just smiled and told him he was feeling great. It wasn’t like Myungjun wanted to keep it a secret from him that he was getting sick, he just didn’t want to give Hyungwon more reason to be annoyed at Hoseok.

He had communications with the fire users next and Jinwoo wasn’t as easy to fool. “You’re sick.” He said placing a hand on Myungjuns forehead. “You’re never sick, why are you sick?” he started to fret and Myungjun swatted his hand away and moaned.

“You’ll make me sicker if you keep fussing. Lets just get on with the lesson.”

They’d made little progress in the past month with getting a read on each other and Myungjun didn’t think he’d have much luck today either with the way his head was feeling. He frowned in confusion as he heard Jinwoos voice.

*Why is he sick? Should I take him to the infirmary? *

“I don’t need to go to the infirmary, I told you to stop fretting.” He said with a pout.

Jinwoo gasped and pulled his hands from Myungjuns. “You just read my mind!”

“What?” Myungjun asked confused. “I heard you speak clearly, you said that out loud, stop joking around.”

“No, I really didn’t.” Jinwoo said, staring at him wide eyed. “How did you do that?”

The teacher, Mr Seo came towards them and clapped his hands. “Looks like you’ve made progress boys. You’ve worked out the trick to it then?” he looked between them expectantly and hesitated, looking closely at Myungjuns face. He sighed and shook his head. “I see now, you’re sick.”

“What does that have to do with it?” Myungjun asked feeling grumpier by the minute at not being able to understand the situation.

“The trick is,” Mr Seo began as Jinwoo leaned forward in his seat to listen. “to make your mind vulnerable to allow the thoughts in and out. Your mind is weak because you’re sick and Jinwoos mind is probably weak as he’s unable to concentrate because he’s worried about you.”

Jinwoo coughed awkwardly but didn’t deny it.

“I will allow you boys to go to the nurse for medicine, seems as you have made progress today. Now go, before I change my mind.”

Jinwoo scrambled from his seat and dragged Myungjun from the room in the direction of the infirmary. The nurse just sighed and let them inside.

“I see more of you two then anyone else. Can you not look after yourselves?” she asked, shoving a spoonful of thick black liquid into Myungjuns mouth. It was disgusting and he wanted to spit it out but the look she gave him made him swallow it down fast.

They left quickly and made their way down to dinner. Myungjun could feel the stuffiness in his head slowly receding but he still felt bad. He picked at his food and ignored Jinwoos attempts to cheer him up. His dragon scratched at his legs and Myungjun bent down with a sigh to place it on his lap. Jinwoo had Zoology that morning and his phoenix was somewhere up in the rafters sleeping. He had looked envious upon seeing Myungjuns dragon in Communications class but claimed his phoenix was better for him as it could reincarnate if he accidently blasted it with his fire.

“How did you get so sick anyway?” Jinwoo asked trying to coax a conversation from Myungjun.

Myungjun let his head fall to the table with a thump before replying. “I fell into the lake this morning.”

“Did someone push you?” Jinwoo asked as casually as possible, but Myungjun could see him stabbing at his food with more force than necessary.

“Not exactly.” He said, rubbing at his temples. “I was sleeping with Hyungwon and Hoseok in their room and their contact was the only thing keeping me in the bed.” He ignored the way Jinwoos chopsticks scraped across the plate and continued. “Hoseok let me go after I told him it was too hot and then I found myself falling into the lake. It was cold.” He pouted and closed his eyes.

Jinwoo sputtered above him. “You slept in a BED with both of them?” he asked incredulous.

“I slept in a bed with you if you don’t remember.” Myungjun replied shortly.

“That...that was different!” Jinwoo floundered. “That wasn’t even a bed and we had no choice.”

“I had no choice either, I needed to go make things right with Hyungwon, or did you want me to be miserable with him ignoring me?” Myungjun asked sharply. His head was starting to hurt again, and his dragons’ claws were digging uncomfortably into his stomach. He sat up properly to shift it around and looked up to see Jinwoo staring at him, seemingly lost for words.

“Why do you care so much anyway? I can sleep where I want, you’re not my mother.” Myungjun snapped. He regretted it when Jinwoo stood up with a scowl.

“Sorry I’m concerned that my best friend decided to sleep in the same bed with the person who tried to kill him the day before. Sorry I care.” He finished before walking away, without looking back. His phoenix let out a whistle above and flew to land on his head. Myungjun would have laughed in any other situation but right now he just wanted to throw things. The plate he grabbed was swiftly removed from his grasp by a concerned looking Moonbin.

“Why do you and Jinwoo-hyung look like you’ve just had a fight?” He asked, setting the plate down out of Myungjuns reach and scratching his wolf gently behind the ears.

“I’m sick and I’m an idiot.” Myungjun whined, resting his head in his hands.

“You’ll work it out Hyung.” Moonbin said, comfortingly rubbing his back. “You two never stay mad at each other for long.”

Myungjun found comfort in his words and gestured for his plate.

Moonbin looked wary. “I won’t give it to you unless you promise not to throw it.” he said.

Myungjun laughed weakly. “I promise. I just want to eat, I’m hungry.” He finished his food quickly, feeding pieces of meat to his dragon and rushed towards his next lesson. It was Combat training, so he had the perfect chance to make up with Jinwoo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Literally half asleep editing this. I hate college uwu


	16. The Boy With The Green Hair.

As expected, it didn’t take long for the two of them to make up. Myungjun threw himself at Jinwoo dramatically, hanging heavily around his neck and apologising repeatedly. The other boy took one look at his pout and caved with a sigh.

“Stop using that pout against me, it makes me want to forgive you instantly.” He tried to sound annoyed but laughed as Myungjun stood up properly to tickle his sides.

“It’s my secret weapon.” Myungjun said with a wink and Jinwoo pushed him away.

The lesson went quickly as they were both in a good mood. Jinwoo went easier on Myungjun as he was worried about him still being sick and Myungjun was secretly relieved. The most entertaining part of the lesson was when they turned around startled, as a boy shouted in pain behind them. They turned to see Rocky apologising profusely to him, struggling to hold Rocky Jr back.

“What was that all about?” Myungjun asked him at the end of the lesson.

“Rocky Jr thought I was in danger when I started sparring and he punched Jackson-hyung in the shin.” Rocky explained sighing. Rocky Jr was babbling nonsense behind them in his gravelly voice, probably defending himself, Myungjun thought with a smile.

*

The weeks passed quickly and soon enough it was the day before hallows eve. They had been told a week ago, that there would be a masked ball and Namjoon groaned at the news.

“I hope there’s no dancing.” He said and Sanha agreed quickly with him. All things considered; he wasn’t really surprised that Sanha didn’t want to attempt dancing with his two left feet. Myungjun was proud of Sanha though, he’d only gone to the nurse three times for nosebleeds after tripping since they started their lessons. He’d taken him to the infirmary so often at the guesthouse that this was a welcome break.

On the other end of the spectrum, Moonbin and Rocky were talking excitedly about showing off their moves on the dancefloor. Myungjun was listening into their conversation, trying to pick up tips, when he saw Moonbin’s head snap to the side. He followed his gaze and watched as a girl approached Dongmin. They were close enough to hear what she was saying.

“Hello Dongmin, have you found a partner to the ball yet?” she asked, fluttering her eyelashes. Myungjun thought she looked like she had something in her eye and snorted into his drink. She scowled his way before turning back to Dongmin who had cleared his throat.

“Yes, sorry I’m already going with someone.” He said before coming to sit at their table.

Moonbin excused himself from the conversation and left to go to the toilet.

“Who are you going to the ball with?” Myungjun asked curiously, after the girl had left looking annoyed.

“No-one.” Dongmin answered looking sheepish. “I just didn’t want to go with her.”

Myungjun laughed and patted him on the back. “Smooth.” He said, giving him a thumbs up.

*

Present day Myungjun found himself sitting on his bed, smoothing out the lapels of his suit and wondering how the ball tomorrow night would go. He’d asked Rocky and Moonbin to teach him how to dance and they’d done so without protest. He was as ready as ever but groaned as he remembered he didn’t have a date. When he asked Namjoon and Youngjae who they were going with, they both told him they were going with other people.

“A girl came up to me and asked and I felt too awkward to turn her down.” Youngjae said looking unhappy, but he brightened up as he turned to Namjoon. “You should have seen Namjoons face when he was asked though. It was a second-year boy who approached him and Namjoon went BRIGHT red before shouting yes and running away. He even tripped on his own foot when he ran out the door.” Youngjae cackled evilly, relaying his friend’s embarrassment as Namjoon just groaned and hid his face in his pillow. Myungjun laughed along as he rubbed Namjoons back sympathetically.

Youngjae heard him sigh and turned to him. “Still haven’t asked anyone?”

Myungjun went back to flop on his bed. “Nope. I haven’t really found the chance to slip it into conversation with anyone.”

“More like you’re just too shy.” Youngjae said, making his way over to his own bed and delicately moving his tiny sleeping unicorn to the other side of his pillow.

“It’s not like anyone would want to go with me anyway.” Myungjun said. He realised before the words even left his mouth, that what he said wasn’t true. He had plenty of friends he could ask, many of which he knew would say yes but that seemed to be his downfall. He had too many friends he could ask and didn’t want to make anyone feel hurt if he didn’t ask them. He voiced his thoughts to Youngjae who just laughed.

“You’re not that special you know, not everyone is jumping at the chance to be your partner.”

Myungjun knew him well enough by now to know he didn’t mean that in a bad way and it rang true in Myungjuns ears which only made him scowl more.

“You’re not helping you know.” Myungjun said looking out of the little window by his bed.

“Just ask Jinwoo.” Youngjae said before turning off the light. They were plunged into darkness and Myungjun could hear a breeze ruffling the leaves outside.

“Jinwoo hasn’t even said if he’s going or not.” Myungjun replied after a few seconds.

“Maybe he’s waiting for a reason to.” Namjoon piped up sleepily before rolling over and falling asleep.

Myungjun thought about it as soft snores filled the room and decided he would ask Jinwoo tomorrow.

*

He woke up to the sound of rain pattering gently against the window and rolled over with a groan. He’d had a bad dream about asking Jinwoo to the ball and him rejecting his offer angrily before incinerating everything in the nearby vicinity. He knew Jinwoo wasn’t likely to do that, but he still felt nervous as he approached him after breakfast. It was a Saturday, so they had Meditation and Discipline class for two hours that morning. They walked there together, uncharacteristically quiet. They were walking down a quiet corridor when Myungjun decided that now was as good a time as any and turned towards Jinwoo determinedly.

“Do you want to go to the ball with me?”

“Will you go to the ball with me?”

They looked at each other for a second in shock before bursting into giggles. Myungjuns dragon jumped around their feet in excitement at the noise and Jinwoo had to scold his phoenix for beating his head with its wings.

“I thought I was going to get rejected.” Jinwoo said after getting the bird to settle down.

“Me too.” Myungjun admitted with a grin as he bumped shoulders with him.

They reached the classroom and grabbed a couple of cushions at the door before sitting together in the corner. Youngjae entered not long after and raised his eyebrows in their direction pointing towards Jinwoo. Myungjun sent him a thumbs up and Youngjae cheered wildly before being scolded by the teacher for disturbing the calm atmosphere.

Myungjun smiled and closed his eyes, trying to empty his mind but it was hard when he could feel Jinwoo watching him.

“Stop staring at me Jinwoo, its distracting.” He whispered with a scowl and felt Jinwoo move next to him.

“Sorry.” He whispered back. “I’m just happy you said yes.”

Myungjun couldn’t help the small smile that graced his face and he reached out blindly for Jinwoos hand. Jinwoo met him halfway and Myungjun focused on making his mind vulnerable.

*I’m happy you said yes too. * He thought hard and heard a small inhale of breath from beside him as his voice entered Jinwoos mind.

*Get out of my mind I’m trying to meditate* Jinwoo replied, making Myungjun snort. They were shushed by a student near them and Myungjun pulled away from Jinwoo to focus. No matter how hard he tried he couldn’t stop thinking about the night ahead and found himself feeling oddly nervous. He’d already asked Jinwoo hadn’t he? So why was he still feeling this way?

After the class, everyone had free time until the dance and went to sit by the lake despite there being a chill in the air. Myungjun was looking forward to snuggling into Jinwoo to steal his body heat but was disappointed when Moonbin dragged the boy away. Sanha saw him pouting in their direction and came over to cheer him up. Myungjun cuddled up to Sanha instead and even though it wasn’t as warm it was still nice. He opened his eyes when he heard Hoseok laughing.

“You’re the real maknae of our group.” He said, wrapping his bright scarf further around his neck.

“Am not.” Myungjun sulked.

“Sure you’re not Junnie.” Hyungwon said, rolling his eyes as Myungjun giggled at the nickname.

Everyone looked in the direction of two small figures in the distance, who were jogging towards them. When they got closer Myungjun recognised Jimin dragging along the friend he called TaeTae, who was carrying a bundle of items.

“They’re ready!” Jimin pronounced proudly and he pointed to the bundle in TaeTaes arms. Myungjun realised they were masks and jumped up to help unload them gently onto the floor. Jimin had offered to make them, using some of the plants he apparently grew behind his treehouse and Myungjun had been so excited, it was a masked ball after all, so they had to have them.

Jimin handed everyone one each until they were all gone.

“Where’s Moonbins and Jinwoos?” Myungjun asked, wondering if Jimin forgot.

“I gave them theirs first.” Jimin explained and excused himself before running back the way he came, dragging his friend behind him.

“He’s a bundle of energy that one.” Hyungwon said before yawning. “It makes me tired just looking at him.”

“What about Hoseok?” Myungjun pointed out. “He’s a bundle of energy too.”

Hyungwon looked over at Hoseok who was trying on everyone’s mask and wrinkled his nose. “He makes me tired just by thinking about him.”

Myungjun laughed before turning his attention to the mask Jimin had made him. It wasn’t anything special, it was made of parchment but Myungjun thought it was beautiful. It was covered in delicate yellow petals and it reminded Myungjun of his flowers. He silently thanked Jimin before declaring he was going back to the room to get ready. Everyone agreed that it was time to go and slowly dispersed.

When they got back to the room, the boys went off to get ready alone. Namjoon looked like he was going to be sick and kept mumbling words of encouragement to himself. Myungjun went over to comfort him before a smell in the air stopped him. It smelt like something was burning and he turned around in time to see his dragon shooting its first little flames over the sleeve of his suit. He shrieked and pulled the suit off the bed. The dragon went tumbling and wriggled around on its back for a few seconds before getting upright and hissing his way in annoyance.

“This isn’t food!” Myungjun whined and poked at the singed hole near the wrist. Namjoon hovered over his shoulder to take a look at the damage.

“It’s not that bad, no one will notice.” He said, trying to cheer Myungjun up.

“But I’LL notice.” Myungjun said back, before flopping onto his bed. His dragon appeared above his head, smoke furling from its nostrils and Myungjun scowled its way. “Why did you do that?” The dragon just tilted its head to the side and stared. Myungjun sat up with a huff and went to put on his suit.

After realising it wasn’t that bad after all, he went to the bathroom and banged on the door. “Youngjae hurry up in there, I need to do my hair.”

The door opened and Myungjun burst out laughing as Youngjae waltzed into the room with his hair sticking up all over the place.

“What on earth did you do to your hair?” Namjoon came up behind him to see what was so funny. “It looks like the perfect nest for my owl to sleep in, if he needed one at least.”

Myungjun was glad he asked, because he couldn’t seem to stop laughing to ask himself. Youngjae didn’t look offended, in fact he laughed as well.

“Maybe if my date see’s this she’ll want to find someone else to dance with.” He said with a mischievous glint in his eye. Myungjuns laughter slowly died down and he swatted at his arm.

“That’s awful.” He said. “but I don’t have time to scold you, I need to use the bathroom.” He squeezed past Youngjae and got to work on his hair. He lost track of time and before long Namjoon was banging on the door telling him it was time to go. He took one last look it the mirror and smiled. His hair was wavier then usual and bounced gently every time he moved. He thought he looked cute. He gently set his mask in place, over his eyes, before opening the door and stepping out.

He felt nervous all the way down to the academy doors but apparently nowhere near as nervous as Namjoon, who they had to keep running back for. He was trying to escape and go back to his room but froze as someone called his name by the door. Myungjun looked over to see a few students waiting there. A girl was shivering in the chilly night air, clad in a bright orange dress with feathers on the shoulders. Myungjun was reminded of Jinwoos phoenix before he turned to look at the other students, there was some he didn’t recognize, like a young-looking girl who sighed in relief as her date took her inside and a boy with bright green hair who was jiggling his leg nervously.

“Namjoon!” the voice called again, and a handsome boy swept down the steps towards them. Namjoon made a strangled sound before being pushed over to him by Youngjae.

“Hello.” The older boy said politely. “I’m Kim Seokjin and I’m here to collect my date.” He grabbed Namjoon by the arm and swept him back up the stairs. Namjoon looked over his shoulder and gave them a worried look before disappearing inside. Myungjun turned to laugh about it with Youngjae but the boy had disappeared.

He looked around and heard his name being called. He looked over to the green haired boy, who was walking towards him. How does he know my name? Myungjun thought. He waited nervously picking at the hole in his sleeve until the boy stopped in front of him. He seemed familiar somehow but Myungjun couldn’t tell because of the mask covering his face. It was covered in green and black petals and looked delicately made. Myungjun frowned, had Jimin just made masks for everyone in the Academy?

“It’s me.” The boy said lifting off his mask.

“Jinwoo?” Myungjun looked at him in shock.

Jinwoos hair was a vivid green colour and it reminded Myungjun of his plants, and the treehouse and the field behind his house in his hometown where he’d made his first flowers grow. He scanned Jinwoos face and stopped at his eyes. They’d been lined in what looked like charcoal and Myungjun watched as his eyelashes fluttered nervously. He’d never seen anyone do that to their eyes before, but he decided he wanted to see it more often. Especially on Jinwoo.

“Do you like it?” Jinwoo asked nervously, as he ran a hand through his hair. “Moonbin wanted to dye it for me earlier, It’s my favourite colour.”

“It’s my favourite colour too.” Myungjun said quietly, reaching up to touch it. He tousled it gently and relished in how soft it felt. Jinwoo leaned against his touch with a sigh and closed his eyes, the moonlight hitting his face just right. Myungjun felt his breath catch in his throat as it illuminated every curve and edge. He was beautiful. Jinwoo heard the noise and slowly opened his eyes to scan Myungjuns face in return. Everything seemed to fade away around him and Myungjun found himself watching as Jinwoos tongue darted out to wet his lips.

“Are you okay?” Jinwoo whispered and Myungjun tore his eyes away. He nodded in response, not trusting himself to speak and a bright smile bloomed on Jinwoos face. Myungjuns heart thumped painfully against his ribcage as he looked into the eyes of his best friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My sons are growing up *Cries*


	17. The Masked Ball.

Jinwoo stopped smiling as he sensed his discomfort and peered at his face in concern. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked again. Myungjun tried to look away but Jinwoo held his chin lightly and lifted his face up to look at him. His face was so close. Myungjuns heart thumped more painfully then before and he gripped at his chest.

“I think I’m dying.” He whispered as tears filled his eyes. “My chest really hurts.” Myungjun was scared, what was happening to him? He hadn’t had a panic attack in a really long time, but he felt one coming now as a result of this foreign feeling. His magic crackled across his fingers and flowers spread out like a blanket, littering the floor around their feet. It didn’t stop there, however.

“Myungjun what’s going-" He didn’t get to finish his sentence before thick vines burst from the ground and Jinwoo hissed in pain as one shot past his arm, causing him to pull away from the scared boy. Myungjun didn’t realise that he was boxing himself in with walls of vines as his brain told him he was in danger. He heard Jinwoo calling his name, but he was struggling to focus.

“Jinwoo what’s going on?” Myungjun heard a voice asking outside.

He looked around in the dark and could only see small slivers of light from the moon, feeding its way through the gaps in his defence. He pushed against the vines, but nothing happened. Someone outside was speaking again so he stopped to try and listen to the muffled voices.

“You can’t burn it down with him inside of there, you’ll kill him!” came Hyungwons voice. “Let me freeze them and we can break it down.”

“Yeah and what happens if we can’t break it and he freezes to death?” Jinwoo retaliated.

“You two stop arguing! I saw Grove inside, someone go and get him, maybe he knows what to do.”

Someone had listened to Moonbins suggestion, as Myungjun heard faint footsteps receding.

“Myungjun can you hear me?” Jinwoo called out desperately.

Myungjun tried to answer him but all that came out was a squeak. He pushed harder at the walls, he felt claustrophobic and needed to get out. His tears spilled over, making his mask stick to his face and he heard muffled grunts as Jinwoo kicked at the vines from outside.

“That won’t do anything boy.” Groves voice rang through the night. “He won’t come out until he’s ready. You need to calm him down. What happened anyway?”

Myungjun heard Jinwoo explaining the situation. From how they had been talking, to his chest hurting and Jinwoo even threw in the fact that vines had never grown before during one of his attacks.

Grove mumbled something Myungjun couldn’t hear and then repeated that they needed to get Myungjun to calm down.

Myungjun squatted down and clutched at his hair. What if he never calmed down? Would he die in here? He was startled out of his thoughts by Jinwoos voice penetrating his mind.

*I hope this works; I feel really stupid standing here like this. What if its already working and he can hear me? Shut up brain and think. *

Despite his situation Myungjun couldn’t help the little laugh that bubbled up through his chest. Jinwoo was such a dork. The amusement didn’t last for long as the anxiety flooded back in.

*JinJin? * He thought quietly.

“I can hear him!” Jinwoos muffled voice floated through the wall and someone clapped their hands.

“What’s he saying? Is he okay?” Hyungwon asked worriedly.

“Just shut up and let me think.” Jinwoo said.

*Junnie I can hear you, keep talking to me, or thinking whatever it is, let me know you’re okay*

*JinJin I’m scared, the vines are too strong, and I can’t get out*

*You can, I promise. These vines are a part of you. How do you think I’m communicating with you? I’m touching them and you’re hearing me, aren’t you? *

Myungjun thought about it, but through his fear he couldn’t understand what Jinwoo was trying to say.

*I don’t understand, please just get me out of here* he thought desperately.

*Your mind is controlling them Junnie, remember in Communications we had to hold hands to get a read on each other? That’s because we needed contact, but all I’m touching is these vines and not you but you’re still hearing me, which means these vines are a part of you. * Jinwoo paused for a second before thinking again. *How do you usually make flowers grow? *

*I visualise them and they appear* Myungjun thought.

*Exactly! Think about these vines Junnie, think about them coming down*

Myungjun nearly cried out as he felt his connection to Jinwoo break as the boy stepped back to give him space. He focused on Jinwoos words and visualised the walls around him. He imagined them going back into the ground and looked up in surprise as he heard a creaking above him. He could see the night sky clearly.

“Its working!” Hyungwons voice came much clearer now.

“Keep going Myungjun, you can do it!” Jinwoo called encouragingly.

Myungjun was spurred on and placed his hands on the vines and pictured them coming down completely. He felt them rush past his fingers and the cold air hit him. He didn’t realise he was falling until Jinwoo caught him. He sat down hard, pulling Myungjun into his lap.

Myungjun cried as Hyungwon and Moonbin crowded round to see if he was okay and snuggled down further into Jinwoos chest.

“Come back inside boys, I don’t think he wants to be gawked at like some spectacle.” Groves voice was firm but kind, and Myungjun felt the presence of Hyungwon and Moonbin disappear.

“Shhhh.” Jinwoo rocked him backwards and forwards gently running his fingers through his hair. “You’re okay now Junnie, you’re out of there and you’re safe.”

His warm voice soothed Myungjun, and after a while, he was no longer crying and just sniffled into the other boy’s shirt. “I was so scared, I thought I wasn’t going to be able to get out.” He whispered quietly.

Jinwoo rubbed his back before pulling him closer. “But you did, didn’t you?” He waited until he felt Myungjun nod his head. “And you’re safe now aren’t you?” Myungjun took longer this time but still nodded his head. “Then will you look at me?”

Myungjun pulled back slightly to look up at him. Jinwoo reached up hesitantly and pulled the mask off of Myungjuns face.

“That’s better.” He said with a small smile before leaning down and pressing his lips gently against Myungjuns forehead. He tensed after realising what he had just done and pulled back to look at Myungjun. “Was that okay?” he asked looking uneasy but relaxed when Myungjun nodded shyly.

Myungjun was used to kisses like that. Hoseok would always press gentle kisses into his hair when they cuddled and Youngjae would swoop in to kiss his forehead playfully when Myungjun was being extra cute, but somehow it felt different with Jinwoo. He couldn’t understand why but decided it didn’t matter right now.

He stood up shakily and Jinwoo followed, linking his arm through his for support. Myungjun smiled at him gratefully before asking if they could go inside. It was getting too cold and Myungjun wanted to let the others know he was okay. He shivered slightly as a particularly cold breeze ruffled his hair and Jinwoo frowned before letting go of Myungjun and shrugging his suit jacket off. He wrapped it around Myungjuns shoulders before wrapping an arm around him again and leading them inside.

Hyungwon was pacing nervously just inside the door. He sighed in relief as he spotted Myungjun and Jinwoo stepped back as Hyungwon raced forward to pull him into a hug.

“Myungjun I was so worried, I’ve never seen you do anything like that before, are you okay?”

Myungjun pulled back to smile at him. “I’m fine Hyung, just a bit tired.”

“Do you want to go back to your room? I can take you, or we can go back to mine and just cuddle? I promise I won’t let go like an idiot.” He finished referring to Hoseok allowing him to fall into the lake.

Myungjun just laughed and shook his head. “No, I can’t miss my first masked ball, even though I’m not really masked anymore.” Myungjun turned to Jinwoo. “and neither is my date apparently.”

Jinwoo looked taken aback to realise he wasn’t masked before remembering he’d taken it off to reveal his identity to Myungjun.

Hyungwon just sighed and patted him on the shoulder. “Whatever you want Junnie. Just come find me if you change your mind okay?”

Myungjun nodded happily before taking Jinwoos hand and dragging him inside. There was music tinkling in the air, an upbeat tune that had everyone swaying and laughing on the dance floor. Myungjun pulled Jinwoo towards it and started to dance. Jinwoo looked surprised and shouted over the music.

“I didn’t know you could dance.”

Myungjun just laughed and spun away deeper into the crowd. Jinwoo followed and grabbed him so he wouldn’t get lost.

“Moonbin and Rocky taught me.” He admitted, shouting loudly. He didn’t hear what Jinwoo said next but suddenly he was being swept around the floor. Jinwoo was an amazing dancer and Myungjun was soon feeling giddy from the adrenaline.

He pulled them off of the dancefloor and slumped down in an empty chair. “Can you go find me some water I’m thirsty.” He asked and watched Jinwoo hurry off. He looked around and spotted a few of his friends, they were easier to recognise under their masks then Jinwoo had been.

Namjoon was being swung around the dance floor and was laughing loudly as he stood on Seokjins toes. The older boy didn’t seem to mind as he looked down at Namjoon fondly before leaning down to whisper in his ear. Myungjun looked further to see Rocky spinning elegantly and finishing with a bow as Rocky Jr clapped his stony hands spraying dust up into the air. The students around him moved away with disgruntled looks on their faces but Rocky didn’t seem to notice. Myungjun scanned the tables to see if he could spot anyone sitting down and frowned when he noticed Moonbin sitting by himself in the corner. He went over to him and sat down in the empty chair beside him. Moonbin looked up surprised.

“Oh, hyung you’re here, I thought you would have gone back to your room.” He said leaning over to squeeze Myungjuns arm gently.

“How comes you’re here by yourself?” Myungjun asked.

“I don’t feel like dancing.” Moonbin said and Myungjun looked at him worryingly.

“You love to dance; you were so excited for this.”

Moonbin just shrugged him off. “It doesn’t matter now, by the way have you seen Dongmin? He should be somewhere around here with his date, but I haven’t seen him.” he asked.

“What date? I thought Dongmin didn’t have a date.” Myungjun wondered who Dongmin had asked.

“You heard him in the hall, he told that girl he was already going with someone.” Moonbin said sounding a bit upset.

“He came back to the table and told us it was just a lie because he didn’t want to go with her remember?”

Moonbins face lit up. “Really? I went to the toilet, so I didn’t hear.”

Myungjun could sense that there was something Moonbin wasn’t telling him but noticed Dongmin entering the room. “He’s over there if you need to talk to him.” He said pointing behind Moonbin and Moonbin spun in his seat to look.

“Oh yeah, I’ll go talk to him about that…thing.” He finished awkwardly before leaving in a hurry, his bright pink hair bobbing through the crowd.

Myungjun just sighed and scanned the room for Jinwoo. He spotted him looking confused as he stared at the empty seat Myungjun had been sitting in. Myungjun called his name over the noise and waved him over when he looked up.

“Why are you over here?” He asked, handing his drink over.

“Moonbin looked lonely and asked me where Dongmin was. I think there’s something going on between them.” Myungjun said.

“Oh yeah, Moonbin has a crush on Dongmin.” Jinwoo said casually, sipping at his own drink.

Myungjun spat his out across the table. “He what?” he got out between coughs.

Jinwoo smacked him on the back a few times. “How did you not notice? They’re so obvious.”

Myungjun thought back to all the little signs he’d been given, and his mouth dropped open. “I think Dongmin has a crush on Moonbin too! He’s always staring at him and asked me weird questions about him. Wow now that I think about it, they’re both so obvious.” He laughed and shook his head. “How oblivious can some people be?”

Jinwoo mumbled something and Myungjun leaned closer to hear. “What was that?”

“Nothing.” Jinwoo said with a smile. “Wanna dance?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's so much to talk about..  
> 1\. 'JinJin' *Screams* (RIP at Jinwoo being too worried about Myungjun to notice his new nickname)  
> 2\. The forehead kiss *Screams louder* It only took 17 chapters...  
> 3\. Is Binwoo/Binu/Binmin finally happening??


	18. Jinwoos Memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short but sweet chapter that explains a lot of the earlier plot~

The night eventually came to an end and sweaty bodies spilled out of the front doors, onto the grass. It was refreshing to feel the night air on his face after dancing in the crowd for so long. Myungjun stretched his tired limbs before turning to smile at Jinwoo.

“Let’s go for a walk.” He suggested, not wanting the night to end yet. Jinwoo agreed and they began walking in a random direction. The shouts of excited students slowly disappeared as they walked further away.

Myungjun was curious about something Jinwoo had said to Grove before. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Anything.” Jinwoo answered him, looking up at the stars.

“How did you know I hadn’t made vines before during a panic attack?”

Jinwoo stopped and looked at him awkwardly, trying to think of what to say. Myungjun waited patiently until he spoke again. “I’d rather show you something first.” He said, gesturing for Myungjun to follow him. Myungjun followed without complaint and they walked in silence for a while. He looked down to make sure he didn’t trip on anything in the dark and bumped into Jinwoo when he stopped.

After a quick apology Myungjun looked up to see they had stopped near the guesthouse. There were still some lights on in the windows, which made it easier for them to cross over to the tree looming near the front. Jinwoo quickly climbed up to sit on one of the lowers branches and pulled Myungjun up to sit next to him. Myungjun could just about see the front door from where they sat.

“Jinwoo why are we here?” he turned to look and saw that Jinwoo looked nervous. He reached over to grab his hand and rubbed it encouragingly. “You can tell me whatever it is.” Myungjun was already starting to understand but wanted him to explain it.

“This is where I first saw you.” He begun nervously. “You were climbing out of Mr Chois carriage with your arm in that sling and I’d never seen anyone look so scared. It reminded me of how I used to feel, and I wanted to go down and comfort you, but then a tall handsome boy got out behind you and you bumped into him trying to get back inside.”

“Hyungwon.” Myungjun said smiling.

Jinwoo made a noise of acknowledgment before continuing. “I saw him lean down and say something to you before hugging you and Hoseok got out to hug you too. I feel awkward saying this, but I was so jealous of you. You had friends to comfort you when you were sad.”

Myungjun squeezed his hand lightly and he squeezed back.

“I’m not jealous anymore, I have friends now who look after me.” He smiled and shifted around until he was facing Myungjun better. “I saw the flowers spreading around you whilst you were panicking, and I was surprised to see them spread faster when you were feeling better. I thought back to that moment when I saw the vines growing.”

Myungjun accepted that answer to his question and allowed himself to remember the warmth he had felt in his chest at his friend’s kind words when he’d stepped out of the carriage and it made him feel strangely nostalgic.

“I realised how different we were. When you lose control, you grow pretty flowers and when I lose control, I hurt people.” Jinwoo was quiet as he rubbed at Myungjuns wrist, tracing the ghost lines of his burns. “I know I burnt you, I know you lied to make me feel better and I was selfish enough to play along. I’m sorry.”

Myungjun was horrified, he had tried so hard to hide it so how had Jinwoo known? He went to speak but Jinwoo stopped him.

“You’re a terrible liar, I saw right through it immediately.” He laughed as Myungjun pouted and he became oddly serious straight after. “I have other things to apologise for.”

Myungjun was now lost, he couldn’t imagine why Jinwoo would need to apologise any further.

“Those boys who cornered me here were right. I had been watching you, but I wasn’t trying to be creepy I swear. After you were shown into the guesthouse, I went to the infirmary to lay down. I was told to go there whenever I was feeling depressed and seeing you with your friends just…anyway, I heard someone coming in, so I peeked past the curtains and there you were. You looked even worse up close by the way.”

Myungjun remembered back to walking into the infirmary and seeing one of the beds occupied and wondering who was in there. He felt a weird sense of comfort knowing it was Jinwoo.

“I saw Mrs Ko fixing your arm and your nose and I felt sick thinking about how you’d gotten into such a state. Your back looked terrible, there were so many bruises I wondered how you were even alive. It was worse when she asked what happened to you and you said you couldn’t remember. She told you that you must have been through something traumatic and it made me realise something. You might have seemed like this delicate boy who grew flowers when he lost control but you were actually so strong as well.”

Myungjun squeezed his hand hard as he blinked back the tears stinging his eyes. He hadn’t felt strong at the time, not at all.

“What I have to apologise for is watching you from then on. Those boys who cornered me were the guesthouse bullies and I didn’t want them to go near you. They caught me watching you by the pond and picked a fight. I was wondering how to get out of there without hurting anyone with my magic when suddenly you appeared. Still battered and bruised but ready to stand up to them. Then they were gone, and you were there calling me smart and laughing with me instead of at me like I was used to. It was too much for me and I ran. I’m sorry I avoided you and I’m sorry that I couldn’t stay away from you even then.”

Myungjuns cheeks were flushed from embarrassment. Jinwoo was making him out to be some hero and it was hard to imagine.

“The night of the feast, before we started the academy, I saw you setting up the table for your friends. I wondered what it was like to have friends and to do nice things like that for them. So, when you went inside to get matches, I went and took some off another table and lit the candles for you. I just wanted to feel like a part of your group, and it made me happy to see you and the others having fun. I tried to slip out to the forest to be alone and I didn’t realise you were following me. It wasn’t until I heard those guys mouthing at you that I realised and by the time I got there you were in so much pain. I didn’t know why but I knew I had to help you. Then he grabbed you by your hair and I was trying so hard to stay in control, somehow it worked, but you passed out before I could see if you were okay. I didn’t want to leave you alone out there, so I stayed. I didn’t mean to fall asleep either, I was going to slip away when the sun rose, but something woke me, and I saw you staring at me. It was quite intimidating.”

Myungjun giggled. “Sorry, I’m the reason you woke up, you had dirt on your face, so I wiped it off.”

“Ahh...” Jinwoo smiled down at his lap before continuing. “I wanted to run away again after that, but you wouldn’t give up my jacket and it really was my favourite, not that I minded much. You called me sad eyes and it felt strange knowing someone had taken the time to notice something so abstract about me, so I told you my name instead and suddenly we were friends. If anyone told me before that I would have friends when I joined the academy I would have laughed.”

Myungjuns heart clenched painfully as Jinwoos sentiment hit close to home. He remembered thinking the exact same thing and for the first time realised he wasn’t alone.

“Thankyou for telling me.” He said quietly, sensing that Jinwoo had come to a stop. “Also, I want you to know that I will not be accepting any apologies from you because they’re not needed. I let slip to Hyungwon on the carriage ride here that I wanted to feel safe for once and you’ve made me realise I was safe the minute I stepped foot on the ground here.”

He looked up quickly when he heard Jinwoo sniffle. “Why are you crying?”

“Sorry,” Jinwoo said wiping his nose noisily. “No-ones ever told me I make them feel safe before. I’m just used to being the danger to civilization.”

“You’re not dangerous, you need to stop thinking like that Jinwoo.” Myungjun said softly.

“I haven’t told you everything about me yet, I’m going to need some more time to feel ready for it and you may change your mind about me when you hear it.” Jinwoo said sadly before looking at him. “Do you think we could still be friends until then?”

Myungjun couldn’t imagine what Jinwoo could say to change his opinion of him, so he just nodded his head and pulled him in for a hug. He’d completely forgotten they were sitting in a tree and began wobbling precariously on the edge of the branch. Jinwoo acted fast and pulled him back up.

“See?” Myungjun said with a smile when he was seated again. “I’m safe with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jinwoo makes Myungjun feel safe uwu


	19. Voredan City.

The day had finally come for their trip into Voredan city. It had been announced in November and Myungjun had been bursting with excitement ever since. They were now two weeks into December and the holidays were rapidly approaching. He couldn’t wait to spend his first Christmas with his friends and had spent days trying to think of gifts to give them. He knew some of his friends would be going back home to spend Christmas with their families, but he still wanted to prepare something for them.

He was eating his breakfast and talking to Hoseok excitedly about the day ahead, when the temperature suddenly dropped and a stormy looking Dongmin slammed his plate of food down on the table beside them.

“I can’t believe this.” He seethed and sat down heavily.

“What’s wrong?” Myungjun asked, instantly switching to, what his friends liked to call, his ‘worried mother mode’.

Dongmin looked up and his bottom lip began to tremble. “My parent’s want me to go home for Christmas, but I already promised Binnie that I’d spend it here with him.”  
Myungjun reached over to hold his hand and rub soothing circles into the skin. Dongmin used his other hand to scrub furiously at his eyes before continuing. “I always have to do what they say. They ruin everything and I hate them.”

Hoseok got up to hurry over and give Dongmin a hug. Whilst he was distracted, Myungjun looked over to Sanha, who was being weirdly quiet. Sanha looked up after realising he was being watched and gave Myungjun a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. Myungjun had to look away as Dongmin spoke again.

“I don’t know what to do, I’ve already picked out the perfect present for him, but it will be pointless if I can’t give it to him on the day.”

Myungjun sighed, he wasn’t at all sure how to help Dongmin. He’d heard enough about his parents to know that what they said was final.

“What happens if you just don’t go?” Hoseok asked, sitting back down in his seat.

“They’d probably storm this place and drag me out.” Dongmin said sounding defeated. “Sometimes I wish I didn’t have parents.”

Everyone looked up startled when Sanha slammed his hand down on the table. “Shut up.” He shouted, glaring in Dongmins direction.

Myungjun was shocked at Sanhas blatant rudeness and lack of honorifics. “Sanha, apologise right now.” He said sharply to the young boy. Sanha just stood up shaking and stormed out of the room.

They were silent before Hoseok cleared his throat. “Junnie you should go see if he’s okay, you’re the best one for the job. I’ll sit with Dongmin till you get back.”

Myungjun nodded feeling numb. He’d never seen Sanha look so angry and the way he walked off without apologising really irritated him. He rushed from the room and looked around. He couldn’t see Sanha anywhere and stopped the nearest student to ask.

“Excuse me did you happen to see what direction an angry looking curly haired boy walked out of here in?” She pointed towards the stairs and Myungjun thanked her before rushing up them. He saw Sanha’s mop of red hair turning the corner down the corridor and hurried towards it.

“Sanha!” He called as he watched him disappear into one of the rooms. He read the sign saying ‘Toilets’ and went inside. He could hear Sanha sniffling in one of the cubicles and went to knock on the door.

“You better open this door and talk to me Sanha or you’ll be in even more trouble.” He warned.

“Go away Hyung.” Sanha said sadly. “I don’t want to talk right now.”

Myungjun sighed and lowered his voice. “Sanha, I promise you’ll feel better if you just talk to me and tell me what’s wrong.” He heard another sniffle but Sanha didn’t answer him. “Please can you let me in? I’m not mad at you I’m just worried.”

He finally heard the toilet door click and Sanha gestured for him to come inside. It was cramped, but Myungjun was just relieved he’d made this much progress.

He bent down and pulled some tissues off to wipe Sanha’s face. “I don’t like seeing you upset. You need to tell me why you were so mad at Dongmin.”

Sanha was quiet for a long time and just when Myungjun thought he wasn’t going to reply, he spoke. “I don’t have parents Hyung.” He said, pulling his legs up onto the toilet seat to bury his face into his knees.

Myungjun felt his stomach drop. What did Sanha mean he didn’t have parents? He’d always assumed Sanha had lovely parents because he was such a happy and confident boy who never really complained about anything. “What do you mean Sanha?”

“I don’t have parents.” He repeated, pulling his legs closer. “I’ve been at the guesthouse since I was five. They left me there and never came back for me because they didn’t love me.”

Myungjuns heart felt like it was breaking, Sanha sounded so sad. “Don’t say that, I’m sure they do love you, there could be a good reason as to why they did it.”

“They don’t love me.” Sanha said sharply before looking up at Myungjun. “They told Mrs Ko that they didn’t want me in front of my face. I can still remember the way they said it.”

Myungjun was lost for words. How had he not known about this earlier? “Why didn’t you tell me Sanha? Why didn’t you tell anyone?” he asked sadly.

“I did tell somebody.” Sanha said, the sharp tone disappearing from his voice. “I told Jinwoo. He was already there when I was left behind.”

“You said Jinwoo was dangerous to me. Why would you tell him if he was dangerous?” Myungjun asked, feeling confused.

Sanha shifted uncomfortably. “I told him before I thought he was dangerous.” He didn’t offer any more of an explanation so Myungjun let it go with a sigh, they were running out of time. The carriages to take them into Voredan would be arriving soon.

“So that’s why you were mad at Dongmin?” Myungjun asked, putting the pieces together. “Because he was talking about hating his parents?”

“No, I was mad because he said that sometimes he wished he never had them.” Sanha said grumpily. “I pray every night that my parents would come back for me and Dongmin-hyung says all of those bad things. At least he has parents.” His voice cracked at the end and he started to cry, loud gut-wrenching sobs that bought Myungjun close to tears. He’d always wondered why Sanha chose to go to church with Jinwoo every Sunday and now it made sense. He just wanted his parents back.

Myungjun pulled him into a hug and rubbed his back trying to calm him down. He could feel Sanhas magic pulsing under his skin and a breeze raced around the cubicle.

“Shh, It’s okay Sanha, I’m here for you, We’re all here for you…Dongmin-hyung too.” He added cautiously. “I know this might not mean much to you, but we all love you and care about you and you’ll always be OUR baby.”

Sanha let out a small laugh and hugged him tighter, the breeze slowly dying down with his magic. “It does mean a lot to me Hyung, you’re all the best family I’ve ever had.”

Myungjun let his own tears fall freely and hugged Sanha until he started to protest.

“Get off Hyung, you’re crushing me.” He whined. Myungjun gave him one last squeeze before letting go.

“You do need to go and apologise you know that, right?” Myungjun said, making sure he was listening.

“Yes Hyung.” Sanha sighed before getting up. “Let’s go before we miss the carriages.”

They walked back downstairs together and Sanha dashed over to give Dongmin a hug and an apology. Dongmin just smiled down at him and ruffled his hair.

“I wondered if you’d make it back in time.” Hoseok whispered, pulling him away from the pair. “Is Sanha okay?”

“I hope so.” Myungjun said quietly before giving Hoseoks arm a quick squeeze. “Let’s go.”

Myungjun climbed into one of the carriages with Dongmin, Sanha and Hoseok. It wasn’t until they were out of the academy grounds that Myungjun realised he hadn’t seen Jinwoo all day.

“Has anyone seen Jinwoo?” He asked and watched with a frown as the others shook their heads. Ever since the night of the ball, his and Jinwoos friendship had gotten stronger. They spent more time together and confided in each other more. Jinwoo still hadn’t told him what he wanted to explain about himself and Myungjun was patiently giving him the time he’d asked for. He just hoped that Jinwoo was in one of the other carriages and closed his eyes to have a rest.

It wasn’t long before the carriage stopped, and they all scrambled out excitedly. Myungjun looked around but couldn’t see a head of green hair anywhere. He frowned but was pulled away by Hoseok, who led them to the front of the carriages where the elemental leaders were gathered.

“This is your first trip out of the academy grounds.” Blaze begun. “Depending on how you behave today, will determine whether you will be allowed out again or not.” He let the mumbles of the students around him die down before continuing. “Me and Zephyr,” He gestured to the woman next to him, who Myungjun recognised as the leader who had stormed out when he and Jinwoo had picked up their timetables. “will be in the upper part of this city if you wish to find us for help, and Grove and Frost will be in the lower part. You have until sundown to explore the city and then I want you back here. If you get into trouble, press your birthmarks and we will come find you.” Myungjun looked down at his wrist and was surprised to see it glowing a faint green colour.

They were dismissed and the students scattered excitedly, running in every direction. Myungjun spotted Namjoon and Youngjae hurrying off and let their names die on his lips. He was going to ask if they wanted to join him and the others, but they obviously had other plans. Myungjun set his mind to the most important task of the day. Shopping for gifts. His mother had sent him a pouch of money with a note attached, explaining that he should stay at the academy for Christmas as she was going to be busy over the holidays. He hoped she was okay and patted the pouch of money gratefully before slipping it back into his pocket.

Dongmin had lived in Voredan, so he knew all the best places to go and took them first to see the castle. Myungjun had been amazed at the glimpse he had gotten of it, on his way past to the academy before, but nothing could prepare him for seeing the hulking building up close. It was grand and sparkled in the winter sun. Myungjun wondered what it would look like when the first snow decided to fall. He’d woken up every day, over the past couple of weeks, to rush to his window to see if the snow had come but there was still no sign of it.

“What are you thinking about?” Dongmin asked, noticing the vacant look on Myungjuns face.

“I want it to snow.” Myungjun pouted. Dongmin just shook his head fondly before holding his hands over Myungjuns head and using his magic to create a flurry of snowflakes. There wasn’t a lot of it but Myungjun still clapped his hands in excitement.

“You’re so cute Junnie.” Hoseok said before attacking him with a backhug. Myungjun just laughed and snuggled back into him. He looked through the golden gates, leading up to castle, and wondered what it would be like to live there.

“I think it would be lonely.” Sanha said from beside him. Myungjun wasn’t surprised he had spoken his thoughts out loud again and just hummed in agreement. Something caught his eye and he turned his head to watch, as a flash of green hair disappeared down a small alleyway nearby.

“Jinwoo?” Myungjun muttered pulling away from Hoseok.

“Nope, sorry to disappoint, but I’m still Hoseok.” He said with a grin as Myungjun looked at him.

“Not you, I think I just saw Jinwoo over there. Let’s go get him.” He said before setting off. He didn’t get far until Dongmin pulled him back.

“Don’t go Hyung.” He said as Myungjun turned to him.

“Why not?” Myungjun asked, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Dongmin looked nervous and cleared his throat. “You don’t even know if that was him, it could be a stranger, I mean lots of people dye their hair, right?” Myungjun might have agreed but decided something seemed off when the boy laughed awkwardly.

“Lets just go check.” Myungjun said, shaking his hand off. He turned around and Hoseok stepped in front of him.

“Can we go and look after I’ve been to the toilet?” He asked innocently.

“Can’t you hold it? Jinwoo will have disappeared by then.” Myungjun asked, trying to step around him.

“It’s not Jinwoo.” Dongmin mumbled, but Myungjun just ignored him.

“Please Junnie.” Hoseok whined.

“You’re old enough, go by yourself.” Myungjun said, starting to get annoyed.

“Why are you two acting so weird?” Sanha asked, eyeing Dongmin and Hoseok who exchanged innocent looks.

“Don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.” Hoseok said.

“Then let Hyung go and find Jinwoo-hyung.” Sanha said before stepping around them and grabbing Myungjuns hand to pull him away.

The boys just sighed and followed behind them. Myungjun hurried on ahead and stepped into the alleyway. There was no-one there and he frowned.

“See! Now he’s gone.” He whined and turned to his friends, looking cross.

They shied away from his glare and Myungjun sighed. “Let’s go find a toilet then.”

“I don’t need the toilet anymore.” Hoseok said happily. “I’ve just seen a sweet shop and I’m DYING for some sugar.”

They were surrounded by the sugary treats a few minutes later and Myungjun was eyeing Hoseok warily as the boy whizzed around the shop picking out the different things he wanted. Myungjun was already feeling stressed at the thought of a hyper Hoseok and looked around to distract himself.

He picked up a bag of floral flavoured sweets to give to Jimin as a Christmas gift and handed over the correct amount of coins. They soon left and headed down the street. He stopped at a window that displayed a selection of colourful trinkets. His eyes lit up as he spotted the perfect gift for Jinwoo and he hurried inside. A bell tinkled above the door and he was immediately hit with the smell of incense. He let his fingers trail over the pretty crystals and gemstones before stopping in front of what he wanted.

He held the thin length of leather up to the light to watch the green and black gemstone it held sparkle.

“That’s a pretty necklace.” Hoseok said from behind him. “That would be perfect for Jinwoo.”

Myungjun nodded happily and carried it carefully to the owner, who sat hunched over behind a countertop.

“For someone special.” The old woman observed in her raspy voice. Myungjun shivered as her gnarled finger brushed against his and she took the necklace from his hand. “For someone very special.”

Myungjun nodded politely as he watched her observe the stone. It began to hum with magic, and she made a satisfied noise.

“Onyx and Malachite blend, the perfect stone for protection, discipline and a means of resisting temptation. I feel that will be perfect for your special friend.” She said before handing it back to him.

Myungjun allowed himself a few seconds to revel in the fact that it was literally the perfect gift. He pulled out his pouch to hand her some money, but she waved it off.

“I would like something else from you instead, you have a good energy about you boy. All I ask, is one hair from your head.” Myungjun was confused at the request but reached up to pluck out a hair. A firm hand on his wrist stopped him and he looked over to see Dongmin eyeing the woman suspiciously.

“What are you doing Hyung? Just give her the money so we can leave.” He said, staring at the woman with an air of confidence that Myungjun couldn’t quite reach. He quickly placed the money he was going to pay down onto the counter and was swiftly pulled from the store by a furious looking Dongmin.

“What the hell was that?” He said angrily. “You should never give any part of your being away to a stranger, she could have done any number of strange things with that hair, use your brain hyung!”

Myungjun felt like a scolded child as he realised what Dongmin said was true. Dongmin looked down to see the hurt look on his face and sighed. “I’m sorry, I was worried that’s all.”

Myungjun gave him a shaky smile before looking down at the necklace in his hand. It was worth the scolding he decided.

“Wow hyung you’re scary when your mad.” Sanha said from behind Myungjun. Hoseok agreed quietly before suggesting they move on. Myungjun tucked the necklace safely in his pocket and followed the others. He started to think of all the bad things that could have happened and shuddered.

The day passed quickly after that. Myungjun picked out some more gifts and some supplies to make friendship bracelets for Hyungwon and Hoseok before following Dongmin into a strongly scented coffee shop. He told Dongmin to order him whatever he was having and sat down at one of the wooden tables, his mind shifting back to Jinwoo.

Maybe Dongmin and Hoseok were right, maybe it wasn’t him. Surely, he would have come to find Myungjun by now if it were? He traced the lines in the wood before a steaming cup, of something sweet smelling, was placed in front of him. He thanked Dongmin before taking a sip. It tasted nice, very earthy.

The door opened and Myungjuns head snapped up as he watched a man step inside. Myungjun had the strangest feeling that he knew him, but it wasn’t possible because he’d never seen the man before. He looked down to see a battered looking sword tucked into his belt and looked back up again when he felt eyes on him. The man was looking his way with a stony expression on his face. He went up to order his drink, drank it down in a few gulps and promptly turned to leave, his coat flapping behind him.

“Are you okay?” Sanha asked, waving a hand in front of his face.

“Yeah I’m fine.” Myungjun replied. “Hurry up and finish your drink I want to go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't give your hair to any creepy old ladies kids.


	20. The First Snow.

Myungjun gave one last hopeful look around, before giving up and climbing into the carriage. Jinwoo really must not have come today, he thought. Myungjun just hoped he was okay. He couldn’t think of a good reason as to why Jinwoo would miss a chance to leave the academy, when he’d been there his whole life. The others left him to his thoughts, and he leaned back to shut his eyes.

“Hyung I dare you to stick that whole bag of sweets in your mouth.” Sanha said excitedly, leaning towards Hoseok.

Myungjun heard Dongmin groan as Hoseok took up the challenge. A few minutes later and he was bouncing up and down in his seat.

“wowthatwasthebestdayeverwasn’titguys.” Hoseok stumbled over his words.

“What?” Sanha asked with a laugh.

“This is all your fault.” Dongmin said accusingly and Sanha grinned wickedly, jumping out of the now still carriage, as it pulled up outside the academy.

“Have fun taking him back!” Sanha said with a cackle before racing off.

“That boy is evil I’m telling you.” Dongmin grumbled before grabbing onto one of Hoseoks jiggling arms and pulling him from the carriage.

Myungjun climbed down the steps and watched Dongmin chasing Hoseok towards the lake, screaming something about being careful. He shook his head fondly before spotting Hyungwons blonde head in the crowd. He walked over to warn him about his hyper roommate and went off to his own room afterwards.

He tucked all his gifts away safely before flopping onto his bed. His dragon flew down from the window with a screech. He reached over to pat her scaly head and pulled his bird out from beneath his pillow. Its wing was slightly torn from where he’d had to wrestle it from the dragons mouth a few nights ago and he picked at it absentmindedly. His day had been good, but a few things niggled away at the back of his mind. Where was Jinwoo? Who was that strange man? Why were Dongmin and Hoseok acting so strangely? He rolled over with a groan and screamed into his pillow. He was going crazy with all these questions and no answers.

Youngjae and Namjoon came inside a while later, dumping their purchases onto their beds.

“…hide it.” He heard Namjoon whisper and he looked over curiously.

Youngjae quickly put something under his pillow and smiled at Myungjun. “What’s wrong with you?” He asked looking at how grumpy Myungjun appeared.

“What’s that?” Myungjun asked, pointing to the lump under his pillow.

“Nothing.” Namjoon said quickly, standing in front of the bed and blocking Myungjuns view.

Myungjun turned back over and screamed into his pillow again. “Why is everyone keeping secrets from me?” He whined when Youngjae came over to see if he was okay.

“Its not really a secret.” Youngjae said awkwardly. “It’s your Christmas gift from us both.”

Myungjun felt bad for dragging the answer from him and apologised before resting his head in Youngjaes lap. “Did you see Jinwoo at all today?” He asked with a sigh.

“Yeah, I saw him this morning.” Youngjae said and Myungjun looked up quickly to listen. “He told me he wasn’t feeling well and that he wanted to stay behind.”

Myungjun sat up. “Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?” He asked frantically. “Did he look sick? What do you think is wrong with him? I could have stayed behind if I knew!”

Youngjae shushed him and waited for him to calm down before speaking again. “Jinwoo told me not to tell you, because he knew you’d stay behind, and he didn’t want you to miss out on today. He said he didn’t really care about seeing the City because he’s snuck out of the grounds a lot of times before.” Youngjae added with a shrug.

Myungjun felt a little bit better knowing that Jinwoo hadn’t missed out on too much. “Did he look sick? How bad was it?”

Youngjae just sighed. “He looked fine hyung, stop worrying. You’ll see yourself tomorrow when we go back to class.” He got up and told Myungjun to get ready for bed.

Now that Myungjun knew that Jinwoo wasn’t too sick, he felt the sleepiness from his long day hit him. He got changed and washed up before climbing back into bed and was asleep before his head touched the pillow.

*

The next morning, he had Combat training and rushed there to speak to Jinwoo. He saw him sparring with one of the other students and sat back to watch. To his relief Jinwoo looked fine. Perfectly healthy in fact, as he dodged blow after blow and pinned the other boy down onto the mat. He helped him up and gave him a friendly pat on the back before sweeping his hair from his sweaty forehead. Myungjun took his chance and walked over to him.

“Me next.” He said with a grin. Jinwoo grinned back and took him over to the side to wrap Myungjuns knuckles in cloth. Myungjun had sensitive hands and his knuckles had spilt a few weeks ago from the pressure of so much fighting. Their lessons had been getting more aggressive as their first set of exams approached, and his hands were paying the price. Jinwoo was gentle, he always was, and had them wrapped neatly in no time. He stepped back up to the mat and got into position.

“Where were you yesterday?” Myungjun asked circling around him, looking for an opening. “Youngjae said you were sick, but you look fine to me.” He aimed a jab towards Jinwoo, and the boy dodged it swiftly with a laugh.

“I’m better now, it was just a headache.” He said throwing his own punch that connected with Myungjuns raised arms. “Focus Myungjun or I’m going to beat you again.”

“You always beat me anyway.” Myungjun huffed and dodged his next attack. “If it was just a headache why didn’t you go to the nurse, you could have come with us.” He moved forward and grabbed Jinwoos forearms. “You could have come with me.”

Jinwoo smirked at him through his arms. “Did you miss me?”

Myungjun just scoffed at his cockiness and pushed him away. “I thought I saw you yesterday.” He noticed the way Jinwoos step faltered slightly and he frowned. Jinwoo quickly composed himself and used Myungjuns distracted state against him. He kicked out and Myungjun stumbled back from the force.

“I told you I wasn’t there.” Jinwoo said and advanced on him again.

Myungjun dodged his next jab and tried to sweep Jinwoos feet out from under him. It didn’t work and Jinwoo grabbed him on the way up, to slam him down against the mat.

Myungjun landed with a grunt as Jinwoos weight landed on top of him. He looked up at his face and watched as Jinwoo swept his hair back again. Jinwoo put his arm down on the other side of Myungjuns head, caging him in.

“Why don’t I believe you?” Myungjun asked quietly and looked into his eyes to try and figure out the truth. His heart thudded as he noticed Jinwoos eyes flit down to look at his lips. He licked the dryness from them and watched as Jinwoos eyes followed the movement of his tongue. Jinwoo sat up fast with a frustrated growl. “I don’t care if you believe me or not.” He stood up and offered Myungjun his hand. Myungjun accepted it and stood on shaky legs.

“What wrong with you?” Jinwoo asked, watching him wobble.

“I don’t know.” Myungjun said. “My legs feel weak.”

“Did you eat breakfast?” Jinwoo asked, taking him to sit down.

“No.” Myungjun said sheepishly. “I came straight here to see you.”

Jinwoo sighed irritably and started to unwrap Myungjuns knuckles. He made sure they were okay before telling Myungjun to wait there for him. Myungjun watched as he said something to one of the teachers, who gave him a curt nod. Jinwoo hurried back and pulled Myungjun up.

“Let’s go get you some breakfast.” He said leading him to the door.

When the door opened, a blast of cold air hit them both in the face and Myungjun shivered before his mouth dropped open at the sight in front of him. A blanket of snow was covering the grounds and snow was falling thick and fast. His feet were moving before he could stop himself and he stepped outside, letting go of Jinwoos hand to reach up and touch the falling flakes. They melted on his palm and he laughed loud and bright, jelly legs long forgotten as he ran out into the storm. He heard Jinwoo call his name but carried on trying to catch as many as he could. He ran and laughed and let his joy radiate around him. A warm pair of arms wrapped around his waist and Jinwoo pressed himself up against Myungjuns back, radiating a gentle heat.

“Its too cold out here for you Junnie.” Jinwoo called over the rushing wind. Myungjun didn’t feel cold. His magic crackled across his skin as he let his emotions take control. He was here with Jinwoo, in the snow, happy and warm. He felt the magic spill out of him in waves and wondered if Jinwoo could feel it too. He turned around in Jinwoos arms and watched the boys face light up, as bright yellow petals fell around them, mixing prettily with the snow at their feet.

“Junnie its beautiful.” He gasped, letting go of Myungjun with one of his arms to reach out for the petals. They rushed through his fingers and he smiled. “You’re always just out of reach.” He said sadly and Myungjun tilted his head in confusion.

“I’m right here JinJin.”

Jinwoo pulled his hand back and placed it gently on Myungjuns cheek. It was warm and Myungjun leaned into it happily.

“Yeah, you’re here.” Jinwoo said with a smile. “You should call me JinJin more often, I like it.” He leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on Myungjuns forehead. Then another one on his nose. Myungjuns heart began to pound and the petals swirled chaotically around them. Jinwoo looked up as one grazed his cheek and frowned. He pulled Myungjun in for a hug and rocked them gently, backwards and forwards.

“It’s okay, don’t be scared. You’re safe here.” He muttered into Myungjuns hair like a mantra, over and over again, until the last petal fell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cant believe this fic has over 50k words already and they're not even 4 months into the academic year. Literally what am I even doing at this point uwu


	21. Myungjins First Christmas.

Myungjun woke up alone on Christmas day and sat up with a yawn. Youngjae and Namjoon had already left to go home to their families for the holidays. Myungjun glanced over at the poorly wrapped gift they had left at the end of his bed with a smile. He knew straight away that Namjoon had wrapped it. He picked it up and tore at the paper eagerly, revealing a fluffy stuffed bird, almost identical to the one hidden under his pillow. He put it gently to the side and opened the note that had fallen out. 

Merry Christmas Hyung!  
We hope you like the present, it took a long time to find the perfect one. Eat lot’s today and pass our Christmas greetings to the others. Try not to miss us too much!!  
P.S Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone about this toy either hehe~

Myungjun scoffed but gave his new friend a big hug before showing it to his dragon who was dozing by the window.

“See this? This is NOT food. Don’t let me catch you chewing this one too or there will be consequences.” The dragon just huffed smoke from her nose and went back to sleep.

Myungjun got out of bed and went to quickly brush his teeth and get dressed. He wanted to see the others and give out his gifts. He’d already given Youngjae and Namjoon theirs before they left. He had also presented Hyungwon and Hoseok with the friendship bracelets he made them, that matched the one he made for himself. They’d fallen into a messy pile of limbs as they tried to hug him at the same time and Myungjun was just happy that they liked them.

He hurried down to the hall for breakfast but stopped with a frown when he realised it was empty. He was sure he had arranged with the others to meet him there. Maybe they’d forgotten. He pouted and looked down at the gifts he’d spent a long time wrapping perfectly, and decided he’d just see them later.

“SURPRISE!” a very Dongmin like voice shouted. Which was impossible because his parents had made him go home for the holidays. Myungjun turned around in shock and sure enough Dongmin was standing in the doorway with a big grin on his face.

“Why are you here?” Myungjun asked, rushing over to give him a hug. “I thought you were going home.”

“I was, but I changed my mind. If my parents come to get me, I’ll have to go, but for now I want to spend Christmas with you and the others.” He said happily.

“Won’t you get into trouble though?” Myungjun asked, pulling back and looking into his face with worry.

Dongmin just shrugged. “It will be worth it. I can’t be scared of my parents forever. That fear has already ruined someone else’s life. Speaking of that someone else, me and Hyungwon-hyung made up in time for Christmas.” Dongmin added with a small smile.

“You did?” Myungjun asked, jumping up and down with excitement. “That’s great news! How did you manage that one?”

“That’s a story for another day.” Dongmin said before setting his bag down on one of the tables. “The others are hiding around the corner waiting to come out by the way. I asked them to let me surprise you first.”

Myungjun looked over his shoulder and saw a mop of pink hair disappearing quickly behind the door. He rolled his eyes. “Moonbin I can see you, just come out already.”

Moonbin walked into the hall looking sheepish and was followed by Sanha and Rocky who watched their twin tiger assignments race ahead of them. Sanha had been so excited to show off his assignment to everyone and they’d all been shocked to see he had gotten the same as Rocky. Every other student had received something different, so the boys thought there had been some sort of mistake. Sanha had gone to ask the teacher immediately but came back grumbling about there not being a mistake after all and refusing to say anything further on the subject. Over time they’d learned to accept it and let their tigers play together.

“Where’s Jinwoo?” Myungjun asked. “Wasn’t he with you?”

“No, he told us he was going to the Guesthouse to give his gift to Mrs Ko.” Sanha explained before taking a seat. “I asked him to take mine to her too. It’s too cold out there for me.” He added with a shiver.

Myungjun felt guilty for forgetting Mrs Ko when he went shopping but decided that Jinwoo and Sanha had more of a reason to get her something, considering she looked after them for years.

Myungjun gestured for them all to sit down and handed out his gifts. “Should we wait for Jinwoo before we open them?” Dongmin asked.

“You don’t have to wait, I’m here.” Jinwoo said, jogging into the hall. It still shocked Myungjun to see Jinwoo wearing such thin clothes in the snow and he felt the immediate urge to fuss over him but squashed it down. He makes fire with his body Myungjun, he’s not going to catch a cold, he thought to himself before flashing Jinwoo a bright smile. He patted the empty seat beside him and Jinwoo sat down, depositing his own gifts for everyone on the table. He did so with extra care and Myungjun was curious to hear a gentle clinking coming from inside them.

“What does everyone want to do first, breakfast or presents?” Myungjun asked. He could already tell by their eager faces what they wanted, so he gestured for them to open his gifts.

Sanha tore into his with childlike vigour and gasped. “Is that…us?” He asked looking down into the frame. Myungjun had spent the longest on Sanhas present. He had doodled pictures of him and all their friends on a piece of parchment and put it into a wooden frame he had carved himself.

“Yeah its all of us Sanha.” Myungjun said, leaning over to give his hand a squeeze. “It’s a family portrait you can look at when you feel like you’re alone, to remind yourself that we’re all here for you.”

Sanha’s lip began to tremble and he ran around the table to sit in Myungjuns lap and give him a big hug. “Thank you Hyung, I’ll look after it and keep it by my bed at all times.” He whispered fiercely in his ear. Myungjun laughed and rubbed his back before letting him go.

Everyone else thanked him for their gift before he turned to Jinwoo, who was staring at his without moving. “Why aren’t you opening it JinJin?” He leaned over to ask quietly, whilst everyone around them continued exchanging presents.

Jinwoo seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in before giving Myungjun a shy smile. “Sorry, it’s just…this is the first gift I’ve received on Christmas that hasn’t been from Mrs Ko.” He watched Myungjuns face change. “Don’t look at me like that, I didn’t mind much, I never liked to celebrate Christmas anyway.”

“Well you’re going to celebrate it every year that we’re here, whether you like it or not, surrounded by people who care about you. So, stop looking sad and open my present before I take it back.”

Jinwoo snatched up the present and clutched it to his chest. “You’ll have to fight me to get this back.” Myungjun just rolled his eyes and turned to his own miniature present pile that the others had put in front of him. He opened one to reveal a pocket-sized book on different types of plants and knew to immediately thank Dongmin. He was flipping through the pages when he heard a soft gasp beside him, and he looked over to see Jinwoo running his fingers over the necklace.

“Do you like it?” Myungjun asked nervously, not being able to read the emotion on Jinwoos face.

“I love it.” He said, before holding it up to the light to let it sparkle.

“That’s pretty hyung.” Rocky said looking over. “I’ve seen gemstones in class but that looks like a mix.”

“Yeah its an onyx and malachite blend.” Myungjun said, remembering back to the old woman’s words in the shop. “It’s supposed to protect you from harm and promote self-discipline. I think the woman said something else as well, but I can’t remember sorry.” He said flushing with embarrassment at not remembering.

“It’s perfect.” Jinwoo whispered to himself before handing the necklace to Myungjun. “Put it on me.” Myungjun laughed at his eagerness and tied it up behind his neck. When Jinwoo turned back round it was nestled nicely against his throat.

“Wow it looks even better on you, matches nicely with your hair.” Myungjun complimented and watched as a blush crept over his face.

“Stop flirting Hyungs and open the rest of your presents so we can have breakfast, I’m hungry.” Sanha whined.

“I did ask if you wanted to have breakfast first, so don’t complain.” Myungjun scolded him lightly.

He opened the rest of his gifts and thanked everyone. He’d never had so many nice things and he felt extremely lucky as he watched everyone around him laughing and having fun.

“We’re lucky to have you too.” Jinwoo said, passing his present to Myungjun. “I hope you like it, just please be careful; it’s really fragile.”

Myungjun unwrapped it carefully to reveal a wooden box, with leaves engraved prettily over the lid.

“I had someone else carve the box for me. I didn’t want to risk burning the wood.” Jinwoo explained, shifting nervously in his seat. “Open it.”

Myungjun ran his fingers over the leaves before opening the box. His eyes widened in awe as he looked down at a small glass flower. It looked delicately made.

“Touch it.” Jinwoo said. “I want to see if it works.”

Myungjun was confused at the request but picked it up gently. To his surprise the flower bloomed, delicate glass petals fanning out and taking on a yellow hue. Jinwoo sighed in relief beside him.

“I spent so long making that. Glass isn’t as easy to shape as I thought.” He peered into Myungjuns face anxiously. “Do you not like it?”

“That’s the stupidest question you’ve ever asked Hyung, of course he likes it.” Moonbin said from across the table.

“I don’t like it.” Myungjun said quietly and everyone around the table turned to look at him. “I ADORE it.” He placed it back down into the box and watched as the petals folded back in on themselves. He set the box aside and turned to Jinwoo to grab his hands. “Thankyou so much for making me such a beautiful gift, It’s the best present I’ve ever had.”

“Hey!” Sanha piped up offended.

Rocky nudged him with an elbow and told him to shut up. “Jinwoo-hyung spent days making that you brat.”

Sanha just scowled at him but was quiet after that. Someone cleared their throat and Myungjun tore his eyes away from Jinwoos to look around. “I’ll go ask for breakfast.” Jinwoo said quickly before standing up and hurrying to the door the trays usually float out of.

“Myungjun why are you blushing?” Dongmin asked.

“I’m not!” Myungjun said feeling very hot. “I’m going to the toilet.” He got up and walked outside to let the winter air cool him down. He was definitely blushing, but he didn’t know why. Maybe he was just super happy about Jinwoos gift. It definitely did not have anything to do with the way Jinwoo had been staring at him. Definitely not.

He stayed outside for a while, watching the snow fall around him, as he waited for the heat to disappear from his face. When he deemed himself presentable, he went back inside to see everyone eating happily.

“Where did you go?” Jinwoo asked as he sat down.

“Toilet.” Myungjun mumbled and scowled over at Moonbin, who was smirking knowingly in his direction.

When breakfast was finished, they decided to meet back up in the academy grounds after taking their new things back to their rooms. Myungjun said goodbye to the others and rushed across the snowy field towards the forest. He opened the door to his room, after struggling to get everything up the ladder without dropping it, and placed it all neatly on his bed. He moved to put everything away but kept Jinwoos flower on the window ledge beside his bed. He picked it up again to watch it bloom and felt a smile tugging at his lips. It must have taken him such a long time, Myungjun thought, and he did it all for me. He didn’t know why but his heart fluttered at the thought and he placed it gently in the box before turning to his dragon.

“Come on sleepyhead, lets go down and meet the others.” He stroked her scaly head and she shifted on his pillow, before getting up shakily with a screech. Myungjun pulled out some meat from his pocket, that was wrapped in tissue from breakfast, and watched her eat it hungrily.

“I know you’re just a copy of a dragon.” Myungjun said with a smile. “But sometimes you seem really real.” She just eyed him for a second before taking off out of the open door.

“Wait for me!” Myungjun called and scrambled out after her.

*

Myungjun was standing by the edge of the forest, chatting to Rocky, when Dongmin and Moonbin rushed over.

“Finally.” Sanha said with a whine. “We waited ages for you.”

“Sorry.” Dongmin said, blushing lightly. “We’re here now, what do you guys want to do?”

“Snowball fight!” Sanha shouted, before throwing a snowball that hit Moonbin in the side of the head.

Myungjun didn’t know what was going on and screamed as a snowball came his way. Jinwoo pulled him out of the line of fire and Myungjun looked over his shoulder to see Sanha dodging an attack from Moonbin. Why was Moonbin throwing snow at their maknae like that? Myungjun thought feeling worried, but it turned to confusion a second later as Sanha started laughing. Jinwoo dragged Myungjun behind the nearest tree after seeing his expression.

“Jinwoo what’s going on?” Myungjun asked frantically. “Why is everyone trying to hurt each other?”

“They’re not trying to hurt each other.” Jinwoo laughed. “It’s a game, you have to try and hit other people with balls of snow, and they try and hit you back.”

“That doesn’t sound like a very fun game.” Myungjun mumbled, looking out from behind the tree.

“I always thought it looked pretty fun.” Jinwoo said. “Let’s go and join them. I’ll try and melt any that come our way and you throw them from behind me okay?”

Myungjun turned around to see Jinwoo looking excited, and decided to try this weird game, just to keep that look on his face a bit longer. He quickly nodded before crouching down to pick up some snow. Jinwoo bent down with him and showed him how to pat it into a ball-like shape before gesturing for them to go.

Jinwoo was true to his word. He managed to block the majority of the snowballs thrown their way and cheered Myungjun on as he hit Dongmin in the back. Everyone ran in terror as Rocky Jr came tearing out of the forest using all four of his arms to shoot relentless attacks to anyone who came near Rocky.

“Hyung that’s cheating!” Sanha shouted at Rocky, who just shrugged and laughed. Sanha’s tiger bounded through the snow towards Rocky’s and Sanha gasped dramatically. “You traitor!” He shouted at it, as the twin tigers rolled around scrapping playfully.

Myungjun was reminded of his dragon and scanned the sky above to no avail. The snow was falling thicker now, and he couldn’t look up for long. He didn’t need to, however, as she swept in with a shriek and melted a snowball heading his way. He looked around and was shocked to see it had been Jinwoo.

“Yah! You brat I thought we were on the same team?” He shouted and watched Jinwoo pick up another one. “Don’t you dare!” Myungjun warned before Jinwoo let it fly. It sailed through the air and hit Myungjun on the shoulder with a thud. Myungjun was going to make him pay for that.

All his time running laps around the lake proved useful as he chased after him, dodging snowballs left and right until he found the perfect time to tackle him to the ground. They rolled around laughing and kicking up clouds of snow until Jinwoo inevitably overpowered him.

“You’re heavy.” Myungjun whined, trying to push him off his legs, but Jinwoo sat there looking down at him and smirked. He went to reach for more snow and Myungjun grabbed his wrist to stop him.

“I swear on the deity, if you hit me with one more snowball Park Jinwoo, I will never talk to you again.” Jinwoo dropped what he was holding immediately and Myungjun made a satisfied noise in the back of his throat. Jinwoo rolled off Myungjun and lay down on his back next to him, sighing as he pulled at his shirt.

“I may not get affected by the cold, but this wet shirt is making me feel gross.” He said looking down at it in annoyance. He quickly looked over at Myungjun and scanned his clothes. “You must be freezing! Why didn’t you say anything?” They both sat up and Myungjun looked down in surprise. He’d been having so much fun he hadn’t even realised how much snow had melted over him and shivered as his wet clothes stuck to him uncomfortably.

“It was worth it.” Myungjun said, feeling genuinely happy. He’d had his first snowball fight and could still feel traces of the adrenaline it brought in his veins.

Jinwoo turned away to look back at the others. Their figures looking smaller in the distance. “Should I go and let them know you’re leaving? You can’t stay out here in that state; you’ll just get sick again.”

“Don’t bother, you’ll just get attacked if you go back now.” Myungjun said with a shrug before getting up. Jinwoo got up too and paused in front of him, scanning Myungjuns face. He stopped at his nose. “Your nose is all red.” Jinwoo observed before giving him a small smile. “You look cute.”

Myungjun blushed at the compliment but quickly froze as Jinwoo leaned forwards.

Jinwoo stopped, inches away, and breathed hot air on to his face. It tickled and Myungjun pushed him away laughing. “What was that for?”

“I was warming up your cold nose, without using my magic.” Jinwoo said, wiggling his fingers. “Did it work?”

Myungjun rolled his eyes but reached up to touch it. It did feel a bit better. “I’ll come find you at dinner okay? I want a nice hot bath now.” Jinwoo nodded at his request and said goodbye before heading off in the direction of the academy to change out of his own wet clothes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Myungjun not knowing what a snowball fight is makes me soft uwu  
> (Totally irrelevant but I watched the new Game Of Thrones episode today [s8 ep3] and screamed so much during the battle I hurt my throat RIP)


	22. February Dungeon Run Examination-Part 1.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my favourite chapters, inspired by one of my favourite animes.  
> If you can guess which one I'm on about you're a real one~

The first of February rolled around, and soon enough it was time to say goodbye to his dragon. He coaxed her back into her cage, and handed her over to the teacher, feeling a bit sad. He watched as Hoseok handed his cage over next, sniffling a little.

“Why are you so upset?” Myungjun asked, rubbing his back.

“I guess I got used to her being around.” Hoseok said, rubbing his nose. “Snakes aren’t that bad I suppose.” Myungjun smiled and gave him a quick hug, before turning his attention to the teacher, who had cleared her throat to speak.

“Well done everyone! I’m sure some of you will be relieved to have that burden lifted from your shoulders. I hope it has given you enough of a taste to see if you would like to work with magical creatures in the future. I will add these scores to your end of year result, so I hope you looked after them well. Now, I need you all to listen to me so quieten down.” When the clearing was silent again, she spoke. “We have about an hour left of this lesson, but I need to discuss something important with you first. I want each of you to take one of these pieces of parchment and read it carefully.” She began handing them out and Myungjun looked down to read.

1st YEAR STUDENTS- FEBRUARY DUNGEON RUN EXAMINATION.

“What the hell is a dungeon run?” Hyungwon asked lowly from beside him. Myungjun shrugged before reading further down the paper.

AS THE FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR COMES TO AN END, I AM DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE THE OPENING OF THE DUNGEON EXAMINATIONS. THESE SPECIAL EXAMINATIONS WILL COME EVERY SIX MONTHS UNTIL THE END OF YOUR TIME HERE TO TEST EVERYTHING YOU HAVE LEARNED IN A REAL-LIFE SITUATION.

Myungjun felt the first stabs of anxiety as he read over the words. A real-life situation, what does that mean? And why did it have to be in a dungeon? Where there were dungeons there were usually monsters.

“We’re going to die.” Youngjae whined dramatically and frowned as Namjoon shushed him.

A NEW TIMETABLE WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU, WITH ALL OF YOUR CLASSES (EXCEPT PRACTICAL SKILLS AND BASIC COMBAT AND WEAPONS TRAINING) CANCELLED FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS TO GIVE YOU EXTRA TIME TO PREPARE. YOU ARE REQUIRED TO FOLLOW THIS NEW TIMETABLE AND FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE EXPULSION.

Myungjun heard a few people cheer at the prospect of cancelled classes, and he couldn’t help but feel a small twinge of happiness knowing that he wouldn’t be doing history and law for the next two weeks. 

THE COMBAT TEACHERS, WHO HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING YOUR PROGRESS, WILL BE SORTING YOU INTO TEAMS OF 6 DEPENDING ON WHAT THEY HAVE OBSERVED FROM YOU DURING YOUR LESSONS. YOU WILL BE IN THESE TEAMS ON THE DAY OF THE EXAMINATION. MORE INFORMATION WILL BECOME AVAILABLE SOON. GOOD LUCK.

Hoseok squeaked in fear beside Myungjun. “I can’t believe they want us to voluntarily go into a DUNGEON of all places. I’d rather get expelled.”

Dongmin sighed behind him. “I’m sure they wouldn’t put us in any real danger Hyung. Like the announcement said, we’ve been preparing for this for nearly six months, we’re more then ready to give it a go.”

“You’re just saying that because you like exams you nerd.” Youngjae retaliated and moved to comfort Hoseok. Dongmin didn’t bother to reply and went off to talk excitedly with Namjoon.

Myungjun went to find a spot in the clearing to sit down. Dongmins words had given him some hope, as he also believed that they wouldn’t just let them die in there.

At the end of the lesson, they were given their special timetables and Myungjun was surprised to see it fuller then his normal one. He no longer had combat training with only the fire users; there were days where he had it with the other elemental students too. The number of practical skills lessons had risen from two to five and he still had herbology. He wondered why that was, but his train of thought was cut off by Hyungwon telling him it was time to go.

*

Myungjun grunted as he hit the mat and growled in frustration. “Could you be a little more gentle? You’ve thrown me down twice already!”

“Maybe if you paid attention, you’d be able to dodge!” Jinwoo said back angrily. “You’re not trying hard enough.”

Myungjun scrambled up and pushed him away. “I’m trying my best!”

“Well clearly your best isn’t good enough.” Jinwoo said, cracking his knuckles and getting back into position. “Again. This time watch my eyes, try and see where I’ll move.”

Myungjun took his advice and dodged the punch he sent his way. He continued to watch him as they circled around each other. “My back really does hurt.” He whined.

Jinwoo sighed and his eyes softened. “I know Hyung. I’m sorry, I’m just nervous. We’ve only got a few days left.” He blocked Myungjuns kick and grabbed his arms. “Stop leaving yourself vulnerable up here.”

Myungjun came to a stop and just looked at him. “I can’t do this; we’re going to fail because I can’t fight properly.” They had found out during their first combat lesson, on the new timetable, that they were going to be on the same team. The other members hadn’t been decided yet, but the teachers had obviously been impressed with the way they worked together, even if they couldn’t say it out loud.

“We’re not going to fail.” Jinwoo said and let go of him. “You need to get rid of that mindset. Even if you struggle with the little things, you’ve come a long way from when we first started. If worse comes to worst in there, you can always use your magic, you’ve been practicing hard right?”

Myungjun thought back to his practical skills lessons. He’d been learning to control the growth of his vines to be used in a defensive and offensive way. The teacher would throw objects into the air, and he’d used his magic to push the vines from the ground to catch and crush them when they fell. He wasn’t very good, only hitting about half of the targets but the teacher had encouraged him all the same.

“I guess.” He got back into position and stepped forward to jab at Jinwoo. Jinwoo didn’t try to dodge and just let it connect. He knew Myungjun would be spurred on more if he landed a few hits. It worked as Myungjun felt a small surge of triumph. “I’ve been learning more in herbology though. I can bring some of my plants into the dungeon to help.”

“How are you going to carry around plants and fight at the same time?” Jinwoo asked looking confused.

“Not in their pots you dummy. I’ll harvest what I need and carry them in a pouch I made for my belt.” Myungjun said with a laugh. “I’m better suited for support I think.”

“Well then, leave the fighting to me.” Jinwoo lunged forwards and snaked an arm behind Myungjuns back. He used his other hand to grab the back of Myungjuns thigh before pulling him off his feet. They fell again, but this time, Jinwoos arm took most of the impact from Myungjuns back. “Was that gentle enough for you?” He asked breathlessly, as he looked down at him. Myungjun felt his hot breath fan over his face and made a strangled noise of confirmation.

“Good.” Jinwoo smirked. “Let’s go again.”

*

Myungjun stood in front of the dungeon doors and felt a hand sneak into his. He looked over to see Sanha glancing his way looking nervous.

“We’ll be okay.” Myungjun said, in what he hoped was an encouraging voice. Truth be told, he was nervous as well and his heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. Their team had been decided and it balanced nicely. There was one person from each branch of elemental magic in their group and he realised it must have been done on purpose, to give them a better chance of fighting off every type of creature in there. Myungjun with plant, Jinwoo with fire, Dongmin with ice, Moonbin with water, Rocky with ground and Sanha with air. We can do this, Myungjun thought and willed up his remaining shred of confidence.

He went over the instructions they had been given in his mind for the hundredth time. Enter the dungeon, clear the floor of monsters, find the boss room, defeat the boss, move down to the next floor and repeat. They had to see how far they could get. Myungjun had asked the examiner how they’d know if they couldn’t get any further and the examiner had replied with an unsettling smile. “You’ll know when you find yourself incapacitated.”

Myungjun tried not to think about what that meant as he waited nervously with the others for their turn. Every time a new team went in, the doors would close behind them and open again sometime later when the team fell, to let the next group in. So far, no-one had come out of the dungeon, and it made Myungjun feel even worse.

He jumped in fear as the huge stone doors opened in front of him, and squeezed Sanhas hand one last time, before letting it go to follow Jinwoo inside. They’d appointed Jinwoo the leader of their team with no complaints, and he’d taken on the responsibility well. The doors closed behind them, shutting out the sun, and they were plunged into darkness. Sanha started to panic but Dongmin shushed him.

“Jinwoo-hyung, I saw unlit torches lining the walls before the doors closed, could you light them for us?” He asked quietly.

“It’s pointless.” Jinwoo said. “My fire is black; it doesn’t give off light.”

“Well that’s just great.” Moonbin said sarcastically, from somewhere to Myungjuns left. Myungjun heard him yelp and quickly apologise.

“Stop bickering.” Myungjun said before feeling around. “We’re in some sort of corridor, just find the walls and use them to guide you along. We’re supposed to come out in a bigger area, I’m guessing some sort of cavern, and I’m sure there will be some form of light there. They can’t just discriminate against people with black fire, can they?” He didn’t feel so sure himself, but it seemed to placate the others. Myungjun stepped forwards shakily, until his hand made contact with the wall, and he followed it along, guided by the sound of Jinwoos footsteps. They walked for a few minutes until Jinwoo spoke.

“The walls disappeared, I can’t feel it anymore, we must be inside properly now.” His voice echoed, and Myungjun knew he was right. They waited for the others to step through and suddenly the room lit up. The torches on the walls burned brightly to reveal the first floor. It was empty, except for rivers of murky liquid flowing in all directions around the room. There were boulders littered around and Myungjun eyed them suspiciously; waiting for monsters to jump out and attack them at any moment.

“What the hell?” Moonbin said from behind them and Myungjun turned to see the entrance to the corridor was gone. They were completely trapped.

“It’s too quiet.” Dongmin observed before stepping further inside. “and it smells really bad. Binnie you might want to hold your nose.”

Moonbin stepped up to Dongmin and smelled the air. He gagged and his eyes started streaming. “It stinks like a sewer in here!” For once, Myungjun wasn’t jealous of Moonbins excellent sense of smell. He turned around when Sanha gasped.

“Its because it is a sewer!” The young boy shouted and pointed over to something that was moving on the far side of the room. Myungjun looked closer and saw two beady eyes staring their way.

“Is that a rat?” Jinwoo asked, looking disgusted. “Why is it so big?”

“No, that’s multiple rats.” Dongmin said and pointed as more crept from the shadows. Myungjun counted about ten of them before they attacked.

They raced across the room, squeaking madly and Myungjun had the most absurd urge to laugh. He watched as Moonbin surged forwards and called out to him. “Moonbin, get back here, we don’t even have a plan!”

“There’s no time,” Jinwoo said before running after him. “Don’t just stand there!” he said when he realised no one else was following. Rocky brushed past Myungjun and commanded Rocky Jr to go ahead. The animated rock overtook Jinwoo and Moonbin and dived on the first rat. They were about the same size, coming up to the boy’s knees, and scrapped ferociously. Upon seeing how vicious the rats were, Myungjuns urge to laugh at the situation disappeared. They could get seriously hurt if they weren’t careful.

Myungjun stepped over the first river of murky water and wrinkled his nose. It really did stink. He watched Jinwoo kick the rat off of Rocky Jr and heard him grunt with the effort.

“They’re heavy.” Jinwoo called out. “Sanha I don’t think your air magic is strong enough here, so stay behind Myungjun.”

Myungjun made sure Sanha was doing what he was told before turning his attention back to the fight. He watched as Moonbin manipulated the dirty water around him and sent it as a powerful blast towards a group of the rats. They scattered but were hardly slowed.

“Minnie, I need you!” Moonbin shouted. “Do it like we practiced.”

Moonbin lifted more water into the air and launched it again. This time Dongmin stepped up and aimed his hands in the direction of the water. His birthmark began to glow and something bright and blue shot from his hands. It connected with the water and froze it immediately. The new ice slammed into three of the rats, and they made a horrible screeching noise before falling to the floor. They didn’t move again and Moonbin cheered and looked back to blow Dongmin a kiss. Dongmin screamed as Moonbin let his guard down and was bowled over by one that had snuck up on him. Rocky shouted something unintelligible and Rocky Jr flew across the room to heave it off him.

“Thanks.” Moonbin called over to him, as he struggled to his feet.

“Thank Rocky Jr not me.” Rocky replied before kicking one of the rats in the face.

Myungjun felt Sanha tugging on his sleeve and turned to see him pointing at something behind them. Myungjuns stomach dropped as he realised that he’d let his guard down too and there was one behind them. He pushed Sanha away towards Dongmin and tried to remember what he had practiced. He let the magic crackle over his palms and heaved the vines through the floor. The stone broke noisily around him, and he aimed them towards the rat as it descended upon him. He missed.

“Hyung!” Sanha shouted as Myungjun was knocked off his feet. He landed hard and felt his temper rise; he was sick of being thrown to the floor all the time. He screamed in frustration and the vines flew back to wrap around the creature, pulling it from his body and crushing it in the air. Myungjun heard the bones crack sickeningly and warm liquid rained down above him. Dongmin appeared beside him and pulled him to his feet.

“I don’t know why people say I’m scary when I’m mad, you’re much worse.” He said, leaning forward to wipe the blood from Myungjuns face. Myungjun just laughed and turned around at the sound of cheering.

The other boys were standing, exhausted, surrounded by rat bodies.

“We did it!” Jinwoo said, laughing in disbelief.

“Don’t get too excited.” Dongmin warned. “We still have to defeat the boss before we can move to the next floor.” Just as he finished speaking there was a rumble from the other side of the room and a new pathway opened.

“Here goes nothing.” Myungjun said with a gulp.


	23. February Dungeon Run Examination-Part 2.

They were standing at the end of the newly formed corridor, when Myungjun stopped them from going any further.

“The minute we step out of here, it’s going to seal us in again.” He said, looking back at them. “I need you all to tell me now, if you’re hurt anywhere or too tired. I have plants on me that can help.”

“We’re fine Hyung.” Rocky assured him. “We should just get this over and done with.” The others murmured their agreements and followed Jinwoo into the room. The torches blazed and the entrance closed. They didn’t have to look far to spot the boss. It was another rat. Much bigger then the rest and Myungjun guessed that it was probably taller then him. It growled low in its throat and Sanha jumped with a start.

“Are rats supposed to growl?” He asked, sounding scared.

“Probably not.” Dongmin said with a weak laugh. “Who wants to go first?”

“We should have come up with a plan.” Myungjun said again, feeling frustrated. “We can’t keep going in blind like this.”

“How much can we plan Hyung?” Moonbin asked exasperated. “It’s a giant rat that probably wants to eat us. Have you ever come across something like this before? Because I haven’t. So how are we even supposed to know where to begin?”

Myungjun couldn’t argue with that and just sighed. “Fine. Well I’m guessing we’re allowed to make the first move, because it’s not attacking us yet.” He was right. The rat was growling at them, but not advancing.

“Well let’s be smart about it then.” Jinwoo piped up. “Our first move could be the most important. Moonbin and Dongmin, you should stay together because your magic works great when its combined.” Moonbin moved over to Dongmin and flashed him a grin. Jinwoo looked satisfied and continued. “Myungjun, I think you should use your vines to try and trap its legs. If it can’t move, we might have a better chance. Rocky Jr should help too and…I don’t know, crush its toes or something.” Myungjun snorted but accepted his command as Rocky Jr made his way over garbling gibberish. “Rocky I want you to create tremors in the ground to throw it off whenever it gets too close to one of us and Sanha,” Jinwoo said, turning to give the frightened boy a kind smile. “You have the most important job; we don’t know if other rats will come out to help it, so you need to stand back and keep a look out okay?” Sanha nodded his head determinedly and moved back against the wall.

“You make a great leader.” Myungjun said to Jinwoo encouragingly. “But what are you going to do?”

Jinwoo was silent for a moment. “I’m our last resort.” He said quietly and Myungjun watched the dark flames dance across his hands. Jinwoo looked up confidently. “Are you ready?” Everyone agreed and spread out across the room.

Dongmin and Moonbin made the first move and the giant rat roared in anger, rearing up before charging their way. Myungjun noticed it was slower than the others because of its size but wasn’t ready to give it any time to get closer to his friends. The vines shot from the floor, breaking the stone apart and he took extra care in aiming them this time. He cried out when they wrapped around one of the monsters back legs. It was short lived; after a couple of tugs the vines snapped and the rat continued towards them. Dongmin tried to freeze its front legs but his attempt was just as weak as Myungjuns, only slowing it for a few seconds.

“Rocky now!” Jinwoo shouted and Myungjun turned to see Rocky kneel down on one knee and place his palms on the floor. His birthmark shone brilliantly and Myungjun felt the earth beneath his feet tremble. The rat wobbled precariously, giving Moonbin enough time to push Dongmin out of harm’s way. The rat descended upon him instead and Moonbin delivered a spinning kick to the side of its head. The rat didn’t even flinch, before lunging forward and biting down on his arm. Moonbin screamed in pain as blood gushed from the wound, and he disappeared under its giant body.

The temperature dropped considerably as Dongmin watched Moonbin fall. He cried out and raced towards the boss but Jinwoo grabbed him around the waist to stop him.

“Moonbins out!” He said loudly, trying to get Dongmin to calm down. “Don’t rush in there like an idiot or you’ll be out too.”

The rat turned around and Myungjun saw that what Jinwoo had said was true. Moonbin was nowhere to be seen. He’d disappeared and all that was left behind was a puddle of his blood.

“Where’s he gone?” Dongmin asked in a panic. Tears were streaming down his face and Myungjun wanted to do nothing more than comfort the distraught boy. There was no time, however, as he saw the rat change targets to Rocky. Myungjun circled round the rat, until he was completely behind it this time, and shot vines towards both of its back legs. It would struggle a lot more trying to get out of two then one, he thought, and he felt a small surge of victory when the rat was stopped. Rocky Jr moved quickly around it, crushing its feet under his stony legs. The rat batted the animated rock away, when he’d gotten too close to his front legs, and Rocky Jr flew across the cave where he was smashed against the wall.

“NO!” Rocky shouted, running over to where Rocky Jr was laying in pieces.

Myungjun felt his grief and used it to push magic through his vines. They crushed the rats back legs and it fell with a screech.

“Now Jinwoo.” Myungjun shouted, before falling to his knees in exhaustion. He’d used too much energy already. Jinwoo watched him fall, with concern in his eyes, before calling to Sanha.

“Sanha come here and take Dongmin, get him away from me.” Sanha did as he was told, and pulled Dongmin to the side of the room, trying to comfort him.

Myungjun looked up when he felt heat and saw Jinwoos birthmark glowing. His eyes widened as he watched the black fire spread. First over Jinwoos hands, then his arms, until it covered his entire body. Myungjun heard him muttering under his breath and the fire began to move back towards his hands. A few more muttered words and the fire blasted out of his palms in a continuous stream. The rat screamed in agony as it was cooked alive. Jinwoo didn’t stop until it wasn’t moving anymore and the smell of burning meat turned Myungjuns stomach. He was sweating from being near such extreme heat and it made him feel even more sick. He bent over on his hands and knees and threw up all over the floor until he could feel hands patting his back. He looked up, expecting to see Jinwoo but Sanha was there instead, smiling weakly from above him.

“Are you okay Hyung?” He asked and Myungjun nodded. He sat back to look around him and saw Jinwoo struggling to get his fire under control. Myungjun watched in horror as Jinwoo teetered on his feet, before falling forwards with a thud and being swallowed by the floor.

He climbed up on shaky legs, exhaustion still making his limbs heavy and stumbled over to where Jinwoo had disappeared. He fell to his knees and felt around. The ground was solid, it was as if nothing had happened. “Jinwoo? Can you hear me?” He banged on the floor desperately but got no response. “Rocky!” He called out to the boy who was cradling the remains of Rocky Jr. “Get over here, I need you to get Jinwoo out of the ground!”

“He’s not there.” Rocky said, voice trembling. “He’s out now too, like Moonbin-hyung.”

Myungjun refused to believe it. How could they be out already? It was only the first floor for crying out loud. He continued to shout Jinwoos name and pound on the floor until a strong pair of hands pulled him back. He buried his face into Dongmins chest and cried at how unfair it was.

Rocky stumbled over a while later, holding the original rock that created Rocky Jr and asked Myungjun for some herbs to cure his tiredness. Myungjun wasn’t sure there was a point. They wouldn’t be able to get much further without the other two but reached around in his pouch anyway. He grabbed out the appropriate plant and handed it around. Soon, everyone was back on their feet, energised but lost.

“What are we going to do?” Sanha asked quietly. “We’re not that strong without Jinwoo-hyung and Moonbin-hyung.”

Myungjun didn’t have the heart to lie to him, so he just said he didn’t know.

“Well we have to keep going,” Rocky said. “or we’ll never get out of this place.”

They agreed silently and walked to the opening that had appeared in the wall. It led to a set of steep stone steps and they walked down them feeling tense. Myungjun didn’t know what to expect on the second floor. He certainly hadn’t expected giant rats on the first. When they made it to the bottom Myungjun made sure that they didn’t need anymore of his help before stepping into the room. It looked like a forest and Myungjun wondered how the trees were surviving down here. He moved forwards and touched one gently. He didn’t hear any whispers, so he knew they weren’t alive. Being surrounded by the trees was still something familiar to him, so it filled him with a bit of confidence.

“If Jinwoo-hyung was here he could just burn down all the trees.” Rocky said miserably.

“We can do this without Jinwoo.” Myungjun said sounding determined. “Just follow me, we don’t know what’s in this forest yet, but I’m sure we’ll find out if we go a bit further.”

“I don’t want to find out.” Sanha said stubbornly. “I just want to leave.”

“We’ll leave soon anyway.” Dongmin said shortly. “Let’s just listen to Myungjun-hyung and find out what’s going to wipe us out.”

Myungjun rolled his eyes at Dongmins sulkiness but took a tentative step into the trees. It was strange. It almost felt like they were in a real forest. The only thing that gave it away, was looking up and seeing the dungeon ceiling. No matter how far left and right he looked, he couldn’t see any walls surrounding them.

A bug the size of a small bird flew towards Sanha and he blasted it away with a shriek. “Ew, why are there bugs in here, I hate them!”

“Quiet!” Myungjun whispered urgently and listened for the sound that caught his attention. There was a buzzing noise coming from nearby and it was growing louder. He gestured for them to follow quietly and crept through the trees.

Sanha blasted another bug away from his face with a whine. “Hyung I really don’t want to be in here.”

“I know Sanha just follow…what the hell is that.” Myungjun was distracted from what he was saying by a giant object hanging from one of the trees in front of them. The buzzing was almost deafening now, and he realised the sound was coming from inside of it. “Is that a beehive?” He asked and Dongmin cleared his throat.

“That is most certainly not a beehive. Since when were beehives green?”

“That’s where these nasty bugs are coming from.” Sanha exclaimed as a couple of them exited the hive and flew towards them. Myungjun reached out to squash one in his hand.

“This should be easy then!” He said happily before noticing something was wrong. His fingers started to go numb and he couldn’t move them. “Don’t let them touch you!” He shouted as the hive opened above them, bugs bursting free, and the boys scattered through the trees. Myungjun watched Sanha blasting them away with cries of disgust and realised he would be okay. Dongmin was doing something similar, freezing them mid air and watching them fall to the ground and shatter. As long as they don’t touch us, we’ll be okay, Myungjun thought, before looking over at Rocky. He wasn’t doing anything to stop them and Myungjun realised he couldn’t. The boy had earth magic. He needed contact with the earth to use it but couldn’t slow down to try or they’d catch him.

Think Myungjun think! He thought desperately. He followed after the boy to keep him in his sights before an idea came to him. He’d seen these bugs before, he realised. There was a whole page on them in one of the books he’d read in the library.

“Rocky!” He called out and the boy looked over his shoulder. “Circle round and come back to the hive.” He watched Rocky follow his instructions and turned to find Sanha and Dongmin. They were standing back to back, fending off the creatures and Myungjun called out to them to circle back to the hive as well. He only had one chance to get this right. He turned back and dodged a bug that flew his way before setting off towards the tree they needed.

“What’s the plan?” Rocky called out when he was close enough. Myungjun turned to make sure Sanha and Dongmin were in hearing distance before shouting over the buzz. “Sanha and Dongmin, keep the bugs away from me whilst I use my magic, Rocky when you get close enough, drop to the floor and aim your tremors at the tree with the hive.” They shouted their agreement before picking up speed towards him. Dongmin and Sanha got there first. Circling around Myungjun defensively and keeping the bugs at bay.

“Now Hyung!” Rocky shouted and dropped to his knees, placing his hands on the floor. Before the bugs could reach him, Myungjun did what he had done the night of the ball. He created walls of vines, but instead of creating them around himself he created them around Rocky who was instantly shielded from the bugs assault. They bounced off the vines angrily and Myungjun felt the ground shake. He’d boxed Rocky in to give him the chance to use his magic and he watched in glee as the tree fell from the tremors, completely crushing the hive under it weight. Dongmin and Sanha blasted away the last bugs before falling to the ground with a sigh. Myungjun pulled his vines back to free Rocky who looked tired but was grinning.

“How did you come up with a plan like that so fast?” Dongmin asked sounding impressed.

“I’d read about those bugs in a book.” Myungjun explained. “The hive regenerates them continuously. We had to destroy it, or they would never stop regenerating. I knew Rocky couldn’t slow down long enough to bring down the tree for us, so I had to think of a way to shield him. I needed you two.” He stopped to point at Sanha and Dongmin. “To shield me whilst I used my magic.”

“You make a good leader too Hyung.” Sanha said happily. “Now can I have another one of your plants, I’m EXHAUSTED.” Myungjun laughed and chucked him one before handing out some to the others. He looked up when he heard a rumbling noise, to see walls magically appear around them and after a quick search, they found the next corridor.

“Boss time.” Rocky said with new found enthusiasm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Moonbin, Rocky Jr and Jinwoo eliminated at the first floor boss :(


	24. February Dungeon Run Examination-Part 3.

They were a lot more prepared this time around. They knew the boss would be a bigger copy of the bugs they had already faced, and immediately began to make a plan when they entered the boss room. The giant bug was hovering silently in the middle of the floor, and the lack of noise was a nice change from the incessant buzzing in the forest.

“I say we look around for the hive it should be connected to first.” Dongmin suggested. “It won’t move until we attack, so we’ll have time.”

“I don’t think it will be connected to a hive again.” Myungjun said. “That would be too easy. If there is one however, we should leave it to Rocky. He did a good job last time.” Rocky nodded determinedly, looking pleased.

“Then we should take out its wings first.” Dongmin said. “If it can’t fly, it can’t attack us.”

“Good idea, you should try to freeze them, I’ll try to pierce them with my vines, and you should try to knock it off course with your magic Sanha.”

“Got it Hyung!” Sanha said eagerly and ran over to attack the monster.

“Not yet Sanha we haven’t looked for the hive!” Rocky called out but it was too late. Sanha hit the bug with the full force off his magic and it tumbled away in the air before getting upright and turning towards him. Sanha faltered, realising his mistake after processing Rockys words, and didn’t dodge fast enough. The bug shot out a giant glob of green liquid that covered Sanha head to toe. Myungjun remembered the feeling of his numb hand, and watched as Sanha went completely limp, before falling to the floor and being sucked in like Jinwoo had been.

“What an idiot!” Dongmin shouted as he dived away from the green goo that flew his way. He aimed at one of the bugs four wings and froze it solid. The bug seemed to struggle as it flew lopsided from the extra weight and Myungjun took his chance to take out another wing. He heard a sound that startled him and made him miss. Rocky was on his knees smashing Rocky Jr against the rocks that littered the floor, trying to revive him.

“What are you doing?” Myungjun shouted in frustration at his failed attack. “We don’t have time for this.”

“Rocky Jr is a rock, he won’t be affected by the bugs attack, he can help us!” Rocky said desperately trying to get his magic to work. He gave a shout of joy as Rocky Jr started to reform, and the bug turned at the noise.

“Rocky no!” Dongmin shouted out, realising the situation. Rocky looked up too late and the Bug coated him with its next blast. Rocky was sucked into the ground and took Rocky Jr with him.

“Our team is a bunch of idiots.” Dongmin swore angrily and shot another attack at the bug. He hit another wing and the bug started to sink to the floor. Myungjun took his chance and forced his vines through the dirt to wrap around its giant body. He knew they wouldn’t hold for long and shouted at Dongmin to freeze them. Dongmin did it swiftly and the vines hardened to form a stronger trap. The bug started to fire attacks all around the room and it took all of Myungjuns willpower to dodge them. He pulled Dongmin to safety behind one of the boulders and peeked his head over to see the bug struggling to get free.

“I don’t know what to do, my vines are trapped, and we can’t touch it physically or we’ll be incapacitated.”

“I can use my magic to try and freeze it to death, but you saw what happened to Jinwoo-hyung. He expended so much energy he passed out.” Dongmin said sounding stressed. “I don’t think we have much of a choice though.”

“I don’t want to be left alone!” Myungjun squeaked, feeling anxious already at the thought. “We don’t know what’s down on floor three, what if it’s something awful?”

“Man up Hyung, unless you’ve got something in that magic pouch of yours that can help us, you’ll just have to go it alone.”

Myungjun took the time to root through his plants before realising he really had nothing left of any use and sighed. “Fine, go freeze it, I’ll see you when this is all over.” He leaned back against the rock to close his eyes and heard Dongmin moving away. The temperature dropped as Dongmin got to work and Myungjun tried to block out the sound of the giant bug dying. It went quiet and Myungjun heard a thud. He knew Dongmin was gone before he even looked around.

The walls rumbled as the next staircase was revealed and Myungjun got up on shaky legs. He shoved one of his plants in his mouth and felt himself calm down as he chewed. He knew he wouldn’t last long and just hoped it wouldn’t hurt too much. He walked down the stairs, hearing his footsteps echo around him and wondered just how long they’d been in the dungeon already. He was sure other teams hadn’t lasted this long and used that to encourage himself. He wanted to get the best score possible, so he stepped into the room feeling a bit more focused and heard the wall seal shut behind him.

To his surprise he was standing in a field. The ceiling of the dungeon had disappeared and instead he looked up to see clouds moving lazily in the sky. He watched as the clouds changed shape. A castle. A tree. A dragon. He identified them one by one, until they started to speed up. The sky turned stormy and rain started to pour. He heard a sound in the distance and looked over to see a young woman and a young man fighting back to back, cutting down giant spiders and sirens and snakes. The scene looked strange to him and he walked closer, wiping the rain from his eyes. They both seemed so familiar.

“Mother?” He called out and the woman turned to look at him.

“I’ll keep you safe.” Her voice reached him as a whisper. Myungjun screamed as the man she was fighting with turned around and stabbed her in the back with his battered sword. Myungjun recognised that sword and looked into the eyes of the man from the coffee shop in Voredan city. He walked towards Myungjun with a stony expression and Myungjun got ready to fight. He didn’t know what was happening. Why was his mother here and how was she so young? Who was the man with the sword and why did he kill her?

“Why did you kill my mother?” Myungjun shouted at the man as he stepped in front of him. The man didn’t speak, he just raised his battered sword and pierced it through Myungjuns heart.

*

Myungjun sat up with a gasp. He yanked the collar of his shirt down and sighed in relief when he looked at a chest free of wounds. A woman came over to check on him before telling him he was free to go. He looked around to see he was in some kind of giant medical tent, that was lined from end to end with makeshift beds. Some of the beds were occupied and Myungjun noticed Dongmin sleeping in one of them, gentle snores falling from his lips. Myungjun smiled to himself, the boy deserved to rest after sacrificing himself like that. This must be where all the students end up when they fall in the dungeon, he thought.

Myungjun stepped outside to see that the sun was setting and realised they really had been in there for a long time. He looked around to see the dungeon doors through the trees.

“Hyung!” Moonbin called out, rushing over to him. He had his arm wrapped up in a sling but was smiling brightly. “You were in there for such a long time! How far did you get?”

“Floor three I think.” He replied scratching his head. When Moonbin tried to congratulate him, he stopped him. “I didn’t do anything; it was all thanks to Dongmin. He sacrificed himself by using the rest of his energy to kill the boss on the second floor.”

“Wow, that’s so cool.” Moonbin said, eyes sparkling. “I wondered why he was knocked out when he arrived.”

“You looked cool too, pushing Dongmin to safety like that.” Myungjun said feeling genuinely impressed. “He cried for ages after, but don’t tell him I told you or he’d probably kill me.”

Moonbin laughed, face flushed and winced as he tried to hide it. “Ouch, that rat really did a number on me.” He said, frowning down at his arm. “How did you get incapacitated anyway?”

“I got stabbed in the heart.” Myungjun said, feeling confused. “but when I checked, I had no injuries like you.”

“Probably an illusion.” Namjoons voice came from behind him and he apologised when Myungjun jumped.

“An illusion?” Myungjun asked, moving to let Namjoon join in on the conversation.

“Well if you say you got stabbed, but nothing came from it, then it must have been an illusion cast on you by the creatures from that floor.” Namjoon said with a shrug. “What stabbed you anyway?”

“It was strange, a man stabbed me after he stabbed my mother. I’ve seen him before in Voredan, in the coffee shop I visited with Dongmin, Hoseok-hyung and Sanha, but he seemed a lot younger. So did my mother.”

“Exactly,” Namjoon said with a smile. “It couldn’t have really been your mother and that man down there because people don’t age backwards. I wonder what sort of creature has those powers.”

“How far did you get anyway Hyung?” Moonbin asked, turning excitedly to look at Namjoon.

“My team fell on the first floor.” Namjoon said miserably. “Hoseok wouldn’t stop screaming at the rats and Hyungwon incapacitated him. Everyone was busy arguing after that, so we got wiped out.”

Myungjun felt sorry for Hoseok, it wasn’t his fault he was scared of everything. Even Myungjun had been pretty terrified after seeing those rats fight and he decided to scold Hyungwon when he saw him, regardless of who was older.

“Myungjun-hyung reached floor three and was the last one standing!” Moonbin said proudly. “Wait, what was on floor two then Hyung?”

Moonbin and Namjoon looked his way, eager for him to share. “Bugs, lot and lots of bugs.”

Namjoon wrinkled his nose in disgust before excusing himself and leaving the two boys alone.

“I’m sorry Hyung.” Moonbin said, and Myungjun was startled to see him looking sad. “I got too cocky thinking I could take the boss on alone. I’m worried we won’t get a good score now.”

This was a new side of Moonbin that he hadn’t seen before. His confident and loud personality sometimes made him seem Myungjuns age if not older. Myungjun had to remind himself that he was younger and needed support sometimes too. He reached over to ruffle his hair.

“It’s okay Binnie, you have to make mistakes to be able to learn how to grow. I promise you that none of us are upset with you. We’ll accept our score, and in six month’s time when we try again, we’ll go in more prepared and get an even better one. Deal?”

“Deal.” Moonbin said with a small smile.

Myungjuns mind drifted to who else fell in that room. “Where’s Jinwoo? I didn’t see him sleeping in the tent?”

“He woke up a while ago and told me he was going down to the lake to have some time to think.” A mischievous grin crept onto his face. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind company though Hyung…especially yours.”

Myungjun heard the hinting tone underneath his words and would have retaliated, but he really wanted to make sure Jinwoo was okay. So, he said a hasty goodbye before walking quickly in the direction of the lake.

*

It took him a while to get there, the dungeons were pretty deep in the forest, so he had time to think about what to say to Jinwoo. He knew he didn’t like using his magic to harm others and guessed he’d probably be berating himself for falling so early and leaving the team leaderless. He saw Jinwoo laying back on the grass and jogged over to look down at him.

Jinwoo had his eyes closed but when he realised something was blocking the sun from his face he looked up. “I knew you’d find me sooner or later, how did it go?” He didn’t sound as upset as Myungjun expected. He didn’t sound upset at all in fact. There seemed to be a lightness to his voice that Myungjun had never heard before.

He sat down and patted his lap for Jinwoo to rest his head on it. The boy accepted with a smile and waited for Myungjun to speak. “It was okay I guess.”

Jinwoo hummed and closed his eyes as Myungjun played with his hair, the green strands running through his fingers. “How many floors?”

“Not many.” Myungjun said with a sigh. “We made too many mistakes, I really thought we’d do a lot better.”

“I’m sure you did great, try not to worry about it.” Jinwoo said, sounding sleepy.

“How are you feeling anyway?” Myungjun asked quietly. “You used your magic a lot today.”

“I feel really good.” Jinwoo said with a smile. Myungjun was taken aback, this didn’t sound like the Jinwoo he knew.

“I thought you didn’t like using your magic?” He asked cautiously, worried that he would say the wrong thing and ruin Jinwoos good mood.

Jinwoo opened his eyes to look up at him. “I used my magic to protect you guys, it actually felt…great. I hadn’t used my magic properly like that in a long, long time and I didn’t realise how much energy was pent up inside of me. I feel like I’m floating right now, it’s like a heavy weight has been lifted off my shoulders.”

Myungjun felt relief rush over him. He could see Jinwoo was feeling so much better and it made him happy. He continued to play with Jinwoos hair until he heard his breathing even out.

“JinJin?” He whispered to the sleeping boy who didn’t stir. “I’m really glad you’re happy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Jinwoo is what we all deserve~


	25. Painful Memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short but necessary chapter to explain some of the earlier plot~

Myungjun found himself dozing off, the firm weight of Jinwoos head on his thigh, keeping him anchored and warm. His chin slipped off his hand and he woke with a start. Jinwoo mumbled incoherently below him and Myungjun shushed him back to sleep. The sun had completely set, but the torches around the lake had blazed to life sometime during Myungjuns nap. The quiet didn’t last long and they both shot up, ripped back into reality, when a loud angry shout echoed across the lake.

“I HATE YOU, STAY AWAY FROM ME.”

“Seokkie please! I said I was sorry.”

“Sorry isn’t good enough, you ruined everything! You said you’d protect me and ended up turning against me! You got us all killed you idiot!”

Hyungwon mumbled something that Myungjun couldn’t hear and Hoseok growled in annoyance.

“If you’re just going to be a smartass about it, I’ll go and find somewhere else to sleep!”

Myungjun could make out the shape of the two boys as they made their way to the edge of the lake. Hyungwon sped up to grab Hoseoks arm.

“Please let’s sort this out, I don’t want to go to sleep during a fight.”

“You should have thought of that before you froze me! Do you realise how cold I was?” Hoseok added with a whine.

Myungjun watched as Hyungwon pulled him into a hug and said something into his hair. It seemed to work as Hoseok visibly relaxed.

“I’m the little spoon.” Hoseok said grumpily before disappearing onto the lake. Hyungwon chuckled before disappearing too.

“What the hell happened between those two?” Jinwoo asked, looking over at Myungjun who just sighed.

“Hyungwon-hyung got annoyed at Hoseok screaming at the rats on the first floor and incapacitated him. Their whole team started arguing about it and got wiped.”

“Damn that’s tough. No wonder he’s so mad, I would be too.” Jinwoo said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Myungjun just hummed in agreement and pulled his legs up to his chest.

“Are you cold?” Jinwoo asked. Myungjun just smiled to himself as he knew he didn’t even need to answer. Jinwoo was already taking off his jacket to give it to him.

“Not anymore.” He said happily and pulled it closer around himself. It smelled of Jinwoo and he breathed it in with a satisfied sigh. They sat in a comfortable silence, listening to the water lap gently at the embankment.

“I’m sorry for leaving you alone.” Jinwoo said quietly. “I thought I could wipe out the boss and carry on but I’m a lot weaker than I thought.”

Myungjun reached over to squeeze his arm comfortingly. “It’s only because you haven’t let yourself get stronger; you need to stop being so scared of your magic.”

Jinwoo was silent and Myungjun watched as multiple emotions flashed across his face. He took a deep breath before speaking. “Myungjun, I’m ready to tell you now. About myself. I asked for time, and you’ve been so patient. If I put it off any longer, I’ll never tell you, and I want to tell you everything about myself before I…never mind. Please just let me talk, if you interrupt, I might stop, and I need to do it all in one go. I told you that your opinion of me will change, so if you want to stop being friends with me after this then you need to just get up and leave. Don’t look back or I might try to stop you.”

He was beginning to panic, so Myungjun reached out to grab his hands and give them an encouraging squeeze. “I’ll listen, go ahead.” He felt strangely nervous. More for Jinwoo than himself he realised.

Jinwoo closed his eyes and was quiet for a time, he opened them and Myungjun could see they held a new found determination. “I was a baby when I was taken to the guesthouse. I grew up around other children like me, ones who were abandoned or lost their parents. It was okay for a time, I never had friends, but the other children were nice enough. They were nice enough until a couple of them broke into Mrs Ko’s office, to steal back a toy she had confiscated.” He stopped to look down at the grass.

“Mrs Ko keeps case files of all the children that go to live at the guesthouse, and I guess they got curious. I woke up the next morning and one of the kids was sitting on my bed holding one of those files. He didn’t say anything, just waited for me to sit up before chucking it at me and running away. I didn’t have a clue what was going on.” He laughed bitterly. “I wish I hadn’t picked it up, I wish I hadn’t looked.” His voice broke and he stopped to pull his hand away from Myungjun.

Myungjun went to speak, to try and offer some comfort but he stopped himself. He remembered what Jinwoo had asked and waited as it took a few minutes for Jinwoo to talk again. When he did, he sounded more composed.

“It took a long time to pick up all the paper, there was so much of it and I wondered who it could possibly be about. It wasn’t until I looked properly that I realised it was mine and I was confused. How much could there possibly be to know about me? I’m just another unlucky kid who was abandoned by his parents. That’s what Mrs Ko told me anyway, I was too young to remember them. But I used to have these horrible nightmares. Nightmares of fire, bright green fire that enveloped everything around me.” Myungjun shivered at the thought. “And Mrs Ko would tell me that’s all they were, bad dreams that I needed to forget. She tried everything to help me, even going as far as giving me special medication to sleep. But nothing worked, the nightmares were relentless. I’d wake up every night, screaming and clawing at my skin.” He scratched at his arms nervously now and Myungjun reached over to pull his hands away. Jinwoo didn’t seem to notice and just kept speaking.

“The folder gave me the answer as to why I was having those nightmares. I created that fire when I was a baby Junnie.” He looked up at Myungjun desperately, trying to make him understand but Myungjun was lost.

“But your fire is black JinJin, how could you create green flames?” He asked.

“Remember when you told me your flowers had changed when you arrived here? You said they were small and white before, but now they’re yellow? My fire changed too.” Jinwoo started to cry and backed away as Myungjun moved to wipe his tears away. “Don’t Junnie, I deserve to cry. I created that fire and…and it killed my parents.” A gut-wrenching sob was pulled from his throat and he clutched at his chest. “They didn’t abandon me, I killed them.”

Myungjun felt his world tip on its axis as Jinwoos words sunk in. It all made sense, the boys bullying him after they read his file, Sanha telling him he was dangerous and that he had killed people. Myungjun had just laughed it off at the time but it was really true. He was scared of using his magic because of what it had done. Myungjun felt sick and dug his nails into the skin of his thighs to distract himself from the nausea. Fear fluttered in his chest as he looked at Jinwoo. Jinwoo was right, he was dangerous, and he could kill Myungjun at any moment. Myungjun should leave like Jinwoo said and never look back. The next words that came out of his own mouth surprised him.

“Don’t cry Jinwoo, you were a baby you didn’t know any better.” Why the hell did he just say that? Why wasn’t he running away? “I know you’d never intentionally hurt anyone…you wouldn’t, would you?”

Jinwoos sobs quietened down a bit and he shook his head. “That’s not the point though. They’re still dead because of me. It hurts so bad Junnie, I don’t even remember what they look like, its like they never existed. I had to grow up being bullied, with no one to turn to, because the only people who would have cared are gone.”

Myungjun felt the fear that was creeping into his chest die out. He felt ridiculous for even feeling that way to begin with. Jinwoo wasn’t dangerous, he’d spent the whole of his life paying for what he had done, and he never used that as an excuse to be a bad person. He was good, so so good.

“I know JinJin” Myungjun said softly. “I can’t even imagine how much that would hurt. You need to listen to me now okay? I said this to Sanha and I’m saying this to you; It might not mean much right now, but you have people here who care about you, people you can turn to if anyone is mean to you, people who want to see you be happy and grow and achieve great things. Parents aren’t the only people who can be your family.” Myungjun watched as Jinwoos sobs slowly died down to sniffles.

“You’re still here.” Jinwoo said, voice laced with quiet disbelief. “Why are you still here?”

Why am I still here? Myungjun thought. He found his answer when Jinwoo looked up into his eyes.

“I’m still here because what you did is something you couldn’t control, I’m sure your parents know that too. Everything that’s happened to you since, has shaped you to become the person you are now. A son his parents can be proud of.” He moved over to sit in front of Jinwoo and held his face in his hands. “You’re kind and caring and gentle. You have so much love to give but you need to learn to love yourself first, magic and all. Own your mistakes and forgive yourself, you can’t carry that guilt around with you forever. They wouldn’t want you to and neither do I.”

Silent tears fell from Jinwoos eyes and Myungjun wiped them away with his thumbs, not wanting to let go of his face yet. “Thank you for being born, thank you for growing up this way, thank you for being strong enough to face each and every day, thank you for putting me first all of the time and thank you for telling me. I wouldn’t change a thing about you and I’m not going anywhere.” He pulled Jinwoo closer and pressed his lips gently against his cheek. Myungjun sat back to smile and finally let him go.

Jinwoo sat there, shocked into silence as he let the words process and he reached up to touch his cheek with a trembling hand. “You kissed me.”

“I did.” Myungjun said with a shrug.

“You never kiss me.”

“It was about time I paid you back.”

“Why did you kiss me?”

“Because you’re special to me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Jinwoo was the baby at the very beginning of this fic :(  
> P.S Hoseok is a better person than me, I would have launched Hyungwon into that lake if he incapacitated me oof~


	26. Nightmares.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minor eating problems from Myungjun ahead. I apologise in advance if it makes anyone uncomfortable but he'll get better quickly I promise!~

When the weekend came to an end, the timetables went back to normal and Myungjun was grateful. He was covered in bruises from all of the extra combat classes and had shed some weight from the rigorous exercise. The others noticed when they went to eat lunch after class.

“Hyung that’s not enough food, here have some of mine.” Dongmin said, spooning some more rice into his bowl.

“I can’t eat much more Minnie, but thanks anyway.” Myungjun said giving him smile.

“You’ve hardly eaten anything!” Sanha exclaimed, pointing at his food. He was right, Myungjun hadn’t eaten more than a few spoonful’s but he felt full.

“Yah, you were the one who told me I’d get fat if I kept eating remember?” Myungjun scowled at him and shoved another spoonful into his mouth before pushing the rest of it away.

“You’re finished already?” Jinwoo asked taking a seat at the table. “I thought we could eat together.”

“Yeah, I’ll just see you at dinner.” Myungjun said, getting up to leave. He said goodbye to the others before making his way to the clearing where he had herbology class. He’d just attended herbology before lunch, but he wanted to use his free time to sit with his plants. After being so brutally incapacitated in the dungeon he’d found himself feeling more unsettled then usual, and this was the only thing that he found kept him calm.

The clearing was empty except for the teacher, Ms Jung, who was pottering around. Myungjun made a beeline for his little patch of soil, not wanting to talk to her and managed to slip past unnoticed. It wasn’t because he didn’t like her, in fact she was his favourite teacher, he just wanted to be alone. He crouched down to look at the variety of flowers he had grown and touched them gently.

These days he could hear the whispers more clearly. He combined what he learned in communications class, about allowing his mind to be vulnerable, with the knowledge he gained from his teacher. She told him that he would find it easier to communicate with the plants he grew with his own magic because they shared the same energy.

He touched them all individually to find out what they wanted and found he didn’t have much to do. He’d done the majority of the work before lunch, and only needed to replant a little flower who didn’t have enough room to spread its roots. He sat back with a contented sigh and wiped the dirt from his hands when he’d finished. It had been a brief break from his thoughts, but they soon came flooding back.

His mother being killed, the strange man from the coffee shop, the feeling of the sword piercing his heart. Myungjun reached up to gently touch his chest. He didn’t know how much longer he’d be able to go on feeling this anxious. It had only been a couple of days, but it felt like forever.

“Got something on your mind?” Ms Jung said kindly, taking a seat next to him.

“A few things.” Myungjun said, giving her a shy smile. “I’m here because the plants take my mind off of them.”

“Would you like to talk about it? Talking helps sometimes.” She asked and waited patiently for him to make up his mind. Myungjun supposed it couldn’t hurt and relayed the events of the third floor in the dungeon. Ms Jung was quiet the whole time he spoke and only replied when he’d finished.

“I can see why you would be feeling that way, that’s quite a trauma. I have a question, if I may.” He nodded for her to continue. “Which death do you think has affected you the most, your mothers or your own?”

Myungjun thought it over. He had theoretically died and immediately woken up safe afterwards, but his mother had been killed and he hadn’t been able to see her after, for obvious reasons.

“My mother.” He said quietly. “I miss her a lot and I just want to make sure that she’s okay.”

Ms Jung sighed and nodded her head wisely. “I think you would benefit from speaking to Grove and arranging a short trip home. It could help you become more settled, you seemed very distracted in class today and I can’t imagine it will get any better if you don’t act.”

Myungjun was surprised, he didn’t even think leaving the academy was allowed, even temporarily and the idea both excited and worried him. He was excited at the prospect of seeing his mother again but worried about missing out on lessons. However, like Ms Jung has said, he was struggling to concentrate in class anyway. He thanked her for the advice before setting off back to the academy.

*

He left Groves office, half an hour later, feeling disheartened. Grove had denied his request, saying that as it had only been a few days since the dungeon run, he didn’t think a trip home was necessary.

“You may feel better in a few days without seeing her.” He said. “You can come back in a week if nothing has changed and we’ll discuss it again.”

Myungjun walked down to dinner and sat at an empty table. He shouldn’t have allowed himself to get his hopes up because now he just felt sad. He rested his head against the table and closed his eyes. He felt a hand on his back a few minutes later and sat up to see Jinwoo sitting down beside him.

“What’s wrong?” He asked after seeing the look on Myungjuns face. Myungjun didn’t feel like talking about it so he just shook his head and plastered a smile on his face.

“Nothing’s wrong, I’m fine.” Jinwoo didn’t seem convinced but he let it slide in favour of getting some food.

“I’m starving.” Jinwoo whined. “I just had practical skills and actually tried hard to use my magic for a change.”

“That’s good JinJin.” Myungjun said, feeling genuinely happy that he was trying. He had hoped he hadn’t overstepped any boundaries when talking to Jinwoo about his parents the other night, but it seemed to have had a good effect on him. Myungjun hadn’t even realised how worried he was about it, until he felt his shoulders relax slightly at the thought. He looked up to see the tips of Jinwoos ears tinged red. “Why are you blushing?” Myungjun asked reaching out to poke the ear closest to him.

“I’m not!” Jinwoo denied hotly. “I just like it when you call me that.” He mumbled before sipping his drink.

“Yeah and I like it when I can eat my dinner without wanting to gag.” Hyungwon said, sitting down at the table with Hoseok.

“Go sit somewhere else then!” Jinwoo said scowling at him, but Hyungwon ignored his words to look at Myungjun instead.

“Where’s your food? Jinwoos eating why aren’t you?” he asked, pointing to the lack off food in front of him.

“I ate before Jinwoo got here.” Myungjun lied quickly. He felt too sad about not getting to see his mother, and the anxiety that came with it had ruined his appetite.

“How much did you eat? Dongmin told me you’d hardly eaten anything at lunch.” Hyungwon frowned as he looked Myungjun over. “Have you lost weight?”

Myungjun felt his patience slipping and gripped at his thighs under the table to calm himself. “I ate a lot, stop asking me questions and just eat your food Hyung.”

The rest of dinner went quietly after that and Myungjun couldn’t wait for it to end. He had zoology with the water users next and decided to skip it. He didn’t want to be around Hyungwon and Dongmin anymore today. So, when Hyungwon wasn’t looking, he slipped away back to his room. He crawled into bed and lay under to covers, clutching his two stuffed birds to his chest. He felt his eyes drooping and allowed himself to sleep.

*

He was back in the field, laying on the grass, and watching the clouds pass overhead. He watched as the clouds began to take shape. A castle. A tree. A dragon. It felt familiar, too familiar. He sat up when it began to rain and looked across the field to see his mother fighting back to back with the man. There were cutting down monsters left and right and Myungjun felt panic surge. He took off at a run.

“Mother get away from there!” He called frantically. “He’s going to kill you!” She turned to look at him with a smile. Myungjun screamed as the sword plunged deep into her back.

He woke up with a gasp and felt the bed dip beside him. “Shh Junnie.” Youngjae said pulling him into a hug. “It was just a bad dream, we’re here now.” Namjoon made a noise of agreement before sitting down next to Youngjae.

“Why weren’t you in class Hyung?” Namjoon asked when Myungjun had calmed down.

“Didn’t feel well.” He lied again and felt guilty as Youngjae looked at him with worry.

“Are you sick? Do you want me to take you to the infirmary?” he asked, feeling Myungjuns forehead. Myungjun just shook his head and told them he wanted to go back to sleep. They left him with the promise they’d get up to sit with him if he had another nightmare and he went to sleep thinking he was lucky to have such good friends.

The next morning, he woke up to see one of his stuffed birds looking down at him. “Good morning!” The bird said. Great, Myungjun thought, I’ve gone crazy.

“I’m here to remind you that Youngjae is the bestest friend ever!” The bird said and Myungjun narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “He even got you breakfast in bed to cheer you up!” Youngjae moved the bird away and appeared above him with a grin on his face. “Sit up Hyung.”

Myungjun groaned as he pushed himself up and accepted the food Youngjae gave him. Myungjun was feeling hungry this morning, so he dug in eagerly. He only managed to eat half of the plate before feeling full and handed it back to Youngjae.

“Is that all?” Youngjae asked in surprise. “Are you not hungry anymore?”

“No, I’m fine now, thanks for breakfast.” Myungjun said ruffling his hair. “What class do we have first?”

“Alchemy with the water users, so get up. I’ll take the plate back down and meet you there.” Youngjae said, leaving him to get dressed.

Myungjun got ready slowly before making his way to his first lesson of the day. He saw Hyungwon leaning against the wall and went straight over to cuddle up to him.

“Someone’s clingy this morning.” Hyungwon said, looking down at him fondly and pulling him closer. Myungjun just hummed and closed his eyes. He didn’t want to talk, he just wanted comforting. Class started soon enough, and he whined as Hyungwon pulled away.

“Let’s go Junnie, we can sit together if you want.” Myungjun nodded eagerly and cuddled back up to him when they’d gotten to their table. The teacher didn’t seem to care and began to teach them about the different uses of griffon feathers in potions. When he asked them to attempt making their own, Myungjun huffed grumpily at having to move. His nightmare still haunted him and all he wanted to do was cuddle his friends. Why was the teacher being so mean?

“The teachers not being mean grumpy pants.” Hyungwon said with a chuckle. “I’ll get all the equipment and you cuddle up to Seokkie instead okay?” He didn’t even have to move before Hoseok was latched around him. Myungjun was glad he had clingy friends and snuggled into Hoseok happily. The lesson went fast, and they got praised at the end for brewing an excellent potion. Myungjun allowed himself to feel happy even though he had hardly helped at all and left to go to lunch, feeling a bit better than he had when he’d first woken up.

They sat at the table eating and having fun, waiting for the others to finish class. Myungjun looked down at his plate in surprise to realise he had eaten a lot. He leaned against Hyungwon when the latter had finished eating and was content with listening into the conversations around him. Jinwoo turned up last and had to sit on the opposite side of the table for once, as Myungjun was in between Hyungwon and Hoseok. Jinwoo always sat next to him so it felt weird sitting like this and Jinwoo seemed equally as uncomfortable with the arrangement. He didn’t complain, however, and just ate his food in silence, looking up every now and again.

Hyungwon shook Myungjun out of his trance at the end of lunch and told him he had to leave to go to class. Myungjun sat up and said goodbye to him before looking back over at Jinwoo. The boy was avoiding his gaze and tracing patterns in the table top with his fingers. Myungjun had communications with the fire users next, so they left together in silence.

“Why are you so quiet?” Myungjun asked him, before reaching over to thread their fingers together. Jinwoo just shrugged his shoulders but held on tight as they made their way inside the class room.

“Now class, today we are going to be moving on to using touch as a means to sense another person’s emotions. Hearing thoughts is one thing, but sensing how someone actually feels, without being told, is much different.” Mr Seo began. “A person’s true emotions are hard to sense so you need to focus. Your mind needs to be strong this time, to delve deep as you search for your answer.” He gestured for them to begin and Myungjun turned to see Jinwoo looking worried.

“What’s up?” He asked, playing with Jinwoos fingers. Jinwoo just brushed the question off and told him they should begin. Myungjun tried hard to make his mind stronger, it was a lot different from allowing himself to be vulnerable like they had previously learnt. He wasn’t able to sense anything, no matter how hard he tried, and sighed in frustration.

“You’re annoyed.” Jinwoo observed. “I can sense your emotions already.”

“Shut up you just heard me sigh.” Myungjun said, pulling his hands away as Jinwoo laughed. “This is ridiculous, if I try any harder, I’ll give myself another headache.”

“Stop trying so hard then.” Jinwoo said.

“You’re literally the most unhelpful person to ever exist.” Myungjun said annoyed, but quickly apologised at seeing Jinwoos hurt expression. They went back to attempting the lesson and still failed to get anywhere by the end of class.

“We have combat training next.” Jinwoo said as they walked down to dinner. “I heard we’re sparring with weapons now.” Myungjun didn’t like the sound of that, it sounded painful, but he kept his thoughts to himself as they sat down in the hall.

“Better get your energy levels up.” Jinwoo said, spooning some meat onto Myungjuns plate. Myungjun found he couldn’t stomach much again but tried for Jinwoos sake. It was worth it when Jinwoo leaned over to wipe at Myungjuns mouth with a napkin. He found himself grinning like an idiot as his heart fluttered at Jinwoos caring action and Jinwoo smiled back in response.

They left after eating something sugary for dessert and walked into the combat centre to the sound of wood hitting wood. The twin mute teachers were sparring ferociously with wooden poles. They appeared almost blurred at their intense speed and Myungjun watched in awe as the woman swept her brother off his feet and pinned him down with the pole at his throat. She stood up to see them watching and gestured for them to pick up their own weapons.

In this lesson, they learnt basic stance and techniques and for once, Myungjun found himself overpowering Jinwoo. He started to get his suspicions about halfway through, and they were confirmed, to his annoyance, when he purposefully left himself open to an attack and Jinwoo didn’t take the chance.

“Why are you letting me win?” Myungjun asked, feeling his sense of achievement fizzle away into nothing. “It’s insulting.”

Jinwoo just shifted uncomfortably and spun the pole around a few times. “I don’t want to hurt you.” He said with a shrug.

“You didn’t have any trouble throwing me to the mat before.” Myungjun pointed out and watched as Jinwoo turned red.

“That was different!” He said defensively. “This is an actual weapon, its hard to know how much it will hurt when I hit you, at least when we sparred before I could control how much force to use.”

“Hit me lightly then.” Myungjun said, softening at Jinwoos thoughtfulness. “Just don’t avoid it all together or we’ll never get better.” Jinwoo nodded with a sigh and got into position.

“Don’t moan later if you get hurt then.” Jinwoo said before advancing on Myungjun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double upload today~


	27. Home.

Myungjun did moan. He moaned all the way back up to the academy after the lesson ended. It was dark and time to go back to his room, but he didn’t want to go back just yet.

“Jinwoo my arm hurts so much.” He pouted, lifting up the sleeve of his shirt to reveal a bruise that was blossoming just beneath his shoulder. “Why did you hit me so hard?”

Jinwoo sighed irritably before slowing down to take a good look at Myungjun bruise. He poked it hard and Myungjun yelped in pain. “I told you It was going to hurt.” Jinwoo said annoyed. “Stop being a baby. We’re going to be sparring with weapons from now on, so you better get used to it. I tried to be gentle, you can always partner with someone else who won’t care as much.” That shut Myungjun up straight away and he quickly smiled before grabbing Jinwoos arm.

“No that’s okay, it doesn’t hurt much after all.” He said. Jinwoo rolled his eyes and tried to leave. “Wait!” Myungjun called out desperately. “I don’t want to go to bed yet, can you stay out with me a bit longer?” He really didn’t want to go to sleep just to have more nightmares. Luckily enough, Jinwoo agreed and they walked up to sit in the library instead. There weren’t many students in there at this time, so they got to choose one of the big, comfy reading chairs to sit in by the fire.

Jinwoo opened his arms to let Myungjun snuggle up to him and they sat there quietly, watching the flames dancing in the grate. After a while, Jinwoo started to move around, trying to get comfortable.

“Myungjun your hip bone is digging into my thigh; can you move over a bit?” He asked sounding pained. Myungjun obliged and his shirt rode up at the movement. Jinwoo gasped as he looked down and used the arm, that wasn’t currently wrapped around Myungjuns shoulders, to reach over and poke at his exposed hip. “You really have lost a lot of weight Junnie, you didn’t eat as much as usual at dinner either, what’s going on with you?”

Myungjun tensed as the thought of his nightmares came back. He didn’t want to admit that they were making him so anxious that he couldn’t eat, so he lied again. “It must have been all of those extra combat lessons before the dungeon exams that made me lose all that weight.” At least that much was true. “I’m just not hungry at the moment, no reason why. I’m sure I’ll start to eat again when I’m back into our normal routine.”

Jinwoo didn’t seem convinced but neither did he push for answers. He just pulled Myungjuns top back down for him and went back to staring into the fire. The silence that enveloped them lulled Myungjun into sleep and he jolted awake sometime during the night with tears running down his face.

“Myungjun?” Jinwoo asked. He was crouched down on the floor by his legs, looking up into his face. Myungjun rubbed at his face quickly. “Why are you down there?” He asked Jinwoo, trying to steady his voice.

“You were moving around a lot and it woke me up.” Jinwoo said quietly. “Did you have a bad dream?”

“I guess so.” Myungjun said awkwardly. “Nothing to worry about though, just come back up here and cuddle, I’m cold.” Even with the fire blazing in the grate nearby he felt a chill in his bones. Jinwoo sat back down in the chair and let Myungjun lean against him. Myungjun didn’t sleep at all for the rest of the night.

*

It was Friday evening and Myungjun was leaving his Herbology class when he spotted Grove walking towards him. Myungjun did a double take when he realised Jinwoo trailing behind him looking sheepish.

“Myungjun.” Grove greeted him when he was close enough. “If you would like to come with me, I have something to discuss with you.” He turned to walk up to the academy and Myungjun hurried over to Jinwoo.

“Why are you here?” He asked. “Are we in trouble or something?” Jinwoo just shook his head and continued to look at the floor. They were led into Groves office and he shut the door behind them with a snap.

“Myungjun I have heard from Jinwoo that you are struggling to eat and are still having nightmares since leaving the dungeon.” Myungjun turned his head to look at Jinwoo in shock, but the boy avoided looking his way. “I can see now that you have been affected by this much worse than we initially thought.”

“What the hell Jinwoo.” Myungjun whispered to him angrily. Jinwoo turned to look his way and scowled.

“I did what I had to do. Everyone’s worried about you, we all know you’re not eating, and I spoke to Youngjae after the night in the library and he told me you’d been having nightmares all week. You should have told me!”

Grove cleared his throat to interrupt their argument and he leaned forward to place his arms on his desk. “I have reconsidered your request to go back home. You will be leaving tomorrow morning, so pack your things tonight and be down at the front door after breakfast.” Jinwoo froze in shock beside him.

“You’re leaving?” He squeaked, looking at Myungjun with wide eyes.

“Temporarily.” Grove corrected him. “Until Myungjun feels well enough to come back.”

Myungjun felt his heart rate soar at the thought of going home and he quickly thanked Grove before dashing from the office. He heard Jinwoo calling his name, but he didn’t stop. He didn’t stop until he was back inside his room. He packed his bag frantically, ignoring Youngjaes and Namjoons questions and placed it to rest by the door when he was finished.

“Hyung what the hell is going on?” Namjoon asked, trying to get Myungjuns attention. Myungjun turned to him with a big grin on his face.

“I’m going home.”

*

Myungjun sat at breakfast the next morning, telling the others that he was going back home for a while and didn’t know when he’d be back. Jinwoo didn’t come down to breakfast, Myungjun hadn’t seen him since inside Groves office and he didn’t think he’d see him until he came back either. Hyungwon carried his bag out to the carriage for him and hugged him tight.

“Be safe and come back soon, I’ll ask everyone to make notes for you in class, so you don’t miss too much.” Hyungwon said quietly to him.

“You sound like my mother.” Myungjun said with a laugh, the mere thought of her made his heart race and he rushed around hugging everyone else goodbye. They all slowly dispersed and Myungjun climbed up into the carriage. The driver cracked his whip and the horses set off at a trot. Myungjuns heart felt heavy at the thought of not saying goodbye to Jinwoo and he hoped that he was okay.

“WAIT!” Someone shouted behind them and Myungjun looked out of the window to see a mop of green hair rushing out of the academy doors towards them. Myungjun quickly asked the driver to stop and climbed out. Jinwoo barrelled into him and hugged him tight.

“Please come back soon.” He said, voice wavering and Myungjun pulled back to see him on the verge of tears.

“Aww JinJin don’t cry, I won’t be gone for long. I just need to make sure my mothers okay and ask her some questions and then I’ll be right back okay?” He waited to make sure Jinwoo was feeling better before getting back into the carriage. He opened the window and leaned out to say goodbye. Jinwoo seemed to be struggling for words and gave up. He just said goodbye before running back towards the academy, leaving Myungjun to wonder what he wanted to say.

The carriage ride went smoothly. They had to stop at the Inn, the same one Myungjun had spent the night with Hoseok and Hyungwon in, and Myungjun was happy to get a room to himself. The old innkeeper was happy to see him again and fussed over him like a long-lost son. Before they left the next morning, he used his powers to grow her some new flowers and she gave him some food for the rest of the journey in return. He was practically vibrating from excitement when they pulled into his hometown and he flew from the carriage when they pulled up outside of his house. He let the driver get his bag and ran up the garden path to bang wildly on the door.

“Mother it’s me, open the door!” She opened the door with a wide smile and opened her arms. He ran into them and was glad she was there to hold him up. The relief he felt upon seeing that she was okay was too much for him to handle and he felt his legs give out.

“I’m so happy to see you.” He whispered trying to hold back tears.

“My gorgeous boy, let me get a good look at you.” She pulled back to scan his face. “You’re so grown up already I can’t believe it, but you’re too skinny. Come in and take a seat, I’ve made dinner.”

He followed her inside and sat at the table in the kitchen whilst she moved around the room, setting up his food. When she was finished, she sat across from him to watch him eat.

“You seem happier.” She said quietly. “I’m glad.”

He gave her a shy smile and nodded his head. “I do feel happy, but I’m happier now because I’m back home.” She reached over to squeeze his cheek playfully and then left him to finish his food.

Myungjun sat back with a happy sigh when he was done. Nothing could beat his mother’s food. He helped her clean the dishes and sat with her in the garden to watch the sun set.

“How are lessons going?” She asked, turning to look at him. “Are you doing well in them?”

“I love them, I’ve learnt so many new things! When I come home, I’ll be able to keep the garden nice. You should see how many types of flowers I can grow.” Myungjun said excitedly, but felt it die down when he remembered where they were.

“You know you can’t use your magic around here Junnie.” His mother said sadly. “You know what happened before.”

Myungjun had flashbacks of Jung-hoon and his thugs in the field and shivered. “At least I’d be able to defend myself this time.” He said grumpily. “I know how to fight now.”

“I’m sure you do sweetheart.” She said ruffling his hair. “How did your first set of dungeon exams go?”

Myungjun looked up at her in surprise. “How do you know about that?”

She hesitated briefly before talking. “I couldn’t send my son away and not know anything about where I was sending him now could I?” It wasn’t exactly an answer to his question but Myungjun took it.

“The dungeon was harder than we thought. Two members of our team fell on the first floor and three fell on the second. I had to go down to the third floor alone.”

His mother made an excited noise. “My son is the best!” He laughed it off feeling embarrassed.

“I only made it to the third because my friend Dongmin sacrificed himself when we got stuck. He was really brave.”

“Well you need to thank Dongmin for me. You were brave too, for continuing by yourself, that must have taken a lot of courage. Were there monsters?” She asked sounding nervous.

Myungjun hesitated. He didn’t want to ruin the good mood, but he had come home for a reason after all. “Actually, that’s what I need to talk to you about.” He felt nervous now the time had come, and she moved closer to hold his hand encouragingly.

“You can talk to me about anything Junnie. I know I wasn’t the best mother and I tried to supress that side of you, but things are different now. Not having you here has taught me where I was wrong and I’m ready to listen to whatever you have to say now.” Her words meant a lot to Myungjun and he let her know that before getting down to the matter at hand.

“There was a creature on the third floor that I was told manipulated memories to create illusions. I didn’t realise it at the time, so everything really confused me. I was in a field, watching the clouds until it started to rain. I saw you and a man. He had black hair and dark eyes.” His mother tensed at his words but didn’t speak. “You were fighting with him, not against him but together. You told me that you would keep me safe but he st...stabbed you in the back and you died. I thought it really was you, but you looked younger. The man came up to me and stabbed me through the heart. I was sure I was dead, but I woke up to find out it was all an illusion.”

“That must have been so hard.” She said sadly and pulled him into a hug. “So that’s why you came back? To see if I was okay?” Myungjun nodded his head and pulled away.

“I have a question, about that man.” He started but she cut him off.

“Now isn’t the time to talk to you about this, it’s getting late you should sleep. You’ve had a long journey.” Myungjun could sense she was avoiding the topic and grabbed onto her when she tried to leave.

“I saw him.” He said quickly. “In Voredan during my day out. He came into the coffee shop I was in with my friends and he looked at me. I recognised his eyes before I even saw him in the dungeon. Why?”

His mother buried her face in her hands and sighed. “I really didn’t want to have this conversation with you, ever if possible.”

Myungjun felt a sinking feeling in his gut as he sensed where this conversation was going. “It’s him isn’t it?” He asked stiffly. “He’s my father.” When his mother nodded, he stood up. He excused himself and moved swiftly down the garden path to the gate. He let his feet guide him to the field he knew all too well and lay back in the grass. The sky was clear of clouds, but he could see the first stars twinkling lightly.

When he was younger, he used to dream about having a father. A father who would walk him to school and tuck him in at night. A father who would play games with him and teach him how to shave when he grew up. Never did he think he would meet the man himself and be ignored like he didn’t even exist. He knew the man recognised him there was no way he wouldn’t. Myungjun had only recognised his eyes because he saw them everyday when he looked in the mirror. His father would know him by his eyes too, yet he walked away without looking back. It would be a lie to say it didn’t hurt.

Myungjun growled in annoyance and cursed loudly. No wonder his mother never wanted to talk about him, he clearly didn’t care at all. I’m not crying, Myungjun thought stubbornly as he rubbed the tears from his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Myungjuns dad is a disappointment.  
> The past 2 chapters have been pretty dark so chapter 28 will boost things up again.  
> SPOILER: It contains a scene we've all been waiting for tbh ;) Get ready for some soft boys coming to terms with their feelings~


	28. Feelings & First Kisses.

“Junnie have you packed everything?” His mother asked him again for the third time. “I don’t want you to leave anything behind.”

“Yes mother.” He said with a sigh. “The answer will still be yes if you ask me again.”

It has been a week since Myungjun had returned home and he was feeling like a different person. His nightmares stopped after the third night there and he found he could eat properly again. He never bumped into Jung-hoon and a part of him was secretly disappointed. He would have loved to have seen his face when realising Myungjun was no longer weak and defenceless. He moved to the door with his bag and stepped outside into the sun.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to make you anymore food?” She asked worriedly, smoothing down the front of his clothes.

“Mother you’ve made me so much food to take, that I’m sure I’ll still have some left when I reach the academy, and I still have to sleep somewhere overnight!” Myungjun said feeling impatient. “I’ll come back soon, and you can make me more food then.”

His mother seemed placated and she gave him one last hug before waving him off. “Stay safe and keep eating properly!” She called out as he climbed into the carriage. He promised he would and sat back with a sigh as the carriage set off.

*

He walked into the hall during dinner and smiled as Sanha looked his way. “Hyungs back!” Sanha shouted excitedly and the whole table turned around quickly to look. Myungjun laughed as they all dashed over to see him. Hyungwon swept him off his feet into a hug and spun him around.

“Junnie your back!” He said happily.

“I was only gone for a week!” Myungjun said, feeling slightly dizzy. “You’re acting like I was gone forever.”

“It felt like forever!” Youngjae whined dramatically and pulled Myungjun away from Hyungwon to hug him too. The others made noises of agreement and Myungjun looked around to see Jinwoo was missing.

“He’s not here.” Moonbin said, with his usual knowing smirk. “He’s been moody all week, I wonder why…” He yelped when Dongmin elbowed him in the ribs and they went to sit back down to eat.

“How are you feeling now anyway?” Namjoon asked, peering into his face. “You do look better.”

“I feel a lot better.” Myungjun said happily. “I even brought some of my mothers cooking.” He presented the box of food he was carrying and laughed when Hoseok snatched it away.

“He’s by the lake.” Rocky whispered to him with a smile and hurried off to stop Rocky Jr who was wreaking havoc nearby. Rocky must have revived him whilst I was away, Myungjun thought. It was good, Rocky Jr was like Rockys other half and the boy had been truly devastated when he was smashed to pieces.

Myungjun excused himself and rushed outside to find Jinwoo. He almost walked past him but stopped when he recognised his jacket. Jinwoos hair was no longer a vibrant green. It was as black as his fire now.

“JinJin?” He said quietly, feeling a bit nervous. Jinwoos head snapped around and he scrambled to his feet.

“Myungjun, you’re back.” He said, stepping up to stand in front of him. “You look different.”

“So do you.” Myungjun said amused, pointing to his hair. “It looks good.”

Jinwoo ran a hand through it and grinned. “Thanks, I didn’t have much to do without you here, so Moonbin dyed it for me again.”

“I missed you.” Myungjun said with a pout. It was true, he’d lay awake at night in his old room and wish he could see his friends again, especially Jinwoo. Youngjae was right, it had felt like forever.

Jinwoo smiled and finally moved forwards to touch him. “I missed you too Junnie.” He said pulling him into a hug. “It was boring here without you, I had to spar with Rocky in combat training instead and we broke a couple of the wooden poles by accident.”

Myungjun pulled away to look at him in shock. “How hard were you fighting to break something like that? That’s so dangerous!”

Jinwoo just laughed and lifted up the side of his shirt to show off an impressive bruise on his ribcage. “Pretty hard.” He said with a shrug.

Myungjun reached out to run his fingers over it lightly. “It looks painful.”

“It doesn’t hurt so bad right now.” Jinwoo said, sounding strange and Myungjun looked up to see him blushing lightly. He coughed awkwardly and pulled his hand away.

“See? This is why I shouldn’t leave. You’ll just get hurt if I’m not here.” Myungjun said, pretending to huff.

Jinwoo let his shirt fall and shook his head fondly. “You better not leave again then. Who knows what sort of trouble I’ll get into?”

Myungjun sat down on the grass and waited for Jinwoo to sit down next to him. He leaned into him with a contented sigh and looked out across the lake. “It really does feel good to be back, no matter how much I love my mother, this is my new home. It’s the first place I’ve ever felt accepted for who I am.” Jinwoo wrapped his arm around Myungjuns waist and pulled him closer.

“I used to hate it here, at the guesthouse I mean, but I like it now.” Jinwoo said happily.

“Why? Because I’m here?” Myungjun asked cheekily and squealed as Jinwoo tickled his sides. “You didn’t deny it.” He pointed out when they’d settled down.

“I don’t want to.” Jinwoo replied looking down at him. “I do like it a lot better with you here, the others too. It’s a lot more fun.”

Myungjun had to agree with that. He’d never had so much fun in his life. He went back to cuddling into Jinwoo. Now he was back, he didn’t want to let go. They stayed by the lake, chatting until the sun went down and Myungjun groaned as Jinwoo moved to get up.

“My legs are numb, please carry me.” He whined pulling at Jinwoos trouser leg. Jinwoo swatted his hand away and rolled his eyes. “Don’t be dramatic, you can still walk…stop looking at me like that…Myungjun no…bloody hell fine, get on.” He sighed and bent down. Myungjun cheered as he climbed onto his back. His pout had won again.

Jinwoo started to walk back towards the forest but Myungjun stopped him. “No JinJin, I don’t want to sleep in my room, I want to stay with you.”

Jinwoo nearly dropped him but Myungjun held on tight. “Myungjun you can’t sleep in my room.” Jinwoo said, sounding strangled. “and you’re choking me to death.”

“Sorry.” Myungjun said, loosening his arms. “Why can’t I? I slept in Hyungwon and Hoseoks room.”

Jinwoo was silent for a few seconds before sighing. “Fine, you can come to my room, but if Blaze catches us, you’re taking the blame.”

“Deal!” Myungjun said happily, excited at the prospect of seeing Jinwoos room for the first time. He was quiet as Jinwoo piggybacked him to the academy and down a staircase he’d never noticed before. Myungjun watched as Jinwoo pressed his hand up against a wall and gasped when the wall disappeared to reveal a long corridor with torches lighting the way.

“Its warm down here.” Myungjun observed and he heard Jinwoo scoff.

“Of course its warm, this literally houses fire users you dummy. Plus, there’s a rumour that there’s a lake of lava under the academy, where the older years go to practice magma manipulation. I don’t know how true that is though.” He placed Myungjun down gently but remembered to keep hold of him to share his magic so the corridor wouldn’t disappear. “We need to be quiet from here, I don’t want anyone to notice you.”

Myungjun stayed silent as Jinwoo navigated the maze. He was just turning down another corridor when he cursed and pushed Myungjun into a dark corner that wasn’t being lit by the torches. “Blaze is coming this way, stay quiet and he won’t notice us.” Jinwoo pressed Myungjun up against the wall a little further until his own back was out of the light. Myungjun found himself getting hot at the close proximity and Jinwoo used his free hand to cover Myungjuns mouth. Blaze walked past unaware and Jinwoo waited until he was out of sight before sighing in relief and pulling back to look at Myungjun.

“Why did you cover my mouth, I couldn’t breathe!” Myungjun fussed.

“You were panting like a dog, I had to shut you up somehow.” Jinwoo whispered to him fiercely.

“Its because its hot down here.” Myungjun whined. “How much further?”

“Just up ahead, stop whining or I’ll take you back.” Jinwoo warned him.

They made it to his room and Jinwoo closed the door behind them. Unlike Myungjuns naturally lit room, Jinwoos was brightened by more of the torches that had lit the walls outside. It made creepy shadows dance in the corners and Myungjun unconsciously moved closer to him.

“It’s not as nice as my room.” Myungjun said looking around. The only furniture Jinwoo had was a bed, pushed up tight against the wall, a dresser for his clothes and a small bookshelf that held his class textbooks and the books he took from the guesthouse.

“You don’t need to show off about it.” Jinwoo replied, sounding grumpy and pulled Myungjun over to his dresser. He took out two clean tops and two pairs of shorts. “Hold onto my waist so I can change.”

Myungjun gripped his waist tight, scared of breaking contact with his magic and closed his eyes as Jinwoo pulled his top off.

“Why did you close your eyes?” Jinwoo asked, his warm breath fanning over Myungjuns face. Myungjun didn’t reply, just kept his eyes closed until Jinwoo was done. “Your turn.” Jinwoo said, pressing a change of clothes into Myungjuns empty hand and snaking an arm around his waist.

“If you hold me this close, I won’t be able to move.” Myungjun scowled, opening his eyes.

“Sorry, force of habit.” Jinwoo said and pulled back a bit to give him some room.

“Close your eyes too, or I won’t get changed.” Myungjun said, suddenly feeling self-conscious. The thought of Jinwoo seeing him in just his underwear made his insides burn.

Jinwoo just sighed but did as he was told and soon enough, they were snuggled up under the covers in his bed.

“Your clothes are comfy.” Myungjun said, relishing in the way they felt against his skin.

“Keep them then.” Jinwoo mumbled sleepily. “Let’s go to sleep I’m tired.”

It didn’t take long for Myungjun to fall asleep, Jinwoos soft breaths a comforting lullaby.

*

Myungjun woke up feeling more rested than he had in a long time and smiled sleepily as he felt Jinwoos hand in his. He didn’t know what the time was, because he couldn’t see outside, but a quick look at Jinwoos clock told him it was still pretty early. He moved across the bed until he was pressed up against Jinwoos side and threw a leg over the sleeping boy’s waist. Early morning cuddles are the best, he thought to himself and snuggled happily into Jinwoos neck. All he could smell was Jinwoo and it made him realise how much he’d missed him. He nosed at his neck lazily until Jinwoo stirred.

“Myungjun stop doing that or you’ll give me the wrong idea.” He groaned sleepily.

“Sorry.” Myungjun said, feeling embarrassed at being caught. “You just smell really nice.” Jinwoo hummed happily above him but didn’t open his eyes. He was quiet for so long that Myungjun thought he might have gone back to sleep.

“JinJin?” He whispered, and Jinwoo made a soft noise of acknowledgment back. “I really did miss you.” Something in Myungjuns voice made Jinwoo open his eyes to look down at him. “I missed you so much it made my chest hurt, and for some reason it still does.”

Jinwoo looked at Myungjuns pout. “You really missed me?” Myungjun nodded. “and your chest hurts when you think about me?” Myungjun nodded again. A look of pain flashed across Jinwoos face and suddenly Myungjun was being rolled onto his back, the hand Jinwoo was holding was pressed into the mattress by his head. Jinwoo looked down at him and brushed the hair off his forehead delicately.

“Junnie, say it again. Tell me you missed me.” He commanded quietly. He watched Myungjuns lips as they formed the words and Myungjun felt his heart pick up speed in his chest at the look in Jinwoos eyes. “You like me.” He whispered.

“What?” Myungjun asked confused. “Of course I like you.”

“No, I mean you really like me. The way Moonbin likes Dongmin.” Jinwoo said, caressing Myungjuns cheek with the back of his hand. “It’s why your chest hurts when you think about me.”

Myungjun thought about his words and the truth hit him hard, leaving him breathless. He liked Jinwoo, he really liked Jinwoo. He liked everything about Jinwoo, the way he laughed, the way he smiled, the way his voice sounded when he was sleepy. He liked how he was always there to cheer him up, to silently offer his food, to wrap his knuckles before combat training and leave kisses along them when they were done. How had he not realised until now?

“I guess I do.” He said quietly, watching as Jinwoos eyes widened slightly at his confession. He reached up to press his hand against Jinwoos chest and was happy to feel his heart racing just as fast as his own. “You like me too.”

“I know.” Jinwoo said. “I’ve known for a long time.”

Myungjun blushed, not expecting such an honest answer and Jinwoo swallowed loudly.

“Myungjun, I’m going to kiss you.” He said, voice shaking. “If you don’t want me to, then tell me now.”

Myungjun didn’t think he could even speak, but if he could, he definitely would not be saying no. Jinwoo took his silence as his answer and leaned down slowly. He pressed their lips together gently, once, twice, three times until Myungjun found his voice. “JinJin you’re making me feel dizzy.” He whined.

It was a sensory overload, Jinwoo was everywhere. Myungjun could smell the familiar scent of his skin a lot stronger now. It conjured images of campfires and spice and warmed him up whenever he breathed it in. He could hear Jinwoos heavy breaths, like he’d just ran a lap around the lake, when really all they’d shared was a few chaste brushes of their lips. Myungjuns eyes drifted open to look at the boy above him. Jinwoos cheeks were flushed, a stark contrast to his charcoal black hair and his eyelashes fluttered prettily when he opened his eyes. Myungjun felt weak under his gaze, vulnerable even but he knew he was safe. Everything around him faded away until all he could see was Jinwoo. The only thing keeping him grounded in reality was Jinwoos firm body weight on top of him.

“Is this okay?” Jinwoo asked quietly, voice still scratchy from sleep. “Do you want me to stop?”

Myungjun processed his words and shook his head quickly. “Don’t stop. More JinJin, I need more…please.”

Jinwoo just laughed and kissed him again, harder this time. Myungjuns lips were tingling and his heart was thumping wildly against his ribcage as he felt Jinwoos tongue graze over his bottom lip. He’d never kissed anyone like this before and wondered how Jinwoo knew what to do. He followed his lead and opened his lips with a breathy sigh, pulling him impossibly closer. The faint brush of Jinwoos tongue against his own sent fire searing through his veins.

He reached up to thread his fingers through the hair at the back of Jinwoos neck and tugged lightly at the soft strands. Jinwoo groaned into his mouth and Myungjun shivered at the new feeling. He whined needily, trying to elicit more noises from him and felt Jinwoos magic pulse dangerously under his skin. He never wanted to stop kissing him. His lips were soft, like the petals of Myungjuns flowers and he wanted more. More, more, more.

Suddenly everything was too hot and Jinwoo was pulling back quickly with a gasp. His lips where swollen and slick with their spit and his hair was tousled messily. Myungjun thought he had never looked more attractive. When their breathing finally slowed, Jinwoo looked down at him again to speak.

“We need to stop.” he said, sounding pained. “I can’t control my magic right now.”

Myungjun just giggled and leaned up to kiss him gently once more. “Breakfast?” He asked happily.

*

They were sitting in the hall eating their food, when the others slowly trickled in, one after the other, to join them. It was Sunday morning and they all had meditation and discipline class after breakfast. Myungjun was praised when everyone noticed he was eating properly again, and he felt happy. When he was finished, he sat back with a satisfied sigh and patted his stomach, he could already feel the familiar squishiness coming back from having been fed so much by his mother.

“Wanna go?” Jinwoo asked, standing up and holding out his hand. Myungjun took it and said goodbye to the others. He’d see them soon for class anyway but Jinwoo seemed to have other plans.

“Do you want to go and get changed?” Jinwoo asked. “The others will probably start asking questions if they realise that you’re wearing my stuff.” No matter how much Myungjun wanted to stay in his clothes, he agreed. He didn’t want to be bombarded with questions today. They parted ways at the academy doors and Myungjun rushed towards the forest.

It would be the first day of spring soon and Myungjun could sense it in the air. His magic thrummed under his skin at the thought, and he laughed when he looked down to see flowers blooming wherever he stepped. Today was going to be a good day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe it took 28 chapters for Myungjun to realise he likes Jinwoo *Face Palm*
> 
> All hail King Rocky Jr is back~


	29. The New Notice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The boys updated ages now March is over:  
> Myungjun and JinJin= 14 years old  
> Dongmin and Moonbin= 13 years old  
> Rocky= 12 years old  
> Sanha= 11 years old
> 
> I didn't write any birthday scenarios as the ASTRO members were all born in the first 3 months of the year and it wouldn't have made the story flow well enough for my liking.

Myungjun walked down to breakfast on the first of April with a spring in his step. He spotted Sanha and Rocky, sitting alone, and went over to pull up a chair on their table.

“Hey guys, where’s everyone else?” Myungjun asked, looking around.

“There’s a new notice on the board in front of the combat centre. We were just leaving when we saw them going down to look at it. They’re probably still there.” Rocky said, sipping his drink.

“A new notice? What about?” Myungjun asked, as he spooned food onto his plate from the tray that floated past.

“There’s going to be a competition in a weeks’ time, to find the best fighters in our year. Everyone wants that title because it’ll help you get offers from guilds, and maybe even the King himself, when you leave the academy.” Sanha said, spearing his chicken sulkily. “I suck at fighting though, so I’ll never win.”

“That’s why I’m helping you.” Rocky replied, reaching over to ruffle his hair with a smile.

“I’m lost.” Myungjun said, feeling confused. “Guilds? The King?”

“Oh yeah I forgot you lived under a rock your whole life Hyung.” Rocky said with a laugh. “Basically, when we leave the academy at the end of our third year, we have different choices on where to go. We can either join a guild, which is basically a group of people who come together to use their magic and other skills to gain fame and fortune, by helping people in need and working together in different competitions that Voredan holds every year. The most well-known guilds are found in either Voredan or Zepheholde and everyone wants to join them, but the most famous ones are invite only, which is why this tournament that’s coming up is important. You need to get your name out there and catch the attention of the guild master’s. The other place that’s invite only, is working with the King as one of his men. That’s even harder to get invited to, as the King only wants the best.”

“Sounds like everyone’s going to be out for blood after they read the notice then.” Myungjun sighed unhappily. Joining a guild or working for the King sounded fun, but pretty much impossible. Myungjun knew he was a decent fighter, but he was no-where near the best in the year. He was still struggling with the wooden poles in combat training and hadn’t made much progress in practical skills for a while now.

“Yeah, by the end of the day tensions will be high.” Sanha said, sounding worried. “News spreads fast around here.”

Myungjun hummed in agreement and went back to eating. He only looked up when he felt a pair of hands on his shoulders. Hyungwon was looking down at him and giving him a tight smile.

“What’s up?” Myungjun asked, putting down his cutlery and turning around in his seat. Hyungwon let his shoulders go and sighed.

“Have you heard about the notice?” When Myungjun nodded his head Hyungwon continued. “Everyone’s down at the combat centre now. Jinwoo asked me to come and collect you, Sanha and Rocky so we can sort out teams for each category. If we don’t decide amongst ourselves then the teachers will do it for us, and we all decided we should do it together. So let’s go.”

Myungjun cursed himself for sleeping in and not being included in the conversation they’d had. “I’m surprised you let Jinwoo tell you what to do.” Myungjun said, gesturing for Rocky and Sanha to follow them.

“I needed to get out of there, everyone was giving me a headache.” Hyungwon groaned, rubbing at his temples. “I know why this is important, but its so stressful trying to fight above the sheer amount of testosterone in the room.”

Myungjun laughed and threaded his fingers through Hyungwons to give his hand a gentle squeeze. “I’ll go and sort them out, I’m basically everyone’s mother at this point.” They hurried across the grounds and Myungjun could already hear the noise of people talking from outside. He opened the door to see crowds of students dotted around the place, either chatting excitedly or downright arguing.

“Take me to read the notice first.” Myungjun said loudly to be heard over the noise. Hyungwon nodded and dragged him over to a group of students crowded around the board. They parted when they saw Hyungwon, and Myungjun wondered why they all seemed so intimidated by him. He looked up when they stopped in front of the board and read the new piece of parchment that had been tacked on.

COMPETITION NOTICE: THE ACADEMYS BEST FIGHTER. 1ST YEAR STUDENTS ONLY (SEE OTHER NOTICES FOR 2ND AND 3RD YEAR STUDENTS) 

MONDAY THE 7TH OF APRIL-WEDNESDAY THE 9TH OF APRIL, CLASSES WILL BE CANCELLED AS THE COMPETITON TO FIND THE ACADEMIES BEST FIGHTER WILL BE HELD. THERE WILL BE THREE CATEGORIES. 

1\. SINGLES MATCH 1v1, NO WEAPONS, NO MAGIC (MONDAY 7TH APRIL) 

2\. PAIRS MATCH 2v2, WEAPONS ALLOWED, NO MAGIC (TUESDAY 8TH APRIL) 

3\. GROUP MATCH 5v5, WEAPONS ALLOWED, MAGIC ALLOWED (WEDNESDAY 9TH APRIL) 

EVERYONE IS REQUIRED TO FIGHT IN AT LEAST ONE OF THESE CATAGORIES. THE TITLE OF BEST FIGHTER WILL BE ADDED TO YOUR ACADEMIC RECORD IF YOU WIN FIRST PLACE. 

THE WINNERS OF EACH ROUND WILL PROGRESS TO THE NEXT UNTIL THE FINAL MATCH. THESE WILL BE ALL-DAY EVENTS AND WILL NOT BE EASY. THE COMBAT CENTRE WILL BE OPEN 24/7 UNTIL THEN FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO PRACTICE. 

OFFICIAL GUILD MEMBERS AND MEMBERS OF THE KINGS COURT WILL BE IN ATTENDANCE, SO IT WILL BE A GOOD CHANCE TO MAKE A NAME FOR YOURSELF. EVEN IF YOU DO NOT WIN, THEY MAY SEE SOMETHING IN YOU THAT THEY SPECIFICALLY NEED. 

YOU MUST SUBMIT YOUR TEAM OF CHOICE BY TOMORROW. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN TEAMS BEING MADE FOR YOU. 

GOOD LUCK! 

No wonder the others had begun discussing teams already, Myungjun thought. They only had one day to decide. He told Hyungwon he was finished and let him guide them towards the others. Jinwoo saw them walking over and sighed in relief.

“Where’s Rocky and Sanha? Oh, there they are. Let’s get straight to it, we don’t have a lot of time.” Jinwoo seemed stressed and he kept running his hand through his hair. Myungjun let go of Hyungwon to hurry over to him.

“Can I talk to you for a second?” He asked as quietly as possible. Jinwoo looked at him exasperated.

“Can it wait Junnie? We’ve been trying to sort this out for ages now.”

Myungjun frowned but nodded and stepped back over to cling onto Hyungwons arm. He just wanted to ask why Jinwoo was so stressed about this all. He wasn’t even the oldest here so why was he trying to sort out the teams for everyone?

“The singles match we don’t need to discuss; we just need to make sure we all submit our names for them before we leave. The pair matches are more difficult.” Jinwoo began as everyone turned to listen. “You’re all my friends so I want everyone to have a good chance of being noticed.”

“Well there’s only two ways of doing this.” Dongmin said. “Choice one being the strongest fighters go together because there’s more chance they’ll win, which will be you, Rocky, Moonbin, Hoseok and Hyungwon. The weaker ones of us will rank ourselves and pair up according to what would give us a better chance. Choice two being the strongest pair with the weakest to get us all as far as possible.”

“There’s a downside to the second choice though.” Namjoon pointed out. “If you put someone strong with someone weak their difference in skill level will be obvious and it might get the wrong sort of attention. It will just make the weaker person seem even more unskilled and that won’t go down well with the guild and King court officials.”

“That could work in our favour though.” Sanha spoke up. “They could see that the stronger ones are willing to sacrifice first place to help out their friends and teamwork could be a skill they’re looking for.”

Myungjun reached over to pat Sanhas hair proudly. “Good thinking Sanha!” The young boy glowed at the praise.

“Well I guess that settles things.” Jinwoo said, smiling over at the young boy. “Let’s listen to our maknae for a change.” Everyone agreed and Sanha hid his blush behind his hands from receiving so much attention.

Myungjun nudged Hyungwons shoulder until the older boy looked down at him. “I didn’t know you and Hoseok-hyung were good at fighting with weapons.”

Hyungwon just shrugged and gave him a small smile. “Neither did we, until we tried.”

Jinwoo suggested they make the pairs first, to see how well people worked together, so they could decide on the five person groups later that day. Everyone agreed and the time passed quickly as they decided on the pairings. Moonbin was quick to choose Dongmin as his partner and nobody complained. Those two were inseparable anyway.

“Let’s be partners Junnie.” Hyungwon said, giving his hand a squeeze. “We haven’t been partners for anything in so long.”

Myungjun agreed happily and only felt a little guilty when he had to turn down Jinwoo a while later. Jinwoo promised him that he didn’t mind and went to ask Sanha. Myungjun heard Sanha turn him down too.

“Sorry Hyung, Rocky-hyungs been teaching me how to fight and I already asked him to be my partner.”

Jinwoo just laughed weakly. “Okay so who DOES want me to be their partner?” Myungjun was relieved to see Namjoon and Youngjae rush over to talk to him as Hoseok looked on offended at being ignored.

“Wanna practice at lunch Hyung?” Myungjun asked. Hyungwon nodded and told him it was time for class.

*

Myungjun made sure to eat lots of food at lunch that would give him energy, before excusing himself from the table with Hyungwon and dragging him eagerly across the grounds. He was in a good mood after coming out of a fulfilling Herbology lesson and Hyungwon seemed to be in a good mood too.

“This is going to be fun!” Myungjun said happily.

Ten minutes later and Myungjun decided it most certainly was not fun. He wasn’t used to the merciless way Hyungwon fought and yelped in pain as the wooden stick hit the flesh of his thigh for the fourth time.

“Myungjun you can’t just watch one end of the stick, this is a two-handed weapon for a reason, it hits two ways. I’ll go slower this time.” Hyungwon moved a little slower as Myungjun got used to the new advice. It was hard to block both ends of the pole, but he managed to get the basics down before the end of lunch.

“Well done Junnie you did really well.” Hyungwon said encouragingly. “You don’t have a lesson now do you? We can either stay and practice some more or take a break.”

“Take a break please.” Myungjun said desperately. “I think my arms and legs are going to fall off.”

Hyungwon ignored his dramatics and took their weapons back to the rack, whilst Myungjun flopped down against the nearest wall and watched as Jinwoo taught Youngjae nearby. He was being a lot tougher then he usually was with Myungjun and he winced as he saw Youngjae get his legs knocked out from under him by Jinwoos pole. Myungjun had been there enough times to know how much that hurt. He watched the muscles in Jinwoos arms flex as he helped Youngjae up and jumped when Hyungwon cleared his throat from above him.

“If you stare any harder your eyeballs will pop out of their sockets.” He said, taking a seat next to Myungjun.

“I wasn’t staring.” Myungjun replied flushing.

“What’s the deal between you two anyway?” Hyungwon asked curiously. “Somethings changed between you, I can tell.”

“Jinwoo told me he likes me.” Myungjun said quietly, looking down at his hands. “I told him I like him too.”

“About time.” Hyungwon mumbled. Myungjun turned back to look at him in surprise. “Don’t look at me like that Junnie, you two made it disgustingly obvious that you liked each other from the beginning. You’ve always looked at him like he hung the stars in the sky, and he was even worse.” He smiled softly at Myungjuns pout and pulled him over for a hug. “I’m happy for you though, are you together now then?”

Myungjun sighed and snuggled into him. “No, we never discussed it after we told each other how we felt. I haven’t even had any real alone time with him to bring it up since.”

“Well its obviously not made things awkward between you, so that’s good.” Hyungwon observed. Myungjun was glad it hadn’t, but he knew the longer he waited, the harder it would be to bring up.

“I’ll talk to him after the competition.” Myungjun said determinedly before pulling away from Hyungwon. “Let’s practice again Hyung, I’m going to beat you this time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jinwoo out here being a leader uwu


	30. Best Fighter Competition-Part 1.

It was the night before the competition and Myungjun found himself down in the combat centre, fighting beside Hyungwon, against an equally determined Rocky and Sanha. Due to Hyungwons brutal training methods, Myungjun had gotten considerably better over the past week and was holding his own against Rocky, who flung his pole around at lightning speed. Hyungwon reached over to block a blow that was aimed at Myungjuns head and whipped around to knock Sanhas weapon from his hands. The pole fell to the floor with a clatter and Sanha whined in annoyance before getting ready to fight without one. One look at Hyungwons face, however, made him surrender and he stepped off the mat. It took longer to get Rocky out, but with the combined power of the two, he soon gave up.

Myungjun fell back on the mat with a groan. He’d learned to accept his body would be permanently bruised from now on and didn’t move until Jinwoo leaned over with a cup of water for him to drink. He drained the cup dry and listened as the others, who had watched, gave them feedback. He accepted his mistakes and moved off the mats to observe the next teams. It was Moonbin and Dongmin against Hoseok and Namjoon. Myungjun had been shocked the first time he saw Hoseok fight. He no longer ran around scared of being hurt. Instead he moved with purpose and his body flowed like water as he dodged Moonbins attacks.

Dongmin yelped in pain as Namjoons wooden pole made contact with his shin and Moonbin looked back at him in worry. Hoseok took his opportunity to knock Moonbins weapon from his hands and it rolled away pathetically.

“Maybe if you stopped making heart eyes at your boyfriend, you wouldn’t have lost.” Hoseok said smartly when the fight was over.

“I couldn’t just ignore him, he got hurt!” Moonbin said grumpily.

“You have to ignore me Binnie.” Dongmin said, moving over to stroke his arm. “We won’t win if you get distracted.” Moonbin pulled away and stalked out of the room. Dongmin just sighed before saying goodnight to everyone and following him outside.

“Anyone up for another round?” Jinwoo asked and Hyungwon accepted his challenge, much to Myungjuns dismay.

*

At breakfast the hall was buzzing with energy. Myungjun couldn’t help the anxiety that was rising in his chest, but he pushed it away. He wouldn’t let anything distract him today. Not even Jinwoo, who had just walked into the hall looking as handsome as ever. Okay maybe Myungjun was a little distracted as Jinwoo made his way over, smiling lazily at him.

“Is that a new top?” He asked, looking at the black tank that Jinwoo was wearing. It was low cut on the sides and Myungjun blushed when Jinwoo reached over the table, exposing himself. Jinwoo hummed before looking over at him in mild concern.

“What’s wrong? Why is your face red?” He asked, moving to put a hand on his forehead. “You’re not sick, are you?” Myungjun swatted his hand away feeling even more embarrassed and heard Moonbin laugh across the table.

“No Hyung, he was just totally checking you out.” Moonbin shrieked and dodged the cutlery Myungjun threw his way.

“Was not.” Myungjun mumbled and poked at the food on his plate with his remaining utensil. An arm snaked around his waist as Jinwoo pulled him closer.

“I don’t mind.” He whispered in Myungjuns ear wickedly. Myungjun wished the ground would just swallow him up whole. He was glad when Hyungwon called him from across the room and he scrambled away hearing Jinwoo laugh behind him.

They walked down to the arena that had magically appeared in the grounds overnight. It was filling up fast and they sat in seats that were closest to the front. Myungjun allowed himself to get excited as the time ticked on and was positively vibrating when the head of the academy, Mr Bang, walked into the arena to talk.

“Welcome students, to the annual Academy’s Best Fighter Competition. All of you here have trained hard and I am excited to see how you all perform today. I would like you to welcome our guests, who have kindly travelled here to observe your talents.” His voice boomed around the arena, magically amplified, and he pointed to a section in the stands that had been cornered off to seat the guild officials and Kings’ men that Myungjun had never seen before. He did a double take when he saw a familiar looking man sitting in one of the seats looking disinterested. He felt his stomach drop as he realised his father would be watching him fight.

“I’m sure you are all eager to begin so I won’t talk for much longer.” Mr Bang continued. “When your name is called, you are to make your way to the bottom of the stands. It is one on one, no weapons and no magic. If you cheat, you are immediately disqualified. The last person standing wins, good luck!” The students clapped enthusiastically as he left and a loud hum filled the arena as students chatted excitedly, wondering who was going to be called first.

“Yoon Sanha.”

Myungjun gasped as he watched Sanha make his way down the steps looking sick. It was so unlucky to be called first and Myungjun hoped he would be okay. The name of another boy Myungjun didn’t recognise was called and he leaned forward in his seat to have a good look at him. He was taller then Sanha but looked just as scared. They bowed to each other respectfully before getting into position. The whole arena seemed to hold its breath.

“You can do it Sanha!” Myungjun called out loudly, until Hyungwon yanked him back down in his seat.

“You’ll just embarrass the poor kid.” He said as students turned to look their way. Myungjun scowled but kept quiet. He didn’t care if everyone turned to look at him, that was one of his friends down there who needed the support.

A loud horn blared through the arena, indicating the start of the fight and Myungjun gripped the edge of his seat as he watched Sanha lunge first. Rocky had been a good teacher apparently because Sanha landed the majority of his hits and dodged even more. The crowd cheered as Sanha blocked a hard kick and delivered one of his own. The taller boy stumbled and growled in annoyance. The ground begun to vibrate and Sanha looked down in panic as he realised that he was sinking into the floor.

“HE’S CHEATING!” Hyungwon shouted angrily beside him. The crowd booed and one of the mute combat teachers ran forwards to restrain the boy before he could do anymore damage. Sanha had to be pulled free by Grove before he stumbled back towards the stands looking tired. Myungjun ran down the steps towards him, to see if he was okay, and Sanha just waved him off with a smile. It was an eventful start to the day and Myungjun watched as more and more students went up to fight.

“Ahn Hye-Jin”

Myungjun watched as the pretty fire girl, that Jinwoo disliked, descended the steps confidently. He was shocked to hear a boy’s name being called next.

“Are they really going to make him fight that girl?” Myungjun asked.

“Sure, why not? I’ve seen her fight, she’s probably as tough as he is, if not more.” Hyungwon said with a laugh. Myungjun understood straight away as the fight began. The boy she was supposed to battle just stood there looking dumb, not knowing whether to actually attack her or not but he didn’t have a choice. She raced forwards and knocked him off his feet. The crowd was going crazy as she rained punches onto him from above and he struggled to get free. Myungjun saw his mouth move and the girl laughed. Myungjun wrinkled his nose in disgust as the boy spat at her and she slapped him hard across the face. As the boy couldn’t get up, he was deemed incapacitated and had to be dragged from the arena kicking and screaming at her retreating back. She went up to sit with her friends who congratulated her loudly.

“Kim Myungjun.”

Myungjun felt his heart race at the sound of his name and Hyungwon gave him a quick hug of encouragement before he made his way down the steps.

“Park Jimin.”

Myungjun watched as Jimin raced across the arena to hug him tight. “Good luck Myungjun!” He said with a sweet smile before getting into position. Myungjun almost felt bad as the fight began and he saw how poor Jimin’s fighting technique was. He vowed to help him improve in future combat training lessons, before knocking him off his feet and climbing gently on top of him to pin him down.

“Sorry Jimin.” He said with a small smile, but the boy just shook his head beneath him.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t think I’d do very well anyway, I think I’ll just stick to my plants.” The horn sounded for them to stop and Myungjun laughed as he pulled Jimin to his feet. No matter how small the victory, he still felt proud to have passed the first round and looked up into the stands at his father. To his disappointment he wasn’t even looking his way, too busy talking to the people around him. He really wanted to prove that he grew up strong without him and it angered him to see the man not even paying the slightest bit of attention to him.

He stewed angrily in the stands until the final pair was called.

“Chae Hyungwon.”

He gave Hyungwons hand a squeeze and watched him descend the stairs.

“Park Jinwoo.”

Myungjun sat up in shock. He’d been so angry he hadn’t even realised that Jinwoo hadn’t fought yet. He watched as the boys bowed respectfully before getting ready. The bell started and they circled each other slowly. Hyungwon was saying something he couldn’t quite hear and Jinwoo shook his head in reply. Hyungwon moved first, he didn’t fight as well without a weapon, but managed to hold his own longer then Myungjun expected. Myungjun looked over to see his father watching the fight with interest and felt his anger brewing again. He completely missed what happened next but looked down when the horn blared to see Jinwoo pulling Hyungwon to his feet.

“What were you talking about down there?” Myungjun asked, after making sure he was okay, when he got back in his seat.

“I just asked Jinwoo why he hadn’t asked you to be his boyfriend yet, he didn’t want to tell me apparently.” Hyungwon said with a shrug.

“Hyung!” Myungjun whined. “Why would you do that? I said I was going to talk to him after this was over!”

“Hey, I had to distract him somehow. I’m not as good as him in hand to hand combat, so I had to get the upper hand.” Myungjun just sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

“You’re a jerk Hyung.”

*

After a quick break, they were back in the arena waiting for the second round. Jinwoo had swapped seats with Hyungwon and Myungjun was leaning his head against his shoulder when the first name was called. He watched half-heartedly as more people fell and were eliminated. He only sat up to watch properly when Moonbin was called and watched his pink head bobbing through the crowd.

“Lee Dongmin.”

Jinwoo snorted as they saw Moonbin look round in shock. “This should be interesting.”

Dongmin made his way down to the arena and bowed politely. He laughed at something Moonbin said and got into position. The horn sounded for them to begin and Myungjun was shocked to see how ferociously they fought. He realised a few minutes in that Moonbin was holding back, letting Dongmin steal the spotlight and he smiled. They were incredibly endearing. The fight ended when Moonbin ran forwards to sweep Dongmin off his feet and place him gently on the floor. Dongmin waved his hands in surrender, pretending to be mortally wounded, and Myungjun watched in amusement as Frost hurried out to tell them off. He wasn’t smiling for long when his name was called. Jinwoo leaned forwards to kiss him on the cheek and Myungjun stumbled down the steps a blushing mess.

“Yoon Sanha.”

Myungjun was at a crossroads. He really wanted to win but he really didn’t want to fight Sanha. He watched as Sanha bowed to him and got into position. He quickly bowed back and got ready hesitantly.

“Hyung, I know what you’re thinking.” Sanha said sounding annoyed. “If you go easy on me, I’ll just feel insulted. I’d rather lose with some pride you know.”

Myungjuns laugh was drowned out by the horn and he was shocked to feel Sanhas fist connect with his shoulder so quickly. He dodged the next swing and backed away fast. Sanha was just so cute, how could he hurt him? He dodged again and pushed him awake weakly.

“Hyung stop it.” Sanha whined. “Just hit me already.”

“I can’t.” Myungjun said holding back a laugh. “I think I’m going to have to forfeit.”

“Don’t you dare.” Sanha scowled. “If you do, I’ll tell Jinwoo-hyung that you sleep with two stuffed toys.”

Myungjun looked up at him in shock. He was going to kill Youngjae and Namjoon, whoever had told on him, but first he needed to shut Sanha up. Sanha grinned evilly as he saw Myungjuns face change and laughed loudly as Myungjun bowled him over. The horn sounded when Sanha surrendered and Myungjun pulled him to his feet.

“Don’t you dare tell Jinwoo.” He hissed and Sanha just ran back into the stands cackling. Myungjun set off immediately to find his roommates. They were in big trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 30 already woah O.O  
> If you're still reading this THANKYOU, I want to be friends with you all but I'm too shy TT~


	31. Best Fighter Competition-Part 2.

The sun was setting, and the fifth round was beginning, after the quick break they’d had for dinner. Myungjun was still in the competition, after beating two others after Sanha, and he was excited to see how small the list of remaining competitors was. Maybe he had a chance of winning after all. That thought was quickly extinguished when he was called as Jinwoos opponent.

They made their way down the steps together and Jinwoo shot him a happy smile as they bowed. He’s probably expecting me to fight the same way I usually fight with him, Myungjun thought gleefully. He was going to fight the way Hyungwon taught him instead, without mercy. The Horn sounded and Myungjun begun immediately. He pictured Jinwoo as just another enemy and lunged forwards. Jinwoos eyes widened in shock when Myungjun landed two blows consecutively, without giving him the time to dodge.

“You’ve gotten better.” Jinwoo grunted in pain as Myungjun kicked him away. “Looks like I don’t have to go easy on you after all.”

Myungjun nearly squeaked in fear as the look in Jinwoos eyes turned deadly and he descended upon him with a new type of force Myungjun hadn’t experienced from him before. It was a lot harsher after that and they fought roughly as the crowd around them cheered. Myungjun was beginning to realise he was going to be overpowered if they kept this up, so he needed to distract him somehow.

“I guess now’s the wrong time to say I really need to use the toilet.” Myungjun said, remembering Hoseoks distraction method in Voredan. It worked, Jinwoo looked up, bewildered at the random change of topic.

“Just kidding!” Myungjun said, grinning wickedly before kicking him in the stomach, hard. Jinwoo stumbled backwards and fell to his knees as the air was knocked out of him. Myungjun didn’t give him a chance to breath and tackled him to the floor.

“Sorry JinJin, I had to win somehow.” Myungjun said smirking, as he pinned him down. Jinwoos face changed from a look of betrayal to a look of determination and he used all his strength to roll them over.

“That’s why you shouldn’t get cocky and let your guard down cutie.” Jinwoo said, pinning Myungjuns arms above his head. The floor rubbed painfully against his wrists and he growled in annoyance. He was trapped and Jinwoo knew it. He scanned Myungjuns face lazily until he stopped at his lips.

“I really want to kiss you right now.” Jinwoo muttered quietly, his voice sounding a lot huskier then it had a second ago. Myungjun didn’t have time to answer as the horn blared above them, reminding them that they were not alone.

Jinwoo let him go and helped him to his feet, before pulling him quickly to the nearest exit. Myungjun looked over his shoulder, up into the stands, to see his father finally watching.

“JinJin where are we going?” Myungjun asked with a scowl, as the other boy pulled him around the side of the building, out of sight. Myungjuns scowl was wiped from his face when he felt his back hit the wall. Jinwoo caged him in with his arms, eyeing him hungrily.

“I need to kiss you.” he said bluntly. “I can’t wait any longer.”

Myungjuns breath caught in his throat as Jinwoo surged forward to press their lips together messily. They hadn’t kissed since the morning in Jinwoos room and this already felt a lot different. They kissed as fiercely as they had fought, allowing the adrenaline high from the fight to fuel them. Myungjuns teeth knocked painfully against Jinwoos but he didn’t care. He just reached up to wrap his arms around Jinwoos neck and pulled him closer. He felt the leather strap of the necklace he had given Jinwoo for Christmas under his fingers and smiled until Jinwoo pulled back.

“Why are you smiling and not kissing me instead?” He asked impatiently and Myungjun laughed brightly. He looked down to see the black and green gemstone peeking out from the collar of Jinwoos tank top and touched it lightly.

“You’re wearing it.” He said happily and Jinwoo sighed.

“Of course I’m wearing it, you gave it to me for protection remember? Now stop distracting me. I’m in the middle of something extremely important.” Myungjun felt his legs go weak as Jinwoo leaned down to trail wet kisses across his neck and had to hold onto him for support. He was whining happily soon after, as Jinwoo took his hands off the wall to grip Myungjuns hips and push him further against it. The familiar feeling of slowly losing focus was starting to come back and Myungjun felt his magic thrum under his skin.

Someone cleared their throat loudly behind them, pulling Myungjun back into reality, and he pushed Jinwoo away with a squeal. He immediately tensed upon seeing who it was. His father was staring down at him, nose wrinkled slightly in disgust and looking between the two. Myungjun stepped in front of Jinwoo to block him from view and looked up at the man defiantly. He could feel his face burning from being caught in such a compromising position but tried to push the embarrassment away.

“From the way you’re glaring at me, I can assume you know exactly who I am?” The man said curtly and Myungjun nodded, feeling slightly unnerved at his voice.

“I came today to scout out new talent and watch you fight. I’ll have to leave disappointed it seems.” His father said coldly. The criticism dug deep but Myungjun held back his tears, not wanting to show this man any weakness.

“It wouldn’t be the first time you left.” He said back harshly and batted Jinwoos hand away that was tapping his shoulder.

“True.” The man said unbothered. “I had hoped you would have inherited some of my fighting ability naturally at least, but you performed poorly out there. You’re just like your mother, allowing your emotions to get in the way.” His eyes flickered to Jinwoo behind him. “I will be here to observe the matches left, over the next two days, so we’ll see just how good you really are.”

Myungjun blocked Jinwoo from view again. “Why do you care so much anyway?” He seethed through gritted teeth.

“I’m your father Myungjun.” The man said simply, but Myungjun cut him off.

“You’re not my father! I don’t have one, I never did. You stopped being my father when you decided to leave me.” Myungjuns voice finally cracked at the end but his father didn’t soften. In fact, he begun to look angry.

“You’re ruled by your emotions Myungjun. You’ll never be strong if you carry on this way.”

Jinwoo finally stepped up with a frustrated growl and pulled Myungjun back to face the man himself. “Myungjuns emotions make him human, if he had to stop being human to become strong, he’d lose the best part of himself, or even worse, he’d end up like you.” Myungjun would have laughed at the look of shock that crossed his father’s face, but he was still too angry and allowed Jinwoo to pull him away.

They sat by the lake as Myungjun ranted about the man who was supposed to be his father and Jinwoo wiped his tears when he cried.

“I’m so sorry Junnie.” Jinwoo said quietly. “He’s made me realise that maybe no parents are better than terrible ones.” Myungjun hummed in agreement before moving over to sit in between Jinwoos legs. He leaned his back against Jinwoos chest and felt Jinwoos arms move to wrap around his waist. They stayed like that, looking over the water until Myungjun sat up in shock.

He turned back to look at Jinwoo. “You beat me! You should be in there fighting in the next round. You could even win!”

Jinwoo just shrugged with a smile and pulled him back against his chest. “I don’t mind Junnie. I’d rather be out here with you. Even though you had to see your father, I don’t regret coming out much.” His voice was light, hinting at the kiss they’d shared and Myungjun whined in embarrassment. For the second time that day, he wished the ground would just swallow him whole.

*

Myungjun woke up in a tangle of bodies. Rocky had won the title of best fighter in the singles match and they’d all celebrated with him, in the storage room Myungjun and Jinwoo had first slept beside each other in, until the early hours of the morning. It was the only place they could think of where they wouldn’t get caught and they had snuck in a feast that Moonbin and Rocky swiped from the kitchens.

Someone had their head on Myungjuns stomach, and he looked down to see it was Hoseok who was sleeping peacefully. He had his own head pillowed against Jinwoos arm and pushed someone’s long leg from their chests when he moved to sit up. The room seemed a lot smaller with everyone in it and he heard a few sleepy grumbles as he made his way outside. He stretched out his aching limbs with a sigh and thought about the day ahead. It was the 2v2 matches today and he felt even more excited knowing he was going to be fighting alongside Hyungwon. It was what he had trained the hardest for. He went back into the room to shake everyone awake as they needed to refuel with breakfast.

Jinwoo whined and tried to pull him back down into a hug. It took all of Myungjuns restraint to say no and not be sucked in by the tempting warmth. Jinwoo was quick to get up when he heard Myungjun squeal above him and he watched as Hyungwon dragged him from the room by the back of his shirt.

“Go and have a shower first Junnie you stink.” Hyungwon said wrinkling his nose before sniffing his own clothes. “Ew, I stink too. Let’s meet in the hall in 20 minutes for breakfast.”

Myungjun raced across the grounds, not wanting to be late and scrambled up the ladder to his treehouse. He was enjoying the way the hot water soothed his aching muscles when he heard banging on the bathroom door.

“Get your butt out of there Hyung. Me and Joon need to shower as well and we’re running out of time!”

Myungjun scrubbed himself clean as quickly as possible before pulling a fluffy towel around his waist and stepping out. “It’s all yours.”

Youngjae dragged Namjoon into the bathroom and shut the door behind them.

“Youngjae I am NOT getting into that shower with you!”

“We don’t have time, stop complaining. Here let me help you.”

Myungjun laughed when he heard Namjoon scream. The panicked boy burst from the bathroom with his glasses askew and his shirt half off. Youngjae poked his head out with a sigh. “Fine, but I’m going to take a bit longer so don’t moan at me if you have to take the worlds fastest shower.” He shut the door with a click.

“Anything is better then getting naked in front of that boy.” Namjoon grumbled, pulling his shirt back on properly. Myungjun agreed before getting dressed. When he was finished, he said his goodbyes before racing back across the grounds. The hall was buzzing with energy again and Myungjun felt himself getting excited. He sat down next to Hyungwon, who had already plated him up some food, and ate eagerly.

“Slow down Junnie or you’ll choke to death.” Hyungwon scolded him lightly. “You can’t die just yet; I need you so I can compete.” Myungjun nudged him lightly with a pout and Hyungwon laughed. “I’m just kidding, how are you feeling today? Ready to fight with me?” Myungjun nodded happily and finished his food. They left quickly to make their way down to the arena and Myungjun felt a blow to his good mood when he saw his father sitting in his usual seat, glaring his way.

“We have to win today.” He said to Hyungwon fiercely.

“That’s the idea.” Hyungwon said, ruffling his hair fondly. “Just do it how we practiced, and we should be fine. Just remember the pole…”

“…is a two-handed weapon for a reason.” Myungjun recited perfectly. “It hits two ways so watch both ends.”

“Exactly, we’ll be fine. Let’s just watch and see how everyone else does today.” The arena filled up around them and Myungjun watched as the head of the academy stepped out to talk again.

“Welcome everyone, to the second day of the Academy’s Best Fighter Competition. Todays match will be two on two, weapons allowed but no magic. Let me repeat that if you break the rules you will be disqualified. I hope you all trained hard and can show your full potential here today. Good luck!” Mr Bang moved back up into the stands to take a seat with the other adults and the crowd clapped politely.

“Kim Namjoon and Jung Hoseok.”

Myungjun watched as Hoseok made his way down the steps to stand by himself in the middle of the arena. He was looking around nervously until the door crashed open and Namjoon came running in, apologising profusely with his hair still wet from his shower. Hoseok said something to Namjoon looking annoyed but they both stopped to listen when their opponents were announced. Two scary looking boys made their way down towards them and Myungjun was surprised to see Hoseok smile. Myungjun would definitely not be smiling if he had to face them. They towered over Hoseok trying to look intimidating, but the boy just smirked before saying something that made them angry. Namjoon seemed a bit worried as he picked up his pole but Hoseok patted him on the back encouragingly and he smiled.

The horn sounded and Myungjun gasped as the two bigger opponents advanced on Hoseok at the same time. Whatever he had said to them had provoked them into aiming for him. It seemed to be his plan however, as he spun away laughing and dodging their attacks, allowing Namjoon to advance on them from behind.

“A diversion tactic.” Hyungwon observed, sounding impressed. “That will go down well with the judges.”

Myungjun watched in awe as the two brutes fell into their trap and cheered as his friends were pronounced as the winners a few minutes later. He watched in awe, as the students he learned alongside, fought and fell with vigour and it made him anxious for his turn. He wanted to get out there and expend his pent-up adrenaline. They were called up as one of the last matches and Myungjun raced from his seat excitedly.

He picked up his pole and faced his opponents, a sullen looking boy and girl who whispered furiously between themselves. Hyungwon gave him an encouraging smile and stepped up first when the horn sounded. The crash of wood on wood was a lot louder down here and Myungjun winced as the sound battered his ear drums. It was his least favourite part of fighting with these weapons.

He dodged the pole that was swung at his head and felt his heart skip a beat as it brushed past his ear, dangerously close. He let his body move on autopilot as he spun around to stand back to back with Hyungwon like they’d practiced. They fought well like this, making their opponents circle around looking for an opening, which neither of them were willing to give. Myungjun suddenly remembered the nightmares he’d had where his parents were fighting back to back and he couldn’t help the way his eyes moved up to where his father was sitting. The man was still glaring at him and the distraction cost Myungjun his weapon. He felt it being flung from his hands as the sullen girl grinned his way.

“Hyungwon I lost my weapon.” He said, feeling annoyed at himself. He felt Hyungwons presence disappear but didn’t have time to look as the girl swung her pole towards him again. It thudded against his palm painfully as he reached out of block it. She attacked ferociously and Myungjun tried to block them all with his arms until they felt like they were going to break. The crowd cheered at something behind him and he just hoped it wasn’t Hyungwon who had fallen. He felt extremely vulnerable at his back, but it didn’t last long as Hyungwon stepped around him swiftly and knocked the girls pole away harshly. She stumbled and finally looked around to see her partner down.

“Get your weapon Junnie, I’ll hold her off.” Hyungwon said before advancing on her. Myungjun looked around frantically to locate where it had fallen, the sound of wood on wood spurring him on. He saw it just behind the girl and could have cried. He tried to go around but she saw and lunged towards him.

“Excuse me, I wasn’t finished.” Hyungwon said, mocking offence, before knocking her legs out from under her. She landed with a yelp and watched as her weapon rolled away to bounce off of Myungjuns shoes. She rolled over with a frustrated sigh and surrendered as Hyungwon pressed one end of his weapon to her throat. The horn sounded and Myungjun ran over to Hyungwon and jumped into his open arms. He wrapped his legs around his waist as Hyungwon spun them around laughing.

“Junnie I think you should let go; your boyfriend is glaring.” Hyungwon said when they finally came to a stop.

“He’s not my boyfriend.” Myungjun scowled, before quickly getting down and looking up to see Jinwoo looking away. He smiled to himself before rushing up to see him.

“JinJin we won!” He said happily and sat down in the empty seat next to him. Jinwoo looked over at him and smiled.

“You did, well done. Let me take you to the infirmary area outside, your arms look terrible.”

Myungjun looked down in surprise to see bruises already blossoming over them from the girl’s relentless attacks and he whined in pain when he realised just how much they hurt.

“Next time try not to get distracted. I don’t want to see you lose your weapon and get attacked like that again. I was ready to jump in there and strangle her myself.” Jinwoo muttered angrily as he led Myungjun outside, with a hand sitting gently at the base of his spine.

Myungjun let the healer wave her hands over his arms and the pain started to fade, much like it had done when Mrs Ko treated him back at the guesthouse. He thanked her before making his way back inside the arena to watch the start of the next round. He sat next to Jinwoo and snuggled up to him, enjoying the way Jinwoos fingers gently ran through his hair.

“Chae Hyungwon and Kim Myungjun.”

Myungjun sat up in shock to look at Jinwoo. “How can they make you go again?” Jinwoo asked angrily, standing up to look towards the adults in the stand. “You’ve only just been!”

Myungjun watched with a sinking feeling in his stomach as his father sat back down in his chair. Fine, Myungjun thought irritably, if you want me to fight again so soon, I will. He pulled away when Jinwoo tried to hold him back with promises that he’d speak to someone about letting him go later, and descended the stairs determinedly. He met Hyungwon at the bottom and nodded quickly when he asked him if he was okay enough to fight. Myungjun quickly explained about his brief trip to the healer as they picked up their weapons and Hyungwon sighed in relief.

“Park Jimin and Kim Taehyung.”

Myungjun bowed respectfully to the two boys when they stepped up and found he couldn’t return Jimin’s smile this time. He sent him a quick apology as the horn sounded and rushed forwards to meet him. He didn’t get far, as Taehyung, who Myungjun came to realise was his friend TaeTae, stepped in his path and took the blow.

“Sorry.” Taehyung said, flashing him a boxy smile. “I can’t let anyone hurt Jiminie.” He swung his weapon around, spinning it between his fingers and Myungjun knew he wouldn’t be able to block in time. He closed his eyes and waited for the blow that never came. Instead he heard a horrible snapping noise as Hyungwon intervened and blocked the blow with his now broken pole.

“Sorry.” He said coldly. “I can’t let anyone hurt Junnie.”

The smile slipped from Taehyungs face. “It doesn’t look like you have much of a choice.” He said looking down at Hyungwons weapon. This time Myungjun did see the swing coming and had time to block as Taehyung turned on him, kicking Hyungwon away.

The crowd cheered as they fought viciously, defending their friends. Myungjuns pole connected with Taehyungs ribs and Jimin screamed as he fell with a grunt. Myungjun looked up to see Hyungwon tackle Jimin to the floor and went to do the same to Taehyung but the boy was already up again. They met in the middle, wood crashing loudly, and Myungjun used the new position to knock Taehyungs feet from beneath him with a sweep of his leg. Myungjun fell with him and yanked the weapon from his hands before discarding his own. He tried to hold him down, but Taehyung thrashed wildly throwing him off. They stood up to face each other, circling each other slowly. Myungjun gestured for him to attack and dodged his punch with a laugh. Taehyungs foot connected with his stomach a second later and he fell heavily onto his hands and knees.

“TaeTae watch out!” Jimin shouted. Myungjun was in too much pain to look up but heard bodies hit the floor beside him. Hyungwons blonde hair flashed in the side of his vision and he heard him growl, it sounded feral.

When he’d caught his breath, he got up shakily on his feet to see Hyungwon choking Taehyung in a headlock on the floor. Taehyung hit the ground three times signalling surrender and the horn sounded loudly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never written anything romantic in my life before, so every time Myungjin kiss I'm literally squealing >~<
> 
> Myungjun and Hyungwon work well together though uwu besties<3


	32. Best Fighter Competition-Part 3.

Myungjun was angry. More then angry, he was furious. He helped Hyungwon to his feet and looked up at his father in the stands who was smirking down at him. He didn’t seem shocked when Myungjun stormed across the arena towards him.

“Where are you going?” Hyungwon called out but got no reply.

Myungjun ascended the steps and stopped in front of the man, shaking with rage. “Why did you make me fight again so quickly?” He asked through gritted teeth. “I know it was you who told them to call me.”

His father looked at him lazily before standing up to tower above him. “You should be thanking me. I did you a favour. You disgraced yourself in the first round, allowing yourself to lose your weapon to a girl.” Myungjun flushed at the thought. “I was giving you a chance to redeem yourself, but it seems you couldn’t even do that right. Now go and rest before the next round and try not to embarrass yourself any further.” He turned around and left Myungjun to stew until he felt a pair of hands pulling him away.

He let Jinwoo take him outside and flopped down onto the grass feeling exhausted. Jinwoo sat by his head and looked down at him with a small smile. “You did good.” Myungjun hummed in acknowledgment before closing his eyes.

“Let me nap JinJin.” He said tiredly. “I don’t feel like being awake right now, wake me when its my turn to fight again.”

*

He woke sometime later, to Jinwoo shaking him urgently. “Junnie get up its time to go.” Myungjun shot up fast and scrambled to his feet.

“Who are me and Hyungwon-hyung fighting?” He asked rushing to the doors. Jinwoo didn’t say anything and just followed him inside. Myungjun walked up to see Hyungwon and Youngjae already waiting with their weapons. “I’m fighting you?” Myungjun asked incredulous and turned to look at him. Jinwoo just nodded awkwardly before handing him his weapon.

“Good luck.” He said quietly before getting into position.

Myungjun cursed the judges. He needed to win to show his father he could, but it would be near enough impossible to win against Jinwoo. The horn sounded and Youngjae stepped up to take on Hyungwon, leaving Jinwoo to fight Myungjun. They looked at each other for a few seconds, not moving until Hyungwon shouted at them. Myungjun snapped out of it and flicked his wrist fast to block Jinwoos blow. He pushed him back and advanced on him instead.

He’s not Jinwoo, just another enemy, Myungjun kept telling himself, I won’t win if I think of him as Jinwoo. He swung the pole around as hard as he could, and it cracked loudly against Jinwoos arm. He grunted in pain and backed away. Myungjun didn’t stop, he couldn’t stop. He lunged at him and hit him over and over again. Jinwoo tried to block but his arm was giving him problems.

He’s not Jinwoo, just another enemy. He’s not Jinwoo, just another enemy. He’s not Jinwoo, just another enemy. Myungjun snarled at the boy in front of him and Jinwoo looked up with fear in his eyes. “Myungjun what-"

He didn’t get a chance to finish before Myungjun reached down to pull Jinwoos legs from under him. Jinwoos head hit the floor with a sickening crunch but Myungjun didn’t stop, he couldn’t stop. That wasn’t really Jinwoo, it was his father below him and he punched him in the face, over and over again until two pairs of hands pulled him back.

“MYUNGJUN WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?” Hyungwon shouted, stepping round to face him. “Hold him properly Youngjae.” He commanded as Myungjun struggled against his hold. He felt a sharp pain in his arms as they were pulled harshly behind his back and Myungjun kicked and screamed trying to break free.

“I’m sorry Junnie” Hyungwon said. “This is for your own good.” The last thing Myungjun saw was Hyungwons fist before everything went black.

*  
He came around sometime later with a groan. His head hurt like hell and when he tried to open his eyes, he nearly threw up from how fast the room was spinning.

“Hyung?” Someone spoke up quietly beside him, and he moaned in response, not feeling ready to form words yet. “Hyung can you hear me?” Another moan.

“Bloody hell, how hard did you hit him?”

“Hard enough so he’d stop freaking out and trying to kill us all.”

What the hell were they talking about? Myungjun wouldn’t try to kill anybody. He tried to say as much but his words came out mumbled.

“What was that?” Hyungwon asked, leaning over to hear better. “Say it again Junnie.”

“Where am I?” Myungjun asked instead, focusing hard to get the words out.

“The infirmary in the academy.” Hyungwon said. “Had to take you here after you lost the plot, what the hell was that anyway you idiot? You nearly killed him.”

Myungjun managed to open his eyes slowly to look up at them in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh great, how convenient is that.” Hyungwon said with a groan, rubbing a hand over his face. He looked tired and stressed and Myungjun wanted to make sure he was okay but struggled to sit up. Youngjae was quick to help him and propped up his pillows for him. Myungjun leaned back with a sigh, waiting for the room to stop spinning.

“What’s the last thing you remember Hyung?” Youngjae asked anxiously, peering into his face. “Please tell me you remember us.”

“Of course I remember you.” Myungjun said, what a ridiculous question. “The last thing I remember… asking Jinwoo to wake me up after I took a nap. I was tired.”

“You don’t remember anything after that? At all?” Youngjae asked, sounding even more worried. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” Myungjun said beginning to feel irritated. “Why am I here anyway and why does my head hurt?”

“You tell him.” Youngjae said to Hyungwon, getting up quickly from his chair. “I don’t want to be here when you do.”

“Yah you brat, get back here!” Hyungwon shouted at his retreating back and turned to look at Myungjun with a frustrated sigh. “Well I might as well just tell you; it won’t be any easier if you hear it from anyone else. We went into the next round and had to fight Jinwoo and Youngjae. I thought everything was fine until I had Youngjae pinned to the floor and looked up to see you going absolutely nuts and ripping Jinwoo off his feet. I heard his head hit the floor and thought that was bad enough, but you didn’t stop, just climbed on top of him and hit him like it was the only thing that mattered. You didn’t even calm down when we pulled you off and I had to get you to stop somehow, you looked like a wild animal for crying out loud. So I punched you, sorry.” He finished not sounding apologetic at all.

Myungjuns eyes widened as Hyungwon relayed the story. Little fragments of his memory came back to him and he really felt like he was going to be sick this time. He leaned over the bed and let it all out as Hyungwon rubbed his back. Fear gripped at his heart as he remembered Jinwoos face when he was pulled from him.

“Where is he?” Myungjun asked, struggling out of the bed on shaky legs. “Take me to him right now, I have to make sure he’s okay!”

“He’s fine, get back in the bed Myungjun, you need to let the nurse check you over first.”

Myungjun pulled away from him. “No!” He shouted, looking up at him with tears in his eyes. “I don’t care about being checked over, I care about Jinwoo, take me there now or I’ll look for him myself.”

Hyungwon saw the determination in his eyes and sighed. “Fine, last time I checked he was down in the Infirmary tent near the arena. They didn’t want him to come up here with you in case you…yeah.”

In case I hurt him again, Myungjun thought with self-loathing. He was quiet as he let Hyungwon lead him outside. He clung to him feeling weak at the knees as they got closer to the tent.

“Are you sure you want to do this right now?” Hyungwon asked him quietly when they stopped. Myungjun nearly said no, too scared to see the way Jinwoo would look at him, but the need to make sure he was okay was stronger and he nodded his head. They pushed the tent flap open to step inside and Myungjun saw Jinwoo laying in one of the beds with his eyes closed. He approached him cautiously and gasped softly at the sight of his face up close. His bottom lip was split and bruised, his right eyebrow looked even worse and he had some sort of tape over his nose.

“Jinwoo I’m going to fix your nose now.” The healer said walking up to the bed, looking at a medical chart in her hands. She looked up in surprise at Myungjun before narrowing her eyes in suspicion. “You shouldn’t be here.” She said sharply. Myungjun looked down to see Jinwoos eyes snap open. He didn’t miss the fear that flashed across them when Jinwoo looked up at him but didn’t get a chance to speak before he was being ushered out of the room.

“Jinwoo!” He called out, trying to look over the healer’s shoulder as she moved him closer to the tent door. His heart squeezed painfully when Jinwoo rolled over in the bed to turn his back to him. “I’m sorry Jinwoo please!” he stumbled backwards out of the tent, feeling more upset then he had been upon entering. The healer warned him not to come back in or she’d call security and turned to go back inside. Myungjun tried to follow her but was pulled back by Hyungwon.

“Stop it Junnie, you’ll just get into more trouble. Lets just sit down under this tree and wait for him to come out.” Myungjun did as he was told and curled up against Hyungwon feeling awful. He fell asleep after a while and woke to Hyungwon shaking him.

“Junnie, I went to see if he was finished yet, but he’s disappeared. Just go back to your room to sleep it’s getting late.” Myungjun only left after double-checking the tent and walked slowly to the forest with a heavy heart. Why had he snapped like that and hurt Jinwoo in such a way? He felt like crying again but waited until he was under his covers and away from prying eyes to do so.

*

Myungjun heard from Youngjae at breakfast that Jinwoo had dropped out of their team for the group match so their whole team had been disqualified. He searched every inch of the academy and its grounds looking for him after that, until realising he just didn’t want to be found. Myungjun skipped lunch and dinner and didn’t bother going to watch the 5v5 matches that day.

*

The rest of the week went painfully slow as Myungjun tried and failed to find Jinwoo. He eventually stopped attending classes all together and chose to stay in his room, only nibbling at the food Youngjae and Namjoon bought up to him.

*

Monday came again and Myungjun was getting ready to spend another day in bed when someone knocked sharply on their door. He ignored it and hid under the covers.

“Myungjun you have five seconds to open this door and invite me inside politely before I kick it in and drag you out less politely.” Grove said calmly, counting down the seconds before the door swung open to reveal the dishevelled looking boy. “I’m glad you made the right decision.” Grove said happily and followed Myungjun inside.

Myungjun sat back in bed and pulled his legs up to his chest. He gestured for Grove to sit down and felt the bed dip slightly from the added weight.

“You have not been attending class Myungjun.” Grove said and waited for Myungjun to explain himself. He didn’t, so Grove sighed before talking again. “You can’t stay in here forever. I know why you are upset but you cannot use it as an excuse to skip class. You will fall behind, and it will be too hard to catch up.”

“I hurt him.” Myungjun said sadly. “He’s scared of me now. I can’t go back to class and have him look at me that way.”

“He will continue to look at you that way until you sort things out. Jinwoo is getting the exact same talk from Blaze as we speak. He seemed to think the best course of action for your friendship was to skip class too.” Myungjun felt sad at the thought of Jinwoo holing himself up in his dark room. “You don’t even have any classes together today, so I want you to attend them all. Failure to do so will result in detention and I don’t want to have to do that to you. I expect to see you showered and ready to leave in the next ten minutes. I will step outside to wait for you.” Grove stood up and walked to the door. “Now Myungjun.”

Myungjun heard the door click shut and sighed. He didn’t want to leave but he didn’t want detention either, so he hauled himself off the bed to go for a shower.

He was out of the door in seven minutes and Grove smiled down at him happily. “Good, lets go.” He walked Myungjun all the way down to herbology and left him with another warning about detention if he didn’t stay. Myungjun ignored everyone who looked his way and went to sit beside his patch of flowers. They all looked sad at the lack of attention he had given them over the past week, and he spent the whole two-hour lesson trying to make them feel better.

He almost felt like himself again when he left herbology. Youngjae and Namjoon approached him warily but he gave them a small smile to let them know he was okay. He didn’t see Jinwoo at lunch or dinner but knew he would be attending his classes too. He had Zoology last and cheered up as they moved onto the topic about dragons. He got a lot of the questions right, after handling his own for his assignment, and the teacher praised him highly. He left the clearing feeling relieved at getting through the day but came to a stop as he noticed Jinwoos figure, standing in the place they usually sat together by the lake.

Hyungwon came up behind him and nudged him forwards. “Go Junnie, it looks like he’s waiting for you.” He nodded dumbly before walking across the grounds towards him. Jinwoo watched him approach looking tense and Myungjun stopped about a metre away, just staring at him quietly. The silence was suffocating and Myungjun knew he had to speak first.

“Are you okay?” He asked before quickly backtracking. “No, I didn’t mean that, of course you’re not okay. That was a stupid question, sorry.” The words spilled out of his mouth fast. “I’m not sorry about that, I mean I am sorry about that but I’m more sorry about what I did to you. And by that, I mean what happened in the arena, if you don’t remember. Wait of course you remember that’s why you’ve been avoiding me, and I totally understand why you’ve been avoiding me, I’ve been avoiding me too. And you. Not because you did anything wrong but because of how I knew you’d look at me. Does that make me a coward? Of course it does. Have I said I’m sorry yet?” He finished weakly as Jinwoo stared at him, eyebrows raised.

“Once or twice.” Jinwoo said quietly and Myungjun laughed before remembering the situation they were in and finished with an awkward cough.

“Your face looks better.” Myungjun pointed out when the silence got too much again. “Which is no thanks to me of course. Why would I even say that? I’m sorry.”

“Why did you do it?” Jinwoo finally spoke, his voice sounded sad and Myungjuns heart clenched painfully. “Why would you hurt me like that? I know we had to fight but you took it too far.”

Myungjun bit his lip hard as he looked down at the floor. “I don’t know why. I wish I had an answer to give you, but I don’t. I’ve thought about it myself, but I can’t even remember much of what happened to begin with. I remember hearing the horn and watching you, waiting for you to make the first move and then Hyungwon shouting and its like something switched inside me. I wanted to show my father I could win; show him I wasn’t useless and that he should regret leaving me and my mother in the first place. I just ended up hurting you instead.” Myungjuns voice cracked and he let himself cry. “I don’t care about what he thinks anymore, I care about you and how much I hurt you. I know I’ve ruined things between us, and I know you don’t like me anymore. I just want to say that I’m sorry, so so sorry for being the worst friend to ever exist.”

“You’re an idiot.” Jinwoo said quietly and closed the distance between them to make Myungjun look at him. “My feelings haven’t changed about you just because you punched me in the face a few times. Yeah, I’m upset with you and pretty angry if I’m going to be completely honest, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like you anymore.”

Myungjun let his words sink in and it just made him cry harder. “I couldn’t find you all week, so I thought you hated me!” Jinwoo just sighed and pulled him into a hug.

“Will you stop crying because it’s making me feel guilty and I want to apologise now, even though I shouldn’t.” He said grumpily, rubbing circles into Myungjuns back. Myungjun didn’t stop crying for a long time, but when he did, he pulled away to look at Jinwoo with puffy eyes. Jinwoo scanned his face before wrinkling his nose.

“You look positively disgusting.” He said, wiping the snot from Myungjuns nose with his sleeve. “Remind me why I like you again?” He laughed as Myungjun whined at his teasing and pulled him back in for another hug. “That was the worst week of my life Junnie. Let’s not fight again, I don’t think my heart can take it.” Myungjun made a noise of agreement and pulled him closer.

“I missed you.” Myungjun said quietly, feeling himself get emotional again just by thinking about it. “It felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest and crushed into a million pieces.” Jinwoo hugged him tight before leaning back to place a hand on Myungjuns chest.

“It’s still in there I promise. We just need to look after it better from now on okay? No more fighting and especially no more punching me in the face.” He laughed again as Myungjun tried to pull away from him, face flush with embarrassment.

“JinJin stop teasing me.” He whined. “Can we just forget about it?”

Jinwoo pretended to think about it for a few seconds before giving in at the look on Myungjuns face. “Okay we can forget about it. On one condition.” Myungjun groaned dramatically making him laugh. “Kiss me.”

Myungjun didn’t need to be told twice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone give Jinwoo a medal for being the bestest boy ever. 'My feelings haven’t changed about you just because you punched me in the face a few times.' uwu~
> 
> P.S I had a hard day today and reading the comments on this fic cheered me up, thankyou lovely humans<3


	33. Ahn Hyejin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next two chapters are going to focus more on Myungjins relationship.  
> P.S If you don't remember, the Voredan trip they talk about happened before Christmas, when Myungjun thought he saw Jinwoos green hair flash down the alley, okay continue~

“Myungjun if you sigh one more time, I’m going to ram that book down your throat.” Hyungwon said irritably, running a hand through his hair.

“I can’t help it. This is so boring.” Myungjun whined, looking down at his history and law homework. He had to write a 1000-word essay on the history of runes. He’d only written a few sentences and they’d been in the library for over an hour now.

“Homework isn’t meant to be fun Junnie.” Hoseok said from the floor by their table. He was stretched out across the carpet, flicking through his textbook and making notes.

Myungjun just sighed again and pulled his book away when Hyungwon moved to grab it. He didn’t fancy choking on a book today thanks. He managed to write a few more sentences in the next hour before giving up completely.

“I’m going to go and enjoy the sunshine; I can’t sit here much longer.” He said getting up and bidding them farewell. He exited the library and wandered down a few familiar corridors before coming to a stop at the sound of voices, one of which he’d recognize anywhere. They were coming from the room that students usually had their practical skills lessons in. He opened the door quietly and peeked inside to see Jinwoo standing in the middle of the room talking to Hyejin, the pretty fire girl, who Myungjun was sure Jinwoo had said he didn’t like.

“I never thanked you.” Jinwoo said. “The advice you gave me back then came in handy. I might not have made it very far, but I didn’t end up naked at least.”

Myungjun watched in confusion as Hyejin laughed and reached out to touch his arm. “I’m just glad you didn’t tell the others, or we’d both get into trouble.”

“I hate lying to Myungjun though.” Jinwoo said quietly. “If he found out he’d freak out.”

“Yeah but you had a good reason.” Hyejin said, rolling her eyes. “You might not have been with him for the trip to Voredan but at least you met me there right?” she laughed again, leaning forwards flirtatiously to tug at the hem of his white shirt. “I didn’t see you bring this in before.”

Jinwoo looked down at the shirt and frowned. “Oh crap, I wore the wrong one, let me go and change.”

Hyejin stopped him from leaving. “We don’t have time Jinnie, just take it off.”

Jinwoo mumbled something that Myungjun couldn’t hear and Hyejin laughed. “Sorry, I wouldn’t want to make your boyfriend mad.”

“He’s not my boyfriend. We’re just friends.” Jinwoo said. “But honestly, I don’t want to be friends with him anymore.”

“Tell him that then.” Hyejin said sounding bored. “Can we hurry things up a bit? We’ve been meeting up secretly for a while now and haven’t gotten very far, so take your shirt off and let’s get started.”

Jinwoo sighed before lifting it up to reveal the tan skin of his back. His muscles flexed as he pulled it off completely and discarded it across the room. “What if someone sees us?” he asked sounding worried.

Myungjun froze as Hyejin looked towards the door and noticed his presence, her eyes widening slightly. She quickly composed herself, and with a smirk, looked back at Jinwoo. “No-one will see us.” She closed the distance between them and ran her fingers down Jinwoos chest. Myungjun decided he’d seen enough. He slammed the door shut before running down the corridor, with tears burning angrily in his eyes.

Jinwoo was lying to him. Jinwoo ditched him to go to Voredan last year with her instead. Jinwoo didn’t want to be friends with him anymore. Jinwoo had been meeting her secretly for a long time. Jinwoo was comfortable taking his clothes off in front of her and was worried about people seeing them and let her touch him like that. Everything Myungjun had heard and witnessed spun around in his head, taunting him. He’d been an idiot to think Jinwoo ever liked him. It was clearly all a lie he’d made up to trick Myungjun. Why? Myungjun didn’t know, he just knew he needed to get as far away from them as possible.

He ran until he was out of the academy doors. Then he ran some more, across the grounds and into the forest. He’d forgotten to use his magic to open up the way to his room, but he didn’t want to go back. He just ran deeper into the trees until his lungs were burning, and he couldn’t go any further. He spotted a low hanging branch and pulled himself up onto it. He climbed a little higher before leaning back against the tree trunk and pulling his knees up to his chest. His heart ached terribly, and he wished he hadn’t heard. He’d be clueless about Jinwoos betrayal but at least he wouldn’t be in so much pain.

“…JUN.” He heard Jinwoos voice from somewhere behind him and closed his eyes, trying to block him out. He didn’t want to see him, and he didn’t want to talk to him.

“MYUNGJUN.” He was closer this time and Myungjun clamped a hand over his mouth to muffle the noise.

“Myungjun, I can hear you crying.” Jinwoos voice was softer now and Myungjun looked down through the branches to see him approach the tree, looking around in confusion.

“Go away Jinwoo.” Myungjun said angrily. There was no point hiding anymore if Jinwoo could hear him. Jinwoo looked up in surprise before sighing.

“Are you going to come back down so we can talk or am I going to have to climb up?”

Myungjun didn’t say anything, he just buried his face in his knees and ignored him. He heard Jinwoo climbing up towards him, shoes scraping against the bark, mingled with soft grunts of exertion. The branch he was on dipped slightly at the added weight but held them both steadily.

“Junnie will you look at me?” Jinwoo asked quietly. Myungjun shook his head. “Please look at me, I think there’s been a misunderstanding.”

Myungjun looked up to glare at him. “I know what I heard; I know what I SAW. You’re a liar Jinwoo, so where’s the misunderstanding?” He watched as Jinwoo squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze.

“I did lie.” He said quietly. “and I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry?” Myungjun asked, voice laced with disbelief. “That’s all you can say?” Jinwoo looked away and it made Myungjun angrier. “How long?”

“How long since what?” Jinwoo asked sounding confused.

“How long since you’ve been seeing Hyejin?”

“I met her in Voredan.” Jinwoo said quietly. “But I’ve been regularly seeing her since the dungeon run.”

It felt like Myungjun had been stabbed in the heart again. Jinwoo had been seeing Hyejin since Voredan and leading him on, making Myungjun think he was the one Jinwoo liked instead. He didn’t think he’d ever get over this.

“Why?” Myungjun asked, voice cracking. “Why would you do that to me? I trusted you.”

Jinwoo looked up sadly and tried to reach over to touch him but Myungjun slapped his hand away.

“Don’t touch me.” He seethed. “Don’t touch me with the hands you’ve used to touch her, it makes me sick.”

“Don’t be stupid Myungjun, I can’t help having to touch her. How else am I going to learn?” Jinwoo asked, sounding annoyed.

“Learn about what? How much you like her?”

“What the hell do you mean? You know I like you.”

“STOP LYING.” Myungjun shouted, frustration pouring out of him. “You don’t like me, if you liked me you wouldn’t sneak around behind my back, taking off your clothes and letting her call you Jinnie and touch you like that! You told her I wasn’t your boyfriend and that you didn’t even want to be friends with me, so do us both a favour and get lost you absolute _jerk_.” Myungjun swung around on the branch and jumped off, landing on the ground with a thud. He needed to get away from him, his magic was boiling at the surface and it wouldn’t be long before he snapped. He didn’t get far and nearly screamed in frustration as Jinwoo jumped down and ran over to pull him back.

“You’ve got it all wrong Myungjun.” He said desperately. “Please just listen to me. Let me explain myself.”

“I don’t want to listen to you! You’ll just lie to me again and I don’t want to hear it.”

“I won’t lie to you again I promise. If you don’t like what I have to say, then I’ll let you leave, but please just give me a chance.” Jinwoo sounded like he was on the verge of tears and it made Myungjun weak. He hated it when Jinwoo cried.

“Fine.” Myungjun said sharply, yanking his arm out of Jinwoos grip. “Why did you lie to me about Voredan? You said you were sick, but you went to meet her.”

Jinwoo took a second to gather his thoughts. “I had to lie, I needed to visit an enchanter without you knowing, to get your Christmas gift finished and to get some of my clothes enchanted. The glass flower I made you only blooms when you touch it because it’s been enchanted. That’s why I asked you to see if it works, I was worried it wouldn’t. I bumped into Hyejin there by chance.”

Myungjun thought about the glass flower sitting beside his bed, he’d always wondered how it bloomed. “Why did you need to get your clothes enchanted?” Myungjun asked, curiosity overtaking his anger slightly. “I’ve never heard of that being done before.”

“Neither had I until that day. When I saw Hyejin she had her own pile of clothes being done and I asked her what they were doing. She told me that they were making her clothes fire proof because her fire magic always destroyed anything she wore. I never knew that could happen because I never used my magic after what I did to my parents.”

Jinwoos painful memory softened Myungjun a little but he wasn’t ready to admit it. “Well what did she mean about you both getting into trouble?”

“She told me about the dungeon run examinations after overhearing Blaze talking about it to Zephyr. If I told anyone else about it and Blaze found out, we would have been in trouble. It wasn’t supposed to be announced until February after all, they would have thought we were cheating or something. Hyejin advised me to get some clothes enchanted too whilst I was there, as I’d be using my magic properly during the exam and I’m glad I listened. It would have been embarrassing to wake up naked because I incinerated my clothes.” He looked down at his feet, ears bright red.

Myungjun was beginning to realise that maybe he’d misunderstood after all and stood there uncomfortably, waiting for Jinwoo to finish.

“I was in the practice room just now because I wanted to thank her for giving me the advice about my clothes. I was also in there because she’s been helping me learn how to use my magic. I always said she was overconfident with her magic but that’s just because she’s good at using it. I didn’t want to ask her for help, but she didn’t seem so bad after telling me about the exams early, so I took a chance and I’m lucky she agreed. She’s really helped me improve and I owe her a lot. The only reason I took my shirt off back there is because it’s one that hasn’t been fireproofed yet and I didn’t exactly want to incinerate it during practice. I did tell her I’d go change, but like she said we didn’t have time. A class was going to be using that room soon.”

“So you would have taken off all of your clothes then because you didn’t have time?” Myungjun asked huffily.

“Of course not, look at my shorts, I wore these in the dungeon remember? These are fireproof. If I had picked up the wrong shorts too, I would have insisted that I went to change, no matter how little time we had left to practice.”

Myungjun looked down and saw he was telling the truth. It made him feel worse. “She called you Jinnie. I didn’t like it.” He knew he was being childish now, but he couldn’t help it.

“That’s the first time she’s ever called me Jinnie and I told her not too because I only let you call me nicknames.” Jinwoo said with a sigh. “Is there anything else you want me to explain?”

Myungjun was about to say no before remembering the one thing that had upset him in the first place. “You told her you didn’t want to be my friend. Why would you say that?” he asked sadly, kicking at the dirt beneath him with the tip of his shoe.

“It’s not that I don’t want to be friends with you. It’s that I don’t want to be JUST friends with you.” Myungjun let the words sink in and flushed. He was such an idiot; how could he ever think Jinwoo didn’t like him? Myungjun felt relieved after hearing his explanation and couldn’t help the laugh that escaped. Jinwoo looked up in surprise. “You laughed.”

“I didn’t.” Myungjun said defensively and quickly went back to scowling. “She still touched you in that disgustingly inappropriate way after seeing me standing there and you just let her.” He crossed his arms and glared at him, almost daring Jinwoo to deny it.

“I didn’t let her you idiot. If you’d stayed for one more second you would have seen me push her away.” He finished talking before narrowing his eyes in suspicion. “Wait…’disgustingly inappropriate’? Myungjun are you jealous?” he asked incredulously and laughed as Myungjun turned bright red. “I can’t believe it you’re actually jealous! That’s so cute.”

“I am NOT jealous at all Park Jinwoo so stop laughing. I wouldn’t get jealous over something so petty.” He turned to walk away but Jinwoo stepped in front of him.

“Aww you’re so cute when your jealous, I think I like you even more now.”

“Go AWAY Jinwoo.” Myungjun said, trying to cover his blushing face.

Jinwoo cooed and tried to pull his hands away. “You’re even cuter when you’re flustered.”

“I hate you.” Myungjun said with no real malice. Jinwoo just laughed it off anyway.

“I like you a lot too Junnie. Can we be boyfriends now?”

“Go and ask Hyejin to be your boyfriend.” Myungjun replied childishly.

Jinwoo just rolled his eyes. “I don’t want to, she’s not as pretty as you…wow you’re blushing even more. Do you like it when I call you pretty?” Myungjun would rather die then admit that yes, he very much liked it. Jinwoo smirked knowingly at his silence and reached over to gently hold his face. “Junnie you’re so pretty, I need to look at you up close.” He said as he studied Myungjuns face, looking at every detail before faking chest pains and collapsing dramatically on the floor.

“Stop you’re so embarrassing.” Myungjun whined, looking around to make sure they were definitely alone. “Jinwoo why are you on the floor?”

“Help me Junnie! I’ve fallen in love and I can’t get up!” Jinwoo choked out, clutching his chest with one hand and making grabbing motions toward Myungjun with the other.

“I can’t believe I like you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The theme song for this chapter: MONSTA X-Jealousy hehe~  
> Myungjun has a jealous streak but still lowkey rejected Jinwoos relationship proposal...what?


	34. The Secret Pond Proposal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took so long to edit but it was WORTH IT~
> 
> Warning:  
> Extreme UWU ahead

Myungjun woke up, surrounded by warmth and sighed happily as he snuggled further into Jinwoos chest. It was a Monday morning and Jinwoo had snuck Myungjun into his room again the night before. He loved having sleepovers with Jinwoo. They were fun and exciting and always ended with Myungjun waking up in the best mood possible. Today was no different.

He looked up to see Jinwoo sleeping, lips parted slightly as he snored. Myungjuns heart fluttered as his eyes roamed Jinwoos face. He looked so vulnerable and at peace, it was a lot different to how he usually looked. Myungjun reached up to trace the faint scar he’d left on Jinwoos eyebrow and then moved down to trace the scar on his lip. He still felt incredibly guilty whenever he looked at them, but he knew Jinwoo forgave him. Jinwoo stirred at the touch and smiled sleepily.

“G’morning cutie.” He slurred; voice laden with sleep. He pulled Myungjun closer and pressed a kiss into his hair. “Did you have a good rest?”

Myungjun hummed happily before pulling away to sit up, careful to keep contact with Jinwoos magic so the room wouldn’t disappear around him. He still had flashbacks to falling into the lake after Hoseok let him go. It had been a shock to say the least. He stretched out with a groan and looked down fondly at Jinwoo, who was falling back to sleep.

“Wake up JinJin, we’ll be late for class.” Myungjun said, giggling when the sleepy boy pouted and whined, trying to get back under the covers. “No JinJin, no more sleep. Get up.”

“Don’t wanna Junnie.” He grumbled and pulled him back down for a hug. “Let’s just skip class today.” It was a tempting idea. The thought of staying in bed where it was cosy and warm, where he could cuddle Jinwoo all day and probably steal some kisses. He wanted it more than anything, but he knew they’d just get into trouble.

“Jinwoo we can’t.” Myungjun said with a laugh. “Get up now or I’ll never sleep over again.” Jinwoo sat up as fast as his tired body would let him to scowl at Myungjun.

“You bribe me too much.” He said sulkily, before pulling Myungjun from the bed so they could get changed. They still hadn’t found a good way to do this considering they couldn’t let go of one another. After a few bumps and giggles they were done and Jinwoo pulled Myungjun in to kiss him gently. “Let’s go.”

Jinwoo opened the door quietly and looked left and right before hurrying Myungjun through the corridors. The fear of being caught always gave Myungjun a rush. They passed some students who eyed them suspiciously but didn’t say anything when Jinwoo glared their way. They turned down the last corridor, tasting freedom and came face to face with a surprised Blaze.

“Detention.” He said sternly.

*

Myungjun scrubbed out the last cauldron before sitting back with a groan. He’d been scrubbing all of the cauldrons from the last alchemy class and they’d brewed potions with something that stank. It was hard work, not only on his nose but on his back too. It was aching and he stood up shakily to place the last clean cauldron on the shelf.

“You may go.” Mr Song, the alchemy teacher, told him before turning back to the parchment he was marking. “Don’t get into trouble again Myungjun, I don’t wish to oversee another detention.”

Myungjun mumbled an apology before slipping from the room. He wondered where Jinwoo was and how he was doing. They had detention in separate places and Myungjun had been annoyed at that. He knew they deserved it for breaking rules, it was dangerous to sleep in the same room as a growing fire user, they were housed under the Academy for a reason, but that didn’t stop him from complaining when they took Jinwoo away.

He trailed back to his room in the forest and took a well-deserved shower. When he was sure he’d washed away all the smell, he got out, dried and dressed before Namjoon and Youngjae came in.

“Well good luck Joonie.” Youngjae said, patting Namjoon on the back. “He’d be an idiot to say no.”

“What’s going on?” Myungjun asked, fluffing his hair with a towel.

“I’m going to ask Seokjin to be my boyfriend.” Namjoon said nervously. “I’ve spent lots of time with him since he asked me to the ball last year and I really like him.” Myungjun saw the tips of his ears turning red and he cooed as he moved over to give him a hug.

“I’m happy for you Namjoon. Youngjaes right, he would be an idiot to say no. When are you going to ask him?” Myungjun pulled back to let him answer and saw Namjoon smiling gently.

“Tonight, I asked him to meet me where he asked me to the ball.”

“That’s so sweet!” Myungjun squealed, reaching up to ruffle Namjoons hair. “If he says no, I will personally find and beat him up okay?”

Namjoon laughed and pushed him away lightly. “You have more chance of being beaten up Hyung, have you SEEN his shoulders? They’re so broad and muscl…” Myungjun tuned his ramblings out as Youngjae crept over to him.

“Namjoons going to be ranting about Seokjin for the next twenty minutes, so let’s get into bed and leave him to it.” Youngjae said, looking back at Namjoon who was still talking, eyes glazed over and looking into space.

Myungjun followed Youngjae to his bed and asked him if they could sleep together for the night. Youngjae didn’t even think twice and let him in under the covers so they could cuddle. He reached up to turn the light off and plunged the whole room into darkness.

“…and his eyes, wait guys I was talking!” Namjoon said sounding offended. Myungjun and Youngjae giggled under the cover until they heard Namjoon sigh and the door to their room opened and closed.

Myungjun snuggled up to Youngjae and sighed happily. Youngjae smelt different to Jinwoo, he smelt earthy and it comforted Myungjun greatly. Youngjae pulled him closer and dropped a gentle kiss to his forehead.

“Let’s go to sleep Hyung.” He mumbled tiredly and soon enough both boys fell into their dreams.

*

“Namjoon didn’t come back last night.” Youngjae gossiped around the table at breakfast.

“He could get into trouble!” Dongmin said shocked. “He’ll get detention if he gets caught.”

“Sometimes the detentions worth it.” Jinwoo said, sliding his hand under the table to hold Myungjuns. He gave it a quick squeeze before going back to eating his food. Dongmin eyed the movement of his arm suspiciously but didn’t comment on it.

“What classes do we have today Junnie?” Jinwoo asked, when everyone had gone back to discussing Namjoon.

“I have alchemy with the water users first, then communications and combat training with you.” Myungjun replied with a smile. “Let’s meet here for lunch and go to class together.” Myungjun knew they did this all the time anyway, but he still enjoyed the thrill of making plans with Jinwoo, no matter how small and insignificant they were. Jinwoo just nodded and got up to leave for his zoology class with Sanha.

Myungjun left ten minutes later with Hyungwon and they made their way to alchemy, discussing what topic they were moving onto next. When they were seated, the teacher called for their attention and began to speak.

“Now students, we have two months left until your final examinations. You will have one practical exam and one written exam for this class. In the practical exam you will be asked to brew a specific potion in a limited timeframe. This will test how well you work under pressure and give an indication of your brewing skill level. The written exam will cover everything you have learnt over the course of this year, so I hope you made good notes to look back upon.”

Myungjun looked down at his book happily. His notes were neat and pretty because he found this class important and wanted to note every little thing he was taught. He grimaced when he thought back to his history and law notes, which were presented very differently.

“Today we are going to recap some of our earlier topics to refresh your memories. So, I would like you all to open your textbooks and turn to page 34.” The sound of rustling paper filled the room as everyone found the right page. “Now class, let’s begin.”

*

In communications, the boys were still trying to get a read on each other’s emotions. Myungjun was holding onto Jinwoos hands tightly and focused on making his mind strong. When he felt ready, he tried to push past the iron defence of Jinwoos mind, searching for any indication of his true feelings. He had asked Jinwoo to make his mind vulnerable, with the hope it would make things easier, but that didn’t seem to be working either. He was ready to give up when a faint feeling of warmth slowly spread across his chest. He could tell this was Jinwoos emotion as it didn’t feel natural to his body and he pulled away with a gasp. He opened his eyes to see Jinwoo watching him carefully.

“Did you feel anything?” He asked, sounding hopeful and leaned forwards eagerly to listen.

Myungjun allowed a grin to grace his face as he nodded. “I felt you Jinwoo, it was a warmth in my chest.” Jinwoo blushed lightly and sat back with a shrug.

“I guess you did a good job, my chest is feeling pretty warm right now.”

“Yeah, you must feel warm all the time because of your fire magic, but that’s not an emotion though.” Myungjun mumbled confused.

“It’s not because of my magic.” Jinwoo sighed. “My chest is warm because I was thinking about you.” He laughed as Myungjun squealed and hid his face behind his hands.

“Stop saying things so casually like that.” He whined, looking through his fingers at Jinwoo. “It always catches me off guard.”

“What? I can’t tell my boyfriend that I like thinking about him?” Jinwoo smirked and leaned over to pull Myungjuns hands away.

“I’m not your boyfriend.” Myungjun grumbled before pushing him away and getting up. The teacher had told them the lesson was over, so he made his way to the door with Jinwoo clinging to his back.

“Be my boyfriend Junnie.” Jinwoo whined in his ear and Myungjun shivered as it tickled. “You like me, don’t you?”

Myungjun sighed and continued walking, trying to detach Jinwoos arms from around his waist. “I do like you but that doesn’t mean I want to be your boyfriend.”

Jinwoo let go and stepped in front of him, stopping him from going any further. Students filed past them but Jinwoo only had eyes for Myungjun as he frowned. “Why not? I like you, you like me, that usually equals boyfriends.”

Myungjun wanted to brush it off and tell him he didn’t want to be boyfriends with someone so annoying, or something equally childish but he decided to just go with the truth. “You never sound serious when you ask me, it always sounds like a joke and I don’t want my first relationship to start like that.”

Jinwoo looked at him in shock. “Your first? Junnie you’ve never had a boyfriend before?” Myungjun flushed and pushed past him to join the sea of students making their way to dinner. He got halfway down the corridor before Jinwoo was pulling him back. “Don’t ignore me.”

Myungjun whined and turned to glare at him. “So what if I’ve not had a boyfriend before? Neither have you.”

“Yeah but I’m different to you. You’re…you.” Jinwoo finished lamely, gesturing at Myungjun as if it explained everything.

“Exactly.” Myungjun said sharply. “I’m me, which is why I’ve never had a boyfriend before. I’m short and ugly and I don’t have a nice body like you and the others.” He felt his insecurities claw at him and jolted in shock as Jinwoo grabbed him firmly by the chin to pull his face up.

“Yah! Don’t you ever talk about yourself like that again.” Jinwoo scolded, anger radiating from him. The few students who were left around them hurried away, expecting Jinwoo to lose control any second.

“Jinwoo what are you-“

“No Myungjun, shut up and let me talk.” Myungjun nodded weakly, eyes wide and feeling slightly taken aback at Jinwoos sudden display of dominance. “I can’t believe those words just came out of your mouth. You’re so far from being ugly it makes me want to laugh. You’re gorgeous, stunning, the prettiest boy I’ve ever seen and the fact you think anything different astounds me.” Myungjun felt his face heat up and he tried to pull away but Jinwoo kept a firm grip on his chin to hold him in place. “You have such beautiful eyes that sparkle every time you laugh and it makes me weak. Whenever you get flustered you turn the prettiest shade of pink, the same colour as your lips and it makes me want to kiss you all over.” He leaned forwards to kiss Myungjun gently. “and so what if you’re short? I’m short too, it just makes it easier to kiss you without breaking my neck trying to look up at you.”

Myungjun giggled at his dramatics and let Jinwoo kiss him again. He finally let go of Myungjuns chin and kissed him where his fingers had left marks, muttering apologies. His hands moved down to Myungjuns hips and gave them a squeeze. “Your body might not be muscular like mine but that doesn’t mean it isn’t nice. I like your soft stomach its cute, your hips too. Everything about you is perfect the way it is. I’d touch it all day long if you’d let me.” He wrapped his arms around Myungjuns waist and pulled him flush against his body to whisper in his ear. “Please don’t ever say such hateful things about yourself again, it upsets me.”

“Okay, I’m sorry. I can’t help it; I just feel that way sometimes.” Myungjun said quietly.

“Well you shouldn’t.” Jinwoo replied firmly. “Now let’s go to dinner.” He grabbed Myungjuns hand and pulled him to the hall.

*

Myungjun sat through dinner, mind drifting to what Jinwoo had said and he couldn’t stop smiling. No one had ever complimented him so fiercely and he knew Jinwoo meant every word he said, which just made him even happier. After he’d finished his food, he didn’t try to stop Jinwoo when he put more on his plate.

“We have combat training next; you need to get your energy up Junnie.” Jinwoo said with a smile and watched fondly as Myungjun ate.

They left soon after and made their way to the combat centre where class was already underway. Myungjun looked around to see students practicing with a different weapon.

“Dual swords!” Jinwoo said, voice laced with glee as he dashed across the room to the weapons rack. He pulled two down and handed them to Myungjun. They were a lot lighter than the wooden poles they’d gotten used to. They had leather handles for a better grip and the wooden blade seemed fragile, as it was thin and sharp, like a real sword. Myungjun swung them experimentally and they made a satisfying swishing noise as they cut through the air. He eagerly stepped up onto the nearest mat and looked around to see Namjoon block a particularly hard hit from Youngjae. He half expected the wood to snap, but it didn’t. Must be magically enhanced, Myungjun thought before getting into position.

He bowed politely to Jinwoo and let him make the first move. They fought hesitantly for the first half of the lesson, getting used to the new weapons, before Myungjun called for a break. He was sweating from how much more he could move without the usual weight of the wooden poles and needed a drink.

He poured himself some water, from the jug on the table at the side of the room, and drank some greedily before sliding down the wall to sit on the floor and catch his breath. Jinwoo sat next to him and he took the opportunity to lean against him.

“Junnie, I’m going to leave early today.” Jinwoo whispered and Myungjun looked around in surprise.

“Why? Are you not feeling well?” He asked worriedly and tried to get a good look at his face. Jinwoo just laughed and pushed him away gently.

“I’m fine, there’s just something I need to do. Will you meet me at midnight by the edge of the forest?”

“JinJin if we get caught, we’ll get detention again.” Myungjun whined, thinking back to how much his back hurt scrubbing all those cauldrons.

“We won’t get caught.” Jinwoo promised. “It will be worth it, please say you’ll come.” He begged Myungjun with his eyes until the older boy gave in.

“Fine, see you later.” Myungjun said defeated, as Jinwoo got up to leave. He drained the rest of his drink before getting up to fight one of the wooden dummies at the end of the room.

*

Myungjun made his way quietly through the trees. Grove didn’t patrol the forest often at night, but he wanted to make sure he was quiet just in case. He heard a twig snap under his feet and stood there frozen, waiting to hear Groves voice telling him he had another detention. It never came, so he quickly moved on. He sighed in relief when he saw Jinwoos shadow, hovering nervously at the edge of the forest. He jumped when Myungjun materialised in front of him, but managed to stay quiet as he took his hand and moved them swiftly along the tree line, until he found what he was looking for. It was a little path that Myungjun hadn’t seen before and they walked in silence through the forest until they came to a stop in front of a thick hedge row.

“We have to crawl from here.” Jinwoo said, his voice shockingly loud in the quiet forest. Myungjun saw him drop to his knees and crawl underneath a small opening in the bush. Myungjun followed closely behind, wondering where they were going and gasped in awe as they made it to the other side. The trees were a lot thinner here and the moon shone down prettily onto the surface of a pond. Jinwoo took his hand and led him over to sit on one of the flat rocks beside it.

“How did you find this place JinJin?” Myungjun asked quietly, looking around and drinking in the ethereal sight. Little patches of flowers littered the floor around them and Myungjun watched in awe as a group of fireflies hovered lazily over the surface of the pond, seemingly undisturbed by their presence.

“I found it when I was looking for a place to hide during our fight.” Jinwoo said with a sad smile. Myungjun reached over and traced the scar on his eyebrow.

“I’m sorry JinJin.” He said quietly, guilt flooding through him again. Jinwoo caught his hand and pulled it down into his lap.

“I already forgave you remember. You weren’t yourself when it happened, so stop apologising.” He let go of Myungjuns hand to reach into his jacket pocket. “I have something for you Junnie, close your eyes.”

Myungjun raised his eyebrows in surprise. Why was Jinwoo giving him a gift? He closed his eyes quickly and felt Jinwoo tie something behind his neck a few seconds later. There was a heavy warmth at his neck, and when he was allowed, looked down to see a pretty pink gemstone. The necklace was almost identical to Jinwoos except the colour and the shape. Where Jinwoos was black and green and circular, Myungjuns was pink and carved into a heart. He reached up to stroke it with a soft gasp.

“Its beautiful JinJin.” Myungjun said, with the strangest urge to cry. Jinwoo reached forwards and pulled Myungjun into his lap. Myungjun wrapped his legs around Jinwoos waist and hugged him tight. “Thank you, I love it.”

“Junnie, will you look at me?” Jinwoo said quietly and waited for Myungjun to pull back. “I listened to what you said earlier, I really heard what you were trying to say. I know you might not have believed me when I asked before because I never asked seriously enough, but I’ll be serious now. More serious than I’ve been in my life because I’m serious about you, about us.” Myungjun knew what he was going to ask and held his breath.

“Myungjun I know you have your insecurities and your worries, but I want to be there always to soothe them and make them disappear. I want to be the one you come to when you’re sad or happy or scared. I want to be able to kiss you in front of our friends without worrying what they might say or give you my clothes to wear without them asking questions about it. I just want to be able to call you mine Junnie. I really _really_ like you and I promise I’ll look after you. Do I have to ask formally? Why do I feel nervous now bloody hell…Kim Myungjun will you- oh wow Junnie look!“

Myungjun didn’t need to look, he’d felt his magic building as he listened to Jinwoo talk. His heart felt like it was going to explode, so he had expelled his magic instead. The petals rained down above them, fluttering gently. Myungjun did look up in shock however, when he noticed something had changed. His petals were no longer yellow, they were a vibrant, rich red. He looked at Jinwoo, who was staring around in awe.

“Yes.” He whispered and Jinwoo quickly looked down at him. “Yes Jinwoo, I’ll be your boyfriend.”

He expected Jinwoo to shout with joy and kiss him. What he didn’t expect was for Jinwoo to burst into tears. “JinJin why are you crying?” He asked panicked and grabbed his face to wipe them away.

“I’m happy.” Jinwoo said, through choked sobs. “I’m so happy you said yes.”

Myungjun opened his mouth to reply but shut it when Jinwoos face suddenly changed. He looked at Myungjun with fear in his eyes. “Move Junnie, get away from me!”

Myungjun felt the heat rolling off of him in waves and quickly unwrapped his legs from Jinwoos waist. Jinwoo pushed him straight into the pond and Myungjun opened his eyes under the water to see a bright green light illuminating everything above the surface. He waited until it had died down before kicking his way to the top. The pond had been a lot deeper than he’d expected and he broke through the surface of the water with a gasp, lungs burning from holding his breath for so long.

He felt Jinwoos hands grab him strongly under the arms and he was pulled out onto the grass. Or what was left of it. “JinJin, your fire.” Myungjun said with a cough. “It’s changed like my petals!” He opened his eyes and rubbed the water from them when he heard no response. “JinJin?”

“Over here.” Jinwoo said, hiding behind one of the trees and poking his head out.

“What are you doing over there?” Myungjun asked, struggling to his feet and wringing out his shirt. He moved to walk over to him but Jinwoo stopped him.

“WAIT! Don’t come any closer.” Jinwoo said sounding panicked. “I was wearing the wrong clothes, they weren’t fireproof.”

Myungjun had never laughed so hard in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Myungjin are boyfriends. *Screams*
> 
> I think as humans we all get insecure sometimes, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that a teenage boy feels that way about himself. Myungjunnie is a cutie though so hopefully Jinwoo can talk some sense into him!!
> 
> He rejected countless boyfriend proposals from Jinwoo because he was worried he wasn't being serious :( Clueless boys~


	35. July Dungeon Run Examination-Part 1.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING:  
> Brief mentions of homophobia/homophobic bulling ahead.

Myungjun walked out of his history and law exam with a groan. It was by far the most boring exam he’d done but luckily it was his last, not including the last dungeon run of his first year. He would be attempting the dungeons again in a weeks’ time and he couldn’t wait. He knew they would do much better this time around and was excited to see how far they could get with proper preparations.

Myungjun made his way to the hall for dinner and slipped into the seat next to Jinwoo. He whined loudly, looking for attention and squealed when Jinwoo poked him in the ribs.

“You’re supposed to give me the good kind of attention.” Myungjun pouted. “That’s not the good kind.”

“What _is_ the good kind Junnie?” Jinwoo asked with a smirk. “This?” He leaned forwards to kiss him but before their lips touched, Sanha shrieked and slammed his plate down.

“Stop it Hyungs, we agreed no kissing at the table!” Myungjun looked up to see Sanha grumpily stabbing his food and he pushed Jinwoo away.

“Yes Jinwoo, we did agree so stop it.” He said cheekily, earning himself another dig in the ribs, with Jinwoos elbow this time.

“Brat.” Jinwoo mumbled under his breath but Myungjun could see a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“I’m so glad exams are over.” Hoseok said, sitting down. “My hand is going to fall off with the amount I’ve had to write this past week.” Myungjun made a noise of sympathy and reached across the table to take Hoseoks wrist gently and massaged it for him. “Thanks, Junnie.” Hoseok groaned, feeling the pain recede.

Jinwoo cleared his throat obnoxiously beside them and Myungjun leaned back with a sigh.

“The jealous boyfriend act doesn’t suit you Jinwoo.” Hyungwon said, sitting down on Myungjuns other side and pulling him in for a cuddle. “Junnies ours as well you know.” Myungjun giggled and snuggled into him as Jinwoo huffed beside him.

Myungjun had told them all of his and Jinwoos relationship, the day after they’d gotten together, and he was glad everyone had been happy with the new development. It wasn’t like much had changed anyway. Except they’d kissed during breakfast one morning and Sanha had screamed like he was being murdered. So, the new rule had been put in place of no kissing at the table.

Present day Myungjun pulled out of Hyungwons embrace to finish eating his food. He excused himself from the table and rushed from the hall. He wanted to go to the library to study some more on useful plants that he could take into the dungeon.

Jinwoo found him curled up on one of the reading chairs, surrounded by books, half an hour later. He moved some out of the way and sat on the arm of the chair, looking down at Myungjun as he scribbled notes onto a roll of parchment.

“What are you doing Junnie?” Jinwoo asked, reaching over to run his fingers through Myungjuns hair. Myungjun sighed happily at the attention and put the roll of parchment down.

“Making extra preparations for the dungeons next week. I want to help as much as I can so we can get a really high score.”

Jinwoo smiled and gestured for him to stand up. Myungjun did, confused at Jinwoos request and watched as Jinwoo moved off the arm of the chair to sit where Myungjun had been sitting. He patted his lap, gesturing for Myungjun to sit on it and he did, wrapping his arms around his neck and kissing him softly.

Someone made a noise of disgust behind them and Myungjun turned to see one of the older year boys walking away from them shaking his head. Myungjun flushed and hid his face in Jinwoos neck. He knew that making his and Jinwoos relationship public would come with some backlash from other students who weren’t so…accepting, but it still hurt whenever someone would act negatively towards them. He didn’t realise he was trembling until he felt Jinwoo rubbing a soothing hand up and down his spine and shushing him gently.

“Do you want me to go beat him up?” He asked and Myungjun pulled back with a small laugh.

“No JinJin, its okay. I don’t want you getting detention again.”

Jinwoo had already landed a detention once, after getting into a fight with a group of guys who had cornered Myungjun after one of his classes. They’d been nasty and called him names. One even went as far as using his water magic to drench Myungjun from head to toe in freezing cold water and he’d run to Jinwoo crying and looking for comfort. When Jinwoo had finally gotten Myungjun to talk about what happened, he had gone berserk and hunted the boys down before launching at them.

Zephyr, the air elemental leader, had caught them and used her magic to suspend them all upside down in the air until they calmed down. Then had given them all detention for fighting. Myungjun had thought it was extremely unfair and tried to argue his case but Jinwoo had shushed him after he was threatened with detention too. He always seeked out Jinwoo for comfort whenever something like that happened, but he made sure to hide the things that he knew Jinwoo would get mad about so he wouldn’t get into trouble again.

“I don’t care if I get detention.” Jinwoo said, sitting up higher in the chair. “If anyone makes you feel uncomfortable, I’ll make them regret it. I told you when I asked you to be my boyfriend that I’d look after you and I plan on keeping that promise.”

“You can’t look after me if you’re in detention though.” Myungjun pointed out and laughed when Jinwoo pouted. “Now get out of this chair and stop distracting me so I can go back to my research.”

Jinwoo whined and wrapped his arms tightly around Myungjuns waist. “Just sit like this and do it Junnie, I don’t want to move.” Myungjun sighed and adjusted himself so he was sitting in between Jinwoos legs, with his back against Jinwoos chest and he went back to making notes.

A few books later and he heard gentle snores coming from behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see Jinwoo sleeping. His hair was growing long and falling past his eyes so Myungjun reached back to brush the black strands away from his forehead. One more book and I’ll finish, Myungjun thought.

Two books later and he was fast asleep, leaning back into Jinwoos embrace.

*

“Let me help you with that Hyung.” Rocky said, coming around to face Myungjun and taking the leather straps from his hand. He reached around to wrap the new belt around Myungjuns waist and buckled it tight.

“How did you do that so quick?” Myungjun asked in awe. “There’s so many straps, it’s like a puzzle.”

“Guess I’m just good at puzzles” Rocky shrugged. “What weapon are you taking with you?”

Myungjun looked over at the weapons rack. They hadn’t been allowed to take weapons into the dungeon before because they didn’t know how to wield them properly, but today they could choose from what they’d been training with.

“I want the dual swords; it makes me lighter on my feet so I can help anyone who needs quick healing.” Myungjun decided and watched Rocky pull two down for him. Rocky was already wearing a harness, with one of the wooden poles strapped at his back, so he could pull it free when he needed it. Myungjun thought he looked really cool. He came back over to Myungjun and handed the swords over.

“I’ll strap the two scabbards for the swords by your hips so they’re easier to pull out. You’d struggle getting them off your back, its not as easy as it looks.” Rocky explained. Myungjun just nodded and watched his lithe hands get to work. When he was finished, he stood back up with a satisfied sigh.

“Let’s go find the others Hyung.” Rocky said, before offering his arm for Myungjun to slip his through. They made their way through the trees, chatting excitedly about the day ahead. Myungjun spotted the rest of their team waiting for them by the dungeon doors.

“Is it our turn next?” Myungjun asked, hurrying over.

“Oh, there you are.” Dongmin said, sounding relieved. “We wondered if you’d get here in time.”

“Sorry.” Myungjun mumbled. “I couldn’t get this stupid belt on.” He looked around to see everyone else’s weapon of choice. He was surprised to see that they all had wooden poles strapped to their backs like Rocky. “I’m the only one using the swords?” He asked looking around.

“You’re the only one here who needs to move quickly.” Jinwoo said with a shrug as he made his way over. “The rest of us want to hit harder. We spent more time training with these poles anyway so it’s just easier to use.” He quickly dropped a kiss into Myungjuns hair and turned around when the dungeon doors rumbled open behind them.

“Time to go!” Sanha said excitedly, and they made their way inside.

The doors closed behind them and Dongmin sighed. “I forgot it was so dark, find the wall everyone.”

“No need.” Jinwoo said and everyone but Myungjun gasped as vibrant fire lit up the darkness. Jinwoo used it to light the torches along the wall, throwing everything into a greenish hue.

“Wow, what the hell Hyung, your fires changed.” Moonbin said, but quickly scowled when Dongmin told him to watch his language.

They were able to see where they were going this time and made quicker progress. Myungjun wrinkled his nose at the familiar stench of the first floor and was ready for the wall to seal shut behind them. They moved out onto the floor, stepping over the murky rivers of sewer water and met the rats halfway this time. Rocky sent Rocky Jr ahead to distract them, allowing the boys time to pull the poles from their backs. Jinwoo spun his expertly through his fingers before swinging hard at the nearest rat. It connected with a sickening crunch and the rat collapsed lifeless.

Myungjun watched as Rocky Jr got pinned down by one and was saved by Moonbin who kicked it off of the struggling rock. It garbled something in its gravelly voice and Moonbin laughed. “No problem, I owed you one from the last dungeon run.”

Myungjun wondered how he’d understood what Rocky Jr had said but quickly shook his head clear of thoughts to focus on the fight. He couldn’t afford to get distracted like last time. He watched a rat creep up behind Jinwoo and set of running. He focused on bringing his magic to his palms and heaved his vines through the stone behind Jinwoo to create a wall between him and the rat. The rat squeaked angrily and tried to claw through but Myungjun got there first. He pulled his swords free and descended upon it. Even though the swords were wooden, they were still sharp and strong, so they could do a lot of damage.

“Myungjun what the hell are these vines?” Jinwoo asked when he finally looked behind him. He poked his head round the wall to see Myungjun deliver the final blow. Myungjun stretched with a groan and watched as blood ran down his forearm. The rat had scratched him and torn through skin.

“Myungjun you’re bleeding!” Jinwoo said rushing forward to grab his arm. “How bad is it? Do you have bandages?”

Myungjun pulled his arm away gently with a wince, it stung. “Go help the others JinJin, I’ve got this.” He pulled his vines back into the ground and pushed Jinwoo away to give himself some space. “Go now Jinwoo.” He commanded before pulling his vines back through the ground to create a shield around himself. He didn’t bother creating a roof, the rats couldn’t climb, and he needed the light. He reached down with his good hand to clumsily untie the pouch at his waist. He set it on the floor and rummaged through it to find the tub of paste he’d made the night before and some bandages. He quickly layered the paste on and hissed at the sting. Wrapping it in the bandage was a lot harder and took a while. The fighting died down around him and he pulled the vines back to see his friends looking down at him with worry.

“Are you okay Hyung?” Sanha asked and helped Myungjun to his feet.

“I’m fine.” Myungjun said, waving his dodgily bandaged arm around. “Can someone put my pouch back on my belt?” Rocky moved over immediately to help and Jinwoo tutted before pulling Myungjuns arm towards himself.

“How do you not even know how to bandage properly. You watch me doing it enough when I wrap your knuckles in combat training.” Myungjun pouted but let him re-wrap him before they moved towards the new opening in the wall.

They stepped into the boss room and eyed the giant rat warily as it growled their way. They knew they could make the first move, but it was still unsettling. Jinwoo quickly gave them commands and they spread out. Myungjun and Dongmin were told to strike first. They had to trap its legs so it couldn’t move from the beginning. Myungjun aimed his vines at the rats two front legs and Dongmin froze the vines solid, much like they’d done to the bug boss during the last dungeon run. It worked, the rat finally sprung to life and squeaked madly upon realising it couldn’t move.

Rocky held Rocky Jr back, probably still traumatised from what this boss had done to him before and they all watched as Jinwoo stepped up. Myungjun warned him not to use too much energy and Jinwoo smiled at him before bursting into green flames. He heard him chanting under his breathe and the fire moved down to his palms. Myungjun knew to cover his nose as Jinwoo cooked it alive. He stopped early, pulling the flames back into his skin and just watched as the boss took its last breath. Myungjun cheered and raced over to give Jinwoo a hug.

“You did it!” Myungjun said happily. “You controlled your magic so well, I’m so proud of you!” Jinwoo just laughed and gestured to the new opening in the wall.

“We should go, but first, let’s see who need’s a plant boost.”

*

The second floor was easy. Sanha used his newly improved air magic to blast the hive off the tree where it shattered into pieces. In the boss room, Myungjun was able to heave his vines through the floor to shield anyone who was in danger of being blasted with the numbing goo. Dongmin and Jinwoo blasted the boss from either side with their magic until it collapsed lifeless under double the power. Myungjun boosted their energy before walking down the steps to reach the third floor.

“Remember everyone, whatever you see is an ILLUSION. Don’t believe what you see. I read up about the creature that does it. It’s a trickster fairy, you need to break free from the illusion first before we can kill it. There could be one or multiple so let’s get this done quickly.” Myungjun explained before stepping into the room. He was back in the field and when he looked behind him, everyone had disappeared.

He saw his parents fighting back to back across the field and felt nothing as his father stabbed his mother in the back. He just waited patiently for the man to approach him and returned the favour of stabbing him straight through the heart with one of his swords. The illusion shattered and Myungjun saw the fairy in question squeak in fright. It tried to fly away but Myungjun knocked it from the air before crushing it under his foot. He looked around to see the others, standing eerily still around the room, staring into nothing. They each had a fairy hovering in front of their faces, casting their spells. Myungjun knew they had to break free from their illusions alone before he could harm the fairies in question and waited patiently. A noise to his right made him turn and he saw Rocky Jr racing around Rockys feet trying to swat the fairy away, but he was too short.

Myungjun had an idea and used his vines to create a little staircase for Rocky Jr to climb. The rock stumbled up the steps quickly and crushed the fairy in a stony fist. Rocky gasped and fell to his knees as the illusion was shattered. He looked up to see Myungjun offering him a hand and let himself be pulled to his feet.

“What happened?” Rocky asked, looking thoroughly confused. “I hadn’t found a way out yet.”

“Rocky Jr was your way out.” Myungjun said happily. “I noticed he wasn’t affected by the illusion and because he’s an extension of your magical energy he was able to crush the fairy that I couldn’t touch.”

Rocky crouched down to give Rocky Jr a hug and Myungjun looked up when he heard Jinwoo curse. He was sweating and shaking, trying to crush the fairy in front of him. Now the illusion was broken Myungjun could kill the fairy for him and he held Jinwoo up as he fell forwards.

“Junnie, boost me now. I don’t know how long I can hold on.” Jinwoo said weakly as Myungjun fumbled awkwardly for the pouch crushed in between their bodies. He pulled out a few wrong plants before finally finding the one he needed and shoving it into the tired boy’s mouth. He felt the strength return to Jinwoos body and when he thought it was okay, he pulled back to look at him properly.

“JinJin are you okay?” Myungjun asked, searching his face for signs of distress. “What happened in there?” Jinwoo just nodded before telling him they’d talk about it later.

“Moonbins out of the illusion.” Rocky called behind them and they turned to see Moonbin watching Dongmin carefully. Myungjun looked over, startled to see tears falling from Dongmins unblinking eyes. Moonbin moved over to touch him but Myungjun called out to stop him.

“Moonbin don’t! If you touch him, he could get seriously freaked in the illusion and might not be able to get out.”

“He’ll know its me.” Moonbin said, sounding surprisingly certain and leaned forwards to press a gentle kiss to Dongmins lips. To Myungjuns surprise, Dongmins eyes fell closed and he wrapped his arms around Moonbin with a sob. Moonbin reached up with one hand to crush the fairy that tried to fly away.

“Binnie.” Dongmin said weakly, pulling back to look at the pink haired boy. “You’re okay Binnie, thank the deity, I thought I’d lost you.” He cried some more and Moonbin pulled him into another hug.

“Shhhh Minnie, its okay. I’m okay, you’re okay it was just an illusion.” He rubbed his hands soothingly up and down Dongmins spine until he stopped crying. They pulled back to share a kiss that was so intimate that Myungjun had to look away, not wanting to ruin their moment. It was spoiled anyway as Rocky shouted out in panic.

“SANHA NO!” Everyone whipped around to see Sanha slowly sinking into the ground. “We’re losing him Hyungs, do something!” Rocky called desperately.

“Unless you want to try kissing him, we have to let him go.” Moonbin said with a frustrated sigh. “Whatever Sanha saw must have messed him up bad.”

Rocky hesitated before shaking his head. “Ew, no way am I kissing him, he’s a baby.”

“He’s 11.” Dongmin pointed out wiping his eyes. “Sanha’s not a baby, he’s only a year younger than you.” Rocky just scowled as they watched Sanha disappear.

The wall rumbled behind them to reveal the corridor to the boss room. Myungjun felt extremely uneasy about this one as they made their way towards the unknown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Sanha screaming like he's being murdered at his Hyungs kissing will forever be hilarious to me  
> 2\. Anyone who bullies someone over their sexual orientation is a piece of s***, I said what I said.  
> 3.The boys are back in the dungeon for their final exam and then it's summer vacay yayyyyy!!
> 
> Myungjuns magic inspired me to grow my own flowers, so now I have a Calla Lily growing on my window ledge next to my bed UWU


	36. July Dungeon Run Examination-Part 2.

Jinwoo entered the boss room first and looked around. “There’s nothing here.” He said confused, before turning to look at the others. “You’re still here so it’s not another illusion…unless that’s not really you.” He narrowed his eyes in suspicion and Moonbin scoffed.

“Of course its us Hyung. Wait turn around!” Moonbin pointed to something in front of Jinwoo and he turned back to see a beautiful young woman materialise in the air.

“It’s a Riddler!” Dongmin said, sounding excited. “Look at the mark on her forehead. We have to solve a riddle to move on.”

When Myungjun looked closer he could see the circular symbol, and it began to glow as she spoke.

_No legs have I to dance._  
_No lungs have I to breathe._  
_No life have I to live and die._  
_And yet I do all three._  
_What am I?_

“What does that mean?” Moonbin asked confused. “How can you dance with no legs?”

“Wave your arms?” Myungjun supplied and made the gesture goofily until Rocky laughed.

“Stop messing around Hyung.” Dongmin chastised, holding back a smile of his own. “We need to think this through. It has no legs but can move, no lungs but it breathes and no life, but it can live and die. Maybe something unanimated? The undead? But it got its legs cut off or something?”

“Well go and guess that then, if you get it wrong, we’ll just try again.” Moonbin said with a shrug. The boys watched as Dongmin went to stand in front of the woman. He repeated his answer and screamed as the floor opened up beneath him.

“WHAT THE HELL!” Moonbin shouted, racing over to where Dongmin had disappeared. “Where did he go? Is he out? How is that fair?” He growled in frustration and launched at the Riddler. He bounced off an invisible shield and landed a few feet away with a grunt. “You old hag, give me back my boyfriend!” He shouted angrily before running towards her again. Jinwoo grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him away.

“Stop it! We won’t get anywhere like this. He obviously got it wrong, so if he’s out then he’s out, calm down.” Moonbin yanked Jinwoos arm off his shoulder and went to sulk against the wall.

“We can’t get it wrong.” Myungjun said, beginning to panic. “If we all get it wrong, we’re out. We can’t fail here again! Our scores going to suck.”

“We won’t fail Hyung.” Rocky said, moving over to give his arm an encouraging squeeze. “We just need to think carefully about it. Can we hear the riddle again?” He asked, turning to the Riddler.

_No legs have I to dance._  
_No lungs have I to breathe._  
_No life have I to live and die._  
_And yet I do all three._  
_What am I?_

“What breathes but doesn’t have lungs?” Rocky wondered aloud.

They were quiet for a moment before an idea hit Myungjun. “I think I got it!” He said eagerly and the others turned to listen. “My flowers dance in the wind and they have no legs. They also breathe without having actual lungs.” He looked at their faces feeling excited but stopped when Jinwoo frowned his way.

“That’s true Junnie but your flowers do have life, right? You always talk about how they’re alive, so it can’t be the answer.”

“Well do you have any better ideas?” Myungjun sulked, feeling his excitement fizzle away.

“Maybe it’s the wind? I guess you could say the wind dances and breathes as it blows. I wouldn’t say it has life either.” Moonbin piped up from the side of the room and moved to join them. “Might as well give it a go. At least I’ll see Minnie quicker if I’m wrong.” No-one stopped him as he went to answer the Riddler and they looked on in disappointment when the floor opened up beneath him.

“This is too hard.” Myungjun whined. “We’re never going to get it.” They sat in silence for a long time, individually thinking about the riddle and throwing random guesses out to each other but nothing was piecing together quite right.

“Maybe you should just go and answer with your idea about the plants Hyung.” Rocky said to Myungjun. “It’s the best answer we’ve had.”

Myungjun looked over to where Dongmin and Moonbin had disappeared and shivered. He really didn’t want to go. Jinwoo saw his hesitation and sighed before getting up.

“I’ll do it Junnie. If it’s wrong, you better think of the right answer with Rocky and get to the next floor.” He smiled gently to ease the threat and stepped up to answer.

“Plants.” Jinwoo said boldly before cursing as the floor swallowed him whole. Myungjun groaned and hid his face in his hands. They were doomed. He laid back down on the floor and closed his eyes. He listened as Rocky Jr garbled on in the background until Rocky clapped his hands enthusiastically.

“Hyung I got it!” He sounded so certain that Myungjun shot up to look.

“What is it?” He asked, a spark of hope igniting in his chest.

“Well I was thinking about the types of magic. We already said plant and air but that didn’t work. Water wouldn’t make much sense either because I can’t imagine water breathing but FIRE Hyung.”

Myungjun laughed as he realised where Rocky was going with this. “Fire dances, it needs air like we need air but without lungs and its technically not alive. Rocky you’re a GENIUS!” He gestured for Rocky to go answer and the boy did so proudly. The Riddler accepted his answer with a smile and disappeared, revealing two different pathways.

“Two?” Myungjun asked confused but shrieked in joy when Dongmin, Moonbin and Jinwoo came stumbling out of one that closed behind them. “You’re not out!” Myungjun said, rushing over to give them all a hug. “Why aren’t you out?”

“If we all failed, we’d be out.” Dongmin said with a grin. “I guess it was a tactic to make the remaining ones nervous so they couldn’t answer properly either, very sneaky of them. What was the answer anyway?”

“Fire.” Rocky said happily. Jinwoo looked at him in surprise.

“Why didn’t I think of that?” He asked with a laugh and pulled Rocky into a hug. “Good job.” Rocky beamed when he pulled away and pointed towards the remaining opening.

“Should we go now?” They all agreed and rushed down the corridor, eager to face the next challenge.

*

The fourth floor was creepy, but they cleared it easily enough. Giant spider webs hung from floor to ceiling and Jinwoo used his magic to burn them all down. The spiders scattered at the fire and hid until it was over. They attacked afterwards but the boys were ready. They defeated them swiftly and moved on to the boss room. They made a plan before making the first move and brought the giant spider down. Myungjun gave them an energy boost before moving to the fifth floor.

“We’re getting the hang of this.” Jinwoo said confidently, as they moved out into what appeared to be a tropical jungle. “It’s warm in here, I like it.”

Moonbin made a noise of approval. “The airs moist, my water magic will work well in here.” They moved through the trees quietly, waiting to hear any sign of movement. Myungjun looked up into the trees to see vines hanging down. He reached up to touch one and hear the whispers. He wanted to know if these plants were fake too. His fingers brushed across them and he heard nothing. He sighed and went to move away before the vine hissed and fell to the floor. He screamed and jumped backwards, that was definitely not a vine, that was a very angry looking snake. The jungle was suddenly filled with hisses as the snakes rained down on them from the trees.

Myungjun pulled his swords free from the scabbards and started to defend himself. He’d never seen snakes so large and wondered if they’d been magically enhanced. He heard Jinwoo grunt behind him and turned to see him struggling to push one off of himself. It had fallen and crushed him under its weight. Myungjun dived towards him and stabbed his swords straight through the snake’s body. It turned to hiss menacingly at him and Jinwoo managed to get free before stamping on its head until its skull crunched.

“Thanks Junnie.” He said breathlessly before pulling his pole free from his back and swinging it towards Myungjuns head. Myungjun ducked just in time and Jinwoos pole connected with a snake that was dangling above him. “Sorry I should have yelled duck first.” Jinwoo said, pulling Myungjun away. They stood back to back and fought as many of them off as they could. It seemed to be never ending.

Rocky cried out in pain as a snake coiled around his leg and squeezed. Myungjun saw a bright light from the corner of his eyes and watched as Dongmins bolt of frost hit the snake and froze it solid. Moonbin raced towards him and used his wooden pole to smash the frozen snake to pieces. It broke away from Rockys leg and he fell to the floor with a gasp. His leg was purple and beginning to swell.

“I have to help him!” Myungjun yelled back to Jinwoo who was struggling to hold off his own snake. Jinwoo signalled for him to go and Myungjun felt heat at his back when he left. He rushed over to Rocky and heaved his vines through the soft jungle floor to create a shield around them. Rocky sat back with a whine and reached over to touch his leg.

“Stop.” Myungjun commanded. “It could be fractured. Give me your pole.” He held it against the floor at an angle and brought his foot down on the wood hard. It broke in half with a crack and Myungjun set to work on Rockys leg. He made a quick splint out of the broken pole and his left-over bandages. “Eat this for the pain.” He said to Rocky gently before handing him over one of his plants. “I’m sorry I can’t do anything more; you’ll have to wait until we get out of here. I can always knock you out if you want to go now?” He offered with a kind smile. “No-one will blame you if you want to.”

Rocky just shook his head and chewed on the plant, with barely contained pain written all over his face. “I’ll be fine hyung.”

They heard Jinwoo calling them through the vines. “It’s over guys, you can come out.” Myungjun pulled his vines back and Dongmin and Moonbin rushed in to help Rocky to his feet. Rocky assured everyone that he was fine and hesitantly put weight on his bad leg. His eyes widened in surprise and he looked up at Myungjun.

“It doesn’t hurt anymore, whatever you gave me has really worked. Thanks’ Hyung.” Myungjun smiled and looked around for the opening to the boss room. He spotted it through some trees and led the way. Rocky put an arm around Moonbins shoulders and let him help keep the pressure off his leg. Even though it didn’t hurt, it could still undergo further damage if he wasn’t careful. The stairs leading down to the boss room took a long-time as he could only hop down them one at a time.

Myungjun took the opportunity to talk to Jinwoo. “Hey how are you feeling? I’m sorry I left you alone back there, but I needed to make sure Rocky was okay.”

Jinwoo just smiled and pulled him in close by the waist. “Don’t apologise, its your job to heal for a reason. You did a good job Junnie, I think he’ll be fine for a few more floors at least. We could always just incapacitate him if he wants to go now though.”

Myungjun sighed and looked up the stairs to see Rocky hopping down another one. “I did offer but he’s so stubborn. He wants to keep going no matter what.”

“We all do.” Jinwoo said, guiding Myungjuns face back to look at him. “We have a giant snake to deal with now, so let’s get in there, make a plan and use our first move wisely, so we can move on as quickly as possible yeah?” Myungjun nodded and leaned forwards to kiss him.

They turned when Rocky sighed in relief as he reached the bottom. “Let’s go Hyungs, fight now and make out later.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: The Riddler is a beautiful young woman.  
> Moonbin: Proceeds to call her an old hag.
> 
> *
> 
> Jinwoo: Sorry I should have yelled duck first.  
> Myungjun: Why not goose? *Insert adorable laugh here*
> 
> *
> 
> OKAY IF YOU'RE STILL READING I NEED TO TELL YOU THAT I WROTE THE CUTEST SCENE BETWEEN MYUNGJUN AND ROCKY JR AND I LEGIT WANT TO COMBUST.
> 
> Okay now I'm done :S ~


	37. July Dungeon Run Examination-Part 3.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING:  
> Mentions of blood ahead...like lots and lots of blood.
> 
> Oh, and Myungjun in a crop top.  
> You can shout at me in the comments xD

They entered the boss room on the fifth floor and helped Rocky sit down against the wall. “I’ll use my magic from here.” Rocky said with a smile and patted the floor.

Myungjun heard Jinwoo making a plan with Dongmin and Moonbin and turned to look at the boss. The giant snake was slowly uncoiling from its place in the middle of the giant cavern. Its black scales glistening in the torchlight.

“Uhhhh guys?” Myungjun said slowly. The others continued speaking and Myungjun watched in horror as the snake turned its giant head to look at him. “Guys…guys listen to me…GUYS STOP IGNORING ME.” Myungjun shouted as the snake lunged his way. He dived to the side and the snake crashed into the wall. The walls shook from the extreme force and rocks crumbled from the ceiling.

“What’s going on?” Dongmin asked panicked, looking around to see Myungjun on the floor.

“If you guys actually listened to me, you’d know the snake was already moving dammit.” Myungjun cursed and rolled away as the snake lunged at him again, fangs bared.

“What happened to us making the first move?” Moonbin asked, standing still in shock. “We always make the first move.”

“HELP ME YOU BUNCH OF IDIOTS.” Myungjun screamed at them as the snake lunged and landed on top of him. He brought one of his swords up to block his face and the snake bit right through it, splintering the wood into pieces. He tried to struggle free, but the snake was too heavy, and he could hardly breathe.

He heard Rocky shouting something and suddenly Rocky Jr was standing over Myungjuns face protectively and taking the next bite from the snake. Myungjun felt hands under his arms and was pulled free from underneath its giant body. He looked up to see Jinwoo and Moonbin above him.

“Are you okay?” Jinwoo asked, bending down to look at him in worry. Myungjun scowled and climbed to his feet.

“No thanks to you lot standing there doing nothing! Next time listen to me Jinwoo, bloody hell.” Myungjun turned away from him angrily and watched as Dongmin blasted the snake with his ice magic. He got ready to distract it, from turning to attack Dongmin back, but was shocked to see the snake still only looking at him. It slithered around Rocky Jr and aimed at him again. He barely dodged it and ran across the vast cavern, luring the snake away from the others. Why is it only after me? Myungjun thought, fear fluttering in his chest. He heard it slithering behind him and chanced a look over his shoulder. The snake was closing the distance and he saw Jinwoos green fire licking against its tail, as he was too far behind to attack it properly. The snake didn’t seem affected and Myungjun screamed as it launched, covering the remaining distance between them, and sinking its fangs into his arm that was already bandaged from the rat scratch on the first floor. Pain shot through him and he stumbled to his knees.

He heard the others calling out to him from afar, but his head was spinning. The ground started to rumble as Rocky used his magic. An awful noise rang through the air as the ground was split open. Rockys magic had gotten much stronger since the last dungeon run, and he pulled the ground apart with ease. Myungjun looked back to see Jinwoo dive to the side, barely avoiding plummeting off the edge. He saw the crack shoot towards him next and he tried to yank his arm free. If the snake still had a hold of him when it reached them, he’d fall through it too. He used his free hand to clumsily pull his remaining sword from its scabbard and stabbed at the snake’s eyes. It let go with an angry hiss, but it was too late. Myungjun felt the ground give way beneath him and suddenly he was falling.

His arm flailed around, looking for some sort of grip and he cried out in relief when he found purchase on a rock that was sticking out. He heard Jinwoo shouting his name and Moonbin shushing him and telling him that Myungjun was out.

“I’M DOWN HERE.” He called out desperately, dangling from one hand over an endless abyss. He heard footsteps running over and looked up to see Jinwoos shocked face looking down at him.

“Junnie hold on we’ll get you!” He said panicked, looking around for something to help. “Help me guys I can’t reach him!”

“Your pole!” Dongmin said helpfully. “Let him grab it and we’ll pull him out.”

“I can’t.” Myungjun said through gritted teeth. His energy was giving out and his battered arm hung uselessly by his side. “I won’t be able to hold on, I can’t move my arm. I think the snake was poisonous.”

Jinwoo growled in frustration before being pulled away by someone and they muttered furiously. Rocky poked his head over a few seconds later and smiled down at Myungjun. “Hold on Hyung, I’ll get you out.” He placed his hands on the stone and his birthmark began to glow. Myungjun heard rumbling below him and a circular piece of ground rushed up to meet his feet. He let it carry him up to the others and Jinwoo pulled him to safety. Myungjun rolled onto his back with a groan and reached down into his pouch, he could feel the poison spreading across his chest and needed to find an antidote. He was glad he’d prepared for every situation.

Jinwoo saw him fumbling and opened it for him. “The purple one.” Myungjun croaked out. “Hurry Jinwoo.” He closed his eyes, trying to hold onto consciousness, until he felt something pressed to his lips. He forced himself to chew and groaned in relief as the poison receded. Jinwoo helped him to stand and looked down at his injured arm.

“Junnie it looks terrible, we need to get the old bandage off and wrap it again to stop the bleeding.”

Myungjun pulled his arm out of Jinwoos grip and walked away to check on Rocky. He was angry at Jinwoo and the others for not listening to him, they could have avoided this all together if they hadn’t ignored him in the first place.

He crouched down next to Rocky and pushed the boy’s sweaty hair from his forehead. “You shouldn’t have moved from the wall.” He scolded him lightly. “Did you walk over here?”

Rocky shook his head and winced as the pain relief plant he had taken before started to wear off. “I crawled here, dragged this stupid leg behind me. I hate being crippled.”

“Me too.” Myungjun said, looking down at his unmoving arm. “We seem pretty useless now right?” Rocky laughed tiredly and nodded. Myungjun moved back to inspect Rockys leg and was happy to see the splint still in place. What worried him the most, was the blood seeping through the bandages, and he sighed in frustration after realising he had no clean bandages left.

“We should just jump off the edge here and get proper medical treatment.” Rocky said jokingly, trying to lighten the mood.

“Don’t tempt me.” Myungjun mumbled. “I can’t re-wrap your leg Rocky, I’m sorry. I should have brought more bandages.”

“It’s fine Hyung, I’m okay. You need bandages more than me anyway, what are you going to do?” the younger boy asked, looking at his arm. Myungjun could feel the blood dripping down his fingers and tried to ignore it.

“Rocky do me a favour and rip the bottom of my shirt off. I need the material.” Myungjun said. “I’d do it myself, but I can’t really do it one handed.” Rocky reached forwards and was stopped by Jinwoo who came up behind them.

“Don’t ruin your clothes Junnie.” He said softly. “Take mine instead.” He moved to pull his shirt off but Myungjun ignored him.

“Rocky, rip it now, listen to Hyung.” Rocky looked torn between the two but decided to listen to Myungjun after seeing his stern expression. He ripped the bottom half of Myungjuns top off messily, the sound of tearing fabric filling the cavern and handed it to Myungjun, the tips of his ears burning.

“You’re stomachs exposed Hyung.” He said, avoiding looking his way. Myungjun just smiled at his bashfulness and moved to wrap up his arm.

“Let me do it Junnie.” Jinwoo said dropping down next to him. Myungjun tried to resist but he took the fabric from his hand forcefully. “Stop being stubborn Myungjun. I know you’re angry that we ignored you, and you probably blame us for getting hurt but your injury is more important then any of that. Let me wrap it, you know you’re terrible at bandaging anyway.” Myungjun snorted but let him take over.

Jinwoo worked quickly and quietly, apologising whenever Myungjun would flinch. When he was finished, he kissed the back of Myungjuns hand gently. “I’m really sorry Junnie, we should have listened to you. You’re right to be angry. I told you I’d protect you, but you ended up getting hurt anyway.” His eyes begged Myungjun for forgiveness and Myungjun gave in with a sigh.

“We’re sorry too Hyung.” Moonbin said cautiously, pulling Dongmin around into view. “We should have listened as well.”

“It’s fine.” Myungjun said, struggling to his feet. “We need to keep going. Help Rocky up so we can move on.” Myungjun looked around for the opening to the sixth floor and groaned. It was on the other side of the large chasm Rocky had made. He walked over to the edge and looked down; it was a long drop. He considered a running jump, but realised Rocky wouldn’t make it, so he thought for a few seconds before coming up with an idea. He’d never attempted making a bridge with his vines before but decided it was a good time to try.

He only had one good hand to use, so he focused hard on moving all his magic to it. He pictured a bridge connecting the two sides of the chasm and forced his vines through the stone. It broke noisily around him, and he felt a thrill of achievement as they connected firmly to the other side. He tested how much weight it could take and set off carefully. He made it to the other side and called the others. The vines dipped dangerously when Moonbin helped Rocky over, but they didn’t break. Jinwoo and Dongmin quickly followed and soon they were walking through the corridor to the sixth floor.

*

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Myungjun said faintly, looking across a lake of water. There was a small island in the centre, but if they wanted to reach it, they’d have to swim. “Please don’t tell me we have to go in there.”

“Looks like it.” Moonbin said, sounding way too happy for Myungjuns liking. “I have something that can help.” Moonbin used his magic to manipulate some of the water and created six big bubbles. He stuck his head inside one and to everyone’s surprise it didn’t pop.

“Bubble helmets?” Dongmin asked curiously. “Smart.”

Moonbin made sure they all had one before diving into the lake, followed closely by Dongmin. Myungjun helped Rocky lower himself into the water and a look of relief flashed over the younger boy’s face as the water made his bad leg weightless. Before Myungjun could get in, Jinwoo stopped him. He took his head out of his bubble and gestured for Myungjun to do the same so they could talk.

“What’s up JinJin?” Myungjun asked, looking at the water impatiently. “We need to get in there in case the others run into trouble.”

“Junnie I won’t be able to use my magic down there. The water will put it out if I try, I just needed to warn you. Also, we won’t be able to talk, so if you need to tell me anything, just hold onto my hand and use what we learned in communications okay? The telepathy thing.” Myungjun nodded and put the helmet back on. He jumped into the water and looked around. The others were up ahead, and he swam after them. The water was dimly lit by something Myungjun couldn’t locate and he looked down to see thick weeds growing at the bottom. He looked back at Jinwoo and grabbed onto his hand.

*Watch out for the weeds, anything could be in them* He thought hard and Jinwoo gave him a thumbs up. Myungjun turned to look when he saw a flash of light. Dongmin was up ahead, shooting bright blue bolts at something swimming towards him.

*Sirens* Jinwoos voice rang ominously through Myungjuns head. Fear gripped at his heart when he remembered Jinwoo laying in the infirmary, chest wrapped in bandages after spilling siren venom on himself. He recalled the teacher telling him it eats through skin and he kicked harder through the water to catch up.

*I don’t have an antidote for siren venom JinJin. Don’t let it bite you* Jinwoo gave him another thumbs up before letting go of Myungjuns hand and swimming ahead. He’d make faster progress with two arms than Myungjun would with one. Myungjun watched helplessly as Jinwoo swam towards danger. We need to get to the island, Myungjun thought, we don’t stand a chance under the water. He looked ahead to see Jinwoo pull the pole from his back. He swung it towards the siren descending on Dongmin. His muscles flexed with the effort, but the pole moved slowly, dragging against the water. When it connected, the siren turned towards him and bared its fangs. It moved much quicker under the water with its tail and had Jinwoo by the throat in seconds. He let go of the pole he was holding in favour of clawing at the monster’s arm.

Myungjun watched as Moonbin moved behind it, birthmark glowing. The water started to swirl chaotically, a whirlpool of energy that ripped the siren away. Myungjun gestured desperately to the island ahead and everyone made their way towards it. We’re going to make it, Myungjun thought, hope surging through his chest as he saw Moonbin climbing out and pulling Dongmin and Jinwoo out after him. That hope died as another siren flew out of the weeds below to grab at Rockys legs. The young boy opened his mouth in a silent scream as the siren dug her claws into his bad leg, blood billowing out in clouds. Myungjun tried to get to him but had to watch helplessly as he was dragged down into the weeds to disappear. He felt a surge of water as Moonbin dived back in. He saw Myungjuns face and started to swim down to the weeds but Myungjun stopped him. He couldn’t let Moonbin disappear too. They swam together to the island and Myungjun collapsed on the rocks with a groan as his bubble popped.

“Where’s Rocky?” Dongmin asked apprehensively. “Did he get caught?” Myungjun nodded tiredly and shivered as his clothes stuck to his skin. Dongmin cursed and swept the wet hair from his forehead. “What are we going to do? We don’t know how many of those things are down there.”

“I’ll use my magic to create a giant whirlpool and pull them all up to the surface.” Moonbin said. “That should make it easier to fight. Hyung do you think you could use your magic to burn them?”

Jinwoo shrugged. “I need to dry my hands at least; my fire won’t be so effective if I’m wet.” He closed his eyes and his birthmark began to glow. Myungjun watched in interest as his body started to steam.

“You need to try and freeze any you see Minnie.” Moonbin said, turning to the distressed boy. “I would ask you to try and freeze the water but that would take too much energy.”

“Creating a giant whirlpool will use a lot of energy too.” Dongmin said with a scowl. “I know what you’re doing. You’re trying to be heroic and sacrifice yourself again but you’re just an idiot who’s going to leave me behind.”

“Minnie don’t be like that. You know we don’t have any other choice. Unless you want me to go back in the water? I can’t guarantee I’d make it out that way either and I’d much rather get incapacitated by using all my energy then being dragged into the weeds like Rocky.”

Dongmins face crumbled and he sat down hard to cry. “This is so stupid. Why would they even put us in this situation to begin with?”

“To help us get ready for the outside world Minnie.” Moonbin said gently, sitting down next to him. “When we leave the academy, we won’t have a safety net to fall back on. It will be staring actual death in the face and this is to help us prepare for that. An incredibly smart person once told me those words. Do you remember who that was?” Dongmin whined in embarrassment and hid his face behind his hands.

“I wish I’d never said that.” He said sounding muffled and Myungjun watched them in amusement before standing up.

He turned to look at Jinwoo who had stopped steaming and looked near enough dry. He opened his arms and Myungjun let himself be cuddled, making a happy noise in the back of his throat when Jinwoo warmed up, attempting to dry him off too. Myungjun shivered when he felt Jinwoos hands travel to his waist. He’d forgotten he was exposed from tearing his shirt and having Jinwoos hands caress his bare skin made his brain go fuzzy. He pushed him away weakly and said he was dry enough. Luckily Jinwoo didn’t question the blush on his face and turned to face Moonbin when he spoke.

“Let’s get on with it. I’m hungry and I need a nice nap.”

*

Myungjun watched as Dongmin and Moonbin both collapsed with exhaustion and were sucked through the floor. The lake around them slowly drained away and the walls closed in to form the opening to the boss room.

“We can do this Junnie.” Jinwoo said tiredly and threaded their fingers together. Myungjun hadn’t been much help during the fight and had instead spent the time trying to sort through his pouch. It wasn’t waterproof so everything had gotten wet and he was sad to see that he only had one more energy reviver left. He gave it to Jinwoo now and watched his expression change as the tiredness faded away before he turned to stare at Myungjun expectantly.

“What?” Myungjun asked innocently.

“Why aren’t you taking anything? You look tired too, you need it.” Jinwoo said. He groaned in annoyance as Myungjun revealed that he didn’t have any more. “Why did you give it to me? You should have taken it!”

“You’re stronger than me Jinwoo. You can get us further with your magic then I can with mine. You know I’m right so stop looking at me like that, we should go.” He didn’t let Jinwoo reply and just dragged him down the corridor. “We don’t know if the boss will just attack like the snake did, so let’s make a quick plan before we step through.”

“Let me burn it to a crisp. That’s it, that’s the plan.” Myungjun rolled his eyes but stepped inside. There wasn’t a body of water in sight. Instead the siren had legs in place of a tail and was standing still in the middle of the room, holding a large trident.

It didn’t attack so Myungjun guessed they were allowed to make the first move again. He used some of his magic to heave his vines through the floor, to wrap around the creature’s legs. It screamed, a sound that pierced Myungjuns ear drums and he fell to the floor clutching his ears as pain ripped through them. He felt something dripping through his fingers and he pulled his hands away to see blood. He realised he couldn’t hear anymore and exchanged fearful looks with Jinwoo, who’s ears were also bleeding. He looked up to see the Siren slash through his vines with its trident and descend upon them. He felt heat and rolled to the side, away from Jinwoo, as he attacked. The fire engulfed the siren and it opened its mouth in what Myungjun guessed was a scream.

Myungjun was ready to celebrate their easy victory when the siren launched its trident his way, in a last-ditch attempt to incapacitate him. He tried to dodge but wasn’t fast enough. He flew backwards and was pinned against the wall, a sharp pain wracking his body and he looked down in disbelief to see one of the tips of the weapon pierced through his stomach, holding him up. Blood was oozing out, a scarlet river, drenching the floor beneath him and he coughed up something warm and metallic tasting. He looked up to see Jinwoo running his way and reached out his good hand shakily, so Jinwoo could grab it tight.

*It hurts JinJin, get it out* He felt warm tears spilling from his eyes and Jinwoo looked down at his stomach, face drained of colour. He let go of Myungjun to try and pull the trident free, but it was stuck fast. Jinwoo gave up and grabbed his hand again.

*I can’t Junnie, I don’t know what to do! Surely this is you incapacitated, why aren’t they pulling you out?*

Myungjun groaned in pain as he sagged against the metal. His legs had finally given out and the trident was dragging inside of him painfully. Jinwoo moved quickly to hold him up.

*Junnie you’re coughing up blood its really bad*

*Way to state the obvious JinJin* Myungjun thought sarcastically and felt Jinwoos body vibrate gently against his. He felt the edges of his mind go numb and shivered violently, making Jinwoo pull back to look at his face. His eyes held so much emotion it took Myungjuns breath away.

*What’s happening Junnie? Why does it look like you’re dying?* He heard the whisper of Jinwoos frantic voice in his mind as everything faded to black.

“I’m sorry JinJin.” He said aloud, forgetting Jinwoo couldn’t hear him and felt himself be sucked back into the wall, leaving Jinwoo behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...There's so much to talk about here. Are you ready?  
> 1\. Rockys badass magic  
> 2\. Myungjun in a crop top  
> 3\. Rockys awful incapacitation  
> 4\. Binwoos sacrifice  
> 5\. Myungjuns death??
> 
> This chapter makes me emo, I've read it like 50 times and it doesn't get any easier to digest.


	38. First Year Results Day.

Myungjun opened his eyes and groaned in pain. He was in the academy infirmary and looked down to see his stomach covered in bandages. He also had a new bandage wrapped around his arm, which he was happy to see he could finally move again. He looked around and saw Jinwoo fast asleep on the bed next to him. He was in different clothes and looked pale. It worried Myungjun because Jinwoo always had healthy colouring to his face from his fire magic. He got up shakily and shuffled over to lay down next to him, closing his eyes and allowing sleep to pull him back under.

He woke up groggily, a while later, to someone shaking him. The nurse was standing above him, mouthing words he couldn’t hear. He sat up in a panic, realising he was still deaf and winced as a pain shot through his stomach. Jinwoo stirred beside him but he didn’t wake. The nurse helped Myungjun off the bed and led him back over to his own. A man Myungjun didn’t know approached him and showed him his badge. He was a healer from the king’s court and got to work on Myungjun immediately. He placed his hands over Myungjuns ears and mouthed some words. Myungjun sat up straighter in shock as his hearing came back to him. Everything seemed too loud, the squeak of shoes against the floor, the drip of water for a nearby tap, Jinwoos soft breathes. Everything was amplified and he felt overwhelmed. The healer seemed to understand and slid something soft into his ears to muffle the noise before getting to work on the rest of him.

Myungjun lay back in silence as he felt the pain fade. The healer cut away his bandages to see the wound on his stomach. It was closed now, bright pink and puckered slightly but still felt sensitive. The man moved to his arm and cut away the bandages there. He also had a scar under his wrist from the deep rat scratch and two large fang holes on his forearm from the snake bite.

“If you want to get rid of the scarring, I can take you back to the castle to see a specialist.” He said kindly but Myungjun shook his head quickly. There was no way he was leaving his boyfriend right now. The man seemed to understand and got up to leave.

“Wait, aren’t you going to help Jinwoo?” Myungjun asked and the man turned to look at him.

“I already helped him earlier. He used an enormous amount of energy, dangerous levels in fact, so he’ll be asleep for a while.” He left and Myungjun climbed back into bed next to the sleeping boy. Myungjun snuggled against his chest and felt tears prick at the corners of his eyes. He hoped Jinwoo would be okay.

*

Jinwoo didn’t wake up for three days and when he did, Myungjun was in class. The teacher received a note and dismissed him, as he had insisted he be told first when Jinwoo finally woke. He raced from the room and ran as fast as he could to the infirmary, bursting through the doors to see Jinwoo looking up with a relieved smile. He promptly burst into tears and climbed onto the bed shaking, looking for comfort. Jinwoo pulled him down for a hug and they cuddled for a long time without speaking.

“I can’t believe you’re okay.” Jinwoo said with a raspy voice. “I thought you really had died, there was so much blood. I woke up and you weren’t here either, so I really thought you had gone.” His voice cracked at the end and he squeezed Myungjun tight. “Don’t scare me like that ever again do you understand?” Myungjun nodded and pulled away to look at him.

“You slept for so long, the healer told me you’d used dangerous amounts of energy, what happened?”

“I saw you get pulled through the wall and I was so angry. They’d taken so long to get you out and like I said; I thought you’d really died. I lost it, my fire just exploded and all I remember is running down corridor after corridor and killing over and over again. I don’t even know how many floors I cleared but I think it was a lot, so I guess that a good thing came out of it at least. It was like my energy levels were limitless, but it hit me eventually and I was knocked out cold.” Jinwoo explained quietly.

“No wonder you were out for three days.” Myungjun said in disbelief. “I’m glad you’re okay though, its been hard without you.”

Jinwoo asked him to sit up and he did so quickly, afraid that he was crushing him. “How’s your stomach?” Jinwoo asked, playing with the hem of Myungjuns shirt. “Can I see?”

“Are you sure?” Myungjun asked, feeling self-conscious. “It’s really gross.”

“I’m sure.” Jinwoo said rolling his eyes. “Nothing could look gross on you, so don’t be shy.” Myungjun leaned back to let him lift his shirt up and watched as Jinwoos eyes widened slightly.

“Does it hurt?” Myungjun shook his head. “Its really big, are you sure you’re still alive?” Myungjun just laughed and pushed his hand away to let his shirt fall back down.

“I’m sure I’m still alive. I got told I was lucky it didn’t hit anything important. The scars really pink now but it will fade to my skin colour eventually. It gets itchy sometimes.” He added with a frown.

“Is it itchy now? I’ll scratch it for you.” Jinwoo said, wiggling his fingers mischievously and Myungjun scrambled away to avoid being tickled.

“You stay away from my stomach Park Jinwoo or you’ll face the consequences!” He tried to sound intimidating but was squealing the next second as Jinwoo pulled him back up the bed by the waist.

“Why do I have to stay away? It’s cute.” He pouted and Myungjun nearly choked from how adorable he looked. His pout should be illegal he decided.

“I’ll just keep it covered so you can’t look.” Myungjun said childishly and Jinwoo laughed before leaning in to whisper in his ear.

“You didn’t have a problem showing off in the dungeon.” He pointed out cheekily, hinting to Myungjuns torn shirt. Myungjun remembered how exposed he had been and tried to squirm away, blushing fiercely, but Jinwoo held on tight. “You looked ridiculously good Junnie, don’t be embarrassed.”

Myungjun burned from the praise and he opted to hide his face in Jinwoos neck instead. “Stop JinJin, I don’t like compliments.”

Jinwoo scoffed in disbelief. “You thrive on compliments Junnie, I see the way you react when I call you pretty, that should be proof enough.” He laughed when Myungjun whined and continued. “You looked so strong and heroic fighting alongside me in there and helping everyone heal but all it took was one look at your stomach and I remembered how soft and cute you really are. It gave me all kinds of whiplash.”

Myungjun tried to cover his ears but Jinwoo held his wrists away. “I’m serious Junnie. Do you realise how much willpower it took for me to hold back from reaching out to touch you?”

Myungjun sat up fast at that and glared at him. “You did touch me don’t lie, on the island in the lake. You pretended you were drying me didn’t you?”

Jinwoo had the grace to look guilty and gave him a cheeky grin. “My willpower isn’t very strong it seems. I admit, I did use drying you as an excuse, but I won’t apologise.”

Myungjun remembered the way his hands had caressed his bare skin and he shivered. He looked up, when he felt Jinwoo tense, to see a hunger burning in his boyfriends’ eyes, almost predatory and he pulled away. “I need to get back to class. I’ll bring you some dinner later, bye!” He ran out of the door, heart thumping wildly and didn’t look back when Jinwoo called his name.

*

Myungjun lined up nervously, waiting to collect the results from his exams. It was the last day of July and he’d be going home tomorrow for the summer holidays. Grove handed him a roll of parchment with a smile and Myungjun rushed to sit down with his mother to open it eagerly. She had come for his results day and would be travelling home with him the next day.

1ST YEAR STUDENT EXAM RESULTS.  
KIM MYUNGJUN, EARTH ELEMENTAL-PLANT MANIPULATION VARIETY.

HERBOLOGY-A  
ZOOLOGY OF MAGICAL CREATURES-B  
ALCHEMY-B  
COMMUNICATIONS-A  
BASIC COMBAT AND WEAPONS TRAINING-A  
PRACTICAL SKILLS-B  
HISTORY AND LAW-D  
MEDITATION AND DISCIPLINE-SATISFACTORY

DUNGEON RUN OVERALL SCORE- 1310 POINTS  
DETAILS:  
FEBRUARY DUNGEON RUN EVALUATION  
NUMBER OR FLOORS CLEARED- 2 (+100 POINTS)  
NUMBER OF BOSSES ELIMINATED- 2 (+200 POINTS)  
NUMBER OF LIVES SAVED/HEROIC DEEDS PERFORMED- 4 (+40 POINTS)  
1\. Pushing YOON SANHA to safety- Floor 1  
2\. Trapping the boss to save PARK MINHYUK- Floor 1 BOSS  
3\. Shielding PARK MINHYUK from harm- Floor 2  
4\. Pulling LEE DONGMIN to safety- Floor 2 BOSS  
HEALER BONUS (+25 POINTS)

JUNE DUNGEON RUN EVALUATION  
NUMBER OR FLOORS CLEARED- 6 (+300 POINTS)  
NUMBER OF BOSSES ELIMINATED- 5 (+500 POINTS)  
NUMBER OF LIVES SAVED/HEROIC DEEDS PERFORMED- 12 (+120 POINTS)  
1\. Shielding PARK JINWOO from harm- Floor 1  
2\. Shielding whole party from harm- Floor 2 BOSS  
3\. Breaking illusion in record time- Floor 3  
4\. Helping PARK MINHYUK break his illusion- Floor 3  
5\. Boosting PARK JINWOO from the brink of incapacitation- Floor 3  
6\. Saving PARK JINWOO from being crushed- Floor 5  
7\. Creatively healing PARK MINHYUK (wooden splint)- Floor 5  
8\. Sacrificing last energy boost to PARK JINWOO- Floor 6  
HEALER BONUS (+25 POINTS)

CONGRATULATIONS KIM MYUNGJUN. YOU HAVE PLACED IN THE TOP 5% FOR YOUR SCORE GAINED IN THE DUNGEON EXAMINATIONS.

Myungjun read his results over and over again, not believing how well he did. He wasn’t surprised that he did poorly in history and law and just hoped his mother wouldn’t point it out when she read it. He handed the parchment to her and watched as her face lit up.

“Oh wow Junnie you did so well!” She exclaimed proudly before pulling him in for a hug. “I honestly didn’t expect you to do so good with how little experience you had before you came.” Myungjun glowed at the praise and looked up in surprise when he saw Jinwoo gesturing to him from across the room. He excused himself and hurried over.

“JinJin why are you hiding over here? I didn’t see you at breakfast today. Are you okay?” He asked worriedly.

“I’m fine, I just didn’t feel like eating.” Jinwoo said with a shrug. “Did you get good results? I haven’t been to get mine yet.” Myungjun nodded excitedly and recited all the grades he could remember. “That’s amazing!” Jinwoo said excitedly and pulled him in for a hug. He quickly let go with an awkward cough. “Your mother is watching us by the way.”

“So?” Myungjun asked with a laugh. “Can’t we even hug now?”

“Have you told her I’m your boyfriend?” Jinwoo blurted out with a blush.

“Not yet.” Myungjun said. “I will though, I just have to find the right time.” Jinwoo nodded in understanding before dragging Myungjun over to Blaze to collect his results. He wouldn’t let Myungjun see them but told him he’d done well too. Jinwoo froze in fright as Myungjun felt a hand land gently on his shoulder.

“Myungjun is this one of your friends?” his mother asked kindly. Myungjun introduced her to Jinwoo and Jinwoo bowed deeply which made his mother laugh. “Don’t be so formal Jinwoo, I’ve heard a lot about you and I’m glad we could finally meet.” He stood up quickly, blushing again and eyed Myungjun curiously. “Don’t worry, he only said good things.” His mother said lightly.

“Should we go and get some lunch?” Myungjun asked happily and led them to the hall to eat. Myungjun saw Dongmin chatting urgently to Moonbin and shooting glances to a stern looking man and woman who could only be his parents.

“That’s Dongmin.” Myungjun gestured over to them. “The dark haired one. He was the one who sacrificed himself to get me to the third floor of the dungeons in February. The pink haired boy with him is his boyfriend Moonbin.” He kept a close eye on his mother’s expression at the mention of them being boyfriends and he nearly sighed in relief when she smiled.

“I see what you mean, Dongmin is very handsome.” She said. “I should go over and thank him for helping you in the dungeon.”

“You can after we’ve eaten.” Myungjun said quickly. “They look busy right now.” He led his mother to one of the tables and spooned some food onto a plate for her. She thanked him and looked up in surprise when Sanha joined their table.

“Curly red hair, a cute face, you must be Sanha.” She said happily and cooed when he blushed.

“N..nice to meet you Mrs Kim.” Sanha stuttered, standing up to bow.

“Ms Kim.” She corrected him kindly. “I’m no longer married.” Sanha looked up in surprise but quickly went back to eating his food.

“Sanha may I ask you a question?” His mother spoke up and Myungjun turned to look at her. Sanha nodded apprehensively and she smiled. “Myungjun told me about the situation with your parents.” She ignored Myungjuns hissed words of betrayal and carried on. “I would like to know if you had plans for the summer? If not, I wouldn’t mind having you join us. I know my Junnie will get lonely over the holidays if he doesn’t see his friends, so you would be doing me a favour really.”

Sanha looked between them with wide eyes. “You mean spend the summer with you? In an actual house? Away from the academy?” Myungjuns mother nodded and Sanha looked at Myungjun. “Do you want me to Hyung?” He asked quietly.

“You’re always welcome Sanha.” Myungjun said with a smile. “I really would like the company.” Everyone turned to watch Jinwoo walk away from the table, back tense.

“Oh Jinwoo-hyung must be sad he has to stay at the academy alone.” Sanha said worriedly. “I forgot; I don’t think I can come Hyung sorry.”

Myungjuns mother scowled. “Why didn’t you tell me Jinwoo was alone as well Junnie? I would have invited him too.” Myungjun excused himself from the table and chased after him.

“Jinwoo wait!” He called out, catching up to him and pulling him back. “Where are you going?”

“I’m tired.” Jinwoo said stiffly. “I’m going to take a nap.”

“It’s not even the end of lunch yet Jinwoo. How can you be tired?” Myungjun asked. “You didn’t wait to hear what my mother had to say.”

“I heard enough. You’ll have a nice summer with Sanha. He really does deserve it; he hasn’t had a proper home for the past six years. It will be good for him. Now I really am tired, I’ll see you at dinner.” He turned to walk away but Myungjun grabbed him again, feeling stubborn.

“No Jinwoo listen to me. You’re right, Sanha does deserve it, but so do you. My mother was going to invite you too before you left.” He lied quickly. The outcome will be the same anyway, he thought. Pushing the little bit of guilt away. Jinwoo looked at him in surprise.

“She was?” He asked quietly. “Am I really invited?” Myungjun flashed him a blinding smile.

“Of course you’re invited. The more the merrier! Now come back inside and eat some lunch, you can nap later.” He said with a laugh, pulling Jinwoo back to their table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its the summer holidays~  
> I end up googling the weirdest stuff for this fic, the latest being: 'Can you get stabbed in the stomach and survive?'
> 
> Also whilst editing this I realised I plugged 2 NCT songs (Limitless and Whiplash) and now I want to add NCT into this world x] the struggleeee~


	39. The Sunday Service.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a month since I posted my first chapter!  
> A double chapter upload tonight in celebration, gotta celebrate the little things in life~

Myungjun walked up his garden path happily and turned back to see Jinwoo and Sanha trailing behind looking shy. He was suddenly struck by how overwhelming this must be for the both of them, especially Jinwoo who had never had a home. He walked back to grab each of their hands and led them inside.

“Mother, we’re going to put our bags upstairs.” Myungjun called out and gestured for the others to follow. He opened the door to his room and dumped his stuff onto his bed. “Do you want anything to eat or drink?” He asked and said okay when Sanha asked for a glass of water. He left them to look around his room and went back downstairs towards the kitchen.

“Are you boys hungry?” His mother asked. “It was a long journey. I can make you something.”

“No, we’re okay, I think the others are too nervous to eat. It’s a bit overwhelming to be inside a house again.” He moved over to the sink to get Sanha some water and his mother sighed sadly behind him.

“They’re such lovely children, so well-mannered and polite. It really is a shame they’ve had no one to look after them. We need to make sure that we make them feel at home here Junnie. Just remind them not to use their magic okay?” Myungjun hummed in agreement before taking the water upstairs.

He found the boys muttering fiercely in the middle of his room and eyed them suspiciously. They’d stopped talking immediately upon noticing his presence.

“Where are we going to sleep Hyung?” Sanha blurted out and Jinwoo elbowed him in the ribs.

“We’re fine with the floor Junnie its okay, you were already nice enough to invite us.” Jinwoo said quickly.

“Well _I’m_ not fine with sleeping on the floor.” Sanha whined. “It hurts my back.”

“I’ll give you something else that will hurt in a minute if you don’t shut up.” Jinwoo whispered furiously at him.

Myungjun just laughed and handed Sanha his water. “You won’t be sleeping on the floor. You can both have my bed and I’ll sleep downstairs on my reading chair. Don’t look at me like that Jinwoo its really comfy.”

“Well if it’s so comfy _I’ll_ sleep on your chair.” Jinwoo said with a frown. “I’m not taking your bed. You sleep in it with Sanha.” Myungjun sighed, realising this was an argument he wouldn’t win and accepted his defeat.

“Fine you can have the chair, I just need to remind you both not to use your magic here. The people in this town don’t accept magic users.” Myungjun said sadly. “If you feel your magic getting pent up, we’ll go out and look for a secret place to use it, okay?” The two boys nodded and Sanha held out his empty cup.

“Finished Hyung.” He said happily. Myungjun smiled at him but didn’t take it.

“Take the cup down yourself Sanha, this is your home too, so don’t be shy.” He said kindly. Sanha went to protest but Jinwoo threatened to hit him and he ran from the room.

Myungjun rolled his eyes at his boyfriends’ behaviour and went to empty out some space in his dresser for the others. He helped Jinwoo unpack before realising Sanha still hadn’t come back. He made his way downstairs with Jinwoo to look for him and found him sitting at the kitchen table eating some food his mother was cooking.

His mother turned away from the stove to smile at them. “Jinwoo sit down and have some food. Junnie said you boys might be too nervous to eat but I want you to try anyway.” Jinwoo hurried over and sat down looking shy. It made Myungjuns heart do funny things looking at his cute boyfriend. His mothers voice brought him back to reality. “Myungjun stop staring at the poor boy and sit down. If you eat something now, you can go out and show them around afterwards.”

When they’d finished eating Jinwoo dragged Sanha to the sink to help with the washing up. Myungjun watched them fondly as they splashed each other with the water and tried to come up with a plan for the afternoon. There were so many things he wanted to show them and so many things he wanted to do together, normal summer time activities that he couldn’t do before when he had no friends. Those days are long gone, Myungjun thought happily, I have lots of friends now. He got up to stop the water fight at the sink before his mother caught them.

*

They ended up spending the afternoon exploring the town. Myungjun showed them his old school and pushed the bitter memories it uncovered to the back of his mind. He also showed them the little shop he used to buy sweets from, when his mother allowed him to have them. He bought them all a lollipop and sucked on it happily as they made their way down to the river. The sun was setting but it was still warm, and he revelled in it.

He could hear the river water moving gently as they got closer and his eyes scanned the area. It looked pretty much the same as it had the last time he’d been there. He looked over to the patch where he used to plant flowers, when his magic had been suppressed, and felt a sadness wash over him. Jung-hoon really had ripped them all to shreds it seemed. He remembered how much his heart had hurt when Jung-hoon boasted about it before beating him up and he moved over to the patch quietly. He placed his hands on the soil and focused on his magic.

“Hyung you said we couldn’t use our magic here.” Sanha said, looking over Myungjuns shoulder to watch as his flowers bloomed.

“I needed to do this.” Myungjun said softly. “To replace what was taken from me.” He looked up to see the boys looking at him, clearly confused. He just smiled and made his way to the water. He slipped his shoes off and dipped his toes in. It was surprisingly warm, and he hummed happily.

“Is it safe to go in there?” Sanha asked, a hint of excitement in his voice. “I really want to swim.”

Myungjun remembered back to all the times he’d been in the river, looking for relief on a hot day and nodded happily to him.

“Please can we swim Hyung? Please please please!” Sanha begged and squealed in excitement when Myungjun said yes. Sanha was quick to remove his shoes and shed his shirt. He stumbled clumsily taking off his trousers because he was in such a rush and ran into the water. It reached up to his chest and he splashed around happily. “Aren’t you coming in Hyungs?” He called.

Myungjun grinned and moved to take off his shorts before remembering Jinwoo was there and feeling self-conscious again. He peeked over at the boy to see him already shirtless. Jinwoo didn’t seem to be paying any attention to him, only focused on getting into the water. Myungjun pushed his insecurities away and got undressed. He ran into the river and screamed as a pair of hands pushed him over. When he’d gotten up again and wiped the water from his face, he looked over to see Jinwoo grinning at him evilly before splashing him and Sanha with unrelenting waves. Jinwoo was shouting the next minute when Sanha used his air magic to propel water towards him in revenge. They played and shouted and had lots of fun until the sun disappeared completely.

Myungjun walked over to his discarded clothes and shivered. The night air was cool, and he watched jealously as Jinwoo steamed himself dry. He saw Myungjun watching and opened his arms, an offer to dry him off again. Myungjun remembered back to the lake in the dungeons and Jinwoo admitting he’d used it as an excuse to touch him and declined his offer. The thought of Jinwoo touching his bare skin again was too embarrassing. He just pulled his clothes on, frowning at the way they stuck to him uncomfortably and led them all home.

*

Myungjun woke up on Sunday morning to a face full of Sanhas hair. The younger boy whined when Myungjun untangled himself from their cuddle to get out of bed. He stretched with a groan and padded downstairs to get himself a drink. Jinwoo and his mother were already sitting at the table, drinking steaming cups of tea and Myungjun accepted his cup gratefully.

“Jinwoo was just telling me how he attends church every Sunday at the academy. There’s a church by the field behind our house, will you take him later Junnie?” His mother asked.

“Sanha attends church too.” Jinwoo said. “We can all go together, if you want to that is.” He added, looking over the top of his cup at Myungjun.

“Sure, we can go. I’ve never been inside the church before, so it will be a new experience.” Myungjun said, giving him a smile. He looked up when Sanha stumbled into the kitchen, still half asleep. He plonked himself down at the table and swept the hair out of his eyes.

“You, young man, need a haircut.” Myungjuns mother said, gesturing to Sanhas hair before looking at the other two boys. “In fact, all of you need a haircut. You can’t go to church looking scruffy. After breakfast I’ll give you all a trim.” She got up to make some food and Jinwoo leaned across the table to whisper at Myungjun.

“Does your mother know how to cut hair?” He asked, sounding slightly worried. Myungjun just laughed and assured him that she could. He had never once been to a barber shop because his mother always did a good enough job from home.

Myungjun was the first to get his hair trimmed, mainly to reassure the others that they could definitely trust his mother with theirs. Sanha was next and his mother gushed over how cute and curly his hair was. Whilst Jinwoo waited for his turn, Myungjun entertained him by cracking jokes that had the other boy groaning.

“Junnie you are NOT funny, please stop.” He said, burying his face in his hands. “If I have to listen to one more, I might just jump out the window.”

Myungjun whined and pulled his hands away. “Just one more, I have the PERFECT joke now that it’s the weekend.” Jinwoo sighed and told him to get on with it.

“What are the strongest days of the week?” Myungjun asked, looking at him in excitement. “Saturday and Sunday because the rest are week days! Get it? WEEK days, WEAK!” He laughed loudly at his own joke and was satisfied to see a smile pulling at Jinwoos lips.

“Junnie your jokes are terrible.” His mother said, shaking her head. “Jinwoo dear, its your turn. I’ll save you from my deranged son. How he could possibly think he’s funny I will never know.” Jinwoo laughed at that and poked Myungjun in the ribs to get rid of his pout before occupying the chair that Sanha had just vacated.

Sanha came over to sit next to Myungjun and asked him eagerly if he had any more. “SEE?” Myungjun said loudly. “Someone here has taste.” He continued to blurt out random jokes much to the youngers boy’s amusement.

*

When Jinwoo was finished, the boys went upstairs to change into clothes more suitable for their outing. Myungjun nearly choked when Jinwoo walked out of the bathroom, after getting dressed and styling his hair. He was wearing a white button-down shirt, that he had left open at the top to reveal the necklace Myungjun had given him, it was tucked into the black trousers from the suit that he had worn to the ball. His dark hair was pushed off of his forehead to reveal his eyebrows, one of which showcased the scar Myungjun had left. In short, Jinwoo looked incredible and Myungjun was having a hard time looking away. He barely registered Sanha brushing past him to use the bathroom next and only snapped out of his trance when Jinwoo was waving a hand in front of his face.

“Junnie are you listening to me? I asked if you could button up the cuff at my wrist, I can’t do it one handed.” Jinwoo said, looking at him with concern. “Are you okay? You look weird.”

Myungjun cleared his throat awkwardly and looked down at the hand Jinwoo was holding out in front of him. He quickly buttoned up Jinwoos cuff and stepped back. “Umm…I need to get changed, so can you leave?” He didn’t dare look up from his feet, he knew he was blushing and didn’t want Jinwoo to see. Luckily enough he left Myungjun alone and went downstairs to wait for him.

Myungjun dived onto his bed and screamed into his pillow. How was he going to survive a whole church service with Jinwoo looking that good? Is that how people usually dressed to go to church? Did Jinwoo dress like that every Sunday at the academy? Myungjun wouldn’t know. He didn’t attend the services at the academy but was rethinking that idea if it meant he could see Jinwoo looking like THAT more often.

He quickly raided his dresser for something similar to wear. He pulled on his black trousers and opted for a black shirt made from a thinner, flowier fabric than Jinwoos. He tucked it in a bit but let the rest of the material hang out, so it flowed nicely when he moved his arms. After making sure he was wearing the necklace Jinwoo had given to him, he made his way downstairs.

“I hope Myungjun has worn something decent.” He heard his mother say in the kitchen. “He’s never been to a service before, so he doesn’t know the dress code but hopefully he’s tried to copy you both.”

Myungjun entered the kitchen to see his mother fussing over Sanhas hair, who was dressed just as smartly. She looked over when she noticed him and sighed in relief. “Oh, thank the deity, you do know how to dress well after all. Come here and let me fix your hair.” Myungjun made his way over, avoiding looking at Jinwoo so he wouldn’t be distracted again.

“That’s a pretty necklace Junnie.” She said, reaching down to touch the pink heart by his throat. “Where did you get it?”

“JinJin.” Myungjun said with a small smile. His mother looked confused, thrown off by the nickname. “I meant Jinwoo.” Myungjun corrected, feeling his face heat up. He still hadn’t told his mother about their relationship, but even he knew that the nicknames and the necklaces wouldn’t go unnoticed. She studied his face before turning slightly to look at Jinwoo. Myungjun saw her eyes flicker down to his necklace and he held his breath. Is this where she puts the pieces together and finds out about them? Would she be fine with it or shout at him? She’d seemed fine when he mentioned about Dongmin and Moonbin being boyfriends, but maybe it would be different with her own son. Would she try to suppress that side of him like she had tried to suppress his magic? All these questions raced around in Myungjuns head and he held his breath.

She turned back to look at him and frowned. “Myungjun, your hair isn’t sitting right. Let me go and wet my hands to make it easier.” She left him feeling bewildered. She either didn’t put the obvious clues together or she was ignoring it. Either way Myungjun was relieved that he didn’t have to explain himself in front of the others. He finally let out a shaky breath and allowed his eyes to drift to Jinwoo, who he saw was already looking his way. He looked down at the necklace around Myungjuns throat and smiled before turning to talk to Sanha.

After his mother had fixed his hair, she sent them off, telling them to behave themselves. Myungjun led the way and presented the church enthusiastically, when they stopped in front of it a few minutes later. It was small but beautiful. The architecture outside was old and grand and the stained-glass windows threw pretty colours across the floor. The doors were open, so they stepped inside to see people already sitting in the pews, listening to the father of the church give his sermon. They sat down close to the back and Myungjun felt himself relax. It was calm in here and he let the mans voice wash over him.

After half an hour, Myungjun found himself getting sleepy and he looked beside him to see Sanha and Jinwoo praying silently. He wondered what about, but thought it would be too rude to ask. He let his gaze drift around the room, finally focusing on the people around them and felt his whole body go cold when he locked eyes with Jung-hoon. The boy had grown a lot in the past year and looked even meaner than before. His eyes narrowed when he looked at Myungjuns face before recognition settled in and he smirked.

“Junnie what’s wrong?” He heard Jinwoo whisper beside him. “You’re breathing really fast.”

Myungjun tore his eyes away from his former bully to look at Jinwoo instead. He willed himself to be calm before faking a smile. “Nothings wrong JinJin. Sorry I disturbed you.”

Jinwoo looked at him suspiciously before sitting back with a sigh. “You didn’t disturb me. I’m finished and so is Sanha. Do you want to go?” Myungjun nodded quickly. He needed to get out of there, away from Jung-hoon and he sighed in relief when they were back out in the sun. They hadn’t been walking for long before Myungjun heard his name being called. He turned around slowly to see Jung-hoon walking towards them confidently. Myungjun tensed as the boy got closer.

“Hello Myungjun, it’s nice to see you again. How have you been?” He asked innocently. Myungjun was torn between telling him to get lost or playing along with him in hopes of avoiding a conflict. He reluctantly chose the latter.

“I’ve been fine.” Even though he was trying to play nice, it didn’t mean he could pretend to care about how the boy had been, so he didn’t ask.

“Where did you run off to?” Jung-hoon asked. “I haven’t seen you around for a while.”

“I didn’t _run_.” Myungjun said, trying to remain calm. “I went away to a new school.”

Jung-hoons eyes darted over to look at Sanha and Jinwoo behind him and he saw his eyes search their wrists, looking for the mark he knew Myungjun had. Myungjun was glad the boys were wearing long sleeves and smiled sweetly when Jung-hoon looked back at him.

“Are we done here?” He asked, hoping Jung-hoon would back off. He was glad to see him nod before heading back to the church. Myungjun closed his eyes and took a few steadying breaths before turning back to the others.

“Who was that Hyung?” Sanha asked curiously. “One of your friends?”

Myungjun gave him a tight smile before shaking his head. “No, I didn’t have friends here.” He ignored the questioning look Jinwoo gave him and took them home for lunch. His mother had already prepared them something to eat and left a note saying she had gone shopping. So Myungjun served the food before quietly prodding at his own. Even though Jung-hoon had seemed nice enough, he couldn’t help the bad feeling that settled in his stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Myungjun telling dumb jokes is my favourite~


	40. The Guitar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 40 chapters already? Oof

After dinner that night, Sanha excused himself early to go to bed. When he was gone, Jinwoo explained to Myungjun and his mother that Sanha always went straight to his room at the academy after service because he liked to be alone. Myungjun remembered Sanha telling him that he always prayed that his parents would come back for him and he felt a sadness settle in his chest. He wanted to go up there and comfort him but knew it was best to give him some privacy.

Myungjun suggested that they go for a walk instead and said goodbye to his mother before slipping outside. The sun was beginning to set, bringing about the usual evening chill. He shivered lightly in his thin black shirt and regretted not bringing a jacket. When the house was out of sight, Jinwoo wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him close, radiating the heat he knew Myungjun would appreciate.

“I missed you.” Jinwoo said quietly, giving Myungjuns hip a squeeze.

“We’ve been together all day silly.” Myungjun replied with a giggle, snuggling in closer as they walked.

“I know. I just missed being with you like this, where I can hold you.” Jinwoo said, kissing the top of his head. “and kiss you without worrying about your mother seeing.” Myungjun hummed in agreement before leading them down towards the river.

There was no-one in sight and he looked over to the flowers he had grown in replacement of the ones Jung-hoon destroyed and smiled.

“There’s a tree over there, do you want to go sit under it?” Jinwoo suggested, pointing to the large willow nearby.

“Sure.” Myungjun said happily and led the way. His skin tingled as he felt Jinwoos eyes on his back. “I can feel you staring Jinwoo.” He said amused, before stopping in front of the tree and turning around.

“I can’t help it.” Jinwoo said quietly, eyes trailing slowly up and down Myungjuns body. “You look ridiculously good today.” Myungjun could have laughed. Jinwoo was saying he looked good but Myungjun thought Jinwoo looked so much better. He was still in his white shirt, unbuttoned at the top to show off his necklace but had rolled the sleeves up as well. His black hair was no longer swept completely off his forehead, it rested on one side, covering up his good eyebrow which further accentuated the scar on his other one. Myungjun thought it made him look intimidating and he shivered slightly at the thought.

“Are you cold?” Jinwoo asked with a knowing smirk. “You shouldn’t have worn something so thin.” He reached out for Myungjuns shirt and rubbed the black material between his fingers. He froze suddenly and his ears started to turn red.

Myungjun shrieked and pushed him away. “Stop thinking whatever you’re thinking Park Jinwoo.” He said, crossing his arms over his chest feeling scandalised.

“I was NOT thinking anything.” He denied hotly, looking down at his feet.

He eventually looked up and they stared at each other quietly. Myungjuns skin itched, he wanted to reach out and touch Jinwoo or have Jinwoo reach out and touch him. They hadn’t even shared a proper hug since leaving the academy and that was over a week ago. He watched as Jinwoo took a tentative step towards him again and nearly cried out in relief when he moved to hold his hand. Myungjun took it and threaded their fingers together, pulling Jinwoo closer until they were standing only inches apart.

Jinwoo looked down at his neck and smiled. “I like it when you wear that necklace. I never told you how I got it or what it means did I?” When Myungjun shook his head, he began to explain. “I left that combat class early to sneak out to Voredan. Don’t look at me like that, I’ve done it loads of times before. Anyway, you told me earlier that day that you didn’t believe me when I asked you to be my boyfriend, so I tried to think of a way to show you how serious I was. I thought getting you a necklace would be a good start. It’s made of rose quartz, a gemstone that holds unconditional love and promotes healing and comfort. The woman told me it could help with emotional trauma, but it carries a feminine energy. I carved it into a heart myself, I hope you don’t mind. If you think it’s too girly, I can always change it.”

Myungjun reached up with his free hand to hold the necklace against himself. “I don’t want you to change it. It’s perfect the way it is.”

Jinwoo smiled at him. “I’m glad you like it. I just knew it had to be yours, for more reasons than one. I want it to heal the trauma you feel being here at home. You still haven’t told me much about your life here, but I know it bothers you sometimes. Another reason I wanted to get it for you is because it matches the colour your skin turns when you blush, and it compliments your lips so well.” His eyes flickered down to Myungjuns lips and he reached up to run his thumb along them. “You have such pretty lips Junnie. It’s torture seeing them everyday and not being able to kiss you.”

Myungjuns heart stuttered in his chest and he tried to focus on breathing as Jinwoo backed him up against the trunk of the tree. The bark scratched at his back uncomfortably, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care. Jinwoo leaned down to place a kiss on Myungjuns necklace and moved back up to nose at his jaw.

He felt Jinwoos hand slip out of his and nearly whined at the loss, so he reached up to grip at Jinwoos shoulders instead, desperately needing something to ground himself. Jinwoos hands ghosted up Myungjuns sides, barely touching and he moved around to nose at the other side of Myungjuns jaw.

“You always smell so good.” Jinwoo sighed quietly. “Like the earth when it rains and flowers when they first bloom. You smell like life itself Junnie.” He finally pulled back to look at Myungjun and smiled softly. “Can I kiss you?”

“Why are you even asking?” Myungjun replied, already tingling with anticipation. Jinwoo just shrugged and leaned in to brush their lips together. It was barely a kiss, but it felt like so much more. After being so touch deprived recently, every little action felt amplified tenfold. Jinwoos hands trailed back down to Myungjuns hips and he gave them a hard squeeze, making Myungjun squeal.

“Consent matters to me Myungjun.” Jinwoo said, sounding uncharacteristically serious, before brushing their lips together again.

Myungjun whined irritably. Jinwoo was teasing him and it was FRUSTRATING. “Jinwoo you always have my consent to kiss me. So do it properly now or I’m going home.”

“You don’t _really_ want to go home.” Jinwoo said with a smirk, before going back to lightly trailing his hands up and down Myungjuns sides and nosing at his neck.

“JinJin please.” Myungjun whined. He couldn’t believe Jinwoo was making him beg for it.

“What do you want Junnie?” Jinwoo asked, dragging his lips over Myungjuns neck lightly. “I want to hear you say it.” Myungjuns neck burned where his lips brushed along his skin and his head was going fuzzy.

“I can’t say it.” Myungjun said quietly. “It’s embarrassing.” He squeezed his eyes shut tight and waited for Jinwoo to laugh at him. Instead, he felt Jinwoos hands stop their torturous path along his torso in favour of cupping his face.

“Myungjun open your eyes, look at me.” He opened them slowly and saw Jinwoo staring at him with a frown. “There is NOTHING to be embarrassed about. You need to tell me what you want, so I know how to make you feel good. Do you understand?” Myungjun nodded weakly, feeling Jinwoos hands slip from his face. “Good. I’m listening Junnie.” He said firmly, before moving back to his neck. Myungjun was glad he wasn’t looking at his face because he didn’t think he could say it out loud otherwise. He’d probably combust.

“Kiss me properly JinJin.” He said quietly. “Touch me properly, you’re hardly doing anything and it’s driving me insane. Please just do something.”

He gasped as Jinwoos lips finally made proper contact with his neck and he felt his legs buckle. Jinwoo seemed to sense what was happening and moved his hands down past Myungjuns hips to the back of his thighs.

“Up.” He commanded gently, giving Myungjuns thighs a quick squeeze. Myungjun used his remaining strength to jump and Jinwoo pulled his legs around his waist. The bark of the tree dug into Myungjuns back and he yelped in pain. Jinwoo apologised quickly and pulled him away to cover Myungjuns back with his forearms before pressing them back against the tree for support. Myungjun briefly registered that Jinwoo had rolled the sleeves of his white shirt up, so his arms must be taking damage from the tree, but his thoughts were cut short when Jinwoos lips were finally on his own again.

He sighed happily and felt Jinwoo smile against his lips. They kissed lazily, relishing the rare alone time they had together. Jinwoo nipped at his bottom lip gently and pressed their body’s closer together. It felt divine, it felt perfect, it felt…

Totally interrupted. “Well look at this boys. Not only is Myungjun a filthy magic user, he’s also into guys. How disgusting.” Jung-hoon said, laughing loudly with his group of friends. Jinwoo pulled back in surprise and looked over his shoulder to see them standing close by. They’d been so busy being wrapped up in each other, that they hadn’t heard the other boy’s approach. Myungjun felt Jinwoo tense around him and tapped him urgently to let go. Jinwoo helped him to his feet and winced when he pulled his arms away from the bark. They were definitely bleeding.

“What the hell did you just say?” Jinwoo asked, voice dangerously low as he turned to look at them. Myungjun tried to step up around him but Jinwoo blocked his path with one arm. “I know you didn’t just call my boyfriend filthy and disgusting. You’re not that stupid surely.”

Jung-hoon bristled at his words and stepped up to face him, towering over them both. “You’re the stupid one.” He said through gritted teeth. “Didn’t you know your boyfriends a freak who talks to plants? We’ve all seen him.” His friends murmured in agreement behind him and Myungjun felt his face heat up. Jung-hoons eyes flickered down to the mark on Jinwoos bare wrist and he smirked. “Oh I see, you’re just like him. Freaks should stick together; it makes our job easier.” He cracked his knuckles and Myungjun pushed Jinwoos arm away, to step in front of him and face his former bully himself.

“You didn’t do a good enough job last time Jung-hoon, I’m still here aren’t I?” He asked, looking up at the older boy. “A broken nose and a broken arm. Is that the best you can do?” He knew he shouldn’t provoke him, but the need to take revenge was bubbling up inside of Myungjuns chest.

“It was him?” Jinwoo asked incredulous. He sounded livid and Myungjun felt heat lap at his back. He didn’t want Jinwoo to do anything he regretted.

“My boyfriend is about to combust into flames and cook you alive. I suggest you do the smart thing and leave.” He advised, never taking his eyes from Jung-hoons face. The boy was smart enough to look wary as his eyes moved between the two. Just when Myungjun thought he was going to listen, the older boy grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him away from Jinwoo.

“He won’t touch me if you’re here.” He said smugly. Myungjun just sighed and flicked his wrist. His vines burst through the soil and Jung-hoons friends yelped in surprise as they were swiftly brought to their knees and trapped. Jung-hoon looked back at them in shock and Myungjun used his chance to pull free. The thin material of his shirt tore and he looked down in annoyance. He really loved this shirt. He didn’t get a chance to speak before Jinwoo was pulling him away and punching Jung-hoon straight in the face. The older boy stumbled and looked down at Jinwoo in fear as blood poured from his nose. Jinwoos green fire finally erupted across his palms and Jung-hoon backed away fast, tripping over his trapped friends and running away. Myungjun pulled his vines back and watched as the others fled too.

Jinwoo quickly turned back to look at him. “Are you hurt?” He asked, walking over to inspect him.

“No, I’m fine, but my shirts not.” Myungjun said with a sigh. “I can’t believe he ruined it.”

Jinwoo snapped his fingers in front of Myungjuns face to get him to focus. “That’s not the important thing here Junnie. Why didn’t you tell me it was him at the church? He was the one who hurt you before you came to the academy wasn’t he? You should have told me!”

“Why?” Myungjun asked sharply. “So you could beat him up in broad daylight in the middle of town? My mother would have gone crazy!” Jinwoo opened his mouth to argue but closed it quickly when he realised he didn’t have a good comeback. “Exactly, you know I’m right Jinwoo. If anything, I wanted to be the one who punched him in the face.”

Jinwoo finally cracked a smile and pulled him into a hug. “I’m sorry Junnie, his face was just too inviting, too…punchable? He shouldn’t have looked at you in that way or called you those things and he DEFINITELY should not have touched you like that. He was lucky I stopped when I did, I could feel my magic building, it was actually kind of scary.” He finished quietly and Myungjun hugged him tighter.

“You did good JinJin. Thankyou for protecting me.” He pulled back to give Jinwoo a blinding smile and squealed as he was pushed back up against the tree.

“One more kiss.” Jinwoo said with a smirk.

*

Myungjun woke up on a Friday morning to the sound of thunder. It was storming outside, and rain was pelting against his bedroom window. The storm wasn’t the only thing that had woken him up however. He looked down to see Sanha curled up against his chest trembling. He pulled the young boy closer and ran his fingers through his hair soothingly.

“Shh, It’s okay. It’s a summer storm, they pass quickly. Let’s stay like this until its gone okay?” Sanha nodded against his chest and jumped when the next bout of thunder rumbled ominously above. Myungjun pulled the cover over their heads to block out some of the noise and covered Sanhas ears. He finally stopped trembling and they both fell back to sleep.

Myungjun woke again when he felt the cover being pulled from their heads and blinked his eyes open sleepily to see Jinwoo looking down at them fondly. “Are you two okay?” He asked quietly, looking at Sanha who was clutching Myungjuns top tightly in his sleep. Myungjun nodded and cuddled back up to the young boy, wanting to go back to sleep but Jinwoo mentioned breakfast and his stomach grumbled.

“Who needs thunder when we have your stomach?” Jinwoo asked cheekily and let out a shout when Myungjun kicked him off the bed. Sanha woke at the noise, whining cutely and Myungjun shushed him gently before helping him out of bed so they could go downstairs to eat.

“It looks miserable outside.” His mother sighed, plating up their food. “What are you boys going to do today?” Myungjun shrugged. He wasn’t sure what they could do inside. “You could always clean out the attic and find our old board games.” She suggested, and to Myungjuns surprise, Jinwoo agreed eagerly.

“Why were you so ready to say yes?” Myungjun asked a while later, pulling the ladder down.

“I read in books that people usually keep their memories in the attics of their home, and I wanted to see yours.” Jinwoo said happily, making his way up first. Every time Myungjun was reminded that Jinwoo never had a home, his heart clenched painfully.

Sanha downright refused to go up in the attic. “There could be bugs Hyung, spiders, SPIDERS. I can’t go up there.”

Myungjun just sighed and let him go back downstairs. He climbed up after Jinwoo, to see him putting a ball of fire into an empty jar he found, to create some light for them to use. Myungjun looked around, he hadn’t been up here in a long time and neither had his mother it seemed because there was dust everywhere. He moved a box and a big spider skittered away, in search of a new place to hide. Myungjun was glad Sanha wasn’t here; he would have blasted the roof off the house getting that thing away from himself.

“Whose guitar is this?” Jinwoo asked, holding it up for Myungjun to see. Myungjun shrugged, he’d never come across that in his life. He gestured for Jinwoo to hand it over and placed it near the ladder. He’d take it down and ask his mother about it when they were finished. Myungjun got to work, tidying things up and creating a clean space in the middle of the floor. Jinwoo occasionally stopped to ask what things were and positively squealed in delight when he came across Myungjuns box of baby clothes.

“Junnie you were so tiny.” He cooed, moving over to pinch Myungjuns cheeks. “A whole cutie.”

Myungjun laughed and swatted his hands away. “Get back to work Park Jinwoo.” They were up there for a long time and soon Myungjuns mother was calling them for lunch. Before Myungjun could climb down the ladder, Jinwoo cried out in relief.

“Found it Junnie.” He said, head popping out from behind one of the boxes, to present the board game they’d been looking for.

“Oh thank the deity.” Myungjun said, sharing his relief. It meant they didn’t have to come back up here after lunch. The dust was making his skin itch. He remembered to grab the guitar before stepping down and waiting for Jinwoo.

They went downstairs together and Sanha looked up from his seat at the table in interest. “That’s a cool guitar.” He observed. Myungjuns mother looked up from her food in surprise before her face relaxed into a smile.

“You found it.” She said happily. “I haven’t seen that in a long time. Pass it to me Junnie.” Myungjun handed it over and watched as she plucked at a few of the strings expertly. “It needs retuning and probably a few new strings, but it should work fine.”

“I didn’t know you played the guitar.” Myungjun said, sitting down to eat.

“I stopped a long time ago.” She replied with a sad smile. “I don’t think I’d be any good now.” She chuckled when Sanha begged to touch it and handed it over to him. He plucked at the strings randomly and hummed happily when it made a noise. “Have it.” His mother said and Sanha looked up in surprise.

“I can’t take your guitar.” He said, eyes wide. “It’s yours.”

“And now its yours.” His mother said simply. “I had the same look in my eyes when I picked it up for the first time. You’ll make a good guitarist I can tell. We’ll get it fixed up before you leave for the academy and you can take it with you. Maybe something you can use when you finish church on Sundays.” She said kindly, hinting to Sanha always wanting to be alone afterwards.

Myungjun watched in amusement as Sanha rushed over to give her a hug. “Thankyou Ms Kim.” He said quietly and she hugged him back tightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't written an intimate kissing scene for Myungjin in NINE chapters...This is abuse at this point, I'm so sorry for denying your love boys TT  
> I love Sanha so much in this chapter tbh, he can have all my uwu's


	41. Wish Upon A Star.

The last weekend of the summer holidays rolled around and Myungjun had somehow convinced Sanha and Jinwoo to go camping. Sanha who was terrified of bugs and Jinwoo who was terrified of burning the whole tent down in his sleep.

“Hyung I swear these ants have a personal vendetta against me.” Sanha whined, blasting one away that was climbing up his leg.

Myungjun just sighed and pointed down at his feet. “You’re standing on an ant hill you idiot.” He covered his ears, prepared for Sanha to scream and watched him run away, back to the tent.

“Guess I’m getting the fire wood myself.” Myungjun mumbled, looking around for sticks that the trees had shed. He knew Jinwoo could just create enough heat to keep them warm but Myungjun wanted the whole camping experience. When he felt like he had a good amount of kindling, he walked back through the trees to where Jinwoo was creating a ring of stones to contain the future fire. Myungjun dumped the sticks in the middle and stretched out his aching back.

“Do you want me to light it?” Jinwoo asked, putting the last stone in place.

Myungjun shook his head. “No, how are we going to explain a green fire if someone comes past this way? I have a box of matches with me to use instead.” The sun was already setting, so Myungjun lit the fire straight away and watched in awe as the fire spread, making the wood crackle loudly.

“We should have thought about what we were going to sit on.” Sanha said. He wrinkled his nose when Myungjun suggested the floor. “No Hyung the floor is dirty!”

“Of course it is, its literal dirt.” Jinwoo said, rolling his eyes. “Junnie just use your vines, no-one will notice.”

With a flick of Myungjuns wrist, three small mounds of vines were made for them to sit on and Sanha hummed happily as he warmed his hands at the fire. They chatted about the summer they’d had and Sanha went over to the tent to collect his guitar so he could play them a few simple songs he’d learnt. Myungjuns mother had taken the guitar to be fixed and cleaned and had shown Sanha how to tune it properly. He’d spent the next couple of weeks learning songs she showed him how to play. He picked them up really quickly but still struggled with some of the longer ones.

The sun had completely set and Myungjun leaned over to cuddle into Jinwoo. He let Sanhas music wash over him, feeling safe and calm as Jinwoo pulled him closer.

“This has been the best summer ever.” Myungjun said happily. “It really feels like we’re a family doesn’t it?”

“The best family I’ve ever had.” Jinwoo said quietly. “By the way, your mother invited us back next year and we said we’d talk to you about it first.”

“There’s nothing to talk about JinJin. I’d want you and Sanha here all the time if we could.”

“Your mother really loves Sanha you know.” Jinwoo said with a smile. “I know he feels it too. He’s been a lot happier here.” Myungjun had realised that aswell. The boy looked younger, less stressed and sad and it made Myungjuns heart warm to know that his home had provided that happiness for him.

“My mother loves you too you know.” Myungjun said, pulling back to look at Jinwoo, who just shrugged.

“She treats me differently, still with the same level of kindness just…different.” He said, furrowing his eyebrows. Myungjun laughed and he looked over confused.

“Of course she treats you differently. Sanha is small and cute and his whole demeanour screams ‘look after me, I’m a baby’. You, however, are older and stronger and give off the vibe that you can look after yourself.” Jinwoo laughed loudly and it made Sanha look up from his guitar.

“What’s so funny?” He asked, looking between Myungjun and Jinwoo curiously. “Are you laughing at me?”

Myungjun shook his head quickly. “No, we just think you’re cute.” Sanha blushed, mumbling something about going to bed and quickly headed into the tent.

“Aww you embarrassed him Junnie.” Jinwoo said, pretending to scold him. “He’ll never come out of there now.”

“Should I go make sure he’s okay?” Myungjun asked, getting up to check. Jinwoo pulled him back down and pointed up at the sky.

“He’ll be fine, just sit here and watch the stars with me okay?” They sat in silence, holding hands and observing the night sky above them.

“What do you think is out there?” Myungjun asked quietly. “Beyond the stars I mean.”

Jinwoo took a long time to answer, but when he did, there was a hint of longing in his voice. “Eden, the deity will meet us there when we die. It’s what we learn in church.”

Myungjuns stomach twisted uncomfortably at the tone of Jinwoos voice. “JinJin, you don’t want to die do you?” He asked quietly, looking over at him. Jinwoo didn’t answer and carried on looking up at the stars. Myungjun gave his hand a squeeze. “Jinwoo answer me.”

He finally tore his eyes away to look at Myungjun. “Not so much anymore.” He said with a sad smile and reached up to stroke Myungjuns cheek. His eyes snapped back to the sky and he gasped. “Junnie look! Shooting stars, you have to make a wish!”

“Does it even work?” Myungjun asked sceptically. Jinwoo nodded enthusiastically and closed his eyes to make his own. Myungjun sighed, not quite believing but closed his eyes too.

*I wish I could meet my parents* Jinwoos voice rang clear through his mind and Myungjun tried hard not to let him know it had. They were still holding hands and with both of their minds so vulnerable it had just happened.

“What did you wish for?” Myungjun asked quietly, wanting to make sure Jinwoo hadn’t meant for him to hear.

“It’s a secret.” Jinwoo said with a smile. “If I tell you my wish, it won’t come true.”

Myungjun gave him a tight smile back and looked away. He didn’t want Jinwoos wish to come true, his parents were dead. He gently untangled their fingers and covered up the action by pretending to stretch.

_I wish I was enough to make Jinwoo happy._

*

Myungjun woke up the next morning to the sound of birds and opened his eyes to see the sun shining through the thin material of the tent. He sat up with a groan and shook the other two awake. He had something important to do today and wanted to get it done as soon as possible.

They packed up the tent and walked the short distance home. It was the last day of the holidays and they’d be leaving after lunch. Myungjun made his way inside, claiming the shower first and washed himself anxiously. He knew this conversation with his mother was long overdue, so he got dried and dressed quickly before hurrying downstairs to find her. She was out in the garden, watering the flowers and Myungjun cleared his throat to speak.

“Mother can I talk to you?” She turned around to smile, but it faltered when she saw his face.

“Of course Junnie, would you like to talk inside?” Myungjun looked around and his eyes landed on the treehouse he’d build with the boys a few weeks ago. It was small and he’d sneakily used his magic for some of it, but it looked like the perfect place now. He gestured too it and they climbed up the rickety ladder to sit inside. Myungjun brought his knees to his chest and took a shaky breath.

“I like boys.” He said quietly, tears pricking at his eyes. “I like boys and I don’t like girls. I’m sorry.” His mother was quiet for a long time and it made him incredibly anxious. Maybe it had been a mistake to tell her.

He felt a tear roll down his cheek and his mother sighed. “Look at me Myungjun, why are you crying?”

He scrubbed the tears off his face and gulped down a sob. “I’m sorry for liking boys, I know it’s wrong and disgusting, people always tell me that and call me names, but I can’t help it.”

“Who calls you names?” His mother asked, anger seeping into her voice. “People at the academy? People here? Tell me Myungjun.”

Myungjun looked at her in confusion. Why was she only focusing on that part of the conversation? He didn’t know what reaction he was expecting but it wasn’t this. “You don’t hate me?”

His mother frowned and grabbed his hand. “Why would I hate you? Yes its…different and will probably take some time to get used to, but I’ve always had my suspicions Myungjun. You’re my son, I know you better then you know yourself sometimes. Just tell me one thing.”

“Anything.” Myungjun said, relief at her acceptance crashing over him in waves.

“Does he make you happy?” She sighed when Myungjun looked at her questioningly. “Jinwoo, does he make you happy?”

“How did you know it was Jinwoo?” Myungjun squeaked, face heating up. “I didn’t tell you that!”

His mother laughed and patted his leg. “You didn’t need to tell me, you’re very obvious with your emotions Myungjun. Just like me in that department I’m afraid. Now answer my question.”

Myungjun nodded shyly, a smile on his face when he thought about his boyfriend and his mother sat back relieved. “I’m glad Junnie. Now let’s go down and get some food, shall we?”

*

Myungjun climbed out of the carriage behind Jinwoo and Sanha and smiled. It felt good to be back. He looked up at the academy and felt a thrill go through him. He was now a second-year student and it almost didn’t feel real. He carried his bag into the hall and looked around, searching for his friends, until he spotted Namjoon sitting with Seokjin. He made his way over to them and tapped Namjoon on the shoulder. He looked around and grinned when he saw Myungjun and the others and stood up to give him a hug.

“Did you have a good summer?” Namjoon asked, looking around. Myungjun nodded happily and asked how his summer had been. “It was great.” Namjoon said excitedly. “Me and Jinnie went up north to escape the heat, I’ll tell you all about it later, but we need to go pick up our forms now, you should come and get yours too.”

Myungjun didn’t know what forms he was talking about but followed him anyway. Grove called him over with a smile when they entered the new room and he made his way over.

“I hope you had a good summer Myungjun. I need you to fill in these forms, nothing too difficult. It’s just to decide on whether you want to swap roommates or not and a few class options to choose from. If you need help let me know.” He dismissed him with a wave of his hand before turning to the next student.

Myungjun unrolled the parchment and pulled a pen out of his bag. He quickly wrote down that he wanted to room with Youngjae and Namjoon again, hoping they would feel the same, and looked at the new classes.

KIM MYUNGJUN- EARTH ELEMENTAL, PLANT MANIPULATION VARIETY  
HERBOLOGY (COMPULSORY)  
INTERMEDIATE COMBAT AND WEAPONS TRAINING (COMPULSORY)  
INTERMEDIATE PRACTICAL SKILLS (COMPULSORY)  
ZOOLOGY OF MAGICAL CREATURES (COMPULSORY)  
MEDITATION AND DISCIPLINE (COMPULSORY)

DESIGN CLASS-PLANT MANIPULATION VARIETY (OPTIONAL)  
INTERMEDIATE COMMUNICATIONS (OPTIONAL)  
ALCHEMY (OPTIONAL)  
HISTORY AND LAW (OPTIONAL)  
HEALING-WEEKEND CLASS(OPTIONAL)  
NUMBERS-WEEKEND CLASS (OPTIONAL)  
RELIGION-SUNDAY CLASS (OPTIONAL)

Myungjun quickly ticked the boxes next to Design, Intermediate communications, Alchemy and Healing. He was so happy he could drop History and Law; he didn’t think he could survive another monotone lecture. He briefly considered Religion, just to see Jinwoo in his church clothes again before realising that was ridiculously inappropriate and shaking his head clean of those thoughts. He handed the scroll back to Grove and went to get some food.

“Junnie!” He heard a familiar voice behind him and turned with an excited squeal to see Hyungwon rushing his way. They met in the middle and hugged each other tight. Myungjun rested his head against Hyungwons chest before pulling back in shock.

“Hyung you’ve grown so much!” He said, looking up at him. Hyungwon just smiled and led him to the nearest table.

“You’ll grow too if you eat lots of vegetables.” Hyungwon said, his hyung instincts coming out as he spooned food onto Myungjuns plate. Myungjun had missed this, being looked after by the older boy and it made him happy to fall back into old habits. He ate his food happily and told Hyungwon all about the summer he’d had, even going as far as relaying the story of Jinwoo punching Jung-hoon in the face.

“He ripped my favourite shirt Hyung.” Myungjun whined. “I wish I’d been the one to hit him for that.”

Hyungwon chuckled and ruffled his hair. “If he ever comes near you again, just get in there first.”

“Don’t encourage him.” Jinwoo said, joining them at the table. “What classes did you pick Junnie?” Myungjun relayed off his choices and Jinwoo sighed in relief. “I was hoping you’d pick communications again; I didn’t want to be by myself.”

“What classes did you pick Hyung?” Myungjun asked, turning to Hyungwon who had a mouth full of food.

He swallowed it down slowly before answering. “Weather manipulation, Design-ice variety and alchemy.”

“No weekend classes?” Myungjun asked, reaching across the table for the jug of water. Sanha sat down on the other side of the table and passed it to him. “Thanks Sanha.”

“No, I didn’t want a weekend class.” Hyungwon said with a shrug. “Weekends are my time to sleep.”

Myungjun snorted and rolled his eyes. “You sleep all the time anyway. I don’t know how you manage it.” They chatted some more until they heard Hoseoks loud voice calling them from the doors and Myungjun beckoned him over to join them.

“What did you pick for classes JinJin?” Myungjun asked, whilst everyone else spoke amongst themselves. “Other than communications obviously.”

Jinwoo gave him a small smile. “Just religion again. My timetables going to be pretty empty this year. I wanted to use the free time to practice my magic more and probably train more in the combat centre.”

Myungjun thought about his own timetable and sighed. “Mine is probably going to be full, maybe I shouldn’t have picked so many classes.”

*

Myungjuns timetable was definitely full. He looked down at it with a groan when he realised he only had the evenings on Friday, Saturday and Sunday free, and they would probably be taken up by homework anyway.

He looked at his first lesson of the day and smiled. Herbology with Ms Jung. He located Namjoon and Youngjae and they made their way down to the usual clearing together. Myungjun looked around and noticed his patch of flowers from last year was gone and he let himself feel a little sad before listening to what Ms Jung had to say.

“Welcome back everyone. I hope you had a good summer and are feeling refreshed and ready to learn again. Last year you learnt how to care for and grow your own plants. You also learnt the meanings and uses of those plants, which I’m sure helped some of you greatly during your exams.” Myungjun thought back to the dungeons and smiled. It had definitely helped. “This year we are going to be focusing on accelerating growth of existing plants and simple forms of animation. There is a special trip planned for this class in the future, so I would like you to work extra hard from now until then. Do you think you can do that?” She asked kindly and smiled when everyone said yes. “Good, enough of the small talk. Let’s get started, shall we?”

She told them all to pick one of the plant pots nearby and identify what was growing in it. Myungjun raced over to pick one and sat down under one of the trees to get to work. The little green leaves always excited Myungjun and he touched them gently. It cried out for water and he sighed. The class collected water from the large plant that Jimin had introduced Myungjun to the previous year. It had soaked him back then and it had still seemed to dislike him as the herbology lessons had gone on.

He got up now and collected one of the small pots before making his way across the clearing. He stopped in front of the tall plant and eyed it warily. Its thick green stem pulsated lightly with magic and held its budding head up proudly. Myungjun prayed it wouldn’t drench him before leaning forwards to place his hand on it gently.

“Please may I have some water?” He asked quietly. The plant slowly bloomed in front of him, revealing an array of bright blue petals before leaning forwards. Myungjun held his pot under the centre of the flower and held his breath as the water trickled out. He sighed in relief when the flower pulled back. He thanked it happily and turned around to leave. He got halfway across the clearing before looking into the pot. His smile was wiped from his face when he realised how much was in there. Barely even a centimetre deep. He growled in frustration before making his way back over. He placed his hand on the sturdy stem and asked through gritted teeth. “Please may I have some more water.” The plant shook its head. “Please may I have some water.” Myungjun asked again, more forcefully this time.

He shrieked as the plant hastily bloomed and sprayed water up into the air. It showered down upon him, fat droplets twinkling in the morning sun. It soaked him through, and he whined at how cold it felt. “Thanks for that.” He said sarcastically. “You were such a big help today, as per usual.” He turned on his heel and stalked back towards his work. He watered the mystery plant with the tiny amount of water in the pot and wrung his shirt out into it to top it up some more. The plant seemed happy enough and he pulled his textbook out of his bag to get started on identifying it.

Half an hour later he cheered in relief. He’d scanned every single inch of the plant to look for clues on what it could be and spent even longer flicking through the pages of his book, before realising it was just a simple tomato plant.

He wrote what it was on a little picket that he stuck in the soil, before handing it over to Ms Jung who congratulated him on his hard work. “Well done Myungjun. Now that you have finished, I would like you to follow me.” She led him over to the edge of the clearing and touched one of the trees. The forest dissolved in front of them, to reveal sizeable glass greenhouses that glinted prettily in the sun.

“Wow.” Myungjun said, eyes alight with wonder. “I never knew these were here!”

Ms Jung chuckled at his childlike demeanour and began to walk between them. “There’s around fifty greenhouses here, the smaller ones can be found at the front and the larger ones can be found at the back. I will be assigning you a greenhouse so you can plant your own food. It is a lot harder then planting flowers and will take a lot more of your time. The tomato plant you identified is your first project.” She led him towards one of the smaller greenhouses and he was surprised to see his name engraved prettily on the glass door. “This is yours for now, everything you need is inside. I will leave you to it and if you have any questions just come and find me. Many of your questions may be answered in your new textbook however, so look there first.” Myungjun thanked her before hurrying inside.

The greenhouse was warm and smelled earthy. There was a huge pile of soil in one corner, an array of gardening tools lining one of the walls and a large empty wooden planter, pushed up against the back wall, that was begging to be filled. Myungjun pulled down a shovel and began transferring the soil from the pile, into the planter. It was hard work and he quickly began to sweat. He liked hard work though, it kept his body busy and allowed his brain to shut off. Only one thing mattered and that was filling the planter so he could transfer his tomato’s.

The last shovel of soil made its way over and Myungjun groaned in relief. His back was sore, and his arms ached as he put the shovel back on its hook. He stretched until his back clicked and he quickly made his way over to plant his tomatoes, desperate for a break. They were happy in their new home and Myungjun turned in surprise when someone knocked gently on his door. He looked over his shoulder to see Youngjae peering in and went to open the door for him with a smile.

“Lessons over Junnie, lets go wash up and get lunch.” He said tiredly, offering Myungjun his arm before leading them back to their treehouse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to go to the Academy :(
> 
> Also, I feel like we haven't had an ASTRO comeback in so long, even though its only been 4 months and we had the Japanese debut aswell, I just miss the excitement of comeback season hehe~
> 
> For all my fellow Multis out there: ACE-Undercover, if you haven't watched their comeback already, do it. You won't be disappointed~


	42. The Weight Of One Rock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The return of Rocky Jr~

Myungjun made his way to his first ever design lesson filled with excitement, he couldn’t wait to find out what they would be learning. Namjoon and Youngjae hadn’t picked this optional class, so he walked there with Jimin instead. They had to climb three flights of stairs in the Academy to get there and saw only a handful of people waiting outside.

“Not very popular is it?” Myungjun asked, not deterred in the slightest. They filed inside the room when a tall, slim man opened the door. He introduced himself as Mr Lee and asked them to take a seat. Myungjun sat closest to the wall covered from floor to ceiling in large bolts of fabric, that could be easily rolled down and cut. He ran a hand over the one closest to him. It was bright orange and fluffy and he squealed in delight.

“Welcome everybody!” Mr Less began enthusiastically, clapping his hands. “Design is my passion and I hope I can pass that passion onto you.” He laughed loudly and Myungjun grinned. He liked happy people, they made him want to be happy too. “I will be giving you each a folder to build your own artistic portfolio in, which you will be keeping upon leaving the Academy, so you can show it to future employers. Design of the plant variety is very special. You have no doubt learned how to grow and manipulate your own plants already and luckily those skills are transferrable here. Does anybody want to take a guess as to how?”

Jimin’s hand shot up in the air and Mr Lee gestured to him with a smile. “You can shape plant fibres to create different items.” Jimin began, eyes shining with excitement. “Like clothes and bags. My grandmother used to make me clothes all the time.”

“Excellent!” Mr Lee said joyfully. “You are indeed correct young man. Plants can be used for a multitude of things in the design field, clothes and bags included, and we will be learning about all of those things this year. Today unfortunately, will be a theory lesson, based on the techniques of plant craft and their uses. However, if we can get it all done in this lesson, then we can move onto the fun stuff next time! So please come up and grab a textbook from the cabinet and find the first chapter.”

*

_In conclusion, plants can be used in many different ways in the art of design, including and not limited to; clothing, upholstery and other miscellaneous items._

Myungjun put his pen down with a satisfied sigh and flexed his wrist. It was the end of class and he’d written a whole sheet of parchment. He never knew plants could be used for so many things and was excited to start his practical design lessons.

Myungjun went down to dinner with Jimin and sat at an empty table. None of his friends were here yet so he chatted to Jimin about the class they had whilst they ate their food. He felt a pair of arms wrap loosely around his neck from behind and smiled as Jinwoo pressed a soft kiss into his hair.

“You smell extra earthy today Junnie.” Jinwoo said before slipping into the seat beside him. “Did you have herbology?” Myungjun nodded happily and told him all about the greenhouse he was given and the tomato’s he had planted inside.

“What classes have you had today?” Myungjun asked, pushing his empty plate away. He quickly turned to say goodbye to Jimin when Taehyung dragged him away from their table.

“My timetables really empty, I didn’t have a class this morning.” Jinwoo said when Myungjun turned back to look at him. “I just spent the morning in bed, it was nice, but I wish you were there to cuddle with.” He finished with a pout and Myungjun quickly leaned over to kiss it away.

“You said you’d use your free time for extra practice.” Myungjun reminded him before pretending to sigh in disappointment. “I should have known it was just an excuse for you to be lazy.” He squealed when Jinwoo tickled him in the ribs, telling him not to be so cheeky.

Hyungwon sat down in Jimin’s empty seat with a groan. “I thought design class of the ice variety, was going to be learning how to make pretty ice sculptures, not writing thousands of words on the history of the damn thing.”

Myungjun laughed and turned to pat his shoulder sympathetically. “I understand, I wrote so much about the uses of plants I thought my hand was going to fall off.”

Slowly the table around them filled up as everyone came to eat and Myungjun watched in amusement as Rocky Jr crunched on a plate of stones that Rocky gave him.

“You should stop feeding him, he’ll get too big to sit with us otherwise.” Dongmin pointed out. Over the holidays Rocky Jr had grown from knee height to waist height and could finally see over the table top when he sat on one of the chairs. Myungjun thought it was cute that he was finally sitting at the table with them and listened quietly as Rocky spoke.

“Would you ever stop feeding Moonbin?” He asked, watching Dongmin give Moonbin the rest of his dinner.

“No but Moonbins not a pet, he’s a human and needs the food.”

Rocky gasped and stood up with a scowl, pushing his chair back loudly. “Rocky Jr is NOT a pet!” He said angrily. “He’s my son and I love him, so I’ll feed him whenever I want! If he gets too big, we can just push you off the table you jerk.” He grabbed Rocky Jr’s stony hand and helped him down from the chair before storming from the hall.

“That was mean Dongmin.” Hoseok said with a frown. “Go and apologise.”

“Why should I?” He retaliated huffily. “It’s a rock for crying out loud, its only animated, it doesn’t have feelings!”

To everyone’s surprise, Moonbin was the one to speak up. “Minnie don’t be like this, even if Rocky Jr doesn’t have feelings, which is debatable by the way, Rocky still does and you stepped over the line talking to him like that. So do what Hyung said and go apologise to him.” He sighed as Dongmin stood up angrily. “Minnie please, I know you’ve had a bad day but don’t take it out on us.”

“Don’t bother following me.” Dongmin said coldly, walking out of the hall and towards the lake.

Myungjun turned to Moonbin, concern welling up in his chest. “What’s wrong with him? Should I go talk to him?”

Moonbin just shook his head with a sigh. “I can’t tell you; he doesn’t want anyone else to know. Just leave him to sulk, he’ll feel guilty soon enough and find Rocky to apologise.”

Myungjun frowned into his cup. He hoped Moonbin was right, he didn’t like seeing his friends fight.

*

“Today was a good day.” Myungjun said with a satisfied sigh, laying back against the grass by the lake and looking up at the night sky. Jinwoo rubbed his thumb comfortingly over the back of Myungjuns hand and hummed in agreement. “I wonder if Dongmins apologised to Rocky yet.”

“Probably.” Jinwoo said unbothered. “That’s their problem though, not ours.”

“They’re our friends Jinwoo, don’t you hate seeing them argue like that? We should do everything we can to help.”

Jinwoo rolled over on the grass to look down at Myungjun and gave him a soft smile. “We’ll be more help by staying out of it. I know you want to fix things, but you can’t.”

“I can, I just have to find a way.” Myungjun said stubbornly. Jinwoo laughed and poked Myungjuns nose.

“I’m sure if anyone could find a way, it would be you. However, that doesn’t mean you should.” Jinwoo stared down at his boyfriend’s pout and sighed. “There _is_ one thing you could do though Junnie.” Myungjun looked up at him expectantly. “Give your boyfriend a cuddle.”

Jinwoo repositioned himself so his head was resting on Myungjuns chest and whined until Myungjun wrapped his arms around him. “I don’t know why we say Sanha is the baby.” Myungjun mumbled grumpily. “You’re the biggest baby of them all.” He felt Jinwoos body vibrate against his own in silent laughter and shook his head fondly. “Stop laughing and let’s have a nap. You’re really warm and it’s making me sleepy.”

*

Myungjun was eating his breakfast when he felt something nudging his thigh. He was ready to scold Jinwoo when he remembered he’d left early to go to class. He looked down and smiled when he saw it was Rocky Jr looking up at him.

“Hey buddy.” Myungjun said patting his head. “You look different. What did Rocky feed you this time?” He laughed when he got nothing but gravelly nonsense in return. “Wow that’s great. Wanna sit with me?” The rock nodded and lifted up his arms, wanting to be picked up. Myungjun gripped him under the arms and tried to lift but he was too heavy. “What are you made out of? Rocks?” Myungjun asked and laughed at his own joke. Rocky Jr made a scratchy noise that Myungjun guessed was a laugh of his own before lifting his arms up again. “I can’t buddy, you’re too heavy.” He just lifted his arms up higher, insistent, so Myungjun sighed and tried again. To his surprise he could lift him easily. “Did you make yourself lighter?” He asked and nearly fell off his chair when Rocky Jr made himself heavy again.

“He recently learnt how to do that.” Rocky said proudly, sitting down at the table with his breakfast. “Make yourself lighter again and stop fooling around so you can sit with Hyung.” He told Rocky Jr firmly and seemed pleased once Myungjun settled the animated rock between his legs on his chair.

Myungjun wrapped his arms around Rocky Jr loosely and looked up to speak to Rocky. “He looks different.”

Rocky laughed and sipped his drink. “He’s not different, he’s just clean. Dongmin-hyung came to apologise to me and I told him he needed to apologise to Rocky Jr too. He’d been playing in the mud so Hyung cleaned him off with his water magic. I never realised how dirty he was, I should look after him better.”

“You’re doing a good job as it is. None of us realised he was so dirty either, so don’t be too hard on yourself okay?” Myungjun said kindly and Rocky smiled at him before finishing his food. “You think he’s doing a good job too don’t you?” Myungjun asked, leaning down to give Rocky Jr a proper cuddle. He nodded his answer ferociously and his stony head hit Myungjun painfully against the chin.

“Ouch.” Myungjun said with a laugh. Rocky Jr looked back in surprise and reached up to pat his chin, garbling what Myungjun guessed was an apology. His hand was just as hard as his head, so it hurt more than it soothed but Myungjun didn’t mind. It was the thought that counts right? “I’m okay buddy, I know you didn’t mean to.” Rocky Jr gave him a toothless smile before turning back around to watch Rocky across the table.

“What classes do we have today Hyung?” Rocky asked, standing up to stretch. He waited patiently for Myungjun to dig his timetable out of his bag.

“It’s Thursday. So combat training, communications and practical skills. Let’s go together.” Myungjun helped Rocky Jr down and they made their way to their first lesson.


	43. Flower Power.

Myungjun walked into the combat centre and halted in surprise. Rocky Jr ran around his feet, but he only had eyes for Jinwoo.

Jinwoo was fighting one of the mute combat teachers and he was holding his own. It wouldn’t have surprised Myungjun if he hadn’t realised the man wasn’t holding back. It was normal to see the teachers helping students and cutting them some slack, but he was attacking Jinwoo without mercy and his boyfriend was holding him off.

Jinwoo leaned back to dodge a spinning kick, that Myungjun knew would have sent him flying if it had made contact, and lunged forwards at the teacher with a growl. They were fighting without weapons and the harsh thuds and slaps of skin on skin contact rang around the room. Everyone had stopped to watch them, and some people were crowded around them, cheering Jinwoo on.

Myungjun stood there, mouth open in awe and found he couldn’t tear his eyes away. Since when did Jinwoo get this good? Jinwoos tank top was sticking to his back with sweat and his skin had a light sheen that made him glow. He brought up his forearms to block a hit aimed for his face and stumbled backwards off the mat. The female teacher clapped her hands to signal the end and some of the students mumbled in disappointment. Everyone had wanted Jinwoo to win apparently. He stepped back up onto the mat to shake hands with the teacher and they smiled at one another, tired but happy. Myungjun watched as they stayed like that, hands clasped and staring at one another. Jinwoo shook his head slightly and the teacher nodded before letting go and accepting some water from his sister. Jinwoo bowed politely and made his way over to the side of the room to grab a towel.

Myungjun snapped out of his trance and hurried over to him. “That was _incredible_ JinJin!” He squealed excitedly and took the towel from his hand to dab at Jinwoos face for him instead. Jinwoo laughed and let him help so he could catch his breath.

“Thanks Junnie. I’m really tired now though. Could you get me some water?” Myungjun nodded before hurrying away to fill a cup for him and came back to see Rocky talking to him.

“Of course I’ll help, do you have any free time during the week?” Jinwoo asked, accepting the cup of water from Myungjun gratefully.

Rocky shook his head. “The only free time I have is Thursday evenings and I already spend them training with Moonbin. What about the weekend? You only have service on Sunday evening, right? We could train after lunch?”

Jinwoo gave him a smile and finished his drink with a satisfied sigh. “Sure, let’s do it Saturday afternoons then. Honestly, I don’t know how much I can teach you, you’re already really good.”

“Thanks Hyung.” Rocky said, flushing at the praise. “I’m nowhere near as good as you though. I’m going to practice now so I’ll see you guys at lunch.” He left them taking Rocky Jr with him.

Myungjun sat down next to Jinwoo and grabbed his hand to play with his fingers. “You’ll have lots of people asking for help now.” He said with a pout. “You won’t have any time for me.”

Jinwoo laughed and pulled him in for a sweaty hug. Myungjun tried to squirm away, pretending to gag and Jinwoo let him go grinning. “I’ll always have time for you silly. I’m only going to help Rocky because he’s my friend. I wouldn’t help anyone else if they asked.”

“Not even me?” Myungjun asked with a frown.

“You’re my boyfriend, you don’t even need to ask for my help. I’d do it anyway. Now stop pouting and grab a weapon, it’s time for class.”

*

Myungjun made his way to practical skills after dinner, gushing to Namjoon and Youngjae about how well Jinwoo did in combat training.

“We know Hyung.” Youngjae said with a laugh. “We were there too. Although you probably didn’t notice because you were too busy ogling him.”

Myungjun didn’t deny it. He had been staring at Jinwoo and if he was going to be honest with himself, it was for more than just observing his fighting skills. He tried not to think about _that_ as he made his way into the practical skills classroom and set his bag down against the wall. The classroom for plant users was unique, it was large and had a floor made of dirt, with high ceilings and large open windows.

“Good evening class, for this lesson we will be attempting something new. Last year you focused on using vines for attack and defence and I was proud to see you’d all mastered that during the final dungeon examination. This year, we are going to focus on using flowers for attack and support.” The teacher, Ms Yoon, looked around in amusement as everyone started muttering. “Yes, it sounds very strange. How can we use something as delicate as a flower to attack our enemies? Well that is what we are going to learn. Now I need a volunteer, any offers?” Everyone was silent, avoiding her eyes so they wouldn’t get chosen and she sighed.

“I’ll do it.” Jimin offered in a small voice. He looked worried but Myungjun thought he was actually really brave. Jimin stepped up into the middle of the room and Ms Yoon smiled at him kindly.

“Thankyou Jimin. You won’t get hurt I promise.” She held her hands out in front of her, palms down and closed her eyes. Her birthmark began to glow and the ground beneath Myungjuns feet rumbled as a large flower pushed through the surface of the dirt. It unfurled its large white petals and stood taller than the trembling boy in front of it. Jimin looked up and gulped. Everyone held their breath and watched frozen as the flower released some type of thick cloudy pollen that washed over him. Jimin immediately fell to the floor and didn’t move again.

“Don’t worry.” Ms Yoon said, speaking over the din of panicked whispers, as she pulled the giant flower back into the dirt. “He’s just been put to sleep.” Myungjun still rushed over to him and helped Ms Yoon move him to the side of the room. They propped him against the wall, and she muttered a few words under her breath, waving a hand over Jimin’s face until he woke with a gasp. After making sure he was okay, Myungjun helped him to his feet and led him back over to the other students.

“As you all saw, you can use plants to attack with their spores. They can knock a man or creature unconscious within seconds. That was one type of plant, there are more that can poison or cause hallucinations, for example. You will not be able to create a plant as large as mine so early on because they take a lot of magical energy. You will begin by creating smaller flowers and trying to make them release their spores. It is a difficult spell and will take a lot of time to achieve so don’t be deterred if you cannot achieve it in this lesson. You can get into pairs and practice together.”

Myungjun paired up with Jimin, wanting to keep an eye on the younger boy as he still looked slightly shaken and they sat down on the floor to practice. Myungjun grew lots of different flowers around them, making Jimin squeal in delight and they got distracted looking at them all before the teacher came around to see what they were doing.

“Focus boys.” She said firmly but with a smile. “Try to recreate the flower I showed you Myungjun.” She watched with interest as Myungjun closed his eyes. He thought about the way the petals had opened and tried to remember its colouring and patterns. When he felt like he’d remember enough, he let his magic travel down to his palms and felt the ground tremble slightly.

“Excellent job.” He heard Ms Yoon say and he opened his eyes to see a smaller replica of the one she had grown. It was nowhere near as big, but it was the biggest flower he’d ever grown, about the size of his forearm and he cheered in excitement.

“Look Jimin! I did it!”

The younger boy laughed and stroked the flower gently. “Good job Hyung. I can’t believe you got it straight away, I’m nervous to try now.” He closed his eyes and Myungjun watched closely as a flower bloomed through the soil beneath Jimin’s hands. It was smaller than Myungjuns but his gave off a tiny puff of spores that Myungjun hadn’t been able to achieve.

“Well done Jimin.” Ms Yoon said, clapping her hands excitedly. “I’ve never seen anyone achieve spore distribution on their first try. Keep practicing both of you, you’ll get the hang of it in no time.”

By the end of the lesson, Myungjun hadn’t made much progress but he wasn’t disheartened. There’s always next time, he thought to himself as he helped Jimin to his feet. He said goodnight to him before finding Namjoon and Youngjae so they could go back to their room.

*

Myungjun woke up the next morning to the sound of quiet giggles.

“Jinnie shh, you’ll wake the others.” Namjoon whispered, even though he was being the louder one. Myungjun looked over sleepily, to see a giant lump wiggling around under Namjoons cover. He heard them kiss and rolled over with a groan.

“Seriously guys? It’s too early for this.” He grumbled. He heard Namjoon curse and looked back over when Seokjins head popped out from under the cover.

“Morning Myungjun.” The older boy said happily. “Sorry we woke you. Did you have a nice sleep?”

Myungjun sighed before sitting up. “I _was_ having a nice sleep. Why are you up so early anyway?”

Namjoon sat up quickly, mouth opening and closing silently. “It’s not what you think!” He finally squeaked and Myungjun watched in confusion as Namjoons ears turned red.

“What would I be thinking?” He asked and looked over at Seokjin who was eyeing him curiously. The older boy raised his eyebrows slightly before making a noise of understanding.

“Nevermind Myungjun, it’s nothing you’d know about anyway.” Myungjun felt even more confused when Namjoon hit Seokjin lightly with a frown.

“Whatever.” Myungjun said, pushing himself out of bed. It was too early to try and figure out what they were hinting at. “I’m going for a shower, try not to wake Youngjae up.”

“Nothing could wake that boy up.” Namjoon replied, looking over to his bed. “He’d sleep through a war.” Myungjun silently agreed before making his way into the bathroom and shutting the door behind him. He honestly didn’t mind Seokjin sleeping over, he just wished he could have slept a bit longer.

He turned the shower on and shed his clothes before looking at his face in the mirror. It was still puffy from sleep and he had dried drool on his cheek. Great. He let his eyes roam lower down his body and stopped to look at the scar on his stomach. It was no longer bright pink, but it did still feel sensitive to the touch. Maybe it always would. He’d had it for nearly two months now, but it still shocked him whenever he saw it. He stepped into the shower and looked down at his arm, to inspect the scars there. The rat scratch on the inside of his wrist was fading away but the snake bite stood out still.

He heard mumbled voices outside before the bathroom door opened. He scolded himself for not locking the door and quickly tried to cover up but Youngjae wasn’t even looking his way. He just went straight over to the toilet and Myungjun quickly turned around to stare at the tiled wall.

“Nice scar.” Youngjae said, a hint of appreciation in his voice. “Makes you looks badass.”

Myungjun looked over his shoulder to see Youngjae eyeing his back. “What do you mean? I don’t have a scar on my back.”

“Umm, yes you do. You said the trident pinned you against the wall right? Of course it went through your back to do that you idiot.” He laughed as Myungjun scrambled from the shower, completely forgetting his shyness over being naked and he quickly turned in front of the mirror to see his back. Sure enough, there was the connecting scar. It was slightly smaller but still very much a thing.

“How did I not notice this?” Myungjun asked in disbelief. “How did I not even think about it?”

Youngjae just shrugged before pointing back to the shower. “Dunno but you should get back in Hyung. Seeing you naked wasn’t exactly on my to do list.”

Myungjun scowled at him before pushing him out of the door. “You shouldn’t have come in then!” He slammed the door shut and made sure to lock it, hearing Youngjae laughing outside. Why were his friends so annoying?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Myungjun is the epitome of innocence~


	44. The Five Bullies.

“Welcome students, to your first healing class. I’ve met most of you before, but I’ll introduce myself anyway. My name is Mr Choi and I will be your teacher for the year.” Myungjun clapped loudly with the rest. He remembered Mr Choi taking him to the academy and felt a wave of gratitude when he remembered that Mr Choi had been the one to save him in the field after he was beaten up.

Mr Choi bent down to pick up a medical bag from underneath his desk and he placed it on the table. “I’m going to show you different medical supplies and I would like you all to tell me what they are and what they’re used for.”

He pulled out an array of items that were easily identified. Bandages, medical gloves, tape, pain relievers and energy revivers. Myungjun could name them all but was stumped when Mr Choi pulled out a bottle of clear liquid. Only one boy put his hand up to answer and Mr Choi turned to him with a smile.

“I’m not surprised you know Jaebum, would you like to tell us all what it is?”

Jaebum smiled and stood up confidently. “Alcohol, more specifically moonshine. Used to disinfect wounds if there isn’t a professional healer around. It can also get you very _very_ drunk.” Students chuckled around him and Myungjun watched as Mr Choi shook his head with a smile.

“Thankyou for that extra information Jaebum. Please take a seat. He is correct, Moonshine is used to make sure wounds do not get infected. Obviously, it isn’t needed in the presence of an actual healer but its always useful to have for rookies like yourselves. Unfortunately, I will not be distributing any to you today because as Jaebum said, it is an alcohol and will get you drunk, and drinking is prohibited in the Academy as you already know.”

A few students began to mumble, and he shushed them all before taking out a stack of parchment. “The rest of this lesson will be used for taking notes. I’m going to give you scenarios of accidents that could happen and I would like you to write down the solution you would use to fix them. I have some spare parchment here for anyone who doesn’t have any of their own.”

Myungjun sighed before reaching into his bag for his leather book. He tore a new sheet out and got ready to give himself another hand cramp.

*

“Hey Myungjun, where’s your boyfriend today?” the voice sneered behind him and Myungjun hurried quicker down the corridor, trying to ignore them. They were the same bullies who Jinwoo had gotten into a fight with before, for dousing Myungjun in water, and he didn’t want to experience that again. “Look’s like he’s not around to protect you this time. Why do you need protecting anyway? Can’t fight back?”

Myungjun closed his eyes with a frustrated sigh before stopping and turning around to look at them. There were five in total and he didn’t even know their names. “Why are you doing this to me?” He asked, staring their leader in the face. “You don’t even know me, so leave me alone.” He turned to walk away but felt a hand on his collar yank him back. He stumbled, dropping the books in his hands all over the floor and flushed as they laughed.

“Look how clumsy you are, you made such a mess.” The boy tutted, shaking his head before letting go of Myungjuns collar and nudging the backs of his knees so he fell forwards. “Clean it up.” Myungjun burned from embarrassment, he didn’t want to do what they said but he needed those books, so he quickly scrambled around to collect them.

“Junnie are you okay?” He heard Hyungwons voice and looked up in relief to see him walking over.

“Crap its Hyungwon.” One of the boys mumbled behind him and he heard footsteps receding.

Myungjun picked up the last of his books and climbed to his feet, to look up at the older boy. “I’m okay.” He said with a strained smile. “I just dropped my books.”

“Are you sure?” Hyungwon asked, concern burning in his eyes. “You’re shaking.”

Myungjun looked down to see his hands trembling and forced himself to stop. “I’m sure, I guess I’m just hungry. Should we go get lunch?”

*

He didn’t know why he had suggested that, as he now sat in front of his food feeling sick. The hall around them was buzzing with noise and his friends sat around the table, oblivious of his inner turmoil. He knew he should tell someone, preferably Jinwoo but he couldn’t bring himself too. He was ashamed at not being able to fight back and he couldn’t let anybody know how weak he was.

He’d hoped that the bullying would have ended by the time he came back for his second year but that didn’t seem to be the case. He pushed his food around on his plate until Jinwoo placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Junnie are you not hungry?” He asked, lowering his voice so the others wouldn’t hear. “Are you having nightmares again?” Myungjun shook his head and plastered a smile on his face.

“I’m fine JinJin, I haven’t had nightmares in a long time. Just don’t really feel like eating. Can we go and sit by the lake instead?”

Jinwoo looked down at his own plate, it was still half full, but he pushed it away with a smile. “Of course we can. Let’s go.” He held out his hand and Myungjun took it, grateful for the contact. They said goodbye to the others before making their way outside.

Myungjun sat down in their usual spot and started to grow flowers around them to calm himself. Jinwoo watched with a frown and after Myungjun grew his twelfth one, Jinwoo stopped him.

“Junnie you’re anxious about something. Tell me what it is.” Myungjun looked up at him surprised. How had Jinwoo known? “You always grow flowers when you’re feeling anxious or worried.” Jinwoo explained with a sigh. “What’s bothering you? I’ll try to help if I can.”

Myungjun smiled, feeling his chest warm up at Jinwoos words. He knew Jinwoo was always willing to help him in any way he needed, and he knew that ninety nine percent of the time he did it successfully. But Myungjun also knew that by telling Jinwoo that the bullying had started again, he would set him on a war path that would just lead to more detentions and eventually expulsion. He couldn’t do that to Jinwoo, so he lied instead. “I’m just anxious about taking so many classes. I’ve already gotten three pieces of homework and we’re only on our second week back.”

Jinwoo sighed and stroked one of Myungjuns flowers gently. “Maybe you should drop a class then Junnie. I don’t want to see you being so anxious over it, even though the flowers you make are always so pretty.”

Myungjun laughed and pulled them all back into the ground making Jinwoo pout. “I don’t want to drop any classes. Just ignore me I’m being silly. I’ll be able to finish all my homework in no time as long as I focus. I’ll just go to the library at dinner, but you’re not invited. You’ll just distract me.”

“I won’t!” Jinwoo protested. “I’ll be quiet I promise. I like watching you work. You have this cute habit of sticking your tongue out of the corner of your mouth a little when you concentrate and it’s just so precious, I want to cuddle you all day.” He giggled, _giggled_ and Myungjun thought he was going to combust. Jinwoo rarely giggled and it contrasted heavily with his tougher appearance. Myungjun tried so hard not to coo at him, because he knew Jinwoo hated it, and shuffled over on his hands and knees to kiss his boyfriend.

Jinwoo made a noise of surprise but kissed him back softly. Myungjuns problems faded away and he pulled back with a happy whine. “Thankyou JinJin, I needed that kiss.”

“No problem Junnie, it was my pleasure.”

*

The next few weeks went past without incident, Myungjun had been able to avoid getting himself into trouble and had finally settled into his new timetable.

He walked into the clearing for herbology and opened up the magic path to the greenhouses. He could already see some students going in and out of their own, covered in dirt and carrying tools and he rushed over to his eagerly. He ran his fingers over the engraving of his name on the door before pushing it open. He squealed when he noticed the new development to his tomato plant and quickly pulled out his textbook to see what stage they were at now.

Apparently, they were close to flowering and needed extra nutrients to ensure their growth. Myungjun moved to one of the shelves in his greenhouse to look at the different jars he had been provided. There was one helpfully labelled as ‘Tomato plant food’ but he wanted to try making his own. It was risky and he could fail the project if it went wrong but he decided to just go for it. I won’t learn if I hold back and use shortcuts, he thought to himself before picking up a little bucket and filling it with the ingredients the book stated that he could use.

He walked over to his plant and touched it gently to see what it wanted. He quickly took one of the things out of the bucket, feeling glad he’d asked first and sighed when he realised it needed more water. Myungjun crushed the remaining ingredients into a fine powder before taking the bucket to his least favourite plant.

“Please may I have some water?” He asked it nicely, holding his bucket out in front of him. “I’m growing some tomatoes and I want to make sure they’re looked after.” The plant unfurled its bright blue petals and leaned forwards over the bucket. Myungjun could almost believe it was looking inside of it, to see if he was telling the truth, if he didn’t already know that flowers didn’t have eyes. The water started to trickle out and pattered noisily against the bottom.

“Hello Myungjun.” Jimin said coming up behind him. “How is your plant coming along?”

Myungjun turned back to give him a smile. “It’s good, I’m just getting some water. This plant still hates me though.”

Jimin leaned over to look in his bucket. “It doesn’t look like it hates you.” Myungjun looked down in disbelief to see that his bucket had been filled the perfect amount and he looked up at the plant in suspicion.

“Its only being nice to me because you’re here Jimin.” Myungjun huffed and walked away, leaving Jimin giggling behind him and greeting the flower like long-time friends.

Myungjun made sure to mix the powder into the water properly before pouring it into the soil around the tomato plants stem. He touched it once more to make sure that it was happy and put the bucket back with a satisfied sigh. He still had an hour left of the lesson, so he got some parchment and documented the newest developments, drawing pictures of the little buds and adding notes about what he had fed it. When he was finished, he tucked it safely into his bag and made his way to dinner. He had design class next and couldn’t wait to make a start on the blanket he had drafted.

*

“Myungjun you don’t need scissors to cut the fabric.” Jimin said kindly, pulling them out of his hand. “This fabric is made out of plant fibres so you can manipulate it with your magic like this.” Jimin ran his finger across the fabric and it fell away like it had been cut.

“Wow!” Myungjun said, awe lighting up his features. “Let me try.” He shouted happily when it worked, and Mr Lee came over to them with a big smile on his face.

“Well done Myungjun! You picked that handy bit of advice up quickly. Can I see the plan you drew up last lesson?” Myungjun handed over the parchment and the teacher scanned it quickly. “This is very adventurous and will take a lot of time to make. Are you sure you want to do this?”

Myungjun nodded enthusiastically before reaching across the table for the long ruler. “It’s a Christmas present, I’m starting it now, so hopefully it’s done in time.”

“For a fire user I’m guessing?” Mr Lee asked, pointing to the little note Myungjun had made, reminding himself to make it fireproof. He planned to take it to the enchanter Jinwoo told him about on their yearly trip to Voredan. He knew Jinwoo spent most mornings in bed now because of his empty timetable and he was always complaining about not having Myungjun there to cuddle. So, he was making him something he could cuddle instead.

“Yes.” Myungjun said happily, taking the parchment back to look at the measurements. “He’s special to me, so I want to do it well.”

Mr Lee left them to it, with wishes of good luck, before moving on to the next table. Jimin was making himself a cardigan using a fluffy yellow fabric that made Myungjun smile every time he touched it.

“I’m going to use some of the flowers I preserved to decorate the cuffs.” Jimin explained excitedly before pulling out a little box and showing Myungjun the flowers inside. They were brilliant white in colour and perfectly preserved.

“You have a lot of hidden skills.” Myungjun observed before going back to his fabric. “Can you teach me how to do that?” Jimin readily agreed and told him they could do it that night after class. It was the last class of the day and Myungjun hadn’t made any plans to see Jinwoo or go to the library, so he was happy to accept.

“We have about an hour left, so let’s concentrate.” Myungjun said, slicing off strips of black fluffy fabric.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Petition to fire me as the author of this story. Myungjun doesn't deserve this bullying >.<
> 
> P.S I'm so excited to post the next chapter. All I can say is there's a reason moonshine had to be introduced ;D


	45. A Dragon, A Phoenix And A Bottle Of Moonshine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING:  
> Underage drinking ahead.

October flew by and soon enough Myungjun was presented with the news of another ball for hallows eve. This time the theme wasn’t masked, the theme was magical creatures and Myungjun groaned at the thought of having to decide on a costume idea. At least last year, he’d just been able to throw on a suit and fluff up his hair. He hadn’t even needed to make the mask himself because Jimin had done it for him. He flicked through his zoology textbook, trying to find a creature that looked interesting enough to base an outfit around.

“How’s about we all just dress up like the mythical creature assignments we had last year?” Youngjae suggested. Everyone was sitting around one of the big library tables, discussing their own ideas.

Myungjun perked up at the thought but Sanha started protesting about clashing with Rocky as their assignments had been the twin tigers. “It would be cute for you two to go together.” Myungjun said, watching as Sanha made a noise of disgust and Rocky looked at him offended.

“I am NOT going with Rocky. He’d want to dance all night and I hate dancing.” Sanha grumbled.

“I wouldn’t want to go with you anyway Sanha.” Rocky said back childishly. “You’d just embarrass me. I’d rather go with Rocky Jr.” They started to bicker backwards and forwards until Hyungwon hissed at them both to shut up.

Myungjun excused himself from the table and walked down the colourful rows of books before stopping at the section on dragons. He liked Youngjaes idea and decided an outfit based around the dragon he had raised would be a nice tribute to her. He saw an interesting book on one of the shelves higher up and stood on his tiptoes to reach it. He was still too short and sighed in frustration as his fingertips barely brushed the shelf it was sitting on.

“Let me help cutie.” Jinwoo said coming up behind him. Myungjun was going to point out that Jinwoo was short too before feeling a strong pair of arms wrap around his hips and lift him off the floor. He squealed but managed to grab the book and Jinwoo put him back down gently.

“JinJin you shouldn’t have done that, I’m too heavy!” Myungjun whined, turning to look at him.

“Are you saying I’m weak?” Jinwoo asked, crossing his arms over his chest so his muscles were purposefully made visible. “Because I’m pretty sure you’ve said otherwise on multiple occasions.” He smirked as Myungjun flushed and stammered for an excuse. “I’m only joking Junnie. You’re not heavy at all either, I can pick you up without a problem. You should know that by now.”

Myungjun remembered the way Jinwoo had picked him up easily, to kiss him against the tree during the summer, and he blushed even harder. “JinJin keep your voice down people could hear!” Myungjun whispered furiously, looking left and right down the row of books they were in.

“There’s no one here Junnie.” Jinwoo said quietly, backing Myungjun up against the bookcase, his book on dragons pressed between them. “Do you need help remembering?” His asked, hands travelling down Myungjuns waist slowly. He laughed and took a step back when Myungjun brought the book up between them to hide his face. “Another time then, let’s go back and sit down.”

He didn’t give Myungjun time to reply before he was walking away. Myungjun lowered the book shakily, taking some deep breathes in an attempt to calm his beating heart. Jinwoo knew how to get him flustered and he always teased him mercilessly. One of these days he’d get Jinwoo back.

*

“Myungjun you look FINE.” Youngjae said with a sigh. “You look better then fine, if Jinwoo wasn’t your boyfriend, _I’d_ want to be your boyfriend at this point. Please just stop fussing.”

Myungjun whined irritably as he tried to fix his eye make-up for the third time. He’d learned that what Jinwoo had used to make his eyes smoky last Halloween wasn’t charcoal, which Myungjun had previously thought, but something called eyeliner and apparently girls wore it all the time. Myungjun wouldn’t know this because he didn’t look at girls often. Unless it was to glare at them when they stared at his boyfriend for too long.

He cursed when he poked himself in the eye and slammed the pencil down on the bathroom sink. That will have to do, he thought irritably and moved to stand in front of the big mirror to inspect his outfit. It had taken a long time to plan and even longer to make. Jinwoos Christmas present hadn’t been touched since he started making it and he felt a bit guilty. However, he knew it had been worth it when he looked at the reflection in front of him.

He was wearing a crimson silk shirt, covered in embroidered black scales that had taken him a lot of time to do and even more black thread. It was tucked into a pair of tight, high-waisted leather trousers that he’d borrowed from Jimin and they sat further up his waist then he was used too but it wasn’t uncomfortable. The things that had taken him the longest to make however, were his wings. They were sewn individually to the back of a harness he’d designed; with the inspiration of the ones the others had worn in the dungeons to hold their poles. He had thought Rocky looked cool in it, so he wanted to wear one too. The wings rose just above his shoulders, where they travelled back down his arms to be cuffed comfortably at his wrists. He’d spent two hours cutting out the individual black and scarlet scales for the wings and spent another six hours sewing them all on. He flapped his arms happily and turned around to see them sparkle in the light. He let his eyes roam back up his chest. He’d purposefully left the first four buttons of his shirt undone, dangerously low cut and he almost buttoned them back up out of sheer embarrassment but stopped himself. There were going to be loads of people showing off much more skin then this and it wasn’t like it was anything shocking; he was always taking off his shirt to get changed in front of Namjoon and Youngjae.

 _Yeah but it’s not them you’re trying to impress tonight_ , the little voice at the back of Myungjuns mind said and he scowled pushing it away.

He was sad about not being able to wear Jinwoos necklace because the pink didn’t match but he replaced it with a thin strap of black material that rubbed less comfortably at his throat. He ignored the uncomfortable feeling to look at his face. His eyeliner wasn’t as good as Jinwoos had been, but it still made his eyes stand out well. However, Myungjun knew the thing that would stand out the most was his hair. He’d asked Moonbin to dye it for him and it was a deep rich red like his petals. He’d styled it so it was slightly curled and topped it off with a pair of curly horns he’d asked Rocky to make out of some stone. He was lucky Rocky was taking a craftmanship class and could fulfil his request.

His outfit seemed complete enough, so he left the bathroom to face Namjoon and Youngjae. “I’m done.” He said, giving them a twirl.

“Wow Youngjae was right. You do look much better then fine. You look gorgeous Hyung.” Namjoon said with a smile. Myungjun returned it and went to sit on his bed so he could put on his shoes.

Youngjae cleared his throat excitedly and Myungjun looked up to see him holding a bottle of clear liquid. It took his brain a few seconds to register what he was seeing before he gasped. “Youngjae is that moonshine?”

“How the hell did you get that?” Namjoon asked, reaching forwards to take it. “Alcohol is prohibited in Academy grounds; you could get into so much trouble for having this.”

“One, don’t ask, you don’t want to know.” Youngjae began, making Myungjun laugh. “and two, WE could get into so much trouble. You’re both drinking it with me.”

Namjoon shook his head quickly, thrusting the bottle back into Youngjaes hands. “No way Youngjae you’re crazy. That stuff is so strong even my parents get wasted off of a glass and they’ve had a lot of time to practice drinking.”

Youngjae laughed and opened the bottle with a flourish. “Now’s a good time to start practicing Namjoon. Just take a sip it wont kill you. Plus, I think you need the liquid courage. I heard Seokjins wearing something pretty daring tonight and you know how much body confidence that boy has. Think about his shoulders Joon.”

Myungjun snorted when Namjoon ripped the bottle out of Youngjaes hand. He took a gulp and grimaced at the taste before holding it out for Myungjun. “Your turn, it doesn’t actually taste that bad I guess.”

Myungjun took it hesitantly and tried a small sip. The unfamiliarity of the alcohol made him grimace too, but like Namjoon had said; it wasn’t that bad. He thought about the amount of courage he’d need to face Jinwoo looking like this, with some skin exposed, and tipped his head back to drink as much as he could.

“Myungjun stop it you idiot!” Youngjae said, pulling the bottle away. “Look Joon he drank so much! We’re screwed.”

Myungjun rolled his eyes and wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand. “Don’t be so dramatic, I feel fine.” He wasn’t lying, he felt great, perfectly normal. The moonshine had left a warm feeling in his chest and he stood up to leave. “We should go, we don’t want to be late.” He waited for Youngjae to drink some before they made their way outside.

Myungjun still felt perfectly fine as he watched Namjoon climb down the ladder. He still felt perfectly fine when he began to climb down the ladder next. However, he didn’t feel so fine when he got about halfway down and looked up to see where Youngjae was. His mind started to go cloudy and his body went pleasantly numb. He tried to climb down the next rung, but his foot slipped and suddenly he was falling.

The ground rushed up to meet him and he landed hard with a grunt of pain. He heard a panicked voice and looked up to see Namjoon above him and Youngjae scrambling down the ladder calling his name. Why are they so worried? Myungjun thought and began to giggle.

“Why are you laughing Myungjun? You just fell like fifteen foot!” Namjoon said angrily, pulling him to his feet. “You could have been seriously hurt; you need to be more careful.”

Myungjun narrowed his eyes and poked him in the chest. “I’m a dragon Namjooooon. I didn’t fall. I flew! What are you my mother?” he asked and giggled again. “Wow I love my mother did you know?”

Youngjae groaned in annoyance at the side. “He’s drunk. Bloody hell I got him drunk, we’re in so much trouble, what are we going to do?”

“He can’t go, let’s just get him back up to bed.” Namjoon said with a sigh. Myungjun backed away fast when he tried to grab him.

“I’m not going to bed.” He said stubbornly. “I spent ages on this outfit! I’m not drunk, I’m just happy. Let’s play a game. It’s called catch me if you can.”

“Myungjun don’t you dare.” Youngjae warned, but it was too late. Myungjun had already set off running through the trees.

He heard them calling his name behind him, but he didn’t want to go back to bed. He wanted to see the rest of his friends and dance and have a good time. He also wanted to kiss his boyfriend and get him back for being such a tease all the time. He was glad he was faster than the others because he made it out of the forest and across the grounds before he had to stop to catch his breath. He froze when he spotted Grove walking out of the academy doors but sighed in relief when he walked straight past.

Myungjun made his way into the academy and followed the sounds of music, past students dressed in an array of costumes. He realised that a lot of the students had hardly tried with their outfits at all and felt a bit out of place in his, but he gained confidence when they turned to stare at him in awe. Some complimented him and he nodded politely before sweeping past them into the dimly lit hall. He looked around but he couldn’t see Jinwoo anywhere, probably due to the fact the whole room seemed to be spinning. He did notice however, that the room had been decorated tastefully. The ceiling was enchanted to look like the night sky, and something was creating a thick mist that travelled eerily along the floor. Barren trees were scattered around the room, with thick spider webs hanging between them. Myungjun watched as a girl got her headdress caught in one of the webs and she screamed as a big spindly leg reached towards her. Myungjun made a note not to get caught in any of them.

Students were dancing in the middle of the room, mist swirling up around them in clouds as upbeat music vibrated around the room. It looked too enticing. He made his way over and moved his body lazily to the music. Jinwoo will find me, Myungjun thought happily, he always does. He felt a pair of hands on his shoulders and looked up with a smile to see Hyungwon staring down at him.

“Junnie you look incredible.” He shouted over the music, leaning down so Myungjun could hear and he pulled back in surprise when Myungjun planted a kiss on his cheek.

“Thanks ‘wonnie.” Myungjun slurred happily. “Have you seen my incredibly attractive boyfriend? I need to kiss him.”

Hyungwon laughed before stopping abruptly and leaning down to sniff him. “Junnie…why do you smell like alcohol?” He asked slowly, pulling away to stare wide eyed as he took in Myungjuns moonshine induced flush. “Bloody hell Myungjun, where did you even get it?”

“It’s a seeeeeeecret.” Myungjun said with a giggle. “Dance with me ‘wonnie.” He grabbed Hyungwons wrists and pulled him deeper onto the dance floor. The older boy protested the whole time but Myungjun drowned out his voice, focused only on dancing and waiting for Jinwoo. Lights flashed around him and the mist made everything hazier. It felt like time was suspended and he never wanted it to begin again.

He didn’t have to wait much longer before Hyungwon was shouting to him that Jinwoo had arrived. Myungjun eagerly pushed his way out of the mass of sweaty bodies before spotting Jinwoo himself and nearly passing out there and then from how _breathtaking_ he looked. Jinwoos outfit was inspired by his phoenix assignment and he glowed, surrounded by all the reds and yellows and oranges. Myungjun barely registered anything except the fact his arms were very much bare, and he desperately wanted to touch them.

He walked towards him slowly, trying to remember to act normal and shivered in joy at the expression on Jinwoos face when he noticed him. Myungjun closed the distance and gave him a twirl. “Do you like it?” He asked, feeling a lot bolder thanks to the moonshine. Jinwoo looked him up and down a few times, taking in all the details and nodded wordlessly, shock still evident on his face.

Myungjun leaned forwards to whisper in his ear. “I want you to tell me how much you like it. I did this all for you, don’t be embarrassed.” He pulled back with a smirk to see Jinwoo opening and closing his mouth without a sound, clearly shocked at Myungjuns complete change of demeanour.

“Uhhh…” He began dumbly, stopping to visibly gulp. “You look great Junnie, I…I like it a lot.” Myungjun felt dizzy from the praise but tried not to show it, he was going to get Jinwoo back tonight, for all the teasing and flustering he’d put Myungjun through.

Myungjun wet his lips with his tongue, making sure Jinwoo was watching him and leaned forwards to kiss him. He saw Jinwoos eyes flutter shut, clearly expectant and dodged at the last second to kiss his neck gently instead. He heard Jinwoo whine and he pulled back with a smile. “Let’s dance.”

*

Myungjun watched Jinwoos patience slowly unravel as the night went on. He danced against him on the dancefloor, swaying his hips from side to side and continuously putting Jinwoos hands back on his shoulders when they tried to roam lower. Whenever Jinwoo would moan at him for it, he’d silence him with a finger on the lips.

“Just dance JinJin.” He’d say, before pressing up against him further and burying his face in Jinwoos neck, breathing in the intoxicating scent of his skin. He would get brief sobering thoughts that he’d never have the courage to do this usually but pushed them all away to focus on the task at hand.

Jinwoo finally snapped when Myungjun dragged his lips from his collar bone to his ear to nip at it gently. He pushed Myungjun away with a frustrated growl and dragged him from the room. Myungjun felt his blood sing in his veins from anticipation and silently congratulated himself on his victory. He stumbled behind him, letting Jinwoo take him wherever he wanted, grinning like an idiot.

His mind was starting to clear but it wasn’t enough to worry him. He realised after they’d been walking for a few minutes, where Jinwoo was actually taking him, and tried to set his face into an expression of innocence when Jinwoo pulled him through the door to the storage room. He slammed the door shut behind them and turned to face Myungjun, eyes dark. The moon shone in through the window and lit up half of his face, he looked furious.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing Myungjun?” He asked. Yep, definitely furious. “You come here dressed like this.” He backed Myungjun up a step. “You don’t let me touch you all night.” Another step. “and then you tease me like that?” Myungjuns back hit the wall and he felt excitement claw at his chest. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing to me?” Myungjun shook his head slightly and Jinwoo closed his eyes to take a deep breath. “My magic already spiked the moment I laid eyes on you tonight, but its beating under my skin now I can feel it.”

Myungjun had thought he was just feeling warm from the moonshine but now he realised it was something more.

“I’m dangerous Myungjun.” Jinwoo said quietly, looking him in the eyes. “What if I hurt you huh? How do you think I’d feel?”

Myungjun bit his lip, guilt welling up inside of him. He should have thought about how hard it was for Jinwoo to control his magic. Jinwoos eyes flickered down and he groaned, reaching up to drag Myungjuns lip from his teeth with the pad of his thumb. “Don’t do that either, it’s making things worse.”

“I’m sorry JinJin. I didn’t think about what I was doing.” Myungjun whispered. “But I trust you. I know you won’t hurt me.”

He watched as emotions warred endlessly on Jinwoos face. “You might trust me Myungjun, but I don’t think I can trust myself.” He moved to pull back but Myungjun grabbed him.

“Please JinJin, I need you.” He knew he sounded desperate, but he didn’t care. By teasing Jinwoo all night, he’d unknowingly wound himself up too. The thought of Jinwoo leaving now was excruciating.

Jinwoo let out a shaky breath and pressed their foreheads together. “Myungjun this is stupid and reckless, and my body is _screaming_ at me to release my magic.”

“You won’t JinJin I promise. Please just kiss me.” Myungjun said close to tears. “I feel like I might die if you don’t.”

Jinwoo made a noise of pure pain before surging forwards and kissing him fiercely. The tension that had been building within Myungjun all night exploded. He didn’t even warn Jinwoo before jumping up to wrap his legs around his waist. Jinwoo stumbled forwards and Myungjuns back hit the wall, he was glad there wasn’t any bark like the last time they were in this position. He felt his horns slip out of place in his hair but couldn’t find it in himself to care. Jinwoo put both of his hands under his thighs to hold him up and Myungjun clumsily unclipped the heavy cape of fire coloured feathers from around Jinwoos shoulders. It fell to the floor with a sigh and Myungjun gripped at Jinwoos bare arms. They felt strong and solid and made him whine happily.

Jinwoo flexed his muscles under Myungjuns hands and laughed into their kiss as he whined happily again. “Do you like it Junnie?” He pulled back slightly to ask, mocking Myungjuns voice from earlier when he’d asked about his outfit.

“Yes.” Myungjun said breathily, not hesitating in the slightest. “You’re so attractive Jinwoo, I’ve been dying to touch your arms all night.” His confession stunned Jinwoo and he stared at Myungjun in shock before blushing.

“I like it when you touch me.” He said quietly and Myungjun grinned.

“Do I have your permission to touch your arms more often then?”

“Always Junnie. Now shut up and kiss me.” Their lips crashed together, messy and desperate. Myungjun squeezed Jinwoos biceps until he moaned and reached down to tug at the hem of his vibrant sleeveless shirt.

“Lift your arms Jinwoo, I want this off.” Myungjun ordered when Jinwoo pulled back, confused at his insistent tugging. His eyes widened and he gripped Myungjuns thighs tight.

“Why do you want my shirt off? You can see my arms just fine.” He seemed nervous and Myungjun frowned.

“Why are you suddenly acting shy? You’re never shy when you change your shirt in front of me. I’m always the one who closes my eyes.”

Jinwoo was quiet for a few seconds before lifting his arms and letting Myungjun awkwardly pull it off. The angle wasn’t great and Myungjun giggled when it got caught on Jinwoos chin. When it was off completely, he threw it to the side and Jinwoo had to hoist him up to stop him slipping off his hips. Jinwoo held him up firmly and watched with a blush as Myungjuns eyes raked over his chest.

Myungjun had gotten glimpses of Jinwoos chest before but he’d never looked for long. He stared now, eyes trailing down from his collar bones to the top of his stomach and he reached out shakily to trace the dips of Jinwoos abdominal muscles.

“You’re perfect.” Myungjun said, looking up at Jinwoos tense face. “You’re so perfect JinJin.” Jinwoo finally relaxed into a smile and kissed him again. Myungjun ran his hands all over Jinwoos bare skin. His shoulders, his arms, his chest, his back, he caressed it all until Jinwoo pulled him away from the wall and carried him to the battered desk on the other side of the room. He placed him down gently and moved his hands to the tops of Myungjuns thighs instead; kneading them through his leather trousers and making him squirm.

“Your thighs look sinful in these Junnie.” Jinwoo muttered against his lips. “Don’t ever wear them in front of anyone but me.” Myungjun giggled at his protective behaviour and pulled back to look at him properly.

“Don’t ever take your shirt off in front of anyone but me then.” He leaned back on his hands to look at Jinwoos body some more. The moon shone directly on him now and Myungjun could see all the little details he’d missed before. A little scar here, a freckle there. He burned it all into memory before looking up at Jinwoos piercing gaze.

“Your turn.” Jinwoo said quietly, unclipping the harness strap around Myungjuns waist and the two straps around his shoulders. Myungjun sat confused, his turn for what? Jinwoo pulled the cuffs off of Myungjuns wrists and placed the wings gently behind them on the desk. He reached up to trail his fingers down Myungjuns chest, which the four undone buttons exposed, making Myungjuns skin burn. Jinwoo moved to unbutton the fifth and Myungjun slapped his hand away with a shriek, finally understanding.

“No way Park Jinwoo, I am NOT taking my shirt off.”

Jinwoo laughed and pulled away. “You will one day Junnie, you undoing all these buttons just to tease me proves it.”

Myungjun blushed and hid his face in his hands. Why did he always fall into Jinwoos trap?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my longest chapters to date and its basically 4000 words of drunk Myungjun flirting with his boyfriend...Sigh.  
> On a scale of 1-10 how much to do think Myungjun will regret this in the morning? XD
> 
> Myungjuns outfit in my head is so pretty but I don't think I did a good enough job of describing it, sorry :(


	46. Operation: Avoidance.

Myungjun stood in the shower, watching the spray on hair dye paint the floor red. He remembered watching his blood pool at his feet after being impaled by the sirens trident during the last dungeon run and shivered.

“You doing okay in there Hyung?” He heard Namjoons voice drift through the bathroom door and he shouted back a confirmation. It was the morning after the ball, and he was _burning_ from embarrassment. He’d taken off Jinwoos top and actually touched him. The thought alone was enough to make him groan in shame and he rested his head against the tiled wall with a thump.

“I’m never touching alcohol again.” He whined to himself before furiously scrubbing the rest of the dye from his hair and getting out of the shower, the cool air hitting his skin and making him shiver.

Namjoon was waiting for him on his bed and handed him a clean change of clothes. “How do you feel? Any better?”

Myungjun remembered the whole reason for the shower in the first place and felt the nausea come back to him. “Not really. Why did no one tell me hangovers could be this bad?”

Namjoon laughed and went over to his own bed to give Myungjun privacy to change. “You’ve not been sick yet, so that’s a good sign. Do you have a headache?”

Myungjun sighed and pulled his clothes on. “Not really, just a dull ache that will go away soon enough. What classes do we have today?”

“Herbology, then you have design and we can meet up at dinner to go to zoology with the water users.” Namjoon said, putting on his glasses and fluffing his hair. “I said I’d meet Jinnie for breakfast. So I’ll just see you at herbology okay?” He said goodbye, leaving Myungjun to collapse on his bed with a groan.

He really didn’t feel like going to classes today but at least he had none with Jinwoo, so he could hide his shame for a time and pretend last night didn’t happen. Part of him was secretly glad it did, he got to see his boyfriends chiselled body dammit, how could he not be at least a little bit satisfied? However, the things he had said _’Do you like it? I did it all for you.’_ made him want to jump off the treehouse and plummet to his death. He whined loudly, kicking his feet before jumping out of bed to find his shoes. He was just going to face the day and hope Jinwoo didn’t mention anything.

*

Myungjun sat in his greenhouse, counting how many buds on his tomato plant had flowered. There were a lot and he congratulated himself on making his own tomato plant food successfully. He looked up when someone knocked on the glass door, to see Ms Jung peering inside. He quickly let her in, and she shuffled over to inspect the plant herself.

“Myungjun I’m very impressed. Your plant is coming along nicely, and I know it will produce many tomatoes for you to enjoy. As it’s flowering already, I can give you your next project.” Myungjun watched curiously as her frail hands patted the soil gently. A new little seedling sprouted, and she stepped back with a smile. “This is another mystery vegetable that I would like for you to grow. If you succeed with this one as well, I will consider moving you on to something harder.” She bid him farewell before leaving him to his work.

When the door closed behind her, Myungjun moved over to inspect the little plant. It looked so cute and tiny and he stroked the miniature leaves delicately, promising to look after it well. Luckily enough he didn’t need to make a trip to the watering flower for it yet, so he sat down to draw the new plant instead. It was still too early to hazard a guess as to what it might be, but Myungjun still checked his textbook anyway. After deciding he really had nothing else to do, he set off to find Youngjaes or Namjoons greenhouse, looking for company.

He walked through the rows of sparkling glass until he spotted Namjoon walking towards him with a bucket of water. He watched in horror as Namjoon tripped and spilled the contents all over the grass.

“Joonie are you okay?” Myungjun asked, rushing over to help him to his feet. Namjoon groaned and looked down at the grass stains on his trousers before picking the empty bucket up.

“This is the second time I’ve tripped today.” He whined, frowning down at his feet. “Now I have to go all the way back to collect more water. Can you give this to Youngjae for me whilst I’m gone? He’s three greenhouses down from here.” He held out a glass jar and Myungjun took it before telling him to be careful.

He knocked on the door to Youngjaes greenhouse and walked inside. The younger boy looked stressed and cried out in relief when Myungjun handed the jar over. “Where’s Namjoon?”

“He fell over and dropped all his water, he’s gone back to get more.” Myungjun explained. “What’s up anyway?”

Youngjae sighed and reached up to pull a pestle and mortar down from the shelf. “I forgot to close the door to my greenhouse properly and some hornworms got in and started feeding on my plant. Go and look, its terrible.” He got to work grinding up whatever was in the jar Namjoon had given him and Myungjun went to survey the damage. He could see the visible damage to the leaves and stem and felt sad for Youngjae. He reached out to touch it and listened to what it needed.

“Youngjae what are you grinding up?” He asked, turning back to look at him.

“Oiliare bark. Joon told me it would help.” Youngjae answered, crushing the bark to dust.

“Your plant wants malorn root instead Youngjae, you should have some on your shelf.”

Youngjae turned to look at him with wide eyes. “How do you know what it wants? I thought you could only hear jumbled whispers?”

Myungjun smiled and looked down to stroke the damaged plant. “I can hear them well now. They tell me when they need something and let me know how they feel.”

“I wish I could do that.” Youngjae sighed. “I barely even hear them whisper at all. You must have a gift.”

Myungjun laughed and looked for the malorn root for him. “This one should do it. I’ll wait for you to use it and then we can go to lunch together okay? I want to eat quickly though.”

Youngjae took the jar from Myungjun and smirked. “Why? Still avoiding Jinwoo?”

“I’m not avoiding him.” Myungjun grumbled. “I’m just making sure I’m finished before he gets there.”

Youngjae laughed and ground up the new root. “That’s avoiding Hyung. I’m guessing you did something embarrassing again.” Myungjun made a noise of offence and he laughed louder. “You always do embarrassing things and avoid talking about them. Spill it, what did you do this time?”

Myungjun sat down on the floor with a defeated sigh. “I said some things that are making me want to curl up in a ball and die…then I took his shirt off.” Youngjae gasped and forgot what he was doing to stare at Myungjun instead.

“You didn’t!” He said, sounding genuinely shocked. “I didn’t know you were like that Hyung, wow.”

“I’m not like that!” Myungjun denied hotly. “It was the moonshine. You know I get shy and embarrassed about those things normally! I don’t even know why I did it and now I can never see him again.”

Youngjae rolled his eyes before going back to his work. “You have to see him, he’s your boyfriend. If he didn’t want you to do it, he would have stopped you.”

“He did try to stop me! He got all tense and was like ‘Why do you want my shirt off?’” Myungjun said, doing a poor voice imitation of Jinwoo that was at least three octaves lower than his normal voice. “but I still did it anyway! Oh bloody hell, just take your shovel and hit me with it. Bury me so I don’t have to go out there.”

Youngjae saw how genuinely mortified Myungjun was about the situation and shuffled over to give him a cuddle. “You’ll be okay Hyung. Just go and talk to him about it. If you really feel like you forced him to do it, then you need to ask what he thinks about the situation. I’m sure he didn’t mind anyway. With the way you looked yesterday, I’m sure he would have wanted to take your shirt off too.” Youngjae added cheekily with a wink.

Myungjun thought back to Jinwoo unclipping his harness and trying to unbutton his shirt and groaned, burying his face in Youngjaes neck. “Never let me touch moonshine again.”

*

Myungjun walked into the hall for dinner and froze. He’d managed to avoid Jinwoo at breakfast and lunch, but he was there now, sitting in front of an empty plate and playing with the necklace around his throat. Myungjun thought about running away but right when he moved to leave, Jinwoo looked up and spotted him.

“Junnie!” He called out happily, patting the seat beside him. Myungjun internally cursed at being caught before walking over to him with a strained smile. “Where have you been? I haven’t seen you all day.” Jinwoo pouted, reaching over to grab his hand. He frowned when Myungjun pulled away, pretending to grab a drink instead.

“I’ve just been busy in my greenhouse and making stuff in design class.” By stuff Myungjun meant Jinwoos Christmas present but he wasn’t going to tell him that.

“So you’re not avoiding me then?” Jinwoo asked bluntly, still staring at Myungjun with a frown.

Myungjun hesitated before answering. “Of course not, what would make you think I’m avoiding you?” In his nervousness he overfilled his glass with water, spilling it all over the table. Jinwoo sighed and steamed the water away with his magic.

“You’re acting weird Myungjun. Weirder than usual and I haven’t seen you all day. I know you’re avoiding me, but I don’t know why. Is it because of yesterday?”

Myungjun blushed fiercely and quickly shook his head. “No not at all. I really was just busy, there was a lot of stuff to do in my greenhouse.”

“I thought you finished there early today Hyung?” Namjoon asked, sitting down at the table, oblivious to what he’d just revealed.

Jinwoo scowled and stood up. “I see. Come and find me when you decide to stop lying to me Myungjun.” He took off out of the room and Myungjun buried his face in his hands with a groan.

“Did I say something wrong?” Namjoon asked, watching Jinwoos retreating back.

*  
Myungjun lay in bed three days later, watching the sun rise through the trees. He hadn’t spoken to Jinwoo properly since he stormed out of the hall and if they did speak, it was for Jinwoo to ask if Myungjun was ready to tell the truth and always ended in him walking away annoyed when Myungjun didn’t answer.

He felt guilty about lying to Jinwoo and it made it all the more harder for him to speak to him. However, he was beginning to miss him terribly and decided that today was the day to talk to him before things got any worse. He pushed himself out of bed and had a quick shower before hurrying straight to his first lesson. He didn’t feel like eating breakfast and he had combat training with Jinwoo first, so he decided to get his adrenaline pumping before he turned up.

Myungjun was in the middle of a sparring match with the male teacher when he saw Jinwoo walk through the doors. He narrowly dodged a blow to his shoulder and brought his swords up quickly to block the swing aimed for his head. He felt the familiar tingle of his skin whenever Jinwoo was looking at him and tried hard to focus on the match instead. The teacher swung his pole and it connected painfully with Myungjuns wrist. His sword was knocked into the air and he rolled to the side to catch it before it hit the floor. The teacher nodded at him encouragingly and Myungjun stood up swiftly to attack him.

Five minutes later and Myungjun was on his back, panting like a dog. The teacher held out his hand and Myungjun allowed himself to be pulled to his feet.

*Good work Myungjun* The mute teachers voice rung through his head and Myungjun smiled at him before stepping away. He finally turned to face Jinwoo but looked on in disappointment when he saw him sparring with Rocky. He went and sat by the wall to wait for them to finish.

Rocky Jr saw him sitting by himself and ambled over to sit beside him. Myungjun leaned against him with a sigh and smiled when he garbled. “I’m okay buddy. I just need to talk to Jinwoo.” He sat up in surprise when Rocky Jr sprung to his feet and raced towards the two fighting boys.

Myungjun watched as he grabbed Jinwoo by the leg and dragged him forcefully off the mat. He wanted to curl up in a ball when Jinwoo was dragged towards him looking confused.

“I’m not hurting Rocky, why are you taking me away?” He heard Jinwoo ask. Rocky Jr pointed at Myungjun and pushed Jinwoo towards him before running back to Rocky.

“Umm I didn’t ask him to do that.” Myungjun said, scrambling to his feet. “but I umm…I need to talk to you, please.”

Jinwoo nodded stiffly before walking away to place his weapon on the rack. He came back and held out his hand, which Myungjun took nervously. Jinwoo led them out of the combat centre and towards the lake. They sat in their usual spot and Jinwoo stared at him expectantly, arms crossed, and eyebrows raised. “I’m listening.”

Myungjun took a deep breath before speaking. “I’m sorry for avoiding you, I just felt guilty.”

Jinwoo frowned and uncrossed his arms. “What do you mean guilty? Have you done something wrong?” Myungjun heard a sharp intake of breath when he nodded. “Is this the part where you tell me you cheated on me?”

Myungjun looked up at him confused. “What? Why would I do that?”

He saw Jinwoo relax and shake his head. “Never mind. Just tell me what you did wrong.”

Myungjun squirmed, embarrassment welling up inside of him again when he thought about it. He knew he had to just say it though, he didn’t want to be away from Jinwoo any longer. “I’msorryItookyourshirtoffwhenyoudidn’twantmetoo.”

“What?” Jinwoo asked, eyebrows furrowed. “Speak slower Junnie, I can’t understand you.”

Myungjun whined and pulled his knees up to his chest. “I’m sorry I took your shirt off when you didn’t want me too.” He said again, quieter this time. He looked up after a few moments of silence to see Jinwoo staring at him, expression blank. “Say something Jinwoo, I’m dying of embarrassment here.”

Jinwoo was quiet for a few more seconds before bursting out into laughter and falling back on the grass.

“This isn’t funny Jinwoo! Stop laughing at me.” Myungjun scowled, burying his face in his knees. Jinwoo didn’t stop laughing, not for along time. He was still laughing when he pulled Myungjuns face up to look at him.

“I can’t believe you.” He said, tears in his eyes from laughing so much. “You really avoided me because of that?”

“I touched you Jinwoo.” Myungjun squeaked, ears bright red. “I touched your _chest_ Jinwoo. Do you know what’s on your chest? Nipples Jinwoo, _nipples_ ”

He whispered the last word and Jinwoo shrieked out another laugh, falling back again and clutching his stomach. Myungjun whined and got up to leave. “I’m going to go and throw myself into the lake now, goodbye cruel world.” He made it to the edge of the water before he felt Jinwoos arms wrap around his waist from behind, body still shaking from laughter.

“Please don’t jump in the lake, I don’t fancy getting wet today jumping in to save you.” Jinwoo said, gasping for air as his laughter died down.

Myungjun wiggled out of his grasp to turn around and look at him. “I can swim and save myself Jinwoo. No-one asked you to save me.”

“Just think though Junnie. If I get wet, I’ll just have to take my shirt off again.” He waggled his eyebrows and gave an overdramatic groan of pain when Myungjun hit him. “Don’t hit me. I thought you liked me shirtless. You certainly didn’t mind when you were groping me.”

“I do not _grope_ Park Jinwoo! That’s it, we’re breaking up. I can’t stand you.” He finished with a shriek as Jinwoo tackled him into the water. It was the beginning of November, so the water was freezing. He thrashed around, trying to throw Jinwoo off but got pulled up to the surface instead.

“What the hell was that for?” He asked angrily, shaking from the cold and gripping onto Jinwoo like a lifeline.

Jinwoo just shrugged. “If you’re going to break up with me, we might as well die right now. I don’t want to live without you, and I don’t want anyone to take you away from me. So I thought I’d just drown you instead.”

“You’re crazy.” Myungjun said, a smile tugging at his lips. “You’re lucky I know you’re joking.”

“Well…mostly.” Jinwoo replied, flashing him a smile.

“Can we get out now JinJin? Just because you don’t get cold doesn’t mean I don’t. Its FREEZING.” Myungjun asked, as a violent shiver wracked his body.

Jinwoos eyes widened in shock. “Junnie I forgot, I’m so sorry! Here, get on my back.” He turned around so Myungjun could climb on and got them back on dry land. He started to steam off and Myungjun clung to him, desperate for warmth. Jinwoo set him down gently and pulled him into a hug, running his steaming hands through Myungjuns wet hair.

“Junnie can you look at me?” He laughed when Myungjun whined, not wanting to let go of the warmth. “Just for a minute and then I’ll dry your back.” That made Myungjun pull away to look at him. His front was now dry, but his back was dripping, it was a weird combination.

Jinwoo smiled at him and kissed his nose. “You didn’t MAKE me take my shirt off before. I took it off because I wanted too. So stop feeling guilty and stop avoiding me. You’re my boyfriend, if I was going to take my shirt off in front of anyone it would be you. I didn’t mind you touching me either, I liked it, loved it in fact and I wish you’d do it more often.” He blushed as he said the last words and quickly turned Myungjun round to dry his back. “Let’s just go back to how things were between us. I hate eating alone.”

“Okay.” Myungjun replied quietly. “I’m sorry for not being there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Myungjin are just so soft for one another, I love them. Whole cuties uwu


	47. The Silver Marigold.

Myungjun climbed into the carriage with Jinwoo beside him and squealed in excitement. It was the annual trip to Voredan and Myungjun was finally getting the chance to explore the city with his boyfriend. Myungjun had his bag on him, which contained Jinwoos finished Christmas present and a new medical herb pouch that he’d made for himself to use in the dungeons. He was going to take them to the enchanter after finding a way to distract Jinwoo.

Hyungwon climbed into the carriage after them and sat opposite Myungjun, knocking their knees together. “This feels familiar, doesn’t it Junnie?” Hyungwon asked with a smile.

Myungjun remembered back to the carriage ride he had taken with Hyungwon and Hoseok after leaving home. Hyungwon had knocked their knees together and apologised. It was the first thing he had said, and it made Myungjun grin. “Yeah, we’ve come a long way since then haven’t we?” He asked, reaching over to grab Hyungwons hands and hold them tight.

“You look a lot better now.” Hyungwon said with a laugh and pulled one of his hands away to poke at Myungjuns nose. “Your nose looked awful before.”

“I’m glad Mrs Ko could fix it. I would have looked scary otherwise.” Myungjun said, going cross-eyed trying to look at it.

Hyungwon laughed and ruffled his hair. “You couldn’t look scary if you tried. You’re too cute.”

Jinwoo cleared his throat noisily, reminding them of his presence. “Please refrain from flirting with my boyfriend in front of me.”

“Complimenting isn’t flirting Jinwoo. It’s called being nice. I’m his best friend for a reason you know.” Hyungwon said, fiddling with the friendship bracelet around his wrist that Myungjun had made him last Christmas. Myungjun looked down at his own wrist to see the matching one and wondered if Hoseok still wore his. He leaned against Jinwoo and closed his eyes, only half listening to the two boys bickering. The carriage door opened one final time and Sanha came stumbling in, carrying his guitar.

“Why are you bringing that?” Jinwoo asked, cutting off what Hyungwon was trying to say to him. Myungjun opened his eyes to see Sanha drumming his fingers against the wood.

“Myungjuns mother told me the best place to learn songs is in a tavern. She said that there’s always other guitarists in there who are willing to teach.” Sanha said happily.

“Umm Sanha, I think my mother was a bit older than you when she went into taverns. The guitarists were probably only willing to help her because she was a lady. You are neither of those things.”

“It’s not like I’d be going in there to drink Hyung.” Sanha said sulkily. “and you always tell me how cute I am. People might help me if they think that too.”

Hyungwon sighed and rested his head against the window. “You’re too innocent Sanha. Looks like we’re on babysitting duty today.”

Sanha made an indignant noise. “I am NOT a baby! Why do people keep calling me that?”

*

Hyungwon pointed to a sign dangling above an open door. _The Silver Marigold_. “This is the place.” He led the way inside and Myungjun looked around the tavern. It was basically empty, only a few people occupied the tables and they turned to look their way.

“A bit young to be in here aren’t you boys?” A tough looking woman asked from behind the bar. She was cleaning out a metal cup and chewing on something that painted her teeth blue.

Hyungwon walked up to the bar with an air of confidence. “Don’t worry, we’re not here to drink.” The woman laughed and put the cup down.

“I like you kid; you remind me of my son. He’s a bold bastard too. If you’re not here to drink, then why are you here?”

Hyungwon gestured to Sanha behind him and the young boy quickly looked down at his shoes. “My friend here is learning how to play the guitar and got told to find a tavern. Apparently, there’s always someone around who would be willing to teach a song or two, but it looks like that’s not the case today.” Hyungwon finished looking at the lack of patrons.

“That might have been true twenty years ago, but people don’t often come here looking for a show anymore. Guitarists are rare to come by nowadays. You’re free to stay but he won’t be learning anything.” The woman said, gesturing to a nearby table.

The boys went to sit down and Sanha sighed unhappily. “What else are we going to do today then?” He plucked a few of the strings at random and began to play one of the songs Myungjuns mother had taught him. It was light and playful and Myungjun watched him with a smile.

“It’s going to be Christmas soon.” Jinwoo said, watching Sanhas fingers move. “If you want to get gifts, now’s the time to do it.”

Myungjun looked up in surprise when the woman placed a drink in front of him. He watched as she gave them all something before speaking up. “We didn’t order anything, we’re too young to drink.”

“Non-alcoholic.” The woman said gesturing to the cups. “On the house if your friend goes up and plays us a song.” Myungjun looked around and saw the few customers present looking their way, obviously enticed by Sanhas tune.

Hyungwon took a sip of his drink and groaned happily. “That’s so good. Sanha go play, now.”

“I can’t go up there!” Sanha whined, looking at the little stage. “Everyone’s going to look at me.”

“I’ll go with you.” Myungjun offered, seeing how nervous the boy looked. “You can focus on me or just focus on the guitar. You play for us all the time; you can do this.” Sanha thought about it for a moment before giving him a small smile.

“Okay hyung, I don’t really have spare money to pay for my drink anyway. Can we just go and get it over and done with?”

Jinwoo and Hyungwon cheered Sanha on as he made his way to the stage. It was a raised wooden platform, marked and dented with years of use. Myungjun pulled up a chair and waved enthusiastically as Sanha fiddled with the tuning keys to calm himself down.

Then he started to play. It was nothing like the upbeat playful song he’d played before. This time it was soft and emotional, a melody that tugged at Myungjuns heart strings, like he was the one being played instead. Everyone in the tavern had fallen silent, as if a spell had been cast upon them. Sanha exuded an older, more mature vibe and Myungjun felt his sadness through his song. His curly hair covered his eyes as he looked down at the guitar, never looking up to see the reactions of the others around him.

Myungjun felt a hard nudge on his leg and looked down in surprise to see Rocky Jr. “Hey buddy, what are you doing here? Where’s Rocky?” He whispered, not wanting to break the magical atmosphere. He turned around in his chair to look behind him when Rocky Jr pointed to the tavern door.

Rocky was standing there, eyes wide as he watched Sanha play. It must be his first-time hearing Sanha play the guitar, Myungjun thought. He tried to wave Rocky over, but he didn’t appear to see him. Sanha played for a minute more before finishing with a sweet drawn out note that gave Myungjun goose bumps. He stood up to clap enthusiastically, feeling like a proud mother and Sanha beamed at him before hurrying off the stage. Myungjun turned back to the door to point Rocky out but he was no longer there. Rocky Jr had disappeared too. Myungjun shrugged it off before taking Sanha back to their table.

“Wow Sanha that was beautiful.” Jinwoo said, giving him a smile. “You seem different on stage, like you were born to be there.”

Sanha blushed and quickly sipped on his drink. “Mmm that _is_ good.” He said, smacking his lips happily. “Totally worth it.”

Myungjun laughed before trying his own. It was fruity and danced happily on his taste buds. “Thank you for the drink Sanha. You should play more often.”

*

Myungjun opened the door to the enchanter’s shop and looked around. There was a short queue of people at the counter and he quickly went to stand in it. He didn’t have long, he’d asked Hyungwon to distract Jinwoo, but it was only a matter of time before he noticed Myungjun was missing. He waited as patiently as possible, tapping his foot and letting his eyes roam along the colourful, leather-bound books on the walls and the odd trinkets on the shelves.

“Can I help you?” The man behind the counter asked kindly and Myungjun looked at him with a smile before stepping up.

“Hello, I have two items that need enchants.” He said, pulling Jinwoos Christmas present out of his bag. Myungjun looked down at the blanket in his hand and smiled. It was the perfect size for Jinwoos bed, made from bright green fluffy fabric to match his fire and edged with black fabric that Myungjun embroidered his initials on. **P.J**. It had taken so long to make because he had filled it with soft preserved flower petals, a skill Jimin had taught him, to make the blanket comfier to cuddle and give it the scent he knew Jinwoo would like the most, Myungjuns own. Jinwoo always told him how he smelled like flowers freshly bloomed, so he spent countless days expending his energy to create flurries of petals to use. It was tiring work, but he knew it was worth it. He handed it to the man carefully. “This one needs a fire-proof enchantment and this one needs a water-proof enchantment.” He said, pulling out his new medical herb pouch from his bag. He had made it out of a thick yellow material, because the colour made him happy, and he had embroidered flowers over the front. It was made to strap across his chest instead of hanging from his belt like before. It was too big to go on his belt now and the new position would still allow him to wear his dual swords comfortably.

The man took them both and got to work. Myungjun kept throwing worried glances over his shoulder at the door. He didn’t want Jinwoo to walk in, even though it was unlikely he’d be able to find him in such a large city. Luckily, he didn’t have to wait long, it was a surprisingly quick process. The man ran his hands over every inch of the blanket, muttering under his breath. The blanket glowed bright red before fading back to its normal colour. The man moved to his herb bag next, making it glow bright blue. When he was finished, Myungjun handed over the correct amount of coins and thanked him, quickly putting them back into his bag before exiting the shop. He hurried back the way he had come and heard Jinwoos raised voice down past the next corner.

“…don’t tell me where my boyfriends gone, I’ll fry you to a crisp you oversized ice noodle.” Jinwoo sounded angry and he heard Sanha laugh.

“What did you just call me?” Hyungwon asked insulted. “At least I’m not a fiery little midget with anger issues. Myungjuns always going on about watering his plants, maybe he should water you instead to dampen that temper of yours or at least see if you’ll grow a little.”

“Stop arguing!” Myungjun shouted, running over to them. “I’m back.”

Jinwoo whipped around to look at him with a scowl. “Where the hell were you? You just disappeared, I thought something had happened to you. I nearly used my birthmark to alert the teachers!”

“I just went to the toilet Jinwoo, calm down.” He reached out to take Jinwoos hand. “I’m okay, I’m sorry if I worried you, but I was really desperate.”

“Next time tell me.” Jinwoo mumbled, pulling him into a hug. “Being your boyfriend is so stressful sometimes.”

Myungjun giggled and hugged him tighter. “Let’s go get some ice-cream to cheer up yeah?”

“It’s the middle of December Hyung.” Sanha pointed out.

“Your point is?”

*

Myungjun laughed loudly when he looked at Sanhas hair. The ice-cream parlour they were in sold all kinds of magical and non-magical treats for people to enjoy and Sanha had chosen one that was making his hair flash every colour of the rainbow. It eventually went back to his normal colour but started flashing again the moment he took another lick.

Myungjun looked down at his own ice-cream in excitement before tasting it. The effect was immediate, a high-pitched whining noise began building at the back of his throat and he opened his mouth to see little fireworks whizz forth and explode prettily in front of him. His eyes widened in surprise when Jinwoo quickly leaned forwards to kiss him.

“Now I know why people say that you see fireworks when you kiss the person you like.” Jinwoo said with a cheesy grin and Myungjun giggled as Hyungwon groaned from his seat across the table.

“Jinwoo-hyung your jokes are nearly as bad as his.” Sanha said, nodding towards Myungjun before licking his ice cream again.

“I thought you liked my jokes!” Myungjun said offended, feeling betrayed. Sanha just grinned at him before excusing himself to go to the toilet.

“We’ve got about an hour left here before we need to go back to the carriages. Is there anything else you want to do?” Jinwoo asked, biting into his ice-cream and shivering as snowflakes fell around him. “Wow, so this is what it’s like to be cold.” He said, eyes wide with wonder. “I like it.”

Myungjun cooed at how cute he was, earning a scowl in return and sat back to answer him. “I’m finished here for today. I managed to get everyone a Christmas gift…except you.” He pretended to be sad and watched as Jinwoo was quick to shake his head and take his free hand.

“I don’t need anything for Christmas Junnie so don’t worry.” He said, trying to reassure him. Myungjun decided Jinwoo was too kind and innocent for this world. “I have everything I could ever want right here.”

“Seriously guys? Right in front of my ice-cream?” Hyungwon asked with a look of disgust. “I literally cannot stand you two. I’m leaving.” He stood up huffily and left as Sanha came back to the table.

“Where’s Hyung going?” He asked. “Why does he look angry?”

“He’s just being his usually moany self.” Jinwoo said and yelped as Myungjun elbowed him in the ribs.

“Don’t be mean.” Myungjun scolded him. “You two need to stop arguing all the time, it’s frustrating.” He looked up when he heard the bell above the door tinkle, expecting to see Hyungwon coming back but saw Rocky enter instead.

Rocky went up to get two ice-creams and turned around to find a table. Myungjun waved at him and he made his way over to sit in Hyungwons empty seat. Rocky Jr climbed into his lap and waited patiently for his ice cream.

“I didn’t think Rocky Jr could eat human food.” Myungjun said curiously as he watched the rock devour it eagerly, creating a mess.

“It’s a special ice cream.” Rocky said happily. “For animated companions only. I found this place the last time we came here and decided I’d treat him today. Oh no look at the mess your making!” Myungjun quickly grabbed him some napkins and watched amused as Rocky cleaned Rocky Jr up, wiping the ice cream from around his mouth and off his stony fingers.

“Where did you go earlier anyway?” Myungjun asked, leaning up against Jinwoo. “I saw you at the tavern door, but you disappeared.”

Rocky shrugged nonchalantly. “Just remembered I had something important to do. I only stopped by because I heard the music. You play really well.” He added, turning to look at Sanha.

“Thanks’ Hyung.” Sanha said with a shy smile.

Myungjun thought it was a nice change from the two younger boys bickering all the time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hyungwon and Jinwoo insulting each other is my new favourite thing. Myungjuns two favourite boys just can't seem to get along. They're literally Fire vs Ice TT
> 
> P.S I wrote the most gut-wrenching dungeon run chapter today. If you thought I was cruel for how Myungjun got 'killed' by the siren, you're going to think I'm pure evil for how one of the others get incapacitated next time -.- ~


	48. Myungjins Second Christmas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Christmas!!  
> 

Myungjun woke up Christmas morning in Jinwoos bed. He hadn’t wanted to wake up alone again, like last Christmas, and decided the risk of getting another detention would be worth it. Jinwoo was still fast asleep, clinging onto Myungjuns hand and snoring softly. Myungjun quietly shifted across the bed, trying not to jostle it too much, to reach beneath it for his bag. It was awkward doing everything one-handed, but he was determined.

He had brought his bag into Jinwoos room, with the excuse that he wanted to wear his own pyjamas and do his morning routine in Jinwoos room for a change. Jinwoo didn’t question it but seemed upset that Myungjun didn’t want to wear his clothes to sleep in like usual. He’d quickly cheered up when he realised Myungjuns ‘pyjamas’ were actually articles of clothing he’d taken from Jinwoo in the first place.

Myungjun unzipped the bag slowly, the noise seeming painfully loud to his ears in the quiet of the room and reached inside to pull out Jinwoos blanket; the real reason he had brought his bag. He lifted it up onto the bed and quickly wiggled back over to the sleeping boy, heart pounding wildly from the anxiety of not wanting to be caught. He unfolded it and placed it over the top of them before cuddling back up to Jinwoo and closing his eyes.

He hadn’t meant to fall asleep but woke sometime later to the sound of Jinwoos confused noises. “Junnie wake up, what is this?”

“Merry Christmas JinJin.” He said sleepily with a smile, opening his eyes to see Jinwoo sitting up and running his free hand through the fluffy green fabric. “I made it for you, do you like it?”

“You said you didn’t get me anything!” Jinwoo said, his scratchy morning voice mingled with shock and awe. “It’s so pretty…wow it even has my name on it! Junnie its perfect, thank you.” Myungjun made a happy noise in the back of his throat when Jinwoo leaned down to kiss him. “I’ll have to be extra careful not to destroy it.” Jinwoo said quietly after pulling away.

“No need.” Myungjun reassured him, mentally patting himself on the back for already thinking that particular concern through. “It’s fire-proof.”

“How...wait a minute.” Jinwoos eyes narrowed in suspicion and Myungjun gave him a cheeky grin. “You little lair!” Jinwoo said with a laugh. “You snuck off to the enchanters instead of the toilets, didn’t you?”

Myungjun nodded happily and pulled Jinwoo back down for another kiss to distract him. It worked, Jinwoo just sighed before letting it go. “I guess I forgive you, it was worth it after all.”

“Thanks JinJin, now come over here and kiss me properly.” Jinwoo laughed and shifted around under the covers until he was straddling Myungjuns hips and pressing him down into the mattress.

“I’d do anything for you, you know that right?” Jinwoo said softly, reaching up with his free hand to brush the hair from Myungjuns face. Myungjun nodded happily and pursed his lips, waiting for his kiss. Jinwoo laughed and closed the distance to give him what he wanted. It was soft and gentle and made Myungjuns heart do funny things. He knew this was the best Christmas ever, even if it had barely just begun.

Myungjun reached up to wrap his arms around Jinwoos neck and pulled him closer, making Jinwoo readjust himself so he was no longer straddling Myungjuns hips and instead laying his full body weight on top of him. Myungjun didn’t mind, Jinwoo never felt too heavy and even if he did, Myungjun didn’t think he’d want him to move off anyway. Jinwoo kissed him again and swept his tongue across Myungjuns lower lip, looking for entry.

“I need to brush my teeth JinJin.” Myungjun mumbled. Jinwoo just sighed and pulled back.

“I don’t care. You asked me to kiss you properly, so that’s what I’m trying to do.”

“I forgot.” Myungjun whined. “Let me go, I’ll be quick. I don’t want you to kiss me with my morning breath.”

“Myungjun bloody hell I’ve kissed you with morning breath before. When you first told me you liked me remember? I didn’t care then, and I don’t care now. So please stop talking.” Myungjun whined as Jinwoos lips met his own and he tried hard to forget about it, but he couldn’t.

“Jinwoo stop.” He said, pushing him away gently. “I really can’t kiss you without brushing my teeth, I’m too embarrassed.” Jinwoo looked down at his blush and groaned.

“Fine, but you better be quick.” He pulled Myungjun from the bed and grabbed his bag for him. “Bathrooms through here.” He opened the door and hurried Myungjun inside. They helped each other put toothpaste on their brushes and Myungjun laughed at Jinwoos eagerness. Jinwoo was scrubbing his teeth furiously and failed to wait patiently for Myungjun to finish when he was done.

“You’re taking too long, give it here.” Jinwoo complained, taking Myungjuns toothbrush out of his hand and brushing his teeth for him. It tickled and Myungjun giggled at the feeling, dribbling toothpaste down his chin. “You’re so cute even when you’re being disgusting.” Jinwoo said shaking his head. “How is that even possible?”

Myungjun rolled his eyes and spat the toothpaste into the sink, letting Jinwoo rinse his toothbrush for him whilst he washed his face.

“Right you’re done, back to bed.” Jinwoo said quickly, picking Myungjun up from behind and waddling awkwardly out of the room.

“Put me down!” Myungjun squealed, smacking the arms around his waist. Jinwoo waited until they were by the bed to put him back on his feet and used his free hand to pull the covers back.

“Get back in. We’re finishing what we started.” Myungjun scrambled in eagerly and pulled Jinwoo back down on top of him, bringing their lips together and immediately granting Jinwoos tongue access to his mouth. He tasted minty and it made Myungjun happy. Jinwoo pulled the covers back over them and brushed his tongue gently over Myungjuns. It sent shivers down his spine and he wrapped his legs around Jinwoos waist, hooking his feet together behind his back and was surprised to hear Jinwoo moan, low and desperate.

“Junnie, get your legs off me now.” He said sounding strained.

“Why?” Myungjun pouted and squeezed his legs to pull Jinwoo closer. “I thought you liked it.”

Jinwoo whimpered, a noise that made Myungjuns skin burn and he reached down to press Myungjuns hips into the mattress, away from his own. “Its fine when we’re standing up but not when we’re laying down. Seriously Myungjun let go.”

Myungjun unhooked his legs with a sigh and sulked. Why was Jinwoo being so weird about it? So what if they were laying down, how did that change things? His body felt cold when Jinwoo pulled away to hover over him, despite the room being warm and Jinwoo radiating a steady heat. “Where are you going?” He asked, looking at Jinwoos scrunched up face. He seemed to be concentrating really hard.

“Nowhere.” Jinwoo replied through gritted teeth. “I just need…to stay like this for a minute.” He leaned down to bury his face in Myungjuns neck but didn’t press their bodies together like before. He just held his weight up with his arms, muscles strained. Myungjun waited, feeling more confused than ever.

“You smell really good today.” Jinwoo finally said, pulling back to give him a small smile.

“It’s not me, it’s the blanket.” Myungjun explained, staring down at Jinwoos lips, desperate to feel them on his own again. “It’s full of my petals.”

Jinwoos eyes widened and he reached back awkwardly to pull the blanket towards his face. Myungjun heard him give it a good sniff before pushing it away with a groan and letting his head fall heavily onto Myungjuns shoulder.

“I’m never going to be able to get out of this bed again. Every morning is going to be such a struggle.”

Myungjun laughed and pulled Jinwoos face back up to look at him. “If you don’t get out of bed, you won’t be able to see me.”

“Oh yeah you’re right…better make the most of this time then.” He said cheekily and pretended to be in pain when Myungjun hit him. Myungjun started to argue back but he was cut off when Jinwoo kissed him again. Finally pressing their bodies back together.

*

“Myungjun what’s that on your neck?” Moonbin asked at breakfast. Jinwoos head snapped around to look, a blush forming on his face before he realised nothing was there. Moonbin dodged the food thrown his way and laughed.

“What would be on my neck?” Myungjun asked, curious as to why Moonbin was laughing and why his boyfriend was so flustered.

“Nothing.” Jinwoo said firmly, putting more food onto Myungjuns plate. “There’s nothing on your neck, just ignore that idiot.”

“Love bites Hyung.” Moonbin said, ignoring the insult. As Moonbin and Jinwoo started to argue, Myungjun leaned over to talk to Sanha.

“What’s a love bite?” Myungjun asked and Sanha just shrugged. Myungjun turned to Dongmin next. “Dongmin what’s a love bite?” To Myungjuns surprise, the boy flushed and quickly excused himself to go to the toilet.

Myungjun jumped when Jinwoo slammed his fist down on the table, shaking the cutlery. “He doesn’t need you corrupting him, he’s as innocent as Sanha, so shut your mouth Moonbin.”

Moonbin laughed and sipped on his drink. “Okay Hyung. I won’t tell him, but it looks like you’ll need to.” He quickly stood up from the table and rushed from the room.

“Jinwoo what’s a love bite?” Myungjun asked for the third time. Jinwoo groaned and hid his face in his hands. Sanha and Rocky leaned forwards eagerly to listen too but they were all left disappointed as Jinwoo shook his head.

“No way, we are not having this conversation on Christmas morning in front of literal children.” Sanha and Rocky started to protest but Jinwoo silenced them. “I said no. It’s not something you need to know about anyway. It’s just Moonbin winding me up, so let’s drop it.”

Myungjun pouted and sat back in his chair. “I’m older than all of you! You should tell me if I ask.”

“If Hyungwon-hyung was here, he’d tell you that you didn’t need to know either.” Jinwoo said, finality in his voice as he turned back to his food, ignoring Myungjuns whines.

Myungjun eventually quietened down and thought about the situation. Jinwoo and Hyungwon bickered all the time and hardly ever agreed on anything, so if they would both agreed that he shouldn’t know, then he should probably just accept it.

His mind was immediately distracted when Jinwoo mentioned Christmas presents. “Junnie your present is already set up. Its in your greenhouse, I asked Jimin to put it in there before he left for the holidays. Do you want to go see it?” He stood up with a smile and held out his hand. Myungjun nodded eagerly and told Sanha and Rocky that they’d be back soon.

He followed Jinwoo outside, into the snow and led the way to the clearing he had herbology in. Jinwoo gasped when Myungjun opened up the secret path to the greenhouses, which were unaffected by the icy weather. In fact, the weather was completely different, it was as warm as a summers day when they walked down the rows of glistening glass. Jinwoo admired the way Myungjuns door was engraved with his name before it was being pushed open to reveal Myungjuns plants. There was one plant that hadn’t been there before and Myungjun squealed when he realised what it was.

“Wow Jinwoo thank you!” He exclaimed happily, hugging him tight before dragging him over to inspect it. It was a smaller version of the water plant that hated him so much. Now he could collect water without a fear of being drenched.

“You’re welcome.” Jinwoo said, a big grin on his face after seeing how happy his present had made him. “Obviously I couldn’t plant it, so I asked Jimin to. Now that its actually in your greenhouse, you don’t have to go far for water, so it should save you time.”

“How did you even get it?” Myungjun asked, reaching over and stroking the fuzzy stem gently.

“I have my ways.” Jinwoo said mysteriously and laughed when Myungjun pouted at him. “It doesn’t matter how I got it. The point is you have it now.” Myungjun reluctantly agreed and moved to show Jinwoo his tomato plant. He’d been able to identify the second mystery plant the previous week. It was a bell pepper plant and Ms Jung had praised him before promising to move him onto something harder after Christmas. Myungjun was excited thinking about what the next lesson was going to be.

Jinwoo watched him fondly as he spoke about his plants with endless enthusiasm and only interrupted him to remind him that they’d left the two youngest behind.

*

Myungjun trailed into the library with a full stomach from his dinner and flopped down into one of the plush reading chairs by the fire with a groan.

“Move over Junnie.” Jinwoo said sleepily, nudging Myungjuns leg with his foot. Myungjun whined loudly but did it anyway, giving Jinwoo enough space to curl up against him. “I ate so much food I don’t think I can move for at least a week.”

“Hyung, before you go to sleep can you light the fire?” Rocky asked, sitting down in a chair of his own and pulling Rocky Jr up for a cuddle. “It’s cold in here.”

Jinwoo opened his eyes slightly to locate the large open fireplace and lifted up one hand to shoot a ball of fire at the empty grate. It immediately lit and the wood crackled noisily before settling down. Rocky thanked him quietly and hummed appreciatively at the heat.

“This has been a good Christmas.” Dongmin said happily from his seat on the floor. Moonbin had his head in Dongmins lap and was already fast asleep. “It will be even better if you played us a song Sanha. Do you know any Christmas ones?”

“Not really.” Sanha said with a frown. “I probably should have learnt at least one.”

“Play the one from the tavern.” Rocky said quietly. “The slow one.”

Sanha nodded diligently before pulling his guitar up into his lap. Myungjun immediately relaxed further into his chair when the first few notes of the song were played. He looked down at Jinwoo, who had his legs in Myungjuns lap and his head on his shoulder. His arm was wrapped loosely around Myungjuns waist and he was snoring softly, a peaceful look overtaking his features. Myungjun pressed a kiss into his hair and looked up to watch as Sanha began to quietly hum along to the song.

Yes, this was definitely the best Christmas ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A chapter of pure fluff...wow what a rarity.
> 
> I'm British so I call them love bites not hickeys, sue me uwu


	49. The Dragon Knight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: *Quickly posts this chapter.*  
> Also me: *RUNS.*

“What do you mean we have Zoology in a classroom?” Myungjun asked confused. “We never have Zoology in a classroom, it’s always outside.”

Hyungwon shrugged. “Dunno, that’s what I was told. Must be a theory lesson I guess. Finish your dinner so we can go.”

Myungjun quickly shovelled his food down and kissed Jinwoo goodbye, before accepting Hyungwons hand and being dragged from the hall. They climbed a set of stairs and followed the students making their way to the new classroom. Everyone looked just as perplexed at the change of location and Myungjun entered the room to notice their teacher, Ms Lee, standing beside the last person he wanted to see.

His father’s eyes found his own and he gestured to the table in front of him. Myungjun ignored his offer and dragged Hyungwon over to sit at the table furthest away, anger already spiking. Youngjae and Namjoon filled in the last two seats and they all looked up at the two adults, oblivious to Myungjuns discomfort.

“Welcome back everyone, I hope you had a good Christmas.” Ms Lee began. “Many of you are probably wondering why we are here, instead of outside. As you can see, we have a very special guest speaker today.”

“Is it really him?” One of the boys on a nearby table asked his friends excitedly. Myungjun frowned and leaned over to listen.

“It is! Look at his emblem, it’s a dragon. That’s definitely him.” A girl squealed excitedly before sighing happily. “He’s so handsome in person.”

Myungjun pulled back with noise of disgust. It was just plain weird hearing them talk about his father like that. He wondered what the dragon symbol meant but didn’t have to wait long as Namjoon spoke up.

“I can’t believe our guest speaker is the Dragon Knight! We’re so lucky, I have so many questions. Do you think we’ll be able to ask any at the end?” He pushed his glasses up to stop them slipping off his nose and turned around to look at the man, not waiting for their answer.

Why is everyone so excited to see my disappointment of a father? Myungjun thought bitterly, and what sort of name is the _Dragon Knight_? He scoffed haughtily and brushed Hyungwons questioning look off.

“It’s nice to meet you all.” His fathers deep voice travelled around the room. “For those of you who do not know, I am the Dragon Blades guild master, many people call me the Dragon Knight, but you can call me Mr Kim.” Everyone clapped for him enthusiastically.

Look at him, trying to be all friendly and _allowing_ us to use his name like it’s doing us a great favour, Myungjun thought scornfully.

“Wow.” Youngjae said, with a grin on his face. “Dragon Blades is one of the biggest guilds, right?”

Namjoon nodded excitedly. “He’s the main man. Guild master is the highest rank, he either founded the guild or was deemed worthy of the title when the previous guild master stepped down.”

Hyungwon and Youngjae were clearly impressed and it made Myungjun angrier. They didn’t know what he was really like. He was a man who abandoned his family, not some hero.

“Excuse me, Mr Kim, is it true you’ve killed a dragon with your bare hands?” someone asked and Myungjuns father laughed. It completely transformed his features and Myungjun was taken aback at the change.

“The truth often gets blown out of proportion.” He began. “It’s true I’ve killed a dragon, countless in fact, but never with my bare hands.”

Myungjun bristled at his words. He thought back to the dragon he had raised, and a new sort of hatred boiled in his chest. He couldn’t help but speak up. “I’ve raised my own dragon. They’re beautiful creatures, you’re a murderer.”

Everyone turned to look at him in shock and Ms Lee cleared her throat. “Myungjun that is a terrible accusation. I would like you to apologise.”

“No it’s fine.” His father said with a smile. “He’s right. Dragons are beautiful creatures, but I have to point out that raising a _copy_ of a dragon for a few months doesn’t compare to the real thing. Real dragons grow larger than houses and are more dangerous then your assignment would have been. I kill dragons, amongst other creatures, to protect people and their families from harm.”

“Maybe you should consider putting your own family first for a change.” Myungjun said, feeling embarrassed at being schooled.

“Myungjun that’s enough.” Ms Lee said firmly. “You’re being rude and its very unlike you, do I have to give you detention?”

“Go ahead.” Myungjun said, feeling his anger spike again. He stood up, chair slamming against the wall and grabbed his bag.

“What the hell are you doing?” Hyungwon hissed, grabbing his arm. “Sit down you idiot.”

Myungjun yanked his arm away and turned to look at him. “Sorry ‘wonnie, but I can’t stay here. I’d rather get the detention then sit here and listen to this rubbish.” He navigated his way through the tables, amidst shocked whispers and walked to the door.

“Myungjun.” His father’s voice using his name stopped him in his tracks, hand hovering over the door handle. “You’re going to miss a very important lesson; I suggest you stay.”

“If it’s coming from you, it’s not important to me at all.” Myungjun replied, opening the door and stepping outside.

“Kim Myungjun get back here right now!” Ms Lee said angrily. Myungjun slammed the door behind himself and set off running. He knew he was going to be in serious trouble for this, but nothing mattered right now. His palms were burning with the need to release his magic and he knew he needed to get outside to use it.

He ran down the stairs, across the large lobby and out of the academy doors. He made it halfway to the forest before his magic erupted. Vines tore through the ground around him, sharp and fast, spearing at the sky. He fell to his knees and screamed in frustration. I hate him. I hate him. I hate him. He screamed until his throat was sore and his vines slowly stopped their endless assault around him. The ground was torn to shreds, mounds of soil sprayed all over the place and he took great heaving breaths, looking towards the night sky.

“Why are you here?” He asked angrily. “Why can’t you just leave me alone? Go back to your stupid guild and pretend to be the hero there.” The stars twinkled overhead, ignoring his words.

*

Myungjun was sitting on a chair, on the decking of their treehouse, when Youngjae and Namjoon came up the ladder.

“Hyung why did you leave like that?” Namjoon asked, moving over to sit on the chair opposite him. “Ms Lee was really angry; you were being so rude.”

Myungjun watched as a group of fireflies passed by overhead and sighed. “Let’s not talk about it Joonie. I had my reasons, but I don’t feel like sharing them right now.”

Namjoon watched with a frown as Myungjun got up. He walked to the ladder and gave his two friends a small smile. “Don’t wait up for me.” He ignored their questions and climbed swiftly down the ladder. He knew them, Namjoon might accept that he didn’t want to talk about it but Youngjae wouldn’t. He walked through the trees, the lanterns hanging on the lower branches lighting the way, until he was out of the forest. He didn’t know where to go. The pond where Jinwoo had asked him to be his boyfriend? The library? He made up his mind and walked towards the combat centre instead. Maybe burning off some steam against one of the wooden dummies would be the best idea.

When he opened the doors and stepped inside, he was greeted by the sight of Jinwoo placing a pole back onto the weapons rack, looking sweaty and tired. He turned at the sound of the doors opening, and his eyes widened in surprise.

“Junnie, what are you doing here? Why are you covered in dirt?” He rushed towards him, rubbing his sweaty hands on his shorts before leading Myungjun over to the nearest bench. “Are you okay?”

Myungjun looked down at his clothes to see that Jinwoo was right. He was filthy. “I lost control earlier.” He said quietly. “I guess I made a bit of a mess.” He laughed weakly and looked up to see Jinwoo staring at him.

“What do you mean you lost control? Did someone hurt you?” He gave Myungjuns hands a squeeze. “Tell me Junnie.”

Myungjun quickly shook his head, not wanting Jinwoo to go on a rampage. “Its not like that. Its my father, he’s here JinJin. He was teaching my class and acting all high and mighty. Everyone was positively _gushing_ over how amazing he is for killing dragons and being a stupid guild master. No-one knows what he’s really like. It made me so angry. I’m in so much trouble now, I stormed out of class and was so rude to Ms Lee, but I couldn’t help it. I hate him, more than I’ve ever hated anyone before and I don’t like it. I don’t like how this feels.”

Jinwoo sighed and pulled him in for a hug. “I’m sorry this is happening to you Junnie. Hopefully he was only here for the one lesson. I’m proud of you for getting out and not losing control in front of everybody though. If you do end up getting detention, I’ll just do something crazy and get detention with you.”

Myungjun laughed, finally feeling a bit better and pulled back to look at him. “Okay sounds like a deal. Were you just finishing up here?”

Jinwoo nodded. “Yeah, I’m done for the day, unless you’d like someone to spar with? I’m guessing you came here to expend some of that anger.”

“I can just spar with one of the dummies if you’re too tired.”

“I’m never too tired for you, come on.” He helped Myungjun to his feet and patted him down, getting rid of most of the dirt. “Would it have killed you to shower before you got here?”

Myungjun laughed and pushed him away. “I didn’t even realise I was so dirty. Are we going to fight or are you just going to moan?”

Jinwoo grinned and dragged him over to the nearest mat. “Weapons or no weapons?”

Myungjun thought about it for a few seconds before deciding on no weapons. If he was expending anger, he didn’t want to be equipped with something that could cause more harm. Jinwoo got into position and beckoned for Myungjun to attack first.

“Don’t hold back Junnie. Let it all out.”

Myungjun stepped forwards and jabbed at Jinwoos raised arms. It connected loudly and Myungjun dodged the returning punch. He kicked out, aiming for Jinwoos stomach and Jinwoo knocked his leg away painfully. He stumbled and growled in frustration when Jinwoo tackled him to the floor.

“I said don’t hold back.”

He pulled Myungjun to his feet and got into position again. Myungjun shook the hair from his eyes and tried again. Jinwoo blocked most of his punches and delivered a few of his own. One hit Myungjun painfully on the collarbone and he backed away, feeling anger bubble up inside of him. That’s Jinwoo, not your father, he tried to remind himself, thinking back to what he had done in the arena. His eyes flickered to the scar on Jinwoos eyebrow and he clenched his jaw.

“Jinwoo, this isn’t a good idea.” He said through gritted teeth, feeling himself slipping into his other mindset.

“Why?” Jinwoo smirked. “Scared of getting hurt? I didn’t hit you that hard Myungjun, don’t chicken out now.”

Myungjun closed his eyes, willing himself not to rise to the bait. “That’s not-“ He got cut off short as Jinwoo pulled him off his feet. He opened his eyes when he hit the floor and snarled up at the boy above him. Jinwoo realised his mistake after seeing the look in Myungjuns eyes and backed away fast.

“Myungjun wait, I’m sorry.” He tried to get up but Myungjun grabbed him by the collar of his shirt with both hands and flipped them over roughly. Jinwoo gripped his forearms, trying to pull him off. “Junnie I can’t breathe.” He choked out, as Myungjun pressed him further into the floor.

Myungjun wasn’t listening. All he could feel was the anger coursing through his veins and everything else seemed unimportant. Whoever this boy was below him, had hurt him, and it was the final straw. His hands slipped around his neck and he squeezed, fascinated by the way he spluttered beneath him. He had all the control here, not his father and it felt great. He felt high on the control, on the _power._

“Junnie…Junnie stop.” The boy begged, clawing at his arms. “Its me. Its Jinwoo.”

Myungjun squeezed harder, trying to shut him up. “Junnie please.” The boy’s face was changing colour and the way he begged made Myungjun smile. Beg all you want, he thought indifferently, I’ll still make you pay for hurting me.

The boy’s nails finally clawed through Myungjuns skin, in his desperate struggle for air and the sharp pain cut through his anger-induced haze. He saw Jinwoo staring up at him, red in the face and fear evident in his eyes.

“JinJin?”

“Its me. Let go Junnie.” Jinwoo choked, patting his wrists firmly. Myungjun ripped his hands from Jinwoos neck and scrambled to his feet, backing away.

“Junnie wait.” Jinwoo said hoarsely, sitting up to cough. Myungjun shook his head feeling numb. He’d done it again. He’d let his father get to him and hurt Jinwoo as a result. “Junnie don’t go.” Jinwoo was coughing loudly and trying to get to his feet. “It’s not your fault.”

“I’m sorry.” Myungjun said quietly, panic clawing at his chest. “Jinwoo I’m so sorry.” He backed up a few more steps before turning on his heel and running from the building.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I...have no words. 
> 
>  
> 
> (Please don't hate me TT)  
> (P.S Myungjuns dad is a POWERFUL man, if that didn't occur to you yet.)


	50. Therapy.

Myungjun sat in Groves office feeling sick. Grove was watching him with a frown, listening to him talk. “I can’t control myself. I tore up the Academy grounds with my magic and I nearly choked Jinwoo to death. I can’t stay here.” Myungjun finished shakily, fresh tears running over the tracks of his old ones. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

Grove sighed and sat back, running a hand over his tired face. It was well past midnight, Myungjun had gone straight to see him after running from the combat centre. “Myungjun you need to calm down first. You’ve been shedding for the past ten minutes.”

Myungjun looked down to see the floor littered in dark red petals. He barely registered that they were darker than usual before looking back up at the man in front of him. “Please help me. I can’t carry on like this. If I hurt him again…”

“You did the right thing coming here.” Grove said. “The fact you came here willingly means you’re not a threat.”

“But I nearly killed him!” Myungjun said, sitting forwards in his seat. He was dangerous. He needed Grove to _understand_. “I came here so you could kick me out.”

“I’m not going to kick you out Myungjun.” Grove said slowly. “You just asked me to help you and now you’re asking me to kick you out, you’re not thinking straight. Let me get you something.” Myungjun waited impatiently, tapping his foot on the floor as Grove bustled around the room. He eventually sat back down with a pot of tea and poured some into a cup before handing it to Myungjun. “Drink this, it will help.”

Myungjun thought it was a waste of time but felt the panic recede into the background as he took a sip. He nodded when Grove asked if he was feeling better and listened carefully as the man spoke. “This is the second time this had happened?” Myungjun nodded. “And both times it has happened after seeing your father?” Myungjun nodded again and Grove sat back to think. He was quiet for a while before speaking. “Myungjun I would like for you to see a therapist.”

Myungjun sat up straighter in his chair and put the cup down. “Why do I need to see a therapist?”

“It may help you to talk to someone about this, about your father and why this is happening to you. A professional will be able to do more for you than I will. Go back to your room now, get some sleep and I’ll come and find you tomorrow.” He got up and opened the door, giving no room for argument and Myungjun reluctantly left, feeling like nothing had been settled at all.

*

Myungjun woke up the next morning feeling groggy. He sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and looked down to see his bed covered in tissues. He hadn’t slept much, spending most of the night crying quietly and trying not to wake the others instead. He collected all the evidence and slipped into the bathroom, disposing the tissues down the toilet before turning to look in the mirror. He looked terrible. His eyes were puffy and had dark circles beneath them. His cheeks and his nose were red from constantly wiping them and his lips were dry and cracked.

He quickly washed his face and brushed his teeth before going to get changed. He grabbed some clothes at random, only focused on getting out. He pulled on his trousers and the oversized shirt he had taken from Jinwoo and jumped at the sound of Namjoons voice.

“Hyung?” Namjoon called out sleepily. “Why are you up so early?”

“Just going for an early breakfast.” Myungjun said quickly, scared of crying again if he waited around for too long. “Go back to sleep Joonie.”

“You can’t go out in that, its too cold.” Namjoon said, looking over at him. “At least put on a jacket.”

Myungjun nodded and made his way over to the door, pulling his coat down from the hook. “I’ll see you later.” He stepped outside into the crisp winter air and hurried down the ladder and out of the forest. He didn’t know when Grove would come to find him, but he couldn’t sit around in bed any longer.

He sat at an empty table in the hall and poured himself some water. It felt heavenly against his dry throat, that was scratchy from crying and screaming so much the day before. He waited, rolling the cup between his hands and tensed as Hoseok came in, dragging a tired looking Hyungwon behind him. Hyungwon perked up when he saw Myungjun and they hurried over to sit with him.

“Hey Junnie. Have you already eaten?” Hyungwon asked, before peering closely at his face. “You look like crap; have you been crying?” He sat back startled when Myungjun burst into tears, too upset to hold it back anymore. “Junnie shhh, it’s okay.” They both moved around to give Myungjun a hug and it felt like the first day Myungjun stepped foot on the Academy grounds again, having both his best friends comfort him.

Hoseok rubbed his back and handed him some napkins. “Who do we need to beat up today? No one gets away with upsetting our Junnie.”

Myungjun laughed weakly and blew his nose. “You don’t need to beat anyone up. I mean you could always beat me up, I won’t mind I deserve it.” He started crying again, softly this time and Hyungwon whined sadly.

“Junnie I hate seeing you cry.” He said, pulling him closer. “Tell us what’s wrong. We’ll sort it out for you.”

Someone cleared their throat behind them, and they turned back to see a girl holding out a letter. “Kim Myungjun? Grove asked me to give this to you.” Myungjun took it and thanked her before wiping his tears away and opening it eagerly. It was a letter telling him the time for his first therapy session and Hoseok made a surprised noise over his shoulder.

“You’re going to therapy Junnie? Since when?”

“Since today.” Myungjun said, putting the letter down on the table and snuggling back into his friends. “I did a bad thing yesterday and I need help.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Hyungwon asked cautiously.

Myungjun sighed. They’d know soon enough anyway. “I hurt Jinwoo again. He was trying to help me, and I lost control, I nearly killed him.” His voice broke but he held back the tears. “I can’t do that again; I went to Grove and he told me to see a therapist.”

The others were silent for a while. “How’s Jinwoo now?” Hoseok asked quietly. “Have you seen him?”

Myungjun shook his head sadly. “I needed to get away from him, to keep him safe. I’m not going to hide away this time though. I’ll wait to see if he comes for breakfast and talk to him.”

“Good idea.” Hyungwon said, pulling away to get himself some food. “Let’s eat something first.”

*

Jinwoo didn’t come to breakfast but he came for lunch. Myungjun was too busy pushing his food around on his plate to notice him approach.

“Woah Hyung, what happened to your neck?” He heard Sanha ask and looked up quickly to see Jinwoo slipping into his usual seat beside him.

Jinwoo didn’t answer Sanha, he just poured himself a drink and drank it down greedily. Myungjun wanted to be sick when he saw the angry purple bruises wrapped around his throat. Jinwoo noticed him looking and gave him a small smile.

“Its nothing Junnie. Wanna go to class?” His voice still sounded hoarse and it hurt Myungjuns heart.

“Seriously Hyung, what the hell happened to you?” Moonbin asked, leaning forwards to get a better look. “Did someone do that to you?”

Jinwoo scowled and turned to look at everyone around the table in turn. “Nothing happened to me. Just drop it.”

“It was me.” Myungjun said quietly, looking up at everyone’s surprised faces. “I hurt him.”

Jinwoo looked back at him and lowered his voice. “Myungjun what are you doing?”

“I lost control and I did that to Jinwoo.” Myungjun continued. “but it’s okay because I’m going to get help.”

“Hyung how can you say it’s okay? That’s not okay at all!” Dongmin said, disbelief lacing his voice. “Look at his neck for crying out loud. Why did you do that to him?”

“Dongmin I told you to drop it.” Jinwoo warned him through gritted teeth. “I’m fine, nothing happened.”

“Are you crazy?” Moonbin asked incredulous. “Do I need to get you a mirror and show you what he did? This is the second time you’ve done this.” He said, turning to Myungjun. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I didn’t mean too.” Myungjun replied quietly, staring down at the table top.

“That’s so messed up Hyung.” Dongmin said angrily. “You’re right, you do need help.”

Myungjun knew he deserved their anger; he deserved their harsh words, so he took it without saying anything in return.

“Don’t talk to him like that!” Jinwoo said, voice strained. The table erupted as they began to argue and Myungjun quickly felt overwhelmed. He stood up and tapped Jinwoos shoulder. “Let’s go JinJin, I want to talk to you outside.” Jinwoo nodded stiffly before getting up and taking his hand.

“Try not to hurt him again.” Moonbin interjected and Myungjun flushed, pulling Jinwoo from the room so he wouldn’t start a fight. Myungjun led them towards their next class and sat in his usual seat with Jinwoo.

Their communications teacher wasn’t in yet so Myungjun took the chance to speak. “JinJin they’re right. It is messed up what I did. I know you’re trying to defend me, but you shouldn’t.”

“It’s not you though Myungjun. I saw the way your eyes changed, you’re like a different person and I pushed you to that. It’s my fault, I should have listened to you and stopped but I provoked you instead.”

Myungjun buried his face in his hands. He didn’t want Jinwoo to feel guilty for this, especially when he was the one who was bearing the bruises. “JinJin don’t say that. I should have said no when you offered to spar with me. I knew how angry I was but accepted your help anyway.”

Mr Seo entered the classroom and asked for everyone’s attention as he began the lesson. Myungjun felt his hands being pulled away from his face and he looked over to see Jinwoo watching him.

*You said you’re getting help? What help?* Jinwoos voice rang around Myungjuns mind and he relayed everything that had happened after entering Groves office the night before. Jinwoo nodded every now and then. *That’s great Junnie. I was offered therapy before, to help deal with my parents’ death, but I didn’t take it. I regret that now, so please don’t make the same mistake I did*

*I won’t JinJin. I want this…I NEED this because I can’t hurt you again* He squeezed Jinwoos hands before letting them go and turning to focus on the lesson. They had finally gotten the hang of sensing each other’s true emotions and now Mr Seo was moving them on to something harder.

“For the next few weeks, you will be working in groups based on your elemental type, to send messages using your specific brand of magic. All of the fire users will work together, and all of the air users will work together. However, as there are two forms of water magic and two forms of earth magic, the groups will be even smaller. All the ice users will form a group, the water users will form a group, the plant users will form a group and lastly the ground users will form a group. Is that clear enough for everyone?” Myungjun nodded along with the rest and reluctantly left Jinwoo to sit with the others of his kind.

Myungjun sat down with the other plant users, who eyed him warily. “You’re the one who stormed out of zoology yesterday right?” One of the boys asked. Myungjun nodded but didn’t offer an explanation. “How did the Dragon Knight know your name? He said it when you went to leave.” Myungjun shrugged and scratched at the snakebite scar on his arm absentmindedly. He didn’t want to talk about it, especially with a stranger. “If you don’t want to talk about it with a stranger then let’s be friends.” Myungjun looked up in surprise, he hadn’t planned on saying that out loud, but the boy didn’t seem offended. He smiled and held out his hand instead. “I’m Lee Minhyuk, nice to meet you.”

Myungjun took his hand after a moment’s hesitation and smiled back. “I’m Kim Myungjun. We might as well be friends; we’ll be working together for a while.”

“That Park kid is glaring our way.” Minhyuk said, looking over Myungjuns shoulder at Jinwoo.

“He’s my boyfriend.” Myungjun said happily, not needing to look back. He could already feel Jinwoos gaze on him. “He gets jealous easily.” Myungjun laughed when Minhyuk quickly pulled his hand away.

“Fire users have bad tempers.” Minhyuk said conversationally. “I could never date one.” Myungjun listened to him talk for a long time after that, barely getting a word in but he didn’t mind. It was nice to sit back and listen for a change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 50 already...I wonder how many of you are even still reading at this point x)


	51. Love Bite.

“Would you like a glass of water?” The woman asked kindly, after letting Myungjun into the brightly lit room. He nodded quickly and she poured him some, before leaning forwards in her chair to talk. “It’s nice to meet you Myungjun. My name is Bora and I’m going to be your therapist for the foreseeable future. This is a space where you can talk to me informally and freely. Have you ever seen a therapist before?”

“No.” Myungjun said quietly, watching the cold water condense against the sides of his glass. “I’ve never needed one before.”

“That’s perfectly fine.” Bora said, pulling out a leather-bound book and a pen from a drawer in her desk. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to ask you some questions and take notes about what you say, so I can keep it fresh in my memory for our next session. Please feel free to interrupt me at any time or move this conversation in the direction you would like it to go. Firstly, I would like to know what brings you here to see me today?”

Myungjun shifted awkwardly in his seat, the dark leather squeaking beneath him, as he tried to gather his thoughts. He was eager to get help, but it was incredibly awkward now that he was faced with it. “Umm…I guess the main reason I came here is because I can’t seem to control my emotions. I get angry and hurt the people I care about.”

Her pen scratched noisily across the paper and she hummed thoughtfully. “How does it make you feel when you hurt those people?”

Myungjun thought about the fear in Jinwoos eyes and felt a lump form in his throat. “Terrible. It makes me want to die when I see the way he looks at me.”

“Is this boy a friend?” she asked, pen poised above her paper.

“My boyfriend.” Myungjun replied softly and watched as the pen made notes.

Bora looked up at him and smiled. “That must come with its own challenges. Being gay I mean.”

Myungjun thought it was a strange thing to say but shrugged. “I guess. Not everyone is so…nice about it.”

“Myungjun I have to ask you a question which may upset you.” He froze, not entirely sure he wanted to hear it. “I’ll only ask if you allow me to.” After a few seconds, he nodded stiffly and took a quick sip of his drink. “Myungjun, are you being bullied?”

The effect was almost immediate. Myungjun had been hiding it for so long, that the thought of revealing the truth was too much to handle. The glass slipped from his hand and smashed across the floor, spilling water across his shoes. He stood up quickly, fists clenched and tears pricking the corners of his eyes. “I’m sorry I have to go.” She didn’t stop him as he fled from the room.

*

“That was quick.” Jinwoo said, giving him a smile as he walked into the combat centre, the class not even halfway done. Myungjuns combat classes on his timetable had been replaced with therapy sessions, to avoid putting him in an environment that could make him angry. It had been Myungjuns idea and Grove had reluctantly agreed. Grove had also voiced his opinion that he was worried about Myungjun falling behind in the class, but Myungjun promised to train against the wooden dummies if he ever had time after therapy. Which is what he wanted to do now. “How was it?” Jinwoo asked, following him to the weapons rack.

“I ran away.” Myungjun answered with a sigh. “I’ll try again on Thursday.” He pulled one of the poles down, not wanting to use the dual swords today and twirled it around, getting used to the weight again. “You’re not supposed to be near me during this class JinJin, I’ll talk to you after okay?” He stepped away from him, not waiting for his answer and made his way over to the dummies on the other side of the room. He felt Jinwoo watching him but ignored it.

Swinging the pole felt awkward. He hadn’t used it in a long time and his form was off. The female teacher came over to help him correct it, before giving him an encouraging thumbs up and moving on to help someone else. Myungjun closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to empty his mind. It didn’t work.

_Myungjun, are you being bullied? Bullied. Bullied. Bullied._

He growled in frustration and swung the pole hard. It cracked loudly against the wooden dummy and he spun to the side to hit it again.

_Well look at this boys. Not only is Myungjun a filthy magic user, he’s also into guys. How disgusting._

Myungjun changed hands and swung the pole towards the dummies head, missing it completely. The force of his swing sent him stumbling.

_Hey Myungjun, where’s your boyfriend today? Looks like he’s not around to protect you this time. Why do you need protecting anyway? Can’t fight back?_

Myungjun got back into position, feeling the anger bubble in his chest. He swung the pole, connecting it with the dummy over and over again until a loud noise filled the air. The pole snapped in half and he tossed it to the side harshly. Multiple faces flashed in front of him. Jung-hoon. Jung-hoons thugs. His mother. His father. The five faces of the bullies currently tormenting him. His own. He lunged forwards, snarling angrily and punched himself in the face. Except it wasn’t himself, it was the wooden dummy and his hand crunched against the solid material, sending a sharp shocking pain through his hand and up his arm, pulling him out of his haze. He cursed loudly and stumbled backwards, clutching his hand to his chest as fresh tears sprung to his eyes.

“Junnie?” He heard Jinwoos cautious voice behind him and he spun around, making his boyfriend flinch. “Junnie you’re hurt. Let’s go to see the nurse okay?” His eyes were searching Myungjuns own, making sure it was still him and Myungjun nodded hesitantly before stepping forwards. Jinwoo gave him a relieved smile and wrapped an arm around his waist to lead him out of the room.

*

“It’s definitely fractured. You need to be more careful Myungjun.” The nurse waved her hands over his own, and he gritted his teeth as the bones vibrated back together, the pain being siphoned off slowly. He sighed in relief when it was over and thanked her quietly. “You need to wrap your knuckles before sparring Myungjun. I already told you this last time.”

“That’s my fault.” Jinwoo said, offering her a sheepish smile. “I always wrap his knuckles, but I forgot today. I’ll make sure to do it next time.” She nodded, seemingly satisfied before dismissing them.

Myungjun threaded his fingers through Jinwoos and they made their way outside, the cool night air making Myungjun shiver. Jinwoo looked over at him and his birthmark began to glow gently as he radiated heat.

“Thanks JinJin.”

“No problem cutie. What do you want to do now? Wanna take a slow walk to the pond?” Jinwoo asked, already leading them in that direction. Myungjun just nodded and followed him.

The pond was just as beautiful as it had been the night Jinwoo had asked him to be his boyfriend. The moonlight lit up the surface of the water and flowers littered the floor around it. They sat on the flat rocks and Myungjun cuddled up to him, needing the warmth but needing the comfort more. He made a happy noise as Jinwoo ran his fingers through his hair, soothing all the tension he felt in his body.

“Don’t fall asleep.” Jinwoo said amused. “If you sleep now you won’t sleep later.”

“I feel like I could sleep all the time.” Myungjun answered, closing his eyes. “I’m always so tired.”

“I used to be like that.” Jinwoo said quietly. “Back before I met you. I used to sleep all day just to be alone at night, but even then, I slept most of the night away. You should tell your therapist how tired you get the next time you see her. I think that’s an important bit of information.”

Myungjun hummed in acknowledgment but didn’t answer him any further. He didn’t want to speak about that right now, he just wanted to cuddle and take a nap. He moved his head down into Jinwoos lap and looked up at him. The moonlight shone down on him prettily, making Jinwoos dark hair glow around him like a halo, he looked ethereal.

“Have I ever told you that you’re beautiful?” Myungjun asked, smiling at the blush spreading across Jinwoos cheeks. “I’m the luckiest person alive to have you as my boyfriend. Please don’t leave.” He added quietly.

Jinwoos eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “Of course I won’t leave. We can stay here as long as you like.”

Myungjun shook his head and reached up to stroke Jinwoos face. “No JinJin, I meant don’t leave _me_. I know it’s a selfish thing to ask, I’m difficult and clingy and I hurt you, but I don’t want to be alone. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I don’t want to be without you, ever.” Myungjun felt Jinwoos warm tears hit his face, mingling with his own and he pouted sadly. “Don’t cry JinJin. You never cry and it hurts me when you do.”

“I’m sorry.” Jinwoo said shakily. “You’re just so cheesy, I’m in physical pain.”

Myungjun laughed loudly, startling the wildlife by the serene pond. It was so like Jinwoo to cover up his emotions with a joke. “You’re a jerk. I’m baring the very depths of my soul to you here.”

“Well keep it covered.” Jinwoo said, voice strained with barely contained laughter. “It’s terribly cringey, I actually feel quite sick now.” He pretended to gag and Myungjun sat up quickly to scowl at him.

“JinJin you’re being mean!”

Jinwoo grinned at the look on his face and patted his lap. “Come here and let me make it up to you then.” Myungjun wanted to say no, just to spite him, but being away from Jinwoo meant he was exposed to the cool air and he didn’t want to catch a cold. That was the excuse he used at least, as he shuffled over to sit in Jinwoos lap, facing him with a pout. Jinwoo kissed it away, a quick peck that left Myungjun wanting more but he stopped when he noticed the bruises around Jinwoos neck. He reached up slowly and placed his fingers over the marks. A perfect fit. Jinwoo was still, watching him quietly and he didn’t appear to be breathing.

“Does it hurt?” Myungjun asked, pressing down on them gently.

Jinwoo nodded and closed his eyes. “Its sore. It hurts when I talk or when I eat.”

Myungjun moved his magic down to the palm of his hand that was wrapped around Jinwoos throat. He tried to remember what Mr Choi had taught him and focused hard on pulling Jinwoos pain away. He knew it was working when he felt a soreness in his own throat, it faded away slowly, and he watched as Jinwoo opened his eyes in surprise.

“Junnie what are you doing?”

“Taking away the pain.” Myungjun said hoarsely. “I learnt how to do it in my healing class, I can’t take it all away yet and it hurts me to do it, but it’s the least I can do. Does it feel better?”

Jinwoo nodded, frowning slightly. “What do you mean it hurts you to do it?”

“Healers feel the same pain they take away, it’s the price to pay for using light magic. Its only temporary, so stop frowning at me. I can’t take the bruises away though, I’m sorry. I wish I had them instead.”

Jinwoo was quiet for a while, lost in thought, before leaning forwards and nosing at Myungjuns neck.

“What are you doing?” Myungjun squeaked, flustered at the sudden affection.

“Giving you a bruise.” Jinwoo said softly. He moved down and placed a gentle kiss on Myungjuns collarbone.

“That’s not a bruise that’s a- ouch Jinwoo that hurts.” Myungjun squeezed his eyes shut, feeling a dull pain where Jinwoos lips were. He quickly got used to the feeling and decided it wasn’t so bad after all. When Jinwoo was finished, he covered the area in kisses and pulled back to stare at his work proudly.

“What did you do?” Myungjun asked, reaching up to touch it. It hurt when he pressed down on the sensitive area and it made him squirm.

“Love bite.” Jinwoo said, looking up at him with a smile. “That’s what a love bite is. Go and look at your reflection in the pond.”

Myungjun followed his instructions and climbed awkwardly from Jinwoos lap to go and see what he’d done. He gasped when he saw the dark mark against his skin. “JinJin why did you do that?”

“You said you wished you had bruises instead.” Jinwoo answered him with a shrug. “I gave you a little one, so we’re even.”

Myungjun went back to sit in his lap and wrapped his legs around Jinwoos waist. “That’s what Moonbin was talking about at Christmas. Why would I have had one on my neck back then?”

Jinwoo looked uncomfortable as he thought about what to say. “People usually give love bites when they’re…in the heat of the moment.”

“What does that mean?” Myungjun asked, happy that he’d finally learnt what it was.

“Think back to how you felt when we kissed on Christmas day…in my bed.” Jinwoo added with a blush. “Or in the storage room on hallows eve. That’s what I mean by the heat of the moment. Moonbin said it back then because he wanted to wind me up. He knew there was nothing there but said it to see how I’d react. I fell for it, thinking I’d actually done it without realising.” He was quiet for a moment. “I’m sorry for doing it now, I should have asked first.”

“It’s okay.” Myungjun said with a shy smile. “It wasn’t so bad.” He cuddled up against Jinwoos chest and sighed happily at the warmth. “We should go soon, it’s getting late.”

“Whenever you’re ready Junnie.” Jinwoo said, pressing a kiss into his hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soft Myungjin to make up for the angst<3


	52. Flower Companion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a productive day off and wrote four new chapters for this fic, so I'm in a position to post this second one today!

The first of February rolled around and Myungjun walked down to breakfast to see the hall buzzing with excitement.

“What’s going on?” He asked, slipping into the empty seat between Hyungwon and Hoseok.

“The notice is out for the February dungeon run examinations. The first years are nervous.” Hoseok said, pointing to a table surrounded by younger children who were whispering furiously. “Do you think we looked like that last year?”

“Probably.” Myungjun said with a laugh, reaching back to take some food from the trays that floated past. “I guess we’ll be getting new timetables today like last year. We cut out the majority of our classes and only had combat training and practical skills before. I had herbology as well though and I’m sure I’ll still be doing healing this year.”

Hyungwon leaned forwards and lowered his voice. “Junnie are you sure you can handle the extra combat classes?” His concern made Myungjuns chest warm.

Myungjun turned to him with a smile. “I’ll still be going to therapy during two of the classes and I’ve been feeling a lot better since I began seeing Bora. Now that she knows everything about me, she promised to start the actual therapy tomorrow.”

“That’s great Junnie, I’m proud of you for going. You’ll be better in no time.” Hyungwon said, pulling him in for a hug. “How are things between you and Jinwoo?”

“We’re fine. He’s been really busy lately though, so I haven’t seen him much. But he always comes to check on me at dinner. He’s training too hard; he’ll make himself sick if he’s not careful.” Myungjun pouted and snuggled closer, earning himself a small chuckle from the older boy.

“I’m sure Jinwoo knows what he’s doing.” Hoseok piped up. “Is he training his body or his magic?”

“Both.” Myungjun said with a sigh. “I always see him dashing between the combat centre and the fire users’ practical skills room. He always has this determined look in his eyes and one day last week he walked straight past me without even noticing me, he was so focused.”

“I wonder why…” Hoseok said with a frown. “No one else is training as hard as him, there must be a reason.”

“We’ll find out soon enough.” Hyungwon said, giving Myungjun a reassuring squeeze before letting him go. “You have herbology first Junnie, you better get a move on.”

*

Myungjun sat in the herbology clearing after tending to his greenhouse. Everything went so much quicker thanks to the watering plant Jinwoo had given him for Christmas. He waited patiently for Ms Jung to finish talking to another student before making her way over to him.

“Have you made much progress today Myungjun?” She asked kindly, sitting down in front of him. Myungjun shook his head and sighed. Ms Jung had kept her promise and had moved him on to something harder after Christmas. It was so hard that a month later he still hadn’t managed to get the hang of the spell. “It’s not easy to animate plants Myungjun, so please don’t be disheartened. Have you ever seen an animated companion?”

Myungjun was quick to answer. “Yes, my friend Rocky created a rock golem in his first year, he’s really cute.”

Her eyes widened slightly. “That’s an impressive feat for someone so young. He still has this golem?”

“He was smashed during the first dungeon run but Rocky still had the original rock, so he made him again. Rocky Jr grew larger over the summer, he’s waist height now.” Myungjun said proudly, as if he was the one responsible for his growth spurt.

“Companions are usually animated for short periods of time for combat purposes. I don’t often hear of them being animated continuously in such a way. Your friend must be using huge amounts of magical energy to keep him going, so you should watch over him to make sure he doesn’t push it too far.” Ms Jung reached forwards to pat the soil between them. “Now with what I just told you, I would like for you to try animating a plant again. It runs on magical energy Myungjun, keep that in mind.” She moved to get up and Myungjun quickly helped her to her feet. She thanked him gratefully and shuffled away, leaving him to his work.

Myungjun kneeled down on the dirt and placed his hands against it firmly, closing his eyes and moving his magic down to his palms. He didn’t stop there however, he took her advice and forced his energy out of himself and into the ground, picturing a bright red flower. The ground rumbled ominously, and he opened his eyes when it broke away around him. He watched, stunned, as a large flower broke free, growing in size before him. It only stopped growing when he pulled his hands away and it turned its budding head towards him.

“Hello.” The flower said in a delicate, high-pitched, tinkling voice and Myungjun fell back in shock.

“I did it.” He whispered, staring up at the flower in front of him. “I can’t believe I did it.”

“I can’t see very well Myungjun. Why didn’t you let me bloom?” The flower asked, swaying its budding head from side to side. “You didn’t even let me unroot myself.”

Myungjun stared at it, not really understanding. “You were growing so big; I didn’t know when to stop.”

The flower sighed, a breezy noise that felt pleasant to his ears. “However much energy you put into the ground, decides on how big I will be. If you start off with a lot, then I will be bigger but if you start off with a little, I will be small. The most important thing is finishing what you started. Now please give me more magic, I hate being blind and I can’t walk.”

“You’re awfully bossy for a flower.” Myungjun grumbled, reaching over to touch the ground around it.

“I’m an extension of you Myungjun.” The flower said smartly and Myungjun laughed.

“I guess I can be a bit bossy sometimes too. Now be quiet and let me concentrate.” He focused hard on pushing more magic into the ground and it rumbled loudly again. Myungjun watched as the flower bloomed, six bright red petals fanning out prettily with two waxy green leaves sprouting from its sides and he didn’t stop until it had pulled its roots free from the ground. When he was finished, he stood up to see that the flower was nearly his height. “I think I used too much magic.” He said, feeling drained.

“To keep me animated, I need to stay close by you and I’ll feed off of your magical energy. I’m quite big so I’ll need a lot. Make sure to eat lots and get lots of sleep.” The flower said, taking its first shaky steps on its roots.

“Wow you really do sound like me.” Myungjun said, thoroughly impressed. “Let’s go.”

Students gasped and stared as Myungjun walked past them, flower in tow. “Hyung that’s so cool!” Jimin squealed, running over to take a look. “How did you do it?” Myungjun quickly explained and watched amused as Jimin bent down to try, face scrunched up cutely in concentration.

“The more energy you force out, the bigger it will be. Don’t use too much though because it feeds from you.” Myungjun advised him. “I’m going to get lunch, so I’ll talk to you later.”

His stomach was already grumbling as he made his way out of the forest. People pointed and whispered when he walked past and Myungjun couldn’t help but wonder how Rocky had put up with the attention. It was making his skin crawl uncomfortably.

“I can feel your anxiety Myungjun.” The flower said lightly behind him. “Can you slow down a bit? My roots are too short.” Myungjun quickly apologised and stopped briefly to walk alongside it.

“Can you do anything special?” He asked. “and how can you see? You don’t have eyes.”

“I’m not sure. Why don’t we go to the library later and look it up?”

“You read my mind.” Myungjun said happily with a wide grin.

“Literally.” The flower replied, swaying in the light breeze as it walked.

Myungjun entered the hall and looked around. He wasn’t surprised that Jinwoo was nowhere in sight and he briefly considered going to find him, to force him to take a break, but realised he wouldn’t be able to stand much longer himself if he didn’t get something to eat. He made his way over to the table where Seokjin and Namjoon were sitting and collapsed in one of the chairs with a sigh.

“Cool companion.” Seokjin said, less fazed by its appearance then the other students had been.

Namjoon looked around and made a noise of surprise. “You finally made it.” He said, putting his glasses back on to inspect the flower properly. “Did Ms Jung tell you how?” Myungjun nodded tiredly and gestured to the empty plate in front of himself. Seokjin seemed to understand and filled it up with food.

“Thanks Hyung.” Myungjun said, taking a bite of some of the chicken and groaning loudly. “I never knew food could taste so good.”

“Your flower is bigger than Rocky Jr.” Namjoon said, still focused on it. “but it looks weaker.”

His flower made an offended noise. “I am NOT weak. Do I need to prove it?”

Myungjun sighed. “You’ve insulted her now.”

“Her?” Namjoon asked, finally tearing his eyes away to look at Myungjun. “How can it be female? It’s an extension of your magic, it should be male if anything.”

Myungjun shrugged. “I don’t know how either, but I know its female. It has a feminine voice.”

“You understand it?” Namjoon asked curiously, before snapping his fingers excitedly. “Of course you do, its like how Rocky can understand Rocky Jr but we can’t.”

Myungjun thought about Rocky Jr and his gravelly garbled nonsense and wondered how his flower sounded, so he asked.

“It’s sort of like…windchimes.” Seokjin answered him thoughtfully. “It’s a pleasant sound. Have you thought of a name for her yet?”

Myungjun shook his head, that hadn’t even crossed his mind. “I guess I’ll name her after whatever flower she is.” He turned around to look at her. “Do you know what flower you are?”

“Of course I do, I’m not stupid.” She snapped haughtily, still offended from Namjoons remark. “I’m a Red Camellia, like the petals you shed.”

“I was always curious as to what my petals were.” Myungjun said, feeling enlightened. “I guess that settles it, Camellia it is.” She hummed appreciatively at the name and Myungjun turned back to the table to eat his food.

*

“Hello Myungjun, it’s nice to see you again.” Bora greeted him kindly, letting him inside and leading him to his usual seat.

Myungjun sat down, feeling nervous but excited to finally begin proper therapy. He stroked one of Camellias waxy leaves absentmindedly as she stood beside his chair, tall and proud. “What are we doing today?”

Bora shuffled the pile of parchment on her desk and cleared her throat. “I have analysed your notes since our last session, piecing together everything you have told me over the past month.” Myungjun leaned forwards eagerly to listen. “This isn’t happening to you because of your father. Not completely anyway.”

“What do you mean?” Myungjun frowned feeling confused. “Of course it’s because of him. I’ve only ever snapped after speaking to him.”

“Your father is what we like to call a trigger. He triggers these violent outbursts, but they have always been there, laying under the surface and waiting for a reason to break free.” She explained slowly. “You have dealt with many traumatic things in your short life Myungjun. Having your magic suppressed for five years at a crucial stage of your physical and mental development, facing a near death beating, finding out you were abandoned by your father and being bullied here still, to name a few. It’s all piled up slowly because you’ve never dealt with these things or found a healthy release.”

Myungjun was stunned. He knew all those things had negatively affected him in some way, but he didn’t realise he had to deal with them. He always just tried to forget and move on. “If that’s true…how am I supposed to deal with it?”

She smiled sadly and he felt his stomach clench with dread. “I think it would be best for you to attend one of these therapy sessions with your parents. They do not have to come together, it can be separate if you-“

“No.” Myungjun interrupted firmly. “No way in hell am I sitting in the same room with him.” Camellias roots started to creep up the chair towards him. “I never want to see him again, you said he’s a trigger. Why would you want me near him?” Boras eyes followed the progress of the roots and she tensed.

“Myungjun it was just a suggestion. You do not have to do anything you don’t feel comfortable doing. I just think it’s in your best interest if you do. Maybe hearing his side of the story-“

“NO.” Myungjun answered angrily, the thought of his father setting him on edge. The roots crept across his waist and Bora sat back in her chair. “I don’t want to hear his excuses! He left me, he left me and let my magic be taken from me whilst he played happy families with his guild. He wasn’t there to stop my mother giving me those pills, he wasn’t there to take me to school, or tuck me in at night or teach me all the things a father is supposed to teach his son.” Myungjun felt his magic thrum, empowered by Camellias roots as they dug into his waist, fusing with his very skin.

“Myungjun you need to take some deep breaths.” Bora said, taking some deep breaths of her own as an example and waiting patiently until Myungjun copied her. “That’s better.” She said relieved as Camellias roots slowly receded. “I said you hadn’t dealt with those things or hadn’t found a healthy release. I can see you are not yet ready to deal with them, so I think we need to focus on finding an outlet instead, one that doesn’t involve physical violence.”

Myungjun breathed out shakily and nodded his head. “I’d like that.”

“When these outbursts occur, have you noticed anything that helps pull you back to your usual self? Something that makes you realise what you are doing and allows you to stop?” she asked, twirling the pen between her fingers.

Myungjun thought back to the arena and frowned. The only thing that had stopped him was Hyungwon knocking him out. He changed his direction of thought to the combat centre and remembered how the sharp pain of Jinwoos nails had cut through the haze of his anger. That’s strange, Myungjun thought, the only thing that stopped me from attacking that wooden dummy the third time was the pain I felt in my hand after it fractured. He cleared his throat awkwardly and nodded. “Pain. Pain always brings me back.”

Bora sighed and shook her head. “I was afraid you’d say that.”

*

“Do you have any questions for me before we finish this session Myungjun?” Bora asked, watching him hesitate.

“Why Jinwoo? I always hurt him. I understand why I did the second time I snapped; he was the only one there. But the first time, in the arena, I was fighting with Hyungwon against Youngjae as well, but I only attacked him. Even when they pulled me away, I was only trying to get back to him…to hurt him. I never recognise him when I snap, it’s like he’s nothing to me.”

Bora was quiet for a while, thinking it through. “Jinwoo means a lot to you, you have strong feelings for him and there’s a fine line between love and hate. When you snap, your brain steps over that line and makes you believe you hate him. It turns the love you feel for him against you.”

Myungjun flushed and coughed awkwardly. “I don’t think I _love_ him. You don’t hurt the people you love…but I like him a lot though.”

“Well whatever you feel for him is strong enough to invoke an equally as strong hatred when you’re triggered by your father. Do you have any more questions? No? Okay. Just think about what we discussed here today, and I’ll see you next week. Good luck with your examinations this weekend.”

*

Myungjun looked up the ladder to his treehouse, then back down at Camellia. “Umm…how is this going to work? Do I have to carry you up?”

If a flower had eyes to roll, she would have done, Myungjun could just sense it. “I can climb myself Myungjun, I’m not incapable.” Her roots extended to reach the first rung and when she had a good grip, she decreased their length to pull herself up. Myungjun thought she looked like a yoyo and wanted to laugh. “I’m glad you’re finding amusement in my struggle.”

“I did offer to carry you.” Myungjun pointed out. “Are you sure you want to come up? There’s no soil up there. How do you sleep anyway?”

She halted her ascent and turned her flowery red head towards him. “I have to be near you to stay animated. Unless you want to summon me another time?”

Myungjun thought about it for a few seconds before nodding. “It would be cruel to make you sleep so far up with no soil. How can I summon you again? Rocky has the original rock he made Rocky Jr from, to bring him back if he gets smashed, but I didn’t make you from anything.”

“Your petals. We’re the same. If you want me, just create one and infuse it with your magic.” Her roots extended towards him. “Pull your magic back in.” He held her root delicately and closed his eyes, focusing on taking his magic back.

When he opened his eyes again there was only a flurry of red petals left behind.

*

Myungjun woke up the morning of the dungeon run examinations feeling anxious. He wasn’t anxious about the exams themselves; he was used to them by now. He was unsettled at the thought of somehow snapping in there and turning against Jinwoo. Maybe I’ll even hurt the others as well this time, Myungjun thought panicked before realising how ridiculous he was being and shaking his head clear of those poisonous thoughts. He grunted in pain when Youngjae dived onto his bed, kneeing him in the stomach.

“Hyuuuuung, Wakey-wakey!” Youngjae shouted excitedly.

“I was already awake.” Myungjun whined, pushing him off. “I’ve been mortally wounded, and we haven’t even stepped foot in the dungeons yet.”

“Sorry.” Youngjae said with a grin, not sounding apologetic at all. “Are you too injured to get breakfast?”

Myungjun sat up quickly, ignoring the dull pain in his stomach and shook his head. “I’m never too injured for food. Let’s go.” Youngjae laughed loudly at his eagerness and pulled him from the bed.

“You look cute when you first wake up, your face is all puffy.” Youngjae said, poking Myungjuns cheeks. “You have a baby face Hyung.” He cooed when Myungjun tried to pull away blushing. “Come on, you’re my baby today, let’s get you dressed.”

Myungjun shrieked as Youngjae grabbed him and attempted to pull his shirt off. Namjoon woke abruptly at the noise and fell out of his bed. “What’s going on?” He asked, scrambling to grab his glasses off the nightstand and kicking the blanket away. When he put them on, he looked up at them in confusion. “Youngjae why are you undressing him?”

“He’s a baby.” Youngjae said. He quickly went back to forcefully yanking Myungjuns shirt up and Myungjun screamed.

“JOONIE HELP ME!”

Namjoon sighed, a smile tugging at his lips before he lunged at Youngjae and pulled him away. “Stop it you creep, he’s capable of dressing himself and stop calling him a baby, he’s the oldest one here.” Youngjae laughed as Namjoon tickled him and Myungjun took his chance to escape. He locked himself in the bathroom and leaned up against the door listening to them play fight.

“Joon wait.” He heard Youngjae whisper breathlessly and pressed his ear closer to listen, not wanting to miss anything. They may plan to gang up on him after all. “I was just trying to cheer him up. I walked past his bed and he looked like he was on the verge of having a panic attack. I wasn’t really being a creep so can you let go?”

Myungjun listened to his words and a warmth spread across his chest. Youngjae was worried about him and had only tried to make him feel better. It worked. He quickly unlocked the door and ran over to give Youngjae a tight hug. “Thankyou for being my friend.” Youngjae seemed surprised but hugged him back all the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some information on Red Camellias if you are interested:  
> These flowers signify love, passion and a deep desire for someone.  
> Superstitions: Superstitions and beliefs about the red camellia vary depending on the side of the world you’re in. In the west, red camellias translate to the message of someone being the flame of your heart. In the East, particularly in Japan, red relates to the ink used for printing funeral notices and it also considered as flowers for funerals.  
> Petals: Camellias, just like any kind of flower have delicate and beautiful petals that give it its character. The petals in camellias are usually five but they can also have as many as nine petals. The five or nine red petals (or any number in between), of a camellia symbolizes a flame.  
> ^^^  
> Myungjuns petals changed this way after Jinwoo asked him to be his boyfriend uwu


	53. February Dungeon Run Examination-Part 1.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Into the dungeons!!

“Why does he keep failing here?” Rocky asked, anger seeping into his voice as they watched Sanha be sucked into the ground on the third floor. Sanha had failed breaking free from his illusion again and they watched unhappily as their youngest was taken from them. “What if we get to a floor where we’re in desperate need of air magic? We NEED him, why does he keep messing up?”

Myungjun moved over to pat Rockys shoulder comfortingly. “We’ll make do without him. Whatever Sanha is seeing must be too much for him, please don’t be mad at him.”

Rocky sighed and relaxed under Myungjuns touch. “Fine. Let’s go solve this riddle and get off this stupid floor.” He swept ahead of them into the corridor leading to the boss room and everyone followed.

“Do you think it will be the same as last time?” Myungjun asked Jinwoo hopefully, hurrying over to walk beside him.

Jinwoo shrugged. “I dunno, we’ve had the same illusions as last year, so maybe we’ll get the same riddle.”

“You never told me what you see when we come down here. You told me you’d tell me last time, but you never did.” Myungjun remembered the way Jinwoo had broken from his illusion last year, sweating and shaking and in desperate need of a boost.

“I see my parents.” Jinwoo said quietly. “Or what’s supposed to be my parents, they don’t have faces because I don’t know what they looked like. I see myself burning down a little stone hut with them inside. I’m only able to break out of the illusion because I think about what you told me that day by the lake, about it not being my fault and that they wouldn’t want me to blame myself forever.”

“Well it’s the truth.” Myungjun said, happy to know his words had helped him. Jinwoo smiled at him and they walked into the Riddler’s room together.

“What have you got for us this time then?” Moonbin asked, staring up at her defiantly. “We’ll solve it straight away and you won’t be able to take Minnie from me again.” Dongmin laughed, shaking his head at Moonbins bad attitude.

_What is greater than the Deity,_  
_more evil than the Prince of Darkness,_  
_the poor have it,_  
_the rich need it,_  
_and if you eat it, you'll die?_  


“Nothing.” Jinwoo answered straight away and the Riddler bowed her head and opened up the pathway to the next floor.

Everyone was silent for a few seconds, staring at Jinwoo open mouthed.

“I’m sorry but what the actual hell.” Moonbin said weakly. “I barely even registered what she said.”

Jinwoo shrugged and walked down the corridor, leaving everyone stunned. Myungjun finally snapped out of it and chased after him. “JinJin how did you guess that so fast?”

Jinwoo looked over at his excited face and laughed. “Nothing is greater than the Deity. I knew that straight away and everything else she said fell into place.” He lowered his voice and leaned closer to Myungjun, so only he could hear. “Did I look cool back there?”

Myungjun snorted and pushed him away. “Is that all you care about?” Jinwoo grinned at him and he sighed. “Yes, you looked extra cool JinJin. The coolest. My boyfriend is so smart, I’m going to brag about you to everyone now.”

“Don’t be sarcastic.” Jinwoo whined, nudging Myungjuns shoulder with his own. “I didn’t get us to the next floor for this disrespect.”

“Well get us through this floor as well and I might start to respect you again.” Myungjun said simply. When everyone was inside and the wall sealed shut behind them, Myungjun stood back proudly to watch Jinwoo burn all of the giant spider webs down. They got ready for the spiders to attack and when the first one exposed itself from its hiding place in the shadows, Myungjun raced forwards first to kill it.

“Maybe it’s a good idea Sanha isn’t here.” Rocky called out from somewhere behind him. “You know how much he hates spiders.” Myungjun laughed and pulled his vines through the floor to wrap around a spider that was skittering towards Dongmins exposed back. When the vines were secure, he sent his magic through them to crush the spider to pieces. It exploded and blood sprayed up Dongmins shirt making him squeal.

“EW.” Dongmin said in disgust, reaching around to touch the back of his shirt and looking at the warm red liquid that coated his fingers. “That’s so disgusting Hyung. Did you have to kill it right there?”

Myungjun rolled his eyes and pulled his swords free. “Sorry for ruining your appearance your majesty. Next time don’t leave yourself exposed.”

“Moonbin you’re supposed to have my back!” Dongmin turned around angrily to find him.

“I’m a bit…tied up right now.” Moonbin said, struggling to pull his leg free from a thick spider’s web. Myungjun raced forwards to cut through it with his swords after realising Moonbins blunt pole wouldn’t help.

“Sorry.” Jinwoo said, cutting down the last spider. “Guess I missed that one.”

*

Myungjun stared across the lake on the sixth floor and shivered. He hated sirens. He accepted his bubble helmet from Moonbin before they all jumped in surprise at Rockys happy shout.

“What?” Dongmin snapped, a hand over his heart from the shock. “You scared the life out of me.”

“Sorry.” Rocky said sheepishly. “I just had a good idea. Stand back.”

They all listened to him and pressed themselves up against the recently sealed wall. Rocky knelt down and placed his palms on the ground. His birthmark began to glow and the ground split open in front of him. Myungjun watched as the crack disappeared under the surface of the water.

“You’re draining the lake?” Jinwoo asked, eyes wide. “Why didn’t you do that last time?”

Rocky wasn’t listening, he was focused on making the crack wider, to drain the water faster and his hands began to tremble from the strain. He’s going to pass out, Myungjun thought worriedly, he’s using too much energy.

“Rocky stop!” Myungjun said, stepping forwards to pull him away. Rocky fell back with a gasp as the connection between his magic and the floor broke, face pale. Myungjun quickly opened the herb pouch on his chest and found an energy reviver before forcing it into Rockys mouth. “You didn’t have to push yourself that far Rocky, we can wait for it to drain slowly, we’re in no rush.”

Rocky groaned as his energy came back and he stood up shakily. “Sorry, I got a bit impatient.”

“Impatience can get you incapacitated.” Jinwoo said wisely. “I learnt that the hard way the first time we did the exams, I wanted to kill the rat boss as quickly as possible and expended all of my energy because of it. Its better to do things slow and steady then fast and reckless.”

Rocky accepted his scolding and patted Rocky Jr’s head when he garbled up at him. “Let’s just wait then.”

They sat down against the wall, watching the large expanse of water drain away.

After a few minutes of silence, Myungjun cleared his throat to speak. “I have to give you all something.” He rooted around in his bag for the ear plugs he’d made from thick plant fibres and went to sit in front of Jinwoo. He slipped them in Jinwoos ears and placed his hands against them. His birth mark began to glow as he made the fibres expand, to completely block out any sound.

Jinwoo reached up to grab his wrist. *Thanks Junnie*

Myungjun smiled and moved to each of them in turn. When they were done, he gestured for them all to stand in a circle. He held the two hands on either side of him, Jinwoos and Rockys, and thought hard. *Grab their hands so we can link. I forgot we needed to make a plan before I put those in your ears*

*You’re an idiot Hyung* Rocky’s voice rang through his head and Myungjun scowled.

*Yah you brat! I thought I was helping* Rocky rolled his eyes but grabbed onto Dongmins hand. A second later, Dongmin grabbed Moonbins and Moonbin finished connecting the circle by grabbing Jinwoos other hand. *Can everyone hear me?* Myungjun thought hard, focusing on pushing it along the link.

*Yeah it’s working* Moonbins voice travelled to him, quieter then Rockys had been. *Guess we’re making the plan whilst we wait for the lake to finish draining? Why do we have these in our ears anyway?*

Myungjun looked over his shoulder to see the water nearly gone. *This boss burst our eardrums last time* He looked over to see Jinwoo nodding a confirmation. *I made these so it wouldn’t get a chance to do it again. As you all know, this boss is where I got incapacitated, you can’t let your guard down. We thought we’d killed it, but it launched its trident at the last second. It could aim for any one of us today, so we need to watch it carefully*

*Got it Hyung, let’s go* Dongmins voice floated through the link and they let go, breaking it off. Luckily enough, Rockys magic hadn’t completely cut off the path to the next corridor like last time in the snake boss room, so Myungjun didn’t have to use any of his energy creating another bridge.

The siren stood there, eerily still and holding its trident. Myungjun felt nauseous as he remembered the way it had impaled him and stepped closer to Jinwoo. Jinwoo grabbed his hand and smiled. *It’s okay Junnie, you won’t get hurt this time I promise. Just step back and let me burn it okay? If it comes towards you…duck* Myungjun laughed and nodded before stepping away.

Jinwoo erupted into flames and channelled it all towards the siren. It opened its mouth in a silent scream and Myungjun breathed a sigh of relief as his ear plugs blocked it out completely. He tensed when he saw the trident rise. It switched between them all at lightning speed, Myungjuns eyes could barely keep up. Dongmin. Moonbin. Himself. Rocky. Jinwoo. Himself. Moonbin. The siren launched it hard and fast and Myungjun heaved his vines through the floor in front of the pink haired boy. The trident impaled his vines and was stopped, millimetres from Moonbins chest.

Moonbin was frozen, face pale as he looked down at the tips of the sharp weapon and Myungjun and Dongmin both rushed forwards to pull him away. Myungjun made him sit down against the wall and put his hands over Moonbins ears, pulling the ear plugs out with his magic. He quickly did the same to himself and Dongmin before grabbing Moonbins face.

“Bin, its okay.” He said quietly, trying to get him to listen. Moonbin just stared ahead without saying a word.

“What’s wrong with him?” Dongmin asked, beginning to panic. “Why isn’t he talking?”

“He’s going into shock.” Myungjun said, noticing the signs. “It’s terrifying having that thing thrown at you. Bin can you look at me? You’re okay, you’re not hurt I promise. It didn’t touch you.”

Moonbin slowly looked up at him, skin clammy with sweat and he made a strangled noise. “I’m not dead?”

Myungjun laughed and shook his head. “No, you’re still here. It didn’t touch you at all, I stopped it.”

“Thankyou” Moonbin said weakly. He was quickly engulfed in a hug from Dongmin so Myungjun stepped back to remove the plants from Rockys and Jinwoos ears to give them some privacy.

“Is he okay?” Jinwoo asked quietly when he could hear again. “He looks terrible.”

“He’ll be fine, luckily he didn’t slip too far. Going into shock is really dangerous.” Myungjun eyed his herb pouch with a frown. “Next time I’ll bring something to help calm us down. Grove gave me something like that when I went to his office after hurting you. I’ll ask him what it was for the next exams.”

“We’re ready to go.” Dongmin said, coming up behind them and pointing to the new corridor. “Let’s go see what’s on the next floor.”

*

“It’s so hot in here.” Rocky whined, looking across the barren desert. The sun was beating down on them mercilessly and the only two who didn’t seem affected by it were Jinwoo and Dongmin.

Myungjuns shoes crunched against the sand as he walked further ahead. Huge brown sand dunes rose up around them in the distance and there was nothing else in sight. Just brown sand, blue skies and a scorching hot ball of fire that was making Myungjun sweat.

“How did we go from a lake of water to a waterless desert.” Moonbin complained. “My magic won’t be very good in here.”

Myungjun heard a rumbling noise in the distance and shushed them all. They all stopped to listen and Jinwoo pointed at one of the sand dunes up ahead. It was vibrating and sand was spraying up in clouds. Myungjun watched as multiple winged creatures burst free and flew rapidly towards them.

“Is that a chicken?” Rocky asked incredulous. “Since when do chickens have dragon wings?”

“Oh no, it’s a cockatrice!” Dongmin shouted, voice laced with panic. “Don’t look them in the eyes, you’ll turn to stone!”

“How can we fight something we can’t look at?” Moonbin asked angrily. “This is a joke.”

Rocky Jr garbled something, and Rocky started shouting out commands. “Myungjun to your left!” Myungjun pulled his swords free and closed his eyes, turning to his left and swinging wildly. His swords connected with something solid that shrieked at him. “Moonbin duck!” Myungjun heard Moonbin grunt in pain and worry burned in his chest. Rocky Jr garbled again, and Rocky told Jinwoo to move.

“How do you know where they are Rocky?” Dongmins voice came from behind him.

“Rocky Jr can see them without being affected.” Rocky shouted back.

Myungjun thought about Camellia and gasped. He needed to summon her; she could help. “Rocky ask him if there’s any more of them near me.” Myungjun said, swinging his swords around randomly.

Rocky asked and confirmed that Myungjun wasn’t in danger. Myungjun quickly focused on expending his magic and felt petals fall down around him. He chanced looking down at his feet to pick one up and forced his magic into it. Camellia appeared before him and landed on the sand with a tinkling noise as he snapped his eyes shut.

“Myungjun you summoned me? Oh dear you’re in trouble.” She observed; a lot calmer than Myungjun felt.

“Tell me where they are.” Myungjun commanded, not interested in her small talk.

“Would it kill you to say please?”

“Yeah probably!” Myungjun replied exasperated. “I don’t have time to say please.”

“Interesting, you had time to say all of that but not the one word that matters. Above you Myungjun.” Myungjun raised his swords quickly and felt a heavy weight collapse on him as a cockatrice impaled itself on them. Hot blood trickled down his arms and he stumbled to his knees. “You probably should have moved.” Camellia pointed out. Myungjun growled angrily, pushing the creature off of himself and yanking his swords free.

“Jinwoo is in danger. He’s surrounded.”

“Are the others near him? Moonbin, Rocky, Dongmin?” Myungjun asked quickly. When she confirmed they were out of reach he quickly turned to where he thought Jinwoo was. “JinJin you’re surrounded! Use your fire now.”

The air heated up and Myungjun jumped back when pain licked across his hand. He opened his eyes reflexively, to see Jinwoo a lot closer to him than he thought and stumbled backwards, trying to get away from the fire. The wooden sword he was holding in that hand fell to the sand, unburnt from its enchants.

“Junnie what’s wrong?” Jinwoo called out, hearing Myungjun scream.

Myungjun couldn’t answer him, afraid of how Jinwoo would react after realising he’d done the one thing he was terrified of doing; hurting people. Myungjun looked around, forgetting he shouldn’t and saw the others in the distance, standing in a circle and fending off a barrage of attacks. Cockatrices were dying noisily around Jinwoo as they burned to death and Myungjun used the distraction to put his other sword back into its scabbard and reached around in the pouch on his chest, with his good hand, for some bandages.

“Myungjun answer me!” Jinwoo shouted, panic seeping into his voice. “Did they get you? Are you still here?”

“Yes.” Myungjun gasped out in pain as the bandage pressed against his burning flesh. “I was scratched but I’m fine. There’s one above you.” There wasn’t but Myungjun needed him to focus on something else. Myungjun whimpered in pain and gritted his teeth, pulling the bandage taut and taping it into place. It stung terribly and he cursed himself for forgetting to put some aloe paste on it beforehand. It was too late to do it now anyway, Myungjun watched as Rocky cut down the last Cockatrice and the walls rumbled into existence around them.

Jinwoos eyes snapped open and he pulled his fire back, running over to see if Myungjun was okay. “How bad is it? Did it scratch you deep?” He took Myungjuns hand gently but even the lightest touch was enough to make Myungjun shout out in pain.

“JinJin don’t touch it.” He gasped as tears rolled down his cheeks. “It hurts.”

Jinwoo quickly let go. “I’m sorry Junnie. Is it really that painful?” When Myungjun nodded, he reached forwards, into Myungjun pouch, and started pulling things out at random. “Is this the pain relief plant? No? What about this one?” He went through a few more before Myungjun nodded and Jinwoo pressed it against his lips. “Eat it Junnie.”

Myungjun chewed quickly and sighed in relief as the pain faded. “Thanks JinJin. I forgot I had those.”

Jinwoo smiled at him and gestured to Myungjuns hand. “You’ve gotten better at bandaging I see.”

Myungjun smiled back, glad that he didn’t need Jinwoo to re-wrap it. He’d rather die then let Jinwoo know he’d burnt him.

“Are you guys okay?” Rocky asked, jogging over to them with the others in tow. Myungjun noticed blood dripping onto the floor beneath the younger boy. “Dongmin-hyung got hurt, can you check on him?” Myungjun quickly pushed his own problems aside to check on their injuries instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jinwoo: Did I look cool back there?  
> Me: Yes, yes you did my sweet child 10/10
> 
> Rocky draining a whole LAKE is just wild. I imagine the sirens swirling down the crack he made like hair in a plughole and it makes me laugh.


	54. February Dungeon Run Examination-Part 2.

“Let’s get into the corridor and away from this sand.” Myungjun said, leading them towards the opening in the wall and making sure to pick up his abandoned sword on the way. “I don’t want you to get any in your wounds.”

Myungjun led them underneath one of the blazing torches that lined the walls for some light. He checked on Dongmin first as he was closest and crouched down to view the wound on his leg. His right trouser leg was torn at the thigh and soaked with blood. “Dongmin I need to cut the material away or I won’t be able to treat it properly.”

“Just do it Hyung, I don’t care much for these trousers anyway.”

Myungjun ran his finger along the fabric, just above the tear itself, cutting it away with his magic until it fell to the floor. The wound wasn’t too deep, but Myungjun didn’t want him to bleed out so he bandaged it swiftly before turning to Rocky.

“You next.” He said, waving him over.

“I don’t have any injuries.” Rocky said confused, looking down at his arms and legs. He made a noise of surprise when he saw the blood dripping at his feet. “Where’s that coming from?”

Myungjun reached over to pull him into the light better and made him turn around. There was a massive tear in the back of his shirt and Myungjun gasped at the wound. It went diagonally from his left shoulder blade to his right hip and looked to be a few centimetres deep.

“How are you not feeling that?” Moonbin asked in disbelief as he got closer to look. “It’s terrible!”

Myungjun shushed him, not wanting him to scare the poor boy and quickly cut the remainder of Rockys shirt off. I don’t have enough bandages to cover his entire back, Myungjun thought panicking slightly, I’ll have to sew it up. The thought of piercing Rockys skin with a needle made him feel sick but he didn’t have any other choice. He reached around into his pouch for a pain reliever and made Rocky eat it.

“This might sting a little.” Myungjun warned him quietly, pulling out a needle and some thread that he’d taken from the design room on a whim.

“Oh bloody hell.” Dongmin said faintly, moving away as he realised what was about to happen.

Rocky tried to turn back to look at what Myungjun was doing but Jinwoo quickly stepped up to grab his face. “Look at me Rocky. Nothing else okay?”

“What’s going on?” Rocky asked, trying to turn back again but Jinwoo held him firmly.

“Just do it Myungjun,” said Jinwoo. “the quicker the better.”

Rocky hissed in pain as the needle pierced his skin and he tried to squirm away, so Moonbin moved over to help keep him still and muttered encouraging words to him. Myungjun tried to work quickly, but he’d never done this before, he was just going off what Mr Choi had taught him in one of his theory healing lessons.

After five minutes, Rocky began to cry softly above him, and it tugged painfully at Myungjuns heart. He hated that he was hurting him further.

Ten minutes later and he was finished. The stiches zigzagged messily down Rockys back and the bleeding slowed to a trickle. He picked up Rockys torn shirt and asked Moonbin to wet it with his magic so he could gently clean up some of the blood. After that, he pulled out a tub of plant paste to put over the top of the stiches, in an attempt to stop it from getting infected. Lastly, he pressed another pain reliever into Rockys mouth and wiped the young boys tears away.

“You were so brave for me Rocky. Its all over now okay? I’m sorry for hurting you.”

Rocky sniffled and shook his head. “It’s okay Hyung, you had to do it.” He chewed on the plant and relaxed.

“Be careful not to move too much, you could tear the stiches. We’ll protect you okay?” Myungjun said kindly, offering him his hand. “Let’s go kick some butt.” Rocky laughed and threaded his fingers through Myungjuns, letting himself be led gently into the boss room.

Myungjun looked across another desert, to see the giant boss curled up on the sand. It was the biggest boss they’d faced so far and Myungjun couldn’t help the fear that burnt in his chest.

"We can’t look at it.” Dongmin reminded them. “Rocky Jr will have to help us.”

Myungjun suddenly thought of Camellia and looked around. She was nowhere to be found. “Guy’s, I have something else that can help.” He said, creating a flurry of petals.

They had never seen Camellia before. The only friends of his who had were Jimin, Namjoon and Seokjin. They hadn’t been able to see her in the previous desert either because they all had their eyes closed. I should have mentioned it before, Myungjun thought with a sigh, they’re going to be so shocked.

He plucked one of the petals out of the air and summoned her. She fell to the floor with a tinkle and unfurled her deep red petals. He heard gasps around him and opened his eyes to see them staring at her.

“Myungjun what is this?” Jinwoo asked, reaching forwards to touch her. She backed away fast on her roots and bumped into the wall.

“He burnt me to a crisp!” Camellia said angrily. “I won’t let him touch me.”

“Its your fault!” Myungjun hissed at her. “You told me Jinwoo was far away from the others when I asked.”

“You didn’t ask about us though.” She replied, turning her flowery head towards him.

Myungjun growled irritably. “You read my mind, don’t you? You should have known what I was going to tell him to do!”

Jinwoo cleared his throat and Myungjun turned back to look at his friends. “Junnie what are you arguing about?”

Myungjun sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Nothing. I know you’re all confused but this is my companion, Camellia. I summoned her for the first time a few days ago so I haven’t really had time to introduce her. She can help us in this room, but she doesn’t like being touched.” Jinwoo quickly retracted the hand he was moving towards her again and stepped away.

“Well two is better than one.” Moonbin said happily, looking between her and Rocky Jr. “Let’s fight this thing, we’ve been down here for too long already.”

*

Myungjun realised three things fighting the cockatrice boss. One, it was immune to fire. Two, it breathed fire. Three, it was confusing listening to Rockys commands and trying to give his own.

“Bloody hell guys which way?” Dongmin shouted in frustration before being slammed against the wall by the cockatrices scaly tail. “Left.” Dongmin choked out, winded from the blow. “It was left.”

“Told you.” Rocky called out. Myungjun heard a wooden pole thump against the creature and it screamed in annoyance.

“Camellia why did you tell me it was right?” Myungjun asked angrily. He felt something brush past his face and swung his swords. The creature screamed again, and he felt heat. He dived to the side as it blasted its fire, narrowly missing his shoes.

“It moved too fast.” She said back just as angrily. “Use your vines, take out its eyes.”

“That’s easier said than done when I can’t _see_.” Myungjun grumbled irritably.

“To your right Myungjun. For real this time. Also, tell Jinwoo to open his eyes, he’s been fighting the wall for the past five minutes, the creature hasn’t even looked at him once.”

Myungjun pulled his vines through the floor and blasted them to his right. “JinJin open your eyes.”

“I can’t. It’s too close!” Jinwoo called back.

“That’s the wall you idiot.” Myungjun said, pulling his vines back into the ground.

“What the…why did no one tell me?” Jinwoo whined, sounding embarrassed. Moonbin laughed somewhere to Myungjuns left and Jinwoo told him to shut up.

“Myungjun jump.” Camellia commanded and Myungjun did so quickly, feeling something brush beneath his feet. “It’s in front of you now, swing higher.”

Myungjun swung as hard as he could and felt his swords get lodged in the Cockatrices body. He screamed as he was pulled off his feet, the monster running around wildly trying to dislodge him. He was too scared to let go of his swords; he didn’t know how high up he was and didn’t fancy breaking a leg on the way down.

“Camellia is it safe to open my eyes?” He shouted, desperately holding on.

“Yes, just don’t look up.”

Myungjun opened his eyes and looked down instead. He was dangling from the creature’s feathery neck, high up off of the ground and he squeaked in fear. He tugged at one of the swords, pulling it free and stabbed randomly at the creature’s face above him. His sword found its mark and the Cockatrice gave one final scream before stumbling forwards.

“Camellia help me!” Myungjun shouted as it fell, the ground rushing up to meet him.

“I got you Junnie.” Jinwoo said, rushing forwards to catch him. Myungjun knocked him off his feet and they both fell down with grunts of pain.

“Thanks JinJin.” Myungjun said breathlessly, rolling off of him. “Are you okay?”

Jinwoo groaned before sitting up. “Yeah I’m fine. I thought catching you would make me look cool again, but it didn’t go as planned.”

Myungjun laughed and helped him to his feet before turning to look at the others. “Everyone okay?” They all nodded tiredly, and he threw them all an energy reviver. “Rocky how’s your back?”

“Fine hyung.” Rocky said, turning around to show him. There was fresh blood oozing from it through the stitches and mingling with the paste, but not enough to make Myungjun worry. “What floor are we moving onto now anyway? Has anyone kept count?”

“The next floor is number eight.” Dongmin said happily. “We’ll be at floor ten before you know it.”

*

The eighth floor boasted another endless forest. The trees were silent as Myungjun brushed past them, but he was used to all the plants being fake in the dungeons by now.

“HALT.” A loud voice boomed through the forest and Myungjun froze. A man came out from behind one of the large trees and Myungjun stared at his body. He wasn’t an ordinary man. Ordinary men didn’t have the bodies of horses.

“Centaurs.” He whispered to the others, as more of them revealed themselves from behind the trees.

“You speak our language?” Dongmin called out boldly, making them all look his way.

“Only I speak your language.” The centaur said, gesturing to the others behind him. “My brothers do not.”

“Well are you going to let us pass?” Dongmin asked, with a confidence Myungjun wasn’t feeling. There’s no way it would be that easy, he thought. He felt Jinwoos hand slip into his and his voice entered Myungjuns mind.

*Junnie they have weapons, bow and arrows* Myungjun looked at the centaurs closely, to see the things he had missed before. They were lightly armoured and had big wooden bows strapped across their backs. Their arrows were held in leather quivers at their flanks and Myungjun tensed at the sight. If they were armoured it meant they were expecting a fight.

“We will let you pass on one condition.” The centaur began and Myungjun perked up to listen. “One of you must sacrifice yourselves to let the others go free. If not, we’ll kill you all.”

Myungjuns blood ran cold and he felt Jinwoo clutch his hand tight. “Is this some sort of joke?” Jinwoo whispered with a scowl.

“I’ll do it.” Rocky said, stepping forwards. “I’m the liability here with my back.”

“NO!” Dongmin shouted angrily. “We’re all getting through this floor.”

“Its fine Hyung.” said Rocky, turning back to smile at him. “I’ll only hold you back anyway. Give the boss hell for me okay?” He walked towards the centaurs and their leader pulled his bow off of his back and notched an arrow.

“Rocky wait!” Dongmin said, racing forwards to grab him. “You don’t need to do this, we can-”

He didn’t finish his sentence. The centaur let his arrow fly and it landed in Dongmins chest with a thump. He looked down in disbelief, coughing up blood before falling forwards and being sucked into the forest floor.

Moonbin screamed in anger and shot a powerful cannon of water at the centaur. It was blasted backwards and knocked over two of its brothers. Myungjun used the distraction to race forwards and grab Rocky, pulling him behind the nearest tree. “Stay here.” He commanded firmly before looking down at Rocky Jr who looked scared. “Make sure he stays here.”

Myungjun didn’t wait for an answer before running away from the fight through the trees. He ran out as far as he could before circling back to come up behind the centaurs. He saw an arrow pierce Moonbins shoulder, but the angry boy kept attacking, waves upon waves of water that flooded the forest floor. Another one pierced his thigh and he stumbled, crying out in pain. Myungjun panicked at the sound and heaved a massive wall of vines through the floor, blocking Moonbin from more harm. The centaurs turned around confused and he heard Jinwoo shouting from the other side of the wall.

Myungjun realised his mistake and took off running. He heard the sound of hooves thundering behind him as the centaurs charged his way. Arrows whistled past his head and he dived from side to side dodging them, before spotting Camellia stumbling through the trees to his right, running as fast as her short roots would let her. He changed direction and raced towards her. An arrow thudded into the tree behind him and he squeaked in fear.

“CAMELLIA!” He shouted out. “PUT THEM TO SLEEP.” He didn’t know if it would work. He didn’t even know if she could possibly do that. He still hadn’t achieved proper spore distribution in practical skills either, but he dived behind her and forced a huge amount of energy into her stem. He watched as the centaurs charged towards them, arrows tearing through her delicate petals and he closed his eyes, preparing for the worst.

The sounds of bodies hitting the floor made him open his eyes a second later and he screamed in excitement when he realised it had worked. A thick cloudy pollen swept through the forest and incapacitated all of his enemies. Camellia disappeared in a puff of petals and Myungjun turned when he heard his name being called.

“Myungjun!” Jinwoos voice floated through the trees. “Junnie, where are you?”

The walls rumbled to life and closed in around them, forcing Myungjun towards the others. “I’m over here JinJin!” He shouted back and Jinwoo turned to him, with a look of pure relief in his eyes.

“Myungjun why did you do that! You completely blocked us off, we couldn’t get past.” Jinwoo finally noticed the walls closing in and opened his mouth wide in shock. “You did it?”

Myungjun nodded proudly before remembering Moonbin and dashing past Jinwoo to find him. Moonbin was laying down, breathing shallowly, with two arrows sticking out of him and Rocky was kneeling down beside him, pushing Moonbins sweaty hair from his forehead.

“He’s used a lot of energy Hyung.” Rocky said, looking up when Myungjun approached. “Boost him first before you take the arrows out.”

Myungjun quickly dug out the plant he needed and pushed it into Moonbins mouth, helping him chew with a hand on his jaw. Moonbin moaned in pain as he tried to move, so Myungjun held him down with a hand on his chest. “Stop moving Bin. Let me get the arrows out first.”

Myungjun put his hands around the wooden shaft that was sticking out of Moonbins thigh and pulled experimentally. Moonbin screamed and the arrow didn’t budge an inch.

“Push it through.” Jinwoo said softly. “You can’t pull it out, you need to push it all the way through.”

Myungjun felt faint at the idea but nodded. Jinwoo lifted up Moonbins leg and held it in place. “This is going to hurt Moonbin, eat this plant and then bite down on this stick.” Myungjun handed him a pain reliever and then picked up one of the sticks off the floor, making sure it was clean enough before handing it over. Moonbin bit down on it with determination in his eyes and nodded. Myungjun counted down in his head, to calm himself more then anything and pushed the arrow through with all his might. Moonbin dug his fingers into the forest floor and squeezed his eyes shut, but he didn’t scream and Myungjun was grateful. When it was out, he took out the last of his bandages and covered it up, before helping Moonbin to sit and moving to inspect the arrow in his shoulder.

“I don’t think we can push this one through.” Myungjun said, prodding the area gently. “It might be lodged in his bone.”

Moonbin spat the stick out and whined. “This is the worst day ever. My boyfriend was shot in the chest right in front of me and now I have a stupid arrow lodged in my bone. Just rip it out if you can’t push it through. The plant you gave me is working, so do it now before it wears off Hyung.”

Myungjun grabbed hold of it hesitantly and pulled. It didn’t budge.

“Let me try.” Jinwoo said, stepping up to help. “I’m sorry Moonbin.” He added before ripping it free. Moonbin lurched forwards and grunted in pain.

“Okay nope it still hurt.” Moonbin choked out, reaching up to grab his shoulder.

“Bin I need your shirt so sit up and let go.” Myungjun ran his finger down the middle of Moonbins top to cut the fabric away so he could use it as a makeshift bandage. “Bloody hell, I brought more bandages this time around, but we still used them all. I can’t wait to learn how to fuse skin back together. It will make things so much easier.” When he was done, Jinwoo helped Moonbin to his feet and they turned to find the corridor to the boss room.

“Here we go again.”

*

“Could you repeat that?” Myungjun asked the boss, wondering if he’d heard it right.

“You have three minutes to incapacitate me. If you do not succeed, I will choose one of you to die. You have four people left on your team, so that’s four chances.” The centaur stated, staring down at them with his arms crossed. He looked old but tough, with his greying hair and his scarred body. Myungjun was glad to see he was unarmoured and without a weapon.

“Two of us are badly injured.” Jinwoo pointed out. “That’s not exactly four chances.”

The centaur shrugged. “That is not my problem. The time will count down when you attack. Good luck.”

Myungjun exchanged worried looks with Jinwoo before turning to see Rocky leaning against the wall, eyes closed and pain evident on his face. The pain relief plant he had taken had worn off but Myungjun didn’t have any left to give him. Moonbin was sitting by his feet, unable to stand for too long on his leg.

“I’ll trap. You burn.” Myungjun said, turning back to Jinwoo. “We can’t ask them to help.”

Jinwoo nodded determinedly and gestured for Myungjun to make the first move. Myungjun closed his eyes and steadied his breath. He focused on his dwindling magic and pulled the vines through the floor. The centaur sprung backwards immediately, away from the trap and charged away through the trees. Myungjun watched him disappear, mouth open in shock.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Jinwoo growled angrily. “Moonbin, Rocky stay here.” He set off running through the trees, with Myungjun close behind. They spotted the centaur up ahead and Jinwoo sped up, green flames licking across his palms. He shot his flames ahead of them and the centaurs tail caught on fire, the smell of burning hair wafting back to greet them. The centaur suddenly jumped and Myungjun realised at the last second that it was jumping over a wide chasm. The centaur landed on the other side and turned around to wave at them. Jinwoo skidded to a halt, dangerously close to falling off the edge and shouted angry curses towards the laughing creature. Myungjun didn’t stop though, he just sped up and jumped, hearing Jinwoo scream his name behind him. He realised halfway through the jump that he wasn’t going to make it. There was no way he could cross a chasm so large without a centaur’s body.

Myungjun fell and aimed his hands towards the ground beneath the centaur’s feet. It broke apart as his vines shot out and he grabbed for them desperately. He found his grip with a shout of relief and the vines dipped down with his weight. He swung forwards on them, the wind whistling through his hair, until he crashed into the side of the cliff painfully. We don’t have a lot of time left, he thought, before pulling himself up out of sheer determination. He heaved himself up onto the grass and quickly climbed to his feet. The centaur took one look at him before bounding off through the trees again. Myungjun sighed irritably and tore after him, ignoring Jinwoos confused shouts.

He shot his vines over and over again at the centaurs back legs, trying to trap him but the creature danced around them laughing. Myungjun gave an angry shout before heaving his vines through the floor one final time to create a wall in front of it. The centaur crashed into it with a grunt and Myungjun pulled his swords free from their scabbards. He drove them hard and fast through its body, blood spraying out like a shower as he cut and dragged a long line through its flank. Myungjun collapsed to the floor when he was finished, lungs burning from exertion.

“Congratulations.” said the centaur weakly. “Three minutes and fifteen seconds. Only one of you has to die.” Myungjun heard a guttural scream in the distance and scrambled to his feet.

“No!” He shouted angrily. “That’s not fair!”

“Nothing ever is.” The centaur said before disappearing.

Myungjun raced back through the trees, ignoring his painful lungs and saw the Chasm had closed. He ran over the new ground and spotted Jinwoo racing ahead, trying to reach the other boys. Rocky was still screaming, and it sounded agonising. Myungjun watched as Jinwoo dived towards something and he entered the clearing soon after to see Rocky being dragged through the floor, his stiches breaking every inch he sunk. Rocky Jr was desperately trying to pull him out and Moonbin was using his one good arm to help. Jinwoo gripped Rocky under the arms and pulled, it stopped his descent briefly, but he soon started sinking again.

Myungjun did the only thing he knew would help. He stepped forwards and pushed the others away to give himself some space. He placed his hands on Rockys back and began to siphon some of the pain away. He felt Rockys pain in his own back and gritted his teeth to stop himself from screaming. Rocky looked over his shoulder and gave him a weak smile. “Thanks Hyung.” He croaked out through his tears before disappearing into the floor and taking Rocky Jr with him. Moonbin stumbled backwards and ran into the trees to be sick.

“Why did he go like that?” Jinwoo said quietly, shaking with rage. “That’s so messed up, this is so messed up. Did you hear him? That was cruel, so damn cruel. I’m _sick_ of this place, we’re never coming in here again!”

Myungjun stared at the floor where Rocky had disappeared, his screams still ringing in Myungjuns ears. He’d never heard anything like it before. “This is all my fault.” He squeaked and Jinwoo turned to face him. “This is all my fault; I was fifteen seconds late. I could have stopped this from happening.”

“This is NOT your fault Myungjun.” Jinwoo said fiercely, stepping in front of him to grab his face. “You saved us all by jumping over that chasm. We didn’t know Rocky would go like that. This is all their fault, whoever made this stupid floor. I’m going straight to Blaze and sorting this out when we get out of here.” Myungjun allowed himself to be pulled in for a cuddle and stood there trembling in Jinwoos arms until they heard Moonbin stumbling back over.

“There goes all my lunch.” Moonbin said weakly and wiped at his mouth. Myungjun quickly moved towards him and held him up to take the strain off his leg. “Thanks Hyung.”

*

Myungjun watched Moonbin get sucked through the ground of the ninth floor. One of the large, smelly trolls had knocked him aside with its fist and the pain it caused his shoulder made him pass out on the spot. Jinwoo was swinging his pole around expertly knocking trolls down left and right and Myungjun fought one of his own off weakly. His energy was nearly drained, and he couldn’t even summon Camellia for help. The troll knocked his swords out of his hands and Myungjun collapsed to his knees, feeling ready to leave.

“Junnie no!” Jinwoo screamed from behind him. Myungjun turned to look over his shoulder and watched as Jinwoos pole was ripped from his hands in his distracted state. The trolls swarmed him and Jinwoo disappeared under the sea of their bodies. Myungjun looked back up to face the troll above him defiantly.

“Give it your best shot.” He spat, as the troll roared and brought its gnarled fist down on top of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was crazy from beginning to end o.O


	55. Burns And Fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for some Myungjin uwu

Myungjun walked up to Groves office and knocked on the door. He waited patiently for the door to open and looked up at Groves smiling face.

“Hello Myungjun. How can I help you today?” He asked, inviting him inside.

Myungjun sat down and unwrapped his hand carefully. It had been a week since the dungeon run and he was tired of hiding the burn scars all the time. He’d run out of excuses to give Jinwoo as to why it was still bandaged. “I need to go to the scar specialist in Voredan. Preferably today, this weekend at the latest.”

Grove took his hand and turned it from side to side, looking at the damage. “Jinwoo did this to you and you’re worried about how he will react if he finds out?”

Myungjun nodded and pulled his hand away. “It will kill him to know he hurt me. When I first came here, he was terrified of using his magic again after what he had done to his parents and because he was scared of how dangerous it was, but he’s been working so hard recently. I know he’ll go back to how he was before if he see’s this. So please let me go, for both of our sakes.”

Grove sat back with a sigh and reached for some parchment and a pen. He wrote down a quick note and placed it on the floor, where it was sucked into the ground by little vines. This method of communication didn’t faze Myungjun. It was what he was learning to do with the other plant users in Communications class, which is why they’d all been put together.

“I have sent a summons to the scar specialist. He will be here tonight to sort you out. I do not want you to waste a day’s lessons travelling to and from the castle and I understand why it would be hard for you to wait until the weekend. Just keep your hand covered for the rest of the day. I do not wish to see Jinwoo spiral back down into his depressive state, he’s been looking a lot better recently.” Myungjun could only agree and thanked Grove profusely before re-wrapping his hand and stepping out of the room.

He made his way towards his first lesson of the day and walked into the combat centre, looking around for his boyfriend. He saw Jinwoo sitting on one of the mats stretching, so he went to join him.

“Hey Junnie, where were you? I didn’t see you at breakfast.” Jinwoo asked, sitting back up straight and looking over at him.

“Just had some things to sort out.” Myungjun said, bending down to try and touch his toes. He got halfway before groaning and giving up. “I’m not very flexible today.”

Jinwoo patted the mat. “Sit down and let me help.”

“Thanks.” Myungjun said gratefully, plonking himself down and stretching his legs out straight in front of him. He reached out his arms and Jinwoo grabbed them, pulling him forwards. He felt the familiar burn of his muscles stretching and whined. “I hate doing this it’s so uncomfortable.” Jinwoo loosened his grip, letting Myungjun sit up temporarily to catch his breath before pulling him forwards again, harder this time. Myungjun reached further down his legs and groaned at the pain.

“If you touch your toes, I’ll give you a kiss.” Jinwoo offered and laughed as Myungjun sat back up eagerly.

“Pull harder then JinJin.” Myungjun said impatiently and he squealed as Jinwoo stretched him to his limit. His fingertips brushed his toes and he gave an excited shout before sitting up and diving forwards to tackle Jinwoo to the ground. Myungjun kissed him once, twice, three times until Jinwoo was laughing and holding him at arm’s length.

“I only said one!” Jinwoo pretended to scowl but broke out into a grin when Myungjun pouted.

“But I like kissing you JinJin. Stop pushing me away and let me do it again.” Myungjun tried to lean forwards but Jinwoo held him back firmly.

“Junnie look at where we are. We’re in the middle of a class, don’t be so shameless.” Myungjun quickly looked up, remembering his surroundings and flushed when he locked eyes with one of the teachers across the room. He quickly rolled off of Jinwoo and climbed to his feet.

“This is your fault! You shouldn’t lure me in like that.” Myungjun turned on his heel and stalked away to the weapons rack to get started on the lesson, hearing Jinwoo chuckle behind him.

*

Myungjun was in the practical skills classroom after dinner, showing Jimin how much his spore distribution had improved. He demonstrated with a white flower first, like the one Ms Yoon had showed them before, then demonstrated with Camellia. Jimin clapped his hands enthusiastically and Ms Yoon made her way over smiling.

“That’s a lovely companion Myungjun. How did you know you could make her distribute spores like that? It wasn’t something I taught you.”

“I learnt it during the dungeon examinations. I took a chance when I was in danger and it worked, she knocked a group of centaurs out cold.” Myungjun said proudly, stroking one of Camellias waxy leaves and hearing her hum happily.

“Well now that you have learnt how to put others to sleep, I suppose it is time for me to teach you how to make others hallucinate. Would you please stand over here? It won’t be painful at all.” Ms Yoon said encouragingly, pointing to an empty space on the floor.

Myungjun made his way over, feeling oddly excited and watched in awe as Ms Yoon pulled a large flower through the floor with bright yellow petals. It released a thick cloud of pollen that engulfed him completely, making the practical skills room disappear. He was looking out across a vast body of water and the sun was setting prettily. Birds cawed overhead and he looked around in wonder. Suddenly it dissolved around him and he was standing in front of Ms Yoon again. “Where did I go?” He asked. “It was so pretty!”

“You physically did not go anywhere. Although I’m sure it felt like it.” Myungjun nodded quickly, he had felt the sun on his face and the breeze as it ruffled his hair. It was almost hard to imagine that he’d stayed in this classroom the whole time. “I made you believe you were by the sea. Have you ever been there before?”

“No.” Myungjun said, feeling slightly sad at missing out. “I’d love to go for real one day though.”

Ms Yoon chuckled and nodded her head towards her yellow flower. “I’ll show it to you one more time and then I’ll teach you how to do it okay?”

Myungjun squealed in excitement and promised he’d work hard before being engulfed in the pollen one last time.

*

Myungjun raced up to the infirmary, not wanting to be late. He burst through the doors and saw a stern looking man, covered in scars, pacing around the room. “Are you Myungjun?” He asked and Myungjun nodded before stepping inside and closing the door. “I’m very busy today so let’s do this quickly.” Myungjun was happy to oblige and went to sit on one of the beds. “Is it just the one scar?” The man asked, unwrapping his hand and inspecting it.

Myungjun hesitated. He did have others, including the big one from the siren’s trident, but maybe getting rid of them all would make Jinwoo suspicious. “Yes, just the one.” Myungjun decided and watched curiously as the mans birthmark began to glow. He covered Myungjuns hand in his own and Myungjun gasped when an exact replica of his burn appeared on the man’s skin. “What’s happening?”

“Scar removal is light magic. I can sense that you’ve used light magic too, so I’m sure you know there is always a price to pay. This will fade in a few days’ time, so I’m not bothered. You’re free to go.” The man said, pulling his hands away to reveal Myungjuns clear skin.

Myungjun took in all the scars that littered the man’s body and couldn’t help the question that came tumbling from his lips. “If they fade in a couple of days, why do you have so many?”

“I told you I was busy.” The man said simply. “A lot of people call for my help, it’s a demanding job. So try not to call me again okay?”

Myungjun squeaked in surprise as the man disappeared before his eyes and waved his hands around in the empty space to see if he was really gone. “What the hell was that?” he asked the empty room faintly. He’d never seen anyone do that before.

*

“Your bandage is off.” Jinwoo pointed out the next day at breakfast. “Did you finally take my advice and see the nurse?”

Myungjun nodded happily before shovelling some more food into his mouth. “Yep, good as new.” He said, spraying little bits of food across the table.

“Bloody hell Myungjun, don’t speak with your mouth full.” Hyungwon scolded him and grabbed some napkins to wipe the table down. “You’re not a toddler.” Myungjun grinned at him before opening his mouth to show Hyungwon his chewed-up food, feeling extra childish. “Ew Myungjun stop it!” Hyungwon gagged and stood up to leave. “Sort your disgusting boyfriend out Jinwoo, he’s put me off my food.”

Jinwoo laughed and closed Myungjuns mouth with a hand under his jaw. “Eat it now before I tickle you to death.” Myungjun quickly chewed his food and turned around to show Hyungwon his empty mouth but realised he was already gone.

“It astounds me how you’re the eldest at this table now Hyung.” Dongmin said with a sigh, taking a sip of his cold water. “Even our maknae is more behaved then you.” Dongmin turned to see Sanha making two pieces of meat fight each other on his plate with his air magic and rolled his eyes. “Okay maybe not.”

Myungjun giggled and went back to eating, properly this time. “I don’t have a lesson after dinner today JinJin, do you want to do something together?”

“Of course cutie. Anything in particular?” Jinwoo asked, reaching forwards to wipe away a grain of rice at the corner of Myungjuns mouth.

Myungjun thought about it for a few seconds before shaking his head. “We can just do whatever we feel like doing at the time. I just want to be with you. You’ve been really busy over the past few weeks, especially before the dungeon exams.”

“Sorry.” Jinwoo said with a small smile. “I was training extra hard to get better so you wouldn’t have to fight so much because…you know.” He finished quietly, hinting to Myungjuns violent outbursts.

Myungjun frowned and grabbed his hands. “You don’t have to push yourself so much for me JinJin. I was fine in there wasn’t I?” When Jinwoo nodded Myungjun flashed him a smile. “Thankyou for thinking about me though. You really are the best boyfriend ever.”

Jinwoo leaned forwards and kissed him slowly until Sanhas ungodly screech pulled them apart. “WE SAID NO KISSING AT THE TABLE!”

*

Myungjun walked to the fire user’s practical skills classroom with Jinwoo after dinner. Jinwoo had told him he wanted to show him some new things he’d learnt and Myungjun was happy to accept the invitation because he rarely saw Jinwoo use his magic outside of the dungeons.

“If you sit back over here, it will give me enough space to use my fire safely.” Jinwoo explained, pulling Myungjun into the empty room and leading him to one of the chairs that was pushed up against the wall. Myungjun sat on it and looked up to see Jinwoo watching him with a smile tugging at his lips. “I wore the wrong shirt by accident Junnie, it’s not fireproof.”

Myungjuns face heated up and he closed his eyes with a squeak as Jinwoo moved to take it off. “JinJin what are you doing?”

“Showing you my magic.” Jinwoo said innocently, his voice getting quieter as he moved away to stand in the middle of the room. “You need to look, or you’ll miss it.”

Myungjun heard the barely contained laughter in his voice and scowled. “Fine. But just so you know, you being shirtless doesn’t affect me at all anymore.” He opened his eyes and stared determinedly at Jinwoos face. Don’t look down, Myungjun ordered himself, don’t look down and you’ll be fine.

Jinwoo finally laughed at the look on his face and shook his head. “You’re so cute.” Myungjun didn’t have time to reply before Jinwoos flames erupted from his hands. He created a ball of fire and closed his eyes, muttering under his breath and letting it go. The fire stayed suspended in mid air and Myungjun leaned forwards in his seat in shock. How was that even possible? Jinwoo did it over and over again, getting quicker as the time passed by before stopping completely and opening his eyes. Little balls of bright green fire hung in the air around him and he reached up to move them around. He used them to create a picture in the air and Myungjun flushed when he realised it was a heart.

“Ew Jinwoo, you’re so cheesy.” said Myungjun, pretending to be disgusted as Jinwoos face appeared in the middle of it to blow Myungjun a kiss. He secretly squealed inside; it was so cute. Jinwoo laughed and snapped his fingers, the fire disappearing immediately in a puff of smoke, which was almost as cool as suspending the fire in the first place. When the smoke cleared, Jinwoo moved on to something else.

He walked over to a large cupboard on the opposite side of the room and Myungjun couldn’t help but stare at his bare back. His muscles flexed invitingly as he reached inside to search for whatever it was that he was looking for and Myungjuns fingers itched. He wanted to race over there and trail his fingers down Jinwoos skin like he had done during the moonshine incident. He wanted to feel how strong and sturdy he was. He wanted Jinwoo to push him up against that cupboard and kiss him until he was breathless. He wanted-

“Myungjun you’re drooling.”

Myungjun quickly snapped back to reality and flushed as he saw Jinwoo watching him. He looked amused and was fiddling with a box of matches in his hand. Myungjun wiped at his face before realising there was nothing there. “I’m not drooling!”

Jinwoo just laughed and made his way over to crouch down in front of him. “Let me show you something first and then you can tell me all about what you were thinking okay?” Myungjuns insides burned with embarrassment and he tried to push Jinwoo away, regretting it instantly when his hands met the solid expanse of his chest, failing to move him at all. Bloody hell he’s so strong, Myungjun thought weakly, that’s so attractive.

*Thanks Junnie* Jinwoos voice rang through his head and Myungjun pulled his hands back with a shriek.

“Stop listening to my thoughts!” He whined. His face was so hot he was sure it could give Jinwoos magic a run for its money.

Jinwoo ruffled his hair before standing up. “You shouldn’t have tried to push me away then.” He walked over to grab a chair and placed it facing Myungjun so he could sit down in front of him, before pulling one of the matches from the box and lighting it. Myungjun pushed his embarrassment away to watch Jinwoo instead.

Jinwoo brought the match to his pursed lips and breathed in softly. Myungjun watched in awe as the little flame detached itself from the match. It floated towards Jinwoos mouth…and he ate it.

Jinwoo laughed at the look on Myungjuns face and grabbed the rest of the matches. He lit them all and did it again, eating the bigger ball of fire and smacked his lips happily afterwards. “I learnt that eating fire empowers my magic.” He explained when Myungjun could only stare at him in shock. “Don’t worry it doesn’t hurt me.”

Myungjun stumbled for his words. He didn’t know what to ask first but settled on what he thought was the most important. “Can’t you just get more powerful by eating your own fire then?”

Jinwoo made a noise of disgust and sat back, looking at Myungjun like it was the stupidest thing he’d ever heard. “Ew Myungjun, hell no. Would you eat your plants? Your vines? _Camellia_?” Myungjun thought about it and shivered, not a chance. “Exactly.” Jinwoo said after noticing his reaction. “That’s just weird.”

“What does it taste like?” Myungjun asked, curiosity overriding the initial shock.

Jinwoo hummed in thought for a few seconds. “Smoky. Purer flames taste better then the impure ones. The impure ones are nasty but they still do the same thing. The bigger the flame I eat, the more I’m empowered. Now that I have a fire in my belly, I want to show you something else.”

Jinwoo stood up excitedly and put the chair back before making his way to the centre of the room. He started to slowly turn in a circle, arms outstretched and palms facing outwards. A ring of fire slowly rose from the floor around him until it was shielding him completely. A deadly, impenetrable green wall of flames that heated up the room. Myungjun pressed himself against the chair, trying to escape some of the heat but he felt himself sweating soon enough. He heard the snap of Jinwoos fingers, and the fire disappeared completely around him.

“How cool is that?” Jinwoo asked excitedly, racing over to make sure he was okay. “Was it too hot?”

Myungjun shook his head, grinning up at him. “It was manageable from over here but that’s so cool JinJin! You’ve learnt so much this year, I’m kind of jealous. Is there anything else you can show me?”

Jinwoo shook his head. “Not yet anyway. I’ll save some things for another time.” He leaned over and placed his hands on the wall behind Myungjuns head, caging him in. “Right now, we have other things to discuss. Specifically, what you were daydreaming about when my back was turned.”

Myungjun gripped the sides of his chair hard and felt his heart hammer against his ribs. There was no way he was telling Jinwoo what he had been thinking about. He’d rather die.

Jinwoo smirked down at him and Myungjuns stomach flipped at the look in his eyes. “I can take a guess as to what you were thinking, if you’re too shy to say it out loud.” Myungjun couldn’t speak, he just stared at him, frozen with anticipation. “I know you want to touch me Myungjun. I could feel the way you were watching me.” He said quietly.

Myungjun understood what he meant; his skin always tingled whenever Jinwoos eyes were on him too.

Jinwoo pulled a hand off the wall and trailed it down Myungjuns arm, his touch making him shiver, until he reached Myungjuns hand and pulled it off the edge of the chair with a gentle firmness.

Jinwoo placed Myungjuns hand on his bare chest and Myungjun had to bite back a whine. He could feel the heat of Jinwoos tan skin under his fingertips and pressed them down gently to feel the solidity of his muscles. “Touch me Myungjun.” Jinwoo commanded, voice barely above a whisper. “I want you to touch me again.” He let go of Myungjuns wrist, to place his hand back against the wall, giving Myungjun his control back.

Myungjun hesitantly ran his fingers over Jinwoos chest. I’m only doing this because you want me too, he thought hard and watched as a smile tugged at the corner of Jinwoos lips. Jinwoos eyes fluttered shut and he breathed out heavily as Myungjuns hand travelled down to the top of his stomach. Myungjun was hit with the heady scent of Jinwoos skin and whined quietly.

It hadn’t been quiet enough because Jinwoos eyes snapped open immediately at the sound to look at him. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Jinwoo surged forwards to kiss him hungrily. Butterflies erupted in Myungjuns stomach and he brought up his other hand to join in on the journey across Jinwoos skin, until they ended around Jinwoos neck, pulling him closer. The angle was awkward, with Jinwoo bent down in such a way, so Myungjun let his hands travel back down to grip the waist band of Jinwoos shorts, pulling him forwards and onto his lap, making Jinwoo straddle his thighs. Jinwoo made a noise of surprise, pulling back to look at him and then down at Myungjuns hands that were still hooked around the top of his shorts. Upon realising what he had just done, Myungjun pulled his hands away quickly.

“Sorry JinJin.” He said, flushed and avoiding his gaze. He felt Jinwoos hand on his face a second later, guiding it back up to look at him and Jinwoo looked down with a smile.

“Don’t apologise. The position was awkward before, this is so much better, thank you.” He leaned down and kissed Myungjun again. His lips were soft and sweet and Myungjun felt like he might melt into a puddle if Jinwoo wasn’t careful. Jinwoo moved his hands away to grab Myungjuns and put them back on his waist. “I didn’t say you could stop touching me though.”

Myungjun felt a surge of confidence and squeezed Jinwoos hips harshly. They both froze when Jinwoo moaned loudly into his mouth and Jinwoo pulled back quickly, a blush dusting his cheeks. “I don’t know why I did that.” He said, sounding strangled. “Please forget that ever happened.”

Myungjun knew he’d never be able to, no matter how hard he tried, and he said as much. “I want to hear that again.” He pulled Jinwoo further up his thighs roughly and squeezed. Jinwoo dug his fingers into Myungjuns shoulders painfully hard and stayed silent.

“Myungjun that was the most embarrassing noise I’ve ever made. I am NOT making that again.” Jinwoo said, through gritted teeth. Myungjun grinned at his scowl and pulled him back down for another kiss. Jinwoo was so close to him now and everything felt too hot. Jinwoos hands travelled up from Myungjuns shoulders, over his throat, to cup his face and he kissed him passionately, pushing his tongue past Myungjuns lips.

Myungjun opened his mouth with a happy sigh and caressed Jinwoos thighs, feeling him squirm on his lap. I could do this forever, Myungjun thought feeling intoxicated. He moved his hands back up to Jinwoos hips and then further up to his back, digging his nails in and pulling him closer so their chests were flush together.

“Well this is something I didn’t think I’d see today.” A voice came from the doorway and Jinwoo pulled away with a gasp to see Hyejin smirking over at them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never really spoken much about Jinwoos magic, so I hope this chapter was more informative than usual :)


	56. Gossip.

Myungjun and Jinwoo ran out of the academy doors and into the night, giggling and pushing each other. “Why did you do that?” Jinwoo whined, pulling him towards the forest. “I can’t believe you kissed me again, right in front of her!”

“She was staring at your naked chest Jinwoo. I had to do something.” Myungjun huffed. Jinwoo stopped and kissed him fiercely again. When he pulled back Myungjun gasped for air and felt wobbly on his legs.

“I like it when you get jealous. Does that make me crazy?” Jinwoo asked, grinning at him and sounding just as breathless.

Myungjun snorted and carried on moving them across the grounds. “Probably, but then that would make us both crazy because I like it when you get jealous too. Bloody hell my legs are weak. Please carry me.” He turned his killer pout on Jinwoo and watched his boyfriend cave easily. Myungjun jumped on his back happily and kicked his legs, making Jinwoo wobble. “Go, go, go!”

“We won’t be going anywhere in a minute if I fall over. Stop wriggling you worm.” Jinwoo said with a laugh, dashing towards the trees. The cool night air rushed through Myungjuns hair and he closed his eyes, breathing it in. He could almost believe he was flying if he tried hard enough. He felt pure happiness well up in his chest and left a trail of petals behind them.

Jinwoo came to a stop at the treeline and put Myungjun down. “We have arrived at your destination. That will cost you…thirty-three kisses please.”

“How am I supposed to give you that many?” Myungjun whined. “we’ll be here all night!”

“Like this.” Jinwoo said, pulling Myungjun in by the waist and peppering kisses all over his face. Myungjun giggled and did it back, whilst Jinwoo counted out every single one.

“…Thirty, thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three, okay you’re done. Wait what was that extra one for?”

“Your tip.” Myungjun said being overly flirtatious and winking his way before opening the pathway to the treehouses and stepping over the magic boundary.

“I know you can still hear me Myungjun.” Jinwoo called out, eyes scanning the trees after watching Myungjun disappear. “I expect a better tip then that next time!”

Myungjun giggled and ran through the trees towards his room. The lanterns overhead lit the way and he quickly climbed up the ladder before slipping through the door feeling giddy with happiness. The light was still on and Youngjae was doing his homework at his desk. Myungjun could hear Namjoon singing in the shower and he dived onto his bed with a squeal.

“Someone’s happy.” Youngjae observed, putting his pen down and turning around to look at him. “I haven’t seen you this happy in a long time. Something good happen?”

Myungjun grabbed his two stuffed birds from under his pillow and hugged them tight, failing to wipe the grin off his face. “Yes. Come here I have your favourite type of gossip.” Youngjae immediately pushed his homework away and rushed over to snuggle Myungjun under the covers.

“This gossip better be extra juicy. I have homework due tomorrow.” Youngjae warned him, with no real threat behind his words. Myungjun instantly began to relay the events of the evening and Youngjae squealed and cringed in all the right places.

“I’ve never heard something so attractive in my life JaeJae, I tried again but he kept his mouth shut. He was so embarrassed I wanted to die from how cute he was. Is that possible? To die from looking at something so cute? I think it is, my heart aches just thinking about it.” Myungjun whined and buried his head in Youngjaes chest.

Youngjae laughed and shrugged, jostling him slightly. “Who knows? If I wake up tomorrow and you’ve died, I’ll tell Jinwoo its his fault for being too cute.”

“He’d bring me back to life, just to kill me again for calling him that.” Myungjun said with a giggle. “Anyway, let’s not get distracted from the main topic here. So, we kissed again, and everything was going great, amazing in fact, I nearly passed out from how amazing it was. Is it possible to pass- Never mind _I’m_ getting distracted now. The main point of my story is; we got caught.”

Youngjae squealed and pulled him closer. “You didn’t! Myungjun that’s so embarrassing. Why aren’t you dying of embarrassment right now? You’re usually asking me to kill you at this point.”

“It was HYEJIN. I told you about her before. The one who touched Jinwoo in that disgustingly inappropriate manner. Well she obviously came in to train her magic and she was like ‘Well this is something I didn’t think I’d see today.’” Myungjun said in a horribly high-pitched voice imitation that had Youngjae cackling. “I did the only thing I could do. She was eyeing up Jinwoos chest for crying out loud, so I pulled him back down and kissed him again.”

“Bloody hell, an actual kiss? With…tongue?” Youngjae whispered. When Myungjun nodded, he screamed. “Myungjun you’re crazy! You’ve probably scarred her for life.”

“Good!” Myungjun said back hotly, the embarrassment finally settling in after coming back down from his happiness high. “Oh no, now I’m feeling it. Hold me JaeJae, I think I’m dying.” He whined as the absolute _cringe_ from what he had done ripped through his gut.

The cover was pulled back from their heads and Namjoon peered down at them, hair fluffed up from his shower. “Why are you dying?”

“You tell him.” Myungjun said to Youngjae weakly, burying further into his embrace to hide his blush.

*

Myungjun skipped across the grounds towards the combat centre feeling good. He’d had a nice sleep and was ready to face the day. He swung the doors open and looked around to see students scattered throughout the room, sparring with new weapons.

“Junnie over here!” Jinwoo called out to him, waving him over.

Myungjun approached him with a smile and gestured to the weapon in his hands. “This is new.”

Jinwoo flipped the dagger around to grab the blade and offered the handle to Myungjun. “Take a look at what’s carved on it.”

Myungjun took the dagger gently and peered closely at the little marking at the base of the handle. “R? What does that mean?” Jinwoo pulled another dagger out of his belt, which looked poorly made and handed it to Myungjun. “RJr? Wait, Rocky and Rocky Jr?” Myungjun asked, putting the clues together. “Did they make these?” That would explain why one of them was poorly done.

Jinwoo grinned and nodded enthusiastically. “He gave these to me earlier and told me they’d been making weapons in their craftsmanship class. Apparently, all the weapons in this room are made in that class. How cool is that?”

“So cool. Are we training with daggers from now on?” Myungjun asked, eyeing them warily. “The blades are small; I’m guessing around fifteen centimetres in length. They’ll be hard to block.”

Jinwoo made an impressed noise and Myungjun looked up at him. “They’re exactly fifteen centimetres, good guess Junnie.”

Myungjun shrugged and grinned back at him. “I work with a lot of rulers in design class. Here, you can take these ones back, I’ll get my own.”

“Only because you don’t want the dodgy one.” Jinwoo laughed as Myungjun walked up to the new weapons rack. He pulled down two more and checked the bases of their handles. No one else had taken the time to engrave them apparently and for some reason, that thought made him smile.

Myungjun stepped back up onto the mat and watched as Jinwoo twirled the daggers around lazily in his fingers. “Why are you so good with every weapon we’re given?” Myungjun asked with a pout, feeling extra clumsy looking at his relaxed boyfriend.

“I have a lot of spare time to get good.” Jinwoo said, giving him a lopsided smile. “Are you finally going to train with me again? Its been a long time since we’ve fought each other.”

Myungjun hesitated, remembering why he’d stopped in the first place, but the urge to train with Jinwoo again won him over. “Well I won’t learn much from a wooden dummy, will I?” Jinwoo cheered in excitement and Myungjun grinned at him before bowing respectfully. “Go easy on me Jinwoo. I’m not a weapons master like you.”

*

Today seemed to be working in Myungjuns favour. Not only did he have a successful combat training session with Jinwoo that morning, but he’d also been allowed to sit with Jinwoo again in communications, for the first time in weeks, after mastering the art of sending paper messages through the floor with his vines.

Myungjun snuggled up against him and waved to Minhyuk as he looked his way. He decided he liked that boy; his chatty hyperactive personality was infectious, and he never failed to put a smile on Myungjuns face. For now though, all he cared about was getting attention from his handsome boyfriend and finding out what they would be learning next. Jinwoo traced the snakebite scar on Myungjuns arm absentmindedly as they listened to Mr Seo talk.

“In your first year, you learnt how to read the thoughts of others and how to project your own thoughts into their minds. This year so far, you have mastered how to sense a person’s emotions and how to send physical messages with your specific brand of magic. The first three things you learned were all forms of attack on the mind. You had to penetrate the mind of your partners to read their thoughts, project your own and sense their emotions. Now we move onto defence. What if you do not want your mind to be penetrated? I’m certain all of you here have been to the third floor of the dungeons?” A murmur of agreement filled the room and Myungjun sat up straighter to listen. “The trickster fae on that floor penetrate your minds to manipulate your deepest darkest memories and turn them against you. What if I told you that you could stop that from happening?” Myungjun thought about Sanha and how he could never break free from his illusion and felt hope rising in his chest. He knew Sanha was taking Communications with the water users so they must be learning the same thing. Maybe Sanha will be able to join us on the later floors, Myungjun thought smiling to himself.

*Yeah maybe* Jinwoos voice rang through his head and Myungjun pushed Jinwoos hand off of his arm with a scowl. He couldn’t wait to be able to stop Jinwoo from invading his mind whenever he pleased.

The first half of the lesson passed by slowly, as they made notes about the theory behind psychic shields and Myungjun groaned in relief as he wrote the final words before putting his pen down. Jinwoo had finished a while ago and was softly snoring beside him. Myungjun looked over to see his notes were a scribbled mess and he looked down at his own neat ones proudly before prodding Jinwoo awake.

“You’re finally done.” Jinwoo said, stretching his arms upwards and making his shirt ride up to reveal a sliver of his tan skin. Myungjun quickly looked away and nodded.

“I wanted my notes to be intelligible at least.” He said smartly, rolling up his parchment and putting it away in his bag.

“Who cares about notes for this class? We learn by doing, not by writing.” Jinwoo fired back grumpily, putting his own messy notes away. He turned around in his seat, so he was facing Myungjun and grabbed his hands. “Let’s see how much your _notes_ helped you learn. Block me out.”

*

Myungjun stabbed at his food angrily. He’d spent the last half of communications bickering with Jinwoo about his stupid notes and had failed time and time again to keep Jinwoo out of his mind. It was made worse when Jinwoo realised he was feeling flustered and dug around until he found out that Myungjun had seen his shirt ride up. Jinwoo had teased him for getting so worked up over something so small and it grated on Myungjuns nerves.

“Woah Junnie, what did that poor fish do to you?” Hoseok asked, sitting down next to him and pointing to his plate. Myungjun whined irritably when he realised that he’d massacred his dinner with his angry stabbing and pushed the plate away with a sigh.

“My boyfriend is the most irritating person on the planet. He thinks its funny to tease me for getting flustered over his exposed skin. It’s not my fault he’s so attractive I want to implode every time I see him.” Myungjun huffed. “Cuddle me Seokkie.”

Hoseok laughed and pulled him in happily. “You’re just innately shy Junnie. I’m sure one day you’ll get used to looking at him without wanting to combust, but it doesn’t have to be anytime soon. Do you want me to go beat him up, so he stops teasing you?”

Myungjun laughed and snuggled into him. “No, it’s okay, I’ll go beat him up myself.”

“I thought you were going to therapy so you _wouldn’t_ beat up Jinwoo-hyung.” Moonbin said, sitting down at the table with Dongmin.

Myungjun rolled his eyes and pulled away from Hoseok to get some water. “You don’t even know what we were talking about so butt out.”

“Someone’s grumpy.” Dongmin muttered under his breath making Moonbin laugh. Myungjun quickly got up to leave. His dinner was already ruined, and his mood was suffering just as much. He excused himself and took a slow walk to the library, a place he knew he’d get some peace and quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MyunJae gossiping together is cute uwu
> 
> Also, Rocky making weapons in class...I sense a future weaponsmith maybe?? ~


	57. Welcome To The Battledome.

March passed by in a blur of birthday celebrations. Myungjun was proud to boast that he was one year older and had rubbed it in Jinwoos face for the ten days between their birthdays. Then Jinwoo turned fifteen as well and he couldn’t tease him anymore.

When Myungjun woke up on the first of April, a hot stone of anxiety settled in his gut. In a weeks’ time, the Academy’s Best Fighter Competition would be back and Myungjun knew his father would be there again. I’ve had therapy now, Myungjun thought to himself weakly, he won’t be able to get to me this time.

Myungjun pushed himself out of bed and went straight down to the combat centre, where he knew the notices would be. The first-year students were crowding around the board, chatting excitedly but parted for Myungjun as he walked past.

COMPETITION NOTICE: THE ACADEMYS BEST FIGHTER. 2nd YEAR STUDENTS ONLY (SEE OTHER NOTICES FOR 1st AND 3rd YEAR STUDENTS)

MONDAY THE 10TH OF APRIL-WEDNESDAY THE 12TH OF APRIL, CLASSES WILL BE CANCELLED AS THE COMPETITON TO FIND THE ACADEMIES BEST FIGHTER WILL BE HELD. THERE WILL BE THREE CATEGORIES.

1\. SINGLES MATCH 1v1, NO WEAPONS, NO MAGIC (MONDAY 10TH APRIL)  
2\. PAIRS MATCH 2v2, WEAPONS ALLOWED, NO MAGIC (TUESDAY 11TH APRIL)  
3\. GROUP MATCH 5 PER TEAM BATTLE ROYALE, WEAPONS ALLOWED, MAGIC ALLOWED (WEDNESDAY 12TH APRIL)

EVERYONE IS REQUIRED TO FIGHT IN AT LEAST ONE OF THESE CATEGORIES. THE TITLE OF BEST FIGHTER WILL BE ADDED TO YOUR ACADEMIC RECORD IF YOU WIN FIRST PLACE.

THE WINNERS OF EACH ROUND (SINGLES AND PAIRS MATCH) WILL PROGRESS TO THE NEXT UNTIL THE FINAL MATCH. THESE WILL BE ALL-DAY EVENTS AND WILL NOT BE EASY. THE COMBAT CENTRE AND THE BATTLEDOME WILL BE OPEN 24/7 UNTIL THEN FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO PRACTICE.

OFFICIAL GUILD MEMBERS AND MEMBERS OF THE KINGS COURT WILL BE IN ATTENDANCE, SO IT WILL BE A GOOD CHANCE TO MAKE A NAME FOR YOURSELF. EVEN IF YOU DO NOT WIN, THEY MAY SEE SOMETHING IN YOU THAT THEY SPECIFICALLY NEED.

YOU MUST SUBMIT YOUR TEAM OF CHOICE BY TOMORROW. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN TEAMS BEING MADE FOR YOU.

GOOD LUCK!

Myungjun felt a pair of arms snake around his waist and squealed, making the first years scatter. “Jinwoo you scared me.”

“Sorry.” Jinwoo muttered in his ear, hooking his chin over Myungjuns shoulder. “How are you feeling?”

“Anxious.” Myungjun admitted quietly. “I don’t think I’m going to participate in all of the categories this time. I might have been to therapy, but I shouldn’t push myself too much, especially when I know he’ll be here.”

Jinwoo hummed in agreement and kissed Myungjuns neck gently making him shiver. “Just do whatever one you feel comfortable doing Junnie. Why not the Battle Royale? We didn’t get to do the 5v5 last year and this is a new category where we’ll still be in teams of five anyway. Its not held in the same arena either because it’s not big enough. So you may not even see your father at all.”

“I need a team first to do that.” Myungjun pointed out. “I know you’re going to offer but that’s still only the two of us.”

“We’ll figure something out.” Jinwoo said happily, turning Myungjun around to kiss him properly. “Let’s go get you some breakfast first yeah?” Myungjun nodded readily, his stomach beginning to grumble and Jinwoo took his hand to lead him from the room.

“What’s a Battle Royale JinJin?” Myungjun asked curiously. Whatever it was it sounded cool. “and what’s the battledome? I read it on the notice, but I’ve never heard of it before.”

“I went and asked about those things earlier. The Battle Royale is a match where they chuck every five-person team into the battledome to fight it out, last team standing wins. The battledome itself is somewhere to train for the upcoming match and where the upcoming match will be held, for the second and third year students only. Our magic is a lot stronger than it was last year, so they needed a bigger place to put us.” Jinwoo explained excitedly. “Apparently its so big they couldn’t put it in the academy grounds, so it’s up in the sky.”

Myungjun waited until they were out of the combat centre to look up, expecting to see a big floating structure but saw nothing but clear skies instead. “Nothings there JinJin, that can’t be right.”

“Would the combat teacher lie to us?” Jinwoo asked him with one eyebrow raised. “Think about how you can’t see your greenhouse without opening the way, or how we can’t see our rooms until we use our magic to access them. That’s how the battledome works too.”

It made sense to Myungjun, but he still didn’t understand how they were supposed to get up there. “JinJin we can’t fly.”

Jinwoo laughed and shook his head. “I know, that’s what I said. I got told there’s a door in the combat centre that can be opened using a special key to get us in there. The notice said the battledome is open for training all day everyday until the competition starts, so we can go check it out after our classes today if you want?”

Myungjun nodded excitedly and looked up at the sky once more, wondering what it would be like to be up in the clouds.

*

“We need three more people.” Jinwoo explained around the table. “Not another plant user though guys, we want to be as diverse as possible, sorry.” Youngjae and Namjoon waved it off with a smile.

“There’s six branches of elemental magic but only five per team. It’s very sneaky, it means you’re always weak in one area.” Dongmin said thoughtfully.

“Well I want Sanha on our team.” Myungjun interjected making Sanha look up in surprise.

“Why Hyung? I’m at the bottom of my class for practical skills, you should ask someone better.” He mumbled, looking down at his food.

Myungjun frowned and leaned across the table towards him. “Sanha you’re my friend, I don’t want to ask someone I don’t know or trust. Your air magic has gotten so much better this year and it’s the stealthiest of all the magic types because no-one can see your magic coming, so it could give us the upper hand. Please consider it. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t think you could do it. Also…” Myungjun began, turning to face Rocky. “I want you too. Your ground magic is incredible and Rocky Jr is an added bonus, wanna team up?”

Rockys eyes flickered towards Sanha and then back to Jinwoo and Myungjun. “Sure, I’ll join. Someone has to make up for his lack of skills.”

Myungjun sighed as the two youngest began to bicker again and turned to Moonbin and Dongmin. “We have one spot left and it would be good to fill it with water or ice. Any volunteers?”

“Count us out.” Moonbin said, threading his fingers through Dongmins on the table top. “We come as a package deal.”

Myungjun was prepared for that so he turned to Hyungwon and Hoseok next. “Any volunteers?”

“I’m already fighting in the first two categories.” Hyungwon said, sitting back and crossing his arms. “Adding another one is just too much work. It cuts down my sleeping time.”

“You’re the laziest person I’ve ever met Hyung.” Hoseok said rolling his eyes. “I’ll do it Junnie. We’ve never fought together before.”

“That’s settled then!” Myungjun said happily, looking around at his team. “We’re short on ice magic but hopefully it won’t affect us too much. I’ll go sign us up when I’ve finished eating.”

*

Myungjun walked through a door in the combat centre, that he’d always overlooked before and came out inside the battledome. Myungjun gasped, it was gargantuan in size, he couldn’t see where it ended left or right. He looked up to see a glass domed roof that revealed the sky, clouds brushing past. We’re actually in the sky, Myungjun thought with a nervous squeak. The mute female combat teacher came up behind him and placed her hands gently on his shoulders to talk.

*It’s overwhelming isn’t it? There are multiple different terrains in here. A forest, a jungle, a desert, a lake, a couple of volcanos, and an icy tundra; it has everything. You will do better fighting in the areas of lush plant life. My advice to you for the upcoming match is to lure your enemies there. Just avoid the fire users okay?* Her voice was light in his mind and he laughed nervously.

“Anything else you can tell me?” Myungjun asked aloud.

*The Battle Royale has a time limit. Five hours to eliminate the opposing teams, last team standing wins, regardless of the number of members left. Only one person still needs to be standing at the end to win for their team. You would be surprised what a time limit makes a person do. This is a test of your strategic skills just as much as it is a test of your magical and physical fighting power. That’s all the advice I can give you. Good luck Myungjun* Myungjun thanked her before she moved on to talk to the other students who had come inside.

“Crazy isn’t it?” Jinwoo asked quietly looking around. “No matter how far left or right you look, all you can see is trees but beyond that…it almost doesn’t seem real. It’s like a whole new world up here.”

Myungjun nodded wordlessly and looked over to see other students racing into the trees to train. “Let’s go explore JinJin. We should go and scout out the terrain and try to strategize. Where are the others?”

“I sent Rocky and Sanha back to get us some weapons to train with. We can use both our weapons and our magic in here, so I thought we’d get started straight away with both. I don’t know where Hoseok is though.”

“I’m here guys.” Hoseok said, jogging over to them from the door. “I went to grab some parchment and some pens so we can map the area and make notes.”

Myungjun accepted his happily and beamed at the older boy. “Good thinking Hyung. We’ll map the area first, strategize a bit and then get started on training. Let’s just wait for Rocky and Sanha to bring our weapons…Oh here they are now. Did you get my swords?”

“We got everything Hyung.” Sanha gasped, struggling under the weight of what he was carrying. The two boys dumped everything in a pile by their feet and Jinwoo moved forwards to distribute it. Rocky helped Myungjun into his complicated sword belt before moving on to help Sanha with his harness. “I can do it myself Hyung.” Sanha said huffily as Rocky took it out of his hands.

“Stop being a brat and let me help.” Rocky scolded him irritably. He made Sanha put his arms through first so he could clip it at his shoulders before moving to his waist. Sanha squealed when Rocky pulled it tight.

“That hurts you jerk!” He whined, pushing Rocky away before pulling it loose and setting it comfortably. “Next time don’t bother helping.” Rocky chucked Sanha his pole acting unbothered before moving on to help Hoseok.

Jinwoo sighed and reached down to slot two daggers into the sheaths on his thighs. “Do those two ever stop arguing?”

Myungjun shook his head and walked over to his boyfriend. “You’re going to fight with daggers? You always fight with a pole usually.”

Jinwoo shrugged and stretched with a groan. “I wanted a change. I’ll be quicker on my feet like this and my specialty is hand to hand combat anyway. Adding daggers just makes my fists more dangerous.” He started sparring with the air making his own swishing noises and Myungjun laughed.

“You’re a dork Park Jinwoo.”

*

Myungjun crawled into bed that night, bone tired but satisfied. They had spread out individually to map the battledomes terrains and had finished after a couple of hours. Afterwards, they had met up with another team and asked to train with them for extra practice. Myungjun was feeling more relaxed after realising how strong his team actually was and managed to fall into a peaceful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UPDATED AGES:  
> Myungjun and Jinwoo- 15 years old  
> Dongmin and Moonbin- 14 years old  
> Rocky-13 years old  
> Sanha-12 years old
> 
> Battledome!! Battle Royale!! Minor Socky if you squint!!


	58. Chapter 58

“We’re going back to my room.” Jinwoo told the others before dragging Myungjun away. They were crammed into the storage room again, celebrating two days of success. Jinwoo had won the title of best fighter in the singles match and had teamed up with Rocky for the doubles to secure another title the following day.

Jinwoo led Myungjun towards the fire users hidden corridor and pushed him up against the wall. “Myungjun you need to stop teasing me like that in front of our friends. I can’t control myself.”

“I wasn’t doing anything.” Myungjun said faking innocence. He’d spent the last hour getting unnecessarily close to Jinwoo and brushing his lips across his boyfriends’ neck whenever their friends weren’t looking. He didn’t know where this confidence had come from either. Probably from the sheer joy of celebrating Jinwoos success. Myungjun had watched all of his matches from the stands and cheered him on noisily. Every person Jinwoo knocked down made Myungjun realise how _strong_ he was.

“Don’t play dumb.” Jinwoo growled in his ear before pulling him off the wall and through the maze to his room. “You’re doing it on purpose to wind me up and now you have to accept the consequences of your actions.” He shut the door to his room behind them and pressed Myungjun up against it.

“Gladly.” Myungjun said, smirking at his boyfriends’ frown and pulling him in, with a hand fisted in his shirt, to kiss him. “Took you long enough to get us out of there.”

“You’re pushing it Myungjun, don’t be so cocky.”

He nipped at Myungjuns bottom lip roughly, making Myungjun yelp in pain. Jinwoo swept his tongue over it quickly, soothing the pain for him and collecting the little bead of blood that bloomed on his lip. “Sorry that was a bit harsh.”

“You better be sorry. My lips are my best feature you know.” Myungjun said sulkily with a pout that made Jinwoo laugh. “I’ll just have to tell the others that you punched me in the face if they ask about my swollen lip now.”

“Don’t you dare.” Jinwoo warned, picking Myungjun up and taking him over to the bed. They fell down on it together and Myungjuns back hit the mattress as Jinwoo landed on top of him. “Just say you walked into a door or something.”

Myungjun rolled his eyes. “Fine, but if they don’t believe that, it’s not my fault. You shouldn’t have bit me.”

“Yeah and YOU shouldn’t have wound me up.” Jinwoo said, tickling Myungjuns sides and making him giggle. Myungjun shrieked out apologies until Jinwoo stopped his attack and he grinned up at Jinwoo breathlessly. “Wow Junnie, I swear you keep getting prettier every time I look at you.”

Myungjun flushed and turned his head away. “Stop JinJin. It’s embarrassing.”

“I don’t care.” Jinwoo said simply before leaning down and kissing Myungjuns exposed neck. It was messy and wet and made Myungjun melt. Jinwoo raked his teeth down Myungjuns neck, making him shiver and pulled back to guide Myungjuns face around to look at him. “I want to mark you again. The love bite I gave you by the pond is gone.”

“Not on my neck JinJin. Everyone will see.” Myungjun whined, already blushing at the thought of someone else seeing something so intimate on his skin.

“Below your collarbone then.” Jinwoo said, tugging lightly at the collar of Myungjuns shirt.

Myungjun quickly shook his head. “That won’t work. My collar isn’t that stretchy.”

Jinwoo whined loudly and pouted down at him. “Junnie I really want to.” Myungjun really wanted him to do it too. It had been thrilling to look at the previous mark everyday and he was sad to see it was now gone. Jinwoos hand travelled down Myungjuns side to the bottom of his shirt which he tugged lightly. “If I can’t pull your collar down, let me lift this up instead.” He sighed at Myungjuns obvious reaction. “Junnie you don’t need to be so shy about it. I’ve already seen your tummy from that time in the dungeons where you had to rip your shirt, and I’ve already seen half of your chest from the shirt you wore on Halloween. Not to mention the glimpses I got from swimming with you in the river during the summer. Don’t you trust me? Do you think I’m going to make fun of you or something?”

Myungjun hesitated and slowly shook his head. “I trust you JinJin, of course I do. I’m just self-conscious about how I look. I don’t have a body like yours.”

“If you had a body like mine there would be nothing new or exciting for me to look at. I see my body every day, it’s boring.” Jinwoo said bluntly. “I won’t force you to take it off. I want you to do that in your own time when you feel comfortable. But you also need to believe what I say; I’d never make fun of your body. From everything I’ve seen so far, I think you’re perfect Myungjun.”

Myungjun was internally struggling. One side of him was screaming at himself not to do it, that he was imperfect and ugly and that Jinwoo was lying and would only make fun of him. But the other side was telling him to believe Jinwoos words because there’s no way Jinwoo would lie to him about something like this. Plus, he really did want another mark on his skin, to remind himself of Jinwoo whenever he saw or touched it. So he compromised.

“JinJin I’ll take it off but close your eyes.” He said quietly, watching the way Jinwoos eyes lit up at his words. Jinwoo got up off of him but kept a hand on his leg to share his magic and closed his eyes tight. Myungjun sat up shakily, feeling a mixture of embarrassment, excitement and anxiety bubble away in his stomach. He hesitantly reached down and pulled it up slowly. I can’t believe I’m doing this, he thought, I must have gone crazy. He pulled his shirt all the way off and covered his chest with it, so only his arms, shoulders and collarbones were exposed. That already felt like a massive amount of skin to voluntarily show Jinwoo and he squeezed his eyes shut before telling Jinwoo to open his. He heard a small intake of breath from his boyfriend before he felt Jinwoos hands on his skin, making him tense up.

“Relax Junnie.” Jinwoo whispered before moving closer to him. “Do you want to get under the cover?” Myungjun nodded quickly, his back was exposed sitting up like this and it made him feel even more naked. “Open your eyes then Junnie, we’ll get under together.” Myungjun opened his eyes slowly to see Jinwoo giving him a soft smile. “It’s okay Junnie, you’re okay. It’s safe here.” Myungjun was confused at his words before looking up to see he was shedding petals.

“Sorry.” He muttered, trying to wipe them off the bed with one hand and keeping his top up with the other.

“Don’t apologise. I know this is hard for you but you’re being so brave. Come here.” Jinwoo lifted up the covers and got under them, arms open with the offer to cuddle and Myungjun quickly followed, relishing in the way the green fluffy fabric of Jinwoos blanket felt against his skin. He snuggled into Jinwoos chest, as they lay on their sides facing one another and he tried to calm his breathing. He’s not laughing, Myungjun thought weakly, he’s not making fun of me. He felt Jinwoo place a hesitant hand on his bare shoulder and tensed again. “Can I touch you?” Jinwoo asked quietly. “I won’t touch you where you’re covering yourself up. Not if you don’t want me too.”

Myungjun gave him a small nod. “Just not where I’m covered up JinJin. I feel overwhelmed already.”

Jinwoo quickly removed his hand, making Myungjun look up at him in confusion. “I won’t touch you if you’re already feeling overwhelmed Junnie. Lets just sit here and wait until you’re ready okay?”

Myungjun was stunned. How did I get so lucky? He thought to himself as he looked up at Jinwoos concerned gaze. How did I get so lucky to have a boyfriend who’s so caring and so considerate about everything? Even _I_ didn’t ask for permission to touch him on Halloween. The thought of that made him cringe and he snuggled back up to Jinwoos chest. “I’m overwhelmed but I want you to JinJin.”

“Are you sure?” Jinwoo asked. “You have to be sure Myungjun.”

“I’m sure JinJin, please just do it. The suspense is killing me.”

Jinwoo laughed softly, his chest vibrating against Myungjuns head and he pressed a kiss into Myungjuns hair. “Tell me if you want me to stop.” His hand felt warm against Myungjuns skin when he placed it back onto his shoulder. He stayed there for a while, kneading all the tension out of Myungjuns body before moving down his bare arm. When Jinwoo reached his hand, he threaded their fingers together and brought Myungjuns hand up to kiss it gently. “You’re so perfect.” He whispered, placing Myungjuns hand on his waist so Myungjun could cuddle him better. “So so perfect Junnie.” His hand travelled back up Myungjuns arm before trailing delicately over the top of his back, rubbing soothing circles into his shoulder blades. Myungjun hummed happily at the feeling. He felt calm, he felt relaxed but most importantly he felt safe. “Look at me Junnie.” Jinwoo said quietly, trailing his fingers delicately down Myungjuns spine.

Myungjun looked up and felt Jinwoos lips immediately find his own. Kissing Jinwoo whilst feeling his hands roaming over his bare skin was dizzying. Jinwoo gripped him firmly around the waist and pulled him up, until Myungjuns head was on the pillow in front of him. “Thanks JinJin. My neck would have hurt looking up at you if we’d stayed like that. Also, my arms going numb holding this shirt up to my chest. I want to let it go…but can we stay pressed up together?”

“Anything you want cutie. Here let me help.” Jinwoo pulled Myungjuns shirt out from between them and rolled over on top of him. “Is this okay?”

Myungjun looked up at him and gave him a shy smile. “This is fine, my arms getting some feeling back into it now.” He puckered his lips and Jinwoo closed the distance quickly, kissing him slowly and pulling the cover back over them. Myungjun wrapped his arms around Jinwoos neck, desperately wanting to wrap his legs around his waist too but stopping himself because he knew Jinwoo didn’t like that when they were laying down.

After a while, Jinwoo pulled back to look at him, lips kiss swollen and a light blush on his face. “I want to mark you now. Can I?” When Myungjun nodded, he leaned down slowly and peppered soft kisses across the top of his chest, just below his collarbones. Myungjuns breathing got heavier every kiss he left, and he threaded his fingers through the hair at the back of Jinwoos head, clutching the soft strands tight with anticipation. He tried to look down, to see what Jinwoo was doing, but it was too dark under the blanket. Myungjun was glad, it meant Jinwoo couldn’t see any further down either. He gasped lightly and let his head fall back down on the pillow when Jinwoo started nipping and sucking on his skin. It always came with a certain amount of pain, but he realised he actually enjoyed it and felt almost sad when Jinwoo was finished a few minutes later. Jinwoo lavished soft kisses all over the bruising skin and rested his head against Myungjuns chest, whining happily. “You smell even better up close like this. Thankyou for letting me give you more love bites Junnie.”

“You’re the one who did all the work.” Myungjun said with a giggle. “I should be thanking you instead.” He stroked Jinwoos fluffy hair slowly until they both fell into a peaceful sleep.

*

Myungjun woke up the next morning being spooned by Jinwoo. His arm was around Myungjuns waist and his nose was nestled in Myungjuns neck whilst he snored softly. It was warm and comfortable and Myungjun didn’t want to move. Unfortunately, he had too. Today was the Battle Royale and he didn’t want them to be late.

“JinJin.” He said softly, turning around to look at him. He realised suddenly that he was still shirtless and quickly pulled the covers back up to their chins. Jinwoo woke up suddenly with a snort that made Myungjun giggle.

“Wha’s goin’ on?” He slurred, looking over at Myungjun. “Oh hello cutie. Did you sleep well?” Myungjun nodded happily and cuddled up to him, looking for some attention. Jinwoo pulled him closer before freezing and clearing his throat nervously. “Umm…Junnie, you’re still shirtless. Do you remember where your shirt went? I’ll get it for you.” Myungjun shook his head with a pout, making his boyfriend sigh. “Take mine then.” He pulled his off, careful not to jostle the cover too much and put it over Myungjuns head for him before closing his eyes and letting Myungjun pull it on properly.

“Thanks JinJin.” Myungjun said quietly. “Let’s get up and get some breakfast. We don’t have long until the match begins.”

Jinwoo pulled him out of the bed, still looking half asleep with his puffy face and fluffed up hair and all Myungjun wanted to do was coo and giggle at him but he held it in. Jinwoo located Myungjuns top, discarded by the side of the bed and picked it up to pull it over his own head. They had to swap the hands they were holding for Jinwoo to get both arms through the sleeves and Myungjun felt a strange possessiveness wash over him. He must feel this when I wear his clothes too, Myungjun thought with a smile, no wonder he makes me wear them all the time.

Jinwoo pulled him into the bathroom and took their toothbrushes from the cup on the shelf. Myungjun had slept over one day and forgotten his toothbrush from his room, utterly refusing to kiss Jinwoo in the morning at all. Jinwoo had naturally been annoyed at being denied his morning kisses and the next time Myungjun slept over there was a sparkly new one right beside Jinwoos that hadn’t been there before. He’d asked Jinwoo where he had gotten it but received silence in return. He just knew Jinwoo had snuck off to Voredan again and sighed inside, hoping that Jinwoo was careful enough not to get caught, as he didn’t know what sort of punishment would await him otherwise.

Present day Myungjun went through his morning routine with Jinwoo and after spitting his toothpaste in the sink, he looked up into the mirror to see Jinwoos baggy shirt slipping down to reveal the scattering of marks along the top of his chest. He rinsed his toothbrush quickly before giving it to Jinwoo and used his free hand to tug the collar around, finding every single love bite Jinwoo had left on his skin.

“Do they hurt?” Jinwoo asked quietly, voice still scratchy from sleep. He turned Myungjun towards himself and away from the mirror so he could look at them too.

Myungjun shook his head with a smile. “Only if I press down on them. I think you got a bit carried away though JinJin, I thought you were only going to give me one.”

“Have I upset you?” Jinwoo asked, his eyes searching Myungjuns own. When Myungjun assured him that he hadn’t, Jinwoo smiled back, visibly relaxing and pulled him in for a kiss. “Good. I’m sorry for getting carried away. I just lose myself when I’m with you, and seeing you that way last night…” He sighed softly and pulled away. “Let’s go Junnie. We have a competition to win.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A whole chapter of Myungjin fluff? Have I ever done that before?  
> We've had so many fluffy chapters recently...you all know what this means I'm sure.
> 
> But on a serious note, we all need a JinJin in our lives, who tells us how perfect we are and respects our boundaries. uwu


	59. Chapter 59

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the Battledome.

Myungjun watched the teams in front of them be let through the door into the battledome one by one. Every time a team entered; the door would close behind them, before reopening to let the next team through.

“Why are they doing that?” Myungjun asked, watching the door close behind the last team in front of him.

“Probably to change the destination of wherever we enter in the battledome. They wouldn’t want to put everyone in the same place to begin with.” Hoseok answered, adjusting the harness he was wearing that carried his pole on his back. “Ready guys?”

The door opened in front of them and Myungjun followed Jinwoo inside, the others trailing closely behind. They’d been placed in the desert to begin with and Hoseok groaned unhappily. Heat rolled off of the ground in waves, making everything in the distance ripple hazily. What little plant life existed in this terrain was scorched brown and bone dry to match the endless expanse of sand, that stretched for miles in every direction. “My water magic will be rubbish here, it’s too hot. If we get attacked here, I’ll be the liability.”

“If we stick to the plan, we’ll be fine.” Jinwoo said with confidence, looking down at the map in his hand. “According to the map we made, we just need to get over that big sand dune over there to see the icy tundra. Rocky and Myungjun will be the liability there because the ground is made purely of snow. When we made this map, I tried to dig down as far as possible to see where it ended but I gave up after five minutes. There’s no ground for you to manipulate there Rocky and there’s nowhere for you to grow your vines Junnie.”

“What if we went the other way then?” Rocky asked, looking to the left of them. “Where does that lead?”

“The lake.” Myungjun said, looking down at his own map. “It goes on for miles. We should avoid it because it would take too long to swim across.”

“I can walk on it.” Hoseok said happily. “But I can’t exactly carry you all on my back, so let’s go through the tundra. If you melt the ice into water Jinwoo, I can manipulate it and because there’s a lot of snow I’ll have a lot to play with.”

“Remember the plan.” Jinwoo said, staring at Sanha in particular.

Everyone nodded and Sanha saluted dutifully making Jinwoo smile. A loud horn blared through the battledome, signalling the start of the five-hour competition and Myungjun looked down at the number on the back of his hand. **36**. Thirty-six teams left standing. They were told that every time a team fell, the number would magically go down to let them all know how many were left to find.

“Thirty-six teams and six different terrains.” Rocky said thoughtfully. “That makes six teams per terrain. We should watch our backs, there must be five others here in the desert with us.”

Myungjun felt anxiety and excitement creep into his gut as he stared around them, waiting to spot another team heading their way. There didn’t appear to be any in sight, so he led his team towards the sand dunes in the distance, hands clutched tightly around the handles of his swords. “I feel sorry for the six teams that got dumped straight into the lake.” He said absentmindedly making the others laugh.

“Bet the fire users are going nuts right now.” said Jinwoo, a hint of relief in his voice.

“Incoming Hyungs.” Sanha said, eyes screwed shut in concentration as he used his air magic to listen to the vibrations in the air around them. “Three separate groups, one behind us but they’re pretty far back. The other two are just over the dunes we’re heading for, fighting it out already.”

“Let’s go join in.” Rocky said excitedly and Rocky Jr garbled noisily at his feet.

“Maybe we should wait it out and pick off the remaining team members.” Hoseok said thoughtfully. “Fighting against two teams is double the pressure.”

“Well if we wait here, the others behind us will catch up and we’ll be sandwiched between them and the remaining team.” Jinwoo said, raking his fingers through his hair looking stressed already. “Let’s just go to the ones already fighting.”

Rocky cheered excitedly and led the way, pulling his pole from his back and conversing with Rocky Jr. We can do this, Myungjun told himself, we trained hard this past week and beat every team we trained with. He felt a bit better thinking about it like that and sped up to walk alongside Jinwoo, who looked over at him with a strained smile. Myungjuns shoes crunched against the sand as they walked, and all of his senses just screamed _heat_. He should have been used to heat by now, having Jinwoo as his boyfriend, but this was something completely different to Jinwoos magic. It was the type of heat that drained you slowly, that squeezed every last drop of water out of your body until you shrivelled up and withered away, much like the greenless brittle plants they walked past every so often. Myungjun thought about his own plants, vibrant and full of life and shivered. There’s no way I’m summoning Camellia here, he thought to himself.

They reached the base of the sand dune after fifteen minutes of walking and began to climb. Myungjun could hear the battle still raging above them and let his excitement take over. He sped up and peeked over the top to see other students fighting ferociously. Myungjun spotted Moonbin pulling another boy off of Dongmin and punching him in the face angrily. Dongmins nose was bleeding and he wiped it with his sleeve before helping Moonbin take the boy down. The boy was pulled through the sand, much like Myungjun was used to seeing in the dungeons and Moonbin quickly turned to check on Dongmins nose. Myungjun desperately wanted to go and help him himself but he knew they were enemies now.

“We can’t fight them!” Sanha whispered furiously from their hiding spot. “They’re our friends!”

“They’re not our friends in here.” Myungjun replied sadly. “Should we wait here for bit and see if they leave?” It wasn’t likely that that would happen anytime soon. Myungjun looked around at the rest of their team. Dongmin and Moonbin had joined Youngjae, a fire user named Jackson, who Rocky Jr had once punched in the shin, and an air user who Myungjun didn’t know the name of. He didn’t see the air user anymore, so he guessed he had been taken out already.

“Looks like they’re going to be there for a while.” Jinwoo whispered, watching the two teams fighting tirelessly. “What if we go back down this dune and walk round them? It would take us longer to get to the tundra, but I really don’t want to fight them either. Seeing Dongmin hurt…” Myungjun could sympathise with Jinwoos feelings and nodded, leading them back down.

“I’m so thirsty doing all this walking already.” Hoseok whined. “I’m going to dive headfirst in the snow when we see it and gobble it all up.” Sanha laughed brightly at him making Hoseok smile.

They went the long way around, taking them another ten minutes and Myungjun found himself longing for the snow too. It was deathly hot, and his shirt was sticking to his back. Everyone else seemed to be feeling the heat, except Jinwoo who was positively thriving. Rocky cried out in relief when they saw the border of snow up ahead and Sanha quickly shushed him.

“There’s three teams fighting up ahead. Moonbin-Hyungs team has stopped fighting behind us as well.” Sanha said with a frown. “We should have just stayed back there.”

“Do you know if Moonbins team won?” Myungjun asked, not really sure if he wanted the answer to that or not. Luckily Sanha said he didn’t know.

“Well I can’t stay in this desert for much longer.” Hoseok said. “Let’s just go towards the three fighting teams and brawl it out. Light up the place when we get there Jinwoo. Remember to help him Sanha.”

All it took was another five minutes of walking for them to reach the border of the tundra. “We’ve spent half an hour walking already.” Myungjun said. “Let’s not waste any more time.” He looked down at his hand. **28**. Eight teams had fallen in the first half an hour and they still had four and a half hours left. Myungjun looked into the tundra to see it was snowing heavily, thick white flakes that swirled around chaotically. Bright purple and yellow lights clashed in the distance. Myungjun couldn’t see the students through the snow but their flames illuminated the area, great beacons that told other students, like themselves, where they were. Wood hitting flesh and other wood filled his ears. Along with the screams and shouts of the team leaders and the injured.

A dagger whistled past Myungjuns head, scratching his cheek and thumping heavily into the sand behind them. He squeaked in fright; they’d been spotted a lot sooner then he thought. Jinwoo looked at the blood dripping down Myungjuns face and growled angrily before running off in the direction it had been thrown from, completely swallowed from sight by the raging snowstorm.

“JINWOO WAIT!” Hoseok shouted before sighing irritably. “Sanha follow him, you know what to do.” Sanha ran after Jinwoo and disappeared as well. Myungjun pulled his swords free, and hesitantly stepped over the border. His body temperature plunged considerably, and he shivered violently as the biting wind lashed at his skin, whipping his clothes around noisily. He could barely see ten feet in front of himself. It was a mystery how his attacker had spotted him and launched his dagger. He saw Jinwoos vivid green flames up ahead and watched proudly as they grew monstrously large, engulfing the purple and yellow flames completely. Sanha was using his air magic to boost Jinwoos fire, it was one of their strategies, courtesy of Myungjun, and he was happy to see that it was doing its job.

Suddenly, a girl stumbled through the snow in front of him, clutching her arm and looking around at Myungjun in fright. He hesitated, not wanting to hurt someone already wounded and watched in horror as she got knocked out cold and sucked through the floor by a boy who came up behind her. He’d obviously chased her through the snow and was probably the reason she had looked so scared in the first place. Myungjun looked down to see the boy only had one dagger left and he felt his anger spike. He’d obviously thrown it at that girl’s vulnerable back but hurt Myungjun instead.

The boy didn’t see him coming. Myungjun hit him over the head with all his might, using the blunt edge of one of his swords and the boy crumpled, disappearing after her. “Nice one Hyung. I think he was the last one of their team, the numbers gone down again.” Rocky said, flashing him a smile.

“That’s good.” Hoseok said. “Let’s go towards the fire. I know it’s dangerous, but my magic will work better where the snows melted. You two are already useless here as it is, we don’t need three of us fighting without magic.” Myungjun wanted to feel offended at his words but he was right. They made their way towards the bright inferno and fear spiked in Myungjuns chest as Jinwoos green fire was overpowered by the purple. He wasn’t worried about Jinwoo, he couldn’t be burnt, but Sanha could. Rocky seemed to have the same thought and raced forwards shouting his name. Myungjun and Hoseok followed close behind and Myungjun gasped in shock when he walked out into an area of the tundra which physically couldn’t snow anymore because of the pure heat. Everything was suddenly a lot quieter stepping out of the storm and he could see across the battlefield clearly.

The purple fire was coming from Hyejin and she was laughing as she shot fireball after fireball at Sanha who was barely dodging them. Jinwoo was surrounded by the rest of her team, swinging his daggers wildly and shooting worried glances at the younger boy. Myungjun watched in confusion as one of the girls broke away from Jinwoo to create a wall of water in front of Sanha, shielding him from harm. Sanha called out his thanks with a blush and Myungjun turned to see Rocky watching them with a frown. His eyes snapped back to Hyejin as she growled angrily at her teammate and started firing at her instead, causing the other members of her team to look round in shock. Myungjun had not expected to see something like this upon entering the battledome either. He couldn’t imagine how the other girls were feeling, seeing their team leader turn on them. Jinwoo used their distracted state to his advantage and knocked them out, one by one, with a speed that startled Myungjun out of his shocked trance.

Myungjun couldn’t stand around any longer. He raced towards Hyejin, focused on getting revenge on her for trying to harm their maknae but slowed down as soon as he saw her take off, chasing her remaining friend across the tundra. Let them incapacitate each other, Myungjun thought indifferently. He rushed over to check on Sanha instead and was relieved to see him unharmed. He was tired though so Myungjun reached into his herb pouch to give him an energy reviver.

“Who was that Sanha? The one who helped you.” Myungjun asked. “Is she a friend of yours?” Sanha nodded happily and told him they were classmates in weather manipulation. “Well I’m glad she looked out for you, but it seems to have cost her this competition. Make sure you thank her properly when you see her next.” Myungjun told him firmly and was happy to see Sanha agree.

“Let’s go.” Jinwoo said, walking over to them. “Let’s get off this terrain so we can all use our magic.”

Myungjun pulled his map out of his pocket and tried to work out which way they’d come. There were no notable landmarks around them, and he didn’t know which direction they needed to walk in. He guessed they should just keep going forwards and hope to come out in the jungle. He led the way and trudged through the snow. It was shockingly cold stepping back into the snowstorm now that his adrenaline had worn off and he shivered violently again.

“Get closer to me if you’re cold guys.” Jinwoo said, birthmark glowing gently as he radiated heat. He laughed when everyone rushed over to him and they walked together in a tight knit unit. It will probably take us longer to walk like this, Myungjun thought, but I’d rather not freeze to death. They walked for what felt like hours before coming to the edge of the jungle. Myungjun cried out in relief after realising he’d picked the right direction to walk in and groaned happily as the humid jungle heat warmed his body further.

The jungle trees stood tall and proud and being around vibrant green plant life again made Myungjun feel a whole lot better. I can finally use my magic again, he thought to himself with a smile before putting his swords back into the scabbards on his hips. He looked up to see the thick jungle canopy blocking out most of the sun, but the terrain was still well lit. Thick vines hung down from the trees and Myungjun could hear the sound of rushing water nearby.

“Maybe we should go to the water and get a drink.” Myungjun advised, his mouth still feeling deathly dry from the desert. Everyone readily agreed, all of them feeling similar states of thirst and followed the noise of the water before coming out at the side of a river. The water looked clean enough to drink, so Myungjun crouched down to scoop some up with his hands and drank it down greedily. It felt heavenly against his throat.

“Sanha what do you hear?” Jinwoo asked, breaking the silence after finishing quenching his own thirst.

Sanha closed his eyes and his birthmark began to glow as he listened to the vibrations in the air around him. “There’s no-one behind us, but there’s a small group of people heading our way. I hear maybe three people, four at most.”

“Let’s ambush them.” Hoseok whispered excitedly. “Junnie if you use your vines and box us in against a tree, they won’t notice us as they walk past. Your vines will blend right in!” Everyone eagerly agreed to his plan and Myungjun boxed them away, out of sight. He was sandwiched between Hoseok and Jinwoo and heard Sanha squeak in surprise.

“Who touched my butt?” Sanha asked furiously.

“Sorry.” Rocky said, sounding embarrassed and making Hoseok snort in amusement.

“Shh.” Jinwoo hissed. Myungjun could hear the sound of voices coming closer to them and was startled to hear Jimin’s cute giggles. He groaned quietly in annoyance. Why did they keep bumping into their friends? “We can’t let them go Junnie I’m sorry.” Jinwoo whispered to him. Myungjun knew they couldn’t, so when he heard them pass, Myungjun pulled his vines back and watched his friends take them down. Taehyung fought viciously to defend Jimin but stumbled backwards and down the chasm Rocky ripped into the jungle floor. Jimin watched him go sadly and put his weapon down.

“Myungjun please put me to sleep.” He asked quietly. “I’m no good at fighting.” Myungjun summoned Camellia and watched as the pollen engulfed the younger boy. Jimin fell with a peaceful look on his face and was sucked through the floor.

“You’re too nice Junnie.” Hoseok said with a sigh. “Stop letting people go, the judges are watching us.” When Myungjun looked around in shock Hoseok laughed. “They’re not here physically but I’m sure they’re seeing everything we do. Like how they see everything we do in the dungeons to create our end of year report.” Myungjun thought back to his results day last year and remembered the way it had given him points for all the things he’d done in the dungeon runs. It only made sense that they would have to be watching them somehow. Myungjuns mind drifted to his father, who he knew was watching and he bristled reflexively.

“Let them watch.” He said stiffly, earning himself a concerned look from Jinwoo. “I don’t care what my father thinks of me anymore.” He said that partly to Jinwoo but mainly to his so-called father who could no doubt hear every word he said.

“Junnie if you feel yourself slipping you need to tell one of us.” Jinwoo muttered to him quietly after they’d set off walking again.

“Of course JinJin. I think I’m fine now though.” Myungjun threaded his fingers through Jinwoos own and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. “If I do slip, stay out of my sight…just in case.” Jinwoo nodded grimly at him and led them through the maze of trees and vines, away from the river.

“A big group of people are coming up on us fast from the left.” Sanha suddenly blurted out.

“Are they fighting?” Rocky asked and frowned as Sanha shook his head.

“I don’t hear them fighting. They must have joined up. I’m guessing they have at least one air user who’s heard us and they’re coming to take us down.” Sanha finished talking with fear in his eyes.

“How many?” Jinwoo asked, clutching Myungjuns hand firmly.

“I can’t tell, but there’s a lot. Ten or more.”

Hoseok cursed loudly. “That’s at least two teams. We don’t stand a chance. Let’s run for it.” They took off, tearing through the jungle and Myungjun tensed at the sound of maniacal laughter and animalistic cheers behind them. Their enemies were hunting them down like prey and getting closer all the time.

“Faster.” He urged the others, jumping over roots that littered the soft jungle floor and creating a quick bridge with his vines to get them over a large chasm, probably made by another ground user. He waited until everyone else had crossed safely before stepping onto the vines himself.

“JUNNIE DUCK!” Jinwoo shouted to him urgently from the other side and Myungjun dropped to his knees, wobbling dangerously. Something whistled overhead from behind him and landed in the tree on the other side with a loud thump, making Myungjun whine in fear. He stood back up and ran the rest of the way, desperate to get to his friends and saw that some lunatic had thrown a sword at his exposed back. He was happy it had missed. When he reached the other side, he looked back to see that Sanha had been right. There were at least ten people rushing out of the jungle towards his bridge. A girl created a storm of icy daggers and launched them their way. Jinwoo waved his hand quickly and created a wall of green flames that melted them instantly. When he pulled the fire back in, Myungjun saw three people crossing his bridge. He yanked his vines back and watched with grim satisfaction as they fell down the chasm screaming. Someone grabbed Myungjuns arm and pulled him away, through the new side of the jungle and he turned to see it was Hoseok looking down at him proudly.

“Well done Junnie. That was quick thinking.” Myungjun beamed up at him happily and they raced after the others, trying to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the mass of people behind them, who would no doubt be looking for blood after Myungjuns defensive manoeuvre.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Myungjun wiping out 3 people in one go is legendary ayyyyyy. My lil' badass uwu


	60. Chapter 60

“Let’s stop here.” Sanha said, gasping for breath. They’d been running for such a long time, that they could now see the jungle trees thinning out, signifying the change of terrain. “My lungs are on fire.”

Everyone slowed down to a stop, in similar conditions and Myungjun fell down heavily onto his hands and knees, head spinning from pushing his body too far. He felt Jinwoos warm hands rubbing his back and whined gratefully at the comforting gesture.

“We’ve got three hours left.” Hoseok said, through heavy breaths. “Twenty teams remaining.”

Myungjun sat back on his knees with a groan and reached around in his herb pouch for his stash of energy revivers. He distributed them to grateful hands and reached up to touch his cheek gently. The cut from the dagger in the tundra had stopped bleeding after crusting over with dried blood.

“There’s someone coming this way.” Sanha suddenly said sounding tense. “It’s just the one person, we can take them.”

Myungjun accepted Jinwoos hand and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. “Let’s go see who it is. If it’s only the one person, they may be the last on their team, or their team might have been stupid enough to split up.”

They crept through the trees and Myungjun squinted his eyes to get a better look at the figure ahead of them. “Namjoon?” Myungjun recognised him immediately and his heart seized up in fear at the dazed look on Namjoons face. He was stumbling through the jungle, blood dripping down the side of his head and bumping into trees with grunts of pain. “Namjoon!” He said louder, pulling out of Jinwoos grip and racing towards his injured friend.

Namjoon spun around looking frightened, with his hands raised defensively, before realising who it was. “Junnie? Are you coming as a friend or foe?” He kept his hands raised and only relaxed when Myungjun assured him that he wouldn’t hurt him further.

“What happened to you?” Myungjun asked, leading him over to sit on one of the large exposed roots from the jungle trees. “Where’s the rest of your team?”

“Wiped out.” Namjoon said through gritted teeth, wincing in pain as Myungjun gently prodded the large gash on his head. “I don’t even know how long I’ve been wandering for. It feels like forever.”

“Did your team get ambushed by a large group of people by any chance?” Hoseok asked, walking over to sit beside him. When Namjoon nodded he sighed. “We’ve been running from them too. Junnie took three of them out earlier, so they’re going to want revenge.”

Namjoon looked up at Myungjun in surprise. “Wow hyung, that’s impressive. They’re like wild animals, I’m surprised you’re all still okay.” Myungjun just shrugged it off with a smile and pulled some bandages from his herb pouch.

“Hoseok can you wet some of these for me so I can wipe the blood away?” Myungjun asked, holding them out to him. Water trickled from the tips of Hoseoks fingers and Myungjun used the wet bandages to gently dab at Namjoons cut. After cleaning it up as best as he could, he used some dry ones to wrap up the top of Namjoons head. “Sorry Joonie but you look pretty ridiculous right now.”

“That’s fine.” Namjoon said unbothered. “I’m lucky you even helped me in the first place. Can I stay with you guys?”

Everyone quickly agreed and after Myungjun boosted Namjoon, they set off to leave the jungle. “Volcanos next.” Jinwoo said happily, looking down at the map in his hands. “I want to see what lava tastes like.” He added quietly to Myungjun.

*

Myungjun ran around between the two colossal volcanoes, dodging stray trickles of red-hot lava and heaving his vines through the floor to block his friends from harm where needed. They’d been ambushed from both ends of the valley and were caged in like frightened mice. Jinwoo was fighting two people off as he lashed out viciously with the daggers in his hands and Myungjun watched as he cut them both down. Rocky Jr raced past Myungjuns legs and dived on someone sneaking up behind him, pummelling them into the floor with his stony fists. Myungjun whipped his head around violently, trying to count how many were left. He counted seven before hearing Hoseok scream.

Hoseok was trapped in a ring of lava and it was getting dangerously close to his shoes. Myungjun forced his vines out of the ground and aimed them towards the older boy, where they wrapped around his waist and pulled him to safety. “Thanks Junnie.” He said breathlessly, before spinning away from an attacker that lunged his way and pulling the pole off of his back. When Myungjun had made sure he could fight alone, he turned to see another student chasing Sanha through the battlefield. Sanha was limping and looked terrified as shards of ice whistled past his head. Myungjun watched as one of the shards of ice hit a stray trickle of lava. The lava froze rapidly before exploding. _Interesting_.

“I got this.” Rocky said to Myungjun, brushing past him and sending Rocky Jr after Sanhas pursuer. Myungjun felt heat at his back and turned to see two fire users from the enemy side, standing in the lava and using it to empower their attacks. Monstrous jets of blue and pink fire scorched the ground around them and engulfed Namjoon completely. Myungjun growled angrily at the loss of their friend and was struck by an idea.

“SEOKKIE” He shouted out, turning around to find Hoseok. He was still fighting his attacker furiously and didn’t look up.

“What’s up Junnie?” Jinwoo asked, jogging towards him looking tired. Myungjun quickly handed him an energy reviver before pointing to Hoseok.

“Get that student off of him JinJin. I need Hoseok to take out the other two fire users.”

“I can do it if you want?” Jinwoo asked, looking towards the lava.

“No I want Hoseok to.” Myungjun said and looked at his boyfriends confused face. “It’s an experiment, you can take them out if he fails.”

Jinwoo nodded dutifully, pulling his daggers out of their sheaths and running up behind Hoseoks attacker. “Hoseok, Junnie wants you.” Jinwoo said, startling the student between them. Hoseok swiftly stepped away and left Jinwoo to deal with him.

“Seokkie, do you think you could get close enough to those fire users over there to blast the lava they’re standing in with water? Ice makes it explode so I think water will do something similar. They’re too powerful in the lava, they’ll end up taking us all out.”

“I can try.” Hoseok said, eyeing them warily. “Sometimes I forget I have water magic and I don’t need to be worried about fire.”

Myungjun laughed and patted his back encouragingly. “Let’s go together.”

*

“It’s a sprain.” Myungjun said, inspecting Sanhas ankle. “See the bruising and the swelling? You shouldn’t put too much weight on it.”

“Great.” Sanha whined. “I just had to trip didn’t I?”

“At least you’re not as bad as you were in the guesthouse.” Myungjun said, attempting to cheer him up. “You used to trip and get nosebleeds all the time.”

Sanha pouted and crossed his arms, staring down at his ankle like it had offended his ancestors. Rocky sighed irritably behind Myungjun before making his way over and crouching down in front of Sanha with his back to him. “Get on.” Sanhas eyes widened slightly in surprise before grinning. He climbed onto Rockys back and squealed happily when he was lifted into the air.

“Thanks Hyung!” He said brightly, wrapping his arms loosely around Rockys neck.

Rocky just grumbled up at him and turned to the others. “Let’s go, this kid is heavy.” Sanha made an offended noise and tried to get down but Rocky held his legs tight around his waist. “I’m joking, calm down.” He said rolling his eyes. Sanha just pouted again and hooked his chin over Rockys shoulder to sulk.

“We have an hour left.” Hoseok said, looking up at the big timer in the sky. Myungjun looked down at his hand to see the remaining number of teams. **5**. Lot’s of teams had apparently fallen in the time it had taken them to fight back their ambush. They all looked up startled when a loud rumbling noise began to build in the volcanoes above them. Great clouds of thick black smoke billowed up from the depths of the volcanos themselves and Jinwoo cursed.

“It’s going to blow. We need to run, NOW.” Myungjun watched in horror as the volcanos exploded. Globs of molten lava started falling from the sky and thick red rivers rushed down the sides of the gargantuan mountains to greet them. Jinwoo grabbed Myungjuns hand and started running through the valley, with the others close behind. Myungjun looked up, when he felt a stray water droplet hit his face, to see Hoseok had created a ceiling of water above them all, in an attempt to keep the lava from raining down on top of them. When the first glob of lava hit the water, it fizzled loudly before falling through as a large igneous rock that landed heavily in front of Rocky and Sanha. It broke apart and sprayed rocks everywhere, making Sanha bury his face in Rockys neck with a shriek. Rocky dodged as many as he could before setting off again.

This is just as dangerous, Myungjun thought frantically tearing his eyes away from the two younger boys to look where Jinwoo was taking him, if the lava doesn’t get us the rocks will crush us instead. He heard Rocky saying something in an alien language to Rocky Jr and heard the animated rock garble back to him, sounding weirdly happy. Thirty seconds later and Myungjun turned back to look at the sound of heavy footfalls that shook the ground.

Rocky Jr was rapidly growing in size as he devoured the rocks that fell down around them when they shattered. The bigger he got, the more the ground shook as he raced behind them. Myungjun screamed as a large rock fell through the water shield above Rocky and Sanha but needn’t have worried. Rocky Jr punched the large rock out of the air to save them and Rocky thanked him tiredly, slowing down as his magical energy was drained by his animated companion. Rocky Jr raced around, destroying all the large rocks before they could crush any of their team and Myungjun spotted the border of the forest ahead.

“We’re nearly there!” He shouted in relief and Jinwoo turned back to look at him with a grin. His face turned to an expression of horror soon after as he looked over Myungjuns shoulder. A thick river of boiling lava was approaching them rapidly from behind, devouring everything in its path and Rocky was struggling to keep up with his dwindling energy, combined with the effort of carrying Sanha on his back. Rocky Jr noticed the problem too and raced back to pick them up in one of his giant stony fists. He threw them forwards as the lava engulfed him, sacrificing himself to save them. Myungjun ripped his vines through the floor to catch Rocky and Sanha on their way down towards the ground and Rocky looked back at his son with tears in his eyes.

“SAVE HIM!” He screamed, frantic with panic. “I NEED HIS ORIGINAL ROCK.” He let Sanha go and tried running back to Rocky Jr but Hoseok grabbed him around the waist and pulled him towards the forest kicking and screaming, so he wouldn’t get hurt.

“I’ll get him.” Jinwoo said, pushing Myungjun towards Sanha. “Help our maknae, I’ll be back soon.” He took off running towards the lava as Rocky Jr shrank in size, desperately trying to swim through the molten rock to safety and letting out low gravelly noises of distress. Myungjun helped Sanha to his feet and half carried half dragged him towards the trees.

Rocky was up ahead, sobbing loudly and trying to fight Hoseok off weakly. “I need to help him! He’s in pain, let me go Hyung!” Hoseok just held him, looking on the verge of tears himself and Myungjun looked back to see Rocky Jr disappear under the river of lava. It will be impossible to find him now, Myungjun thought as grief clawed at his chest. He helped Sanha sit down against one of the trees and moved to give Rocky a hug, pulling him close to his chest and running a soothing hand through his hair.

“I’m sorry Rocky, I’m so so sorry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...


	61. Chapter 61

Myungjun watched as Jinwoo emerged from the lava, hands empty and shaking his head sadly. Rocky burst into tears again and curled up in Myungjuns lap, shaking with grief. The ground trembled ominously below them but somehow Rocky was managing to keep his magic under control. All they could do was sit with Rocky and watch heartbroken as he grieved for his companion, his son, his _best friend_. Myungjun watched the clock tick down above them in the sky as he rubbed comforting circles into Rockys back.

When Rocky had quietened down, the clock told them that they only had fifteen minutes left. Myungjun looked down at his hand to see there was still one other team active in the competition. There’s no way we’ll find them in time, Myungjun though resignedly, Rocky and Sanha can’t even fight anyway. He looked up at Sanha now and gestured for him to take over. Sanha crawled towards them and pulled Rocky in for a hug, muttering to him under his breath as he rocked them backwards and forwards.

“Where are you going?” Jinwoo asked as Myungjun stood up to stretch.

“I’m going for a walk.” Myungjun replied quietly, looking through the forest trees. “I want to be alone JinJin.” Jinwoo stopped in his movements to stand up and nodded stiffly at him.

“Okay Junnie, be careful. If you find the other team just call for help and I’ll come get you.”

Myungjun walked through the trees quickly, feeling anger boil in his chest. Hearing Rockys pained sobs had made him think about why they were even there in the first place. This competition had cost Rocky dearly and he knew the judges were watching. The thought of his father, mixed with the grief he felt, was making him wobble dangerously close to the edge of his other mindset. That’s why he had told Jinwoo he wanted to be alone, he could feel himself slipping and didn’t need to make this day any worse by attempting to kill him.

He walked for a few minutes, willing the time to go quicker and come to an end, when he heard movement up ahead. He quickly pressed himself up against one of the trees, out of sight, to gauge how many people were there. One? He thought with a frown, this should be easy enough then. He stepped out to reveal himself and came face to face with Hyejin.

She looked up at him in surprise and smirked. “So, you’re the last one left on your team as well? This shouldn’t take long.” She pulled the daggers free from the sheaths on her thighs and swung them hard and fast. Myungjun felt them tear through the skin on his chest as his blood splattered up her arms and the pain sent him over the edge. Pure hatred burned hot inside of him as he stared at the girl in front of him. He couldn’t recall her name, but he knew why he hated her. She had tried to hurt Sanha earlier, shooting fireballs at their maknae as he dodged them, only just avoiding being burned.

“You’re dead.” He spat angrily as his vines tore through the forest floor and wrapped around her legs. He forced his magic through them and Hyejin screamed as he crushed her bones to pieces. Purple flames erupted from her hands and she fired them messily through her tears. Myungjun spun away, dodging them easily and circled around her, watching with pride as his vines held her up, unburnt by her fire. He stepped up behind her and brushed the hair away from her neck delicately to whisper in her ear. “This is for Sanha.”

With brute force, he plunged one of his swords into her back, watching with sick, twisted glee as it burst out the other side. Her grunt of pain was like music to his ears. “Wait until we get out of here.” She warned him, coughing up blood that dripped down onto her chest, mingling with the blood that was already oozing out of it. “You’ll pay for this.”

“Try me.” Myungjun growled, twisting the sword inside of her harshly before ripping it free. “I’ll just kill you again, for real this time.” Hyejin laughed weakly before going limp and being pulled through the floor.

“Junnie?” He heard someone’s voice and looked up to see a boy watching him, shock etched into his features. The boy looked down at the ground where Hyejin had disappeared and back up to Myungjuns face. “Junnie do you know who I am?”

“Yes.” Myungjun said simply and watched the boy relax. “You’re the next person I’m going to kill.” Myungjun lunged towards the startled boy with a snarl but was stopped short when he heard a voice he recognised.

“Hyung?” His head whipped around to see Sanha eyeing him fearfully. “Hyung you don’t want to do that.” Myungjun looked back at the boy in front of him who was frozen and felt hatred boil up in his chest. “Hyung listen to me. That’s Jinwoo, your boyfriend. You love him, you don’t want to hurt him. You’ll be sad if you do.”

Myungjun laughed and stared into the eyes of the stranger. “I don’t love him. He means nothing to me.” He didn’t miss the hurt that flashed across the boy’s face and smirked. “How do you want to die? Like her?”

“Hyung look at me.” Sanha said desperately and Myungjun turned to him with a frown. Why was Sanha trying so hard to stop him from killing their enemy? “Hyung can you summon Camellia? I really want to see her.” Sanha asked, giving him a strained smile.

“I don’t have time for that Sanha.” Myungjun said irritably, pulling his other sword free from its scabbard. He only had time for killing.

“Think about it Hyung.” Sanha said quickly. “You learnt how to use Camellia to make people hallucinate right? Why don’t you use her to make Jinwoo believe he’s in lots of pain before killing him? Wouldn’t that be more satisfying? A slow agonising death is better isn’t it?”

“Sanha what are you doing?” The boy hissed and Myungjun whipped his head around to glare at him.

“Shut up.” He spat and the boy went silent immediately. What Sanha had said made excitement pool in his gut. He expended some of his magic and snatched a petal out of the air.

“Junnie wait.” The boy said, fear in his eyes. “Please don’t do this.”

Myungjun summoned Camellia and she landed on the forest floor with a tinkle. “Myungjun, tell Sanha I said thank you.”

“Why?” Myungjun asked her, eyebrows knitted together in confusion. When she insisted again, he sighed. “Camellia said thank you Sanha.” Sanha whined weakly with relief and Myungjun felt an uneasiness settle in his chest.

“You won’t remember this Myungjun, but we made a plan in therapy.” She said happily. Therapy? What therapy? “Now this may hurt a bit, but you’ll thank me later.” Myungjun didn’t have a chance to speak as he was engulfed in a thick cloudy pollen. Pain ripped through him and he screamed in agony before collapsing to the floor, writhing around and clawing at his skin.

“GET IT OUT.” He screamed. “GET THE VENOM OUT.” Myungjun felt the siren venom eating away at his skin, layer after layer of agonising pain and he looked over at his boyfriend with desperation in his eyes. “JINJIN HELP ME.”

“That’s enough.” Jinwoo commanded Camellia and she stopped her hallucinogenic spore distribution immediately. When all the pollen disappeared Jinwoo raced over and dropped to his knees beside Myungjuns head. “Junnie it’s okay. You recognise me now right?” Myungjun nodded, relief flooding over him as he cried. The plan had worked. Pain brought him back and he hadn’t hurt Jinwoo at all. “Thank the deity.” Jinwoo said weakly, pulling Myungjun up and into his lap. Myungjun cried into his chest and hugged him tight.

A few seconds later, a horn blared noisily through the battledome, signalling the end of the competition.

*

Myungjun stumbled out of the battledome and into the combat centre, where his team was met with cheers and congratulations. He didn’t feel like celebrating though. Rocky was crying silently in Sanhas arms as the younger boy led him through the crowds of people and he watched them go, his own grief attacking his heart. He spotted Grove talking to his father and pushed his hatred for the man aside to approach them, with Jinwoo hovering at his back protectively.

“Congratulations Myungjun.” His father said, smiling down at him and Myungjun purposefully ignored him.

“Grove I need your help.” Myungjun said instead, with determination in his voice. “Rockys devastated and it’s not going to be long before he loses control. Is there any way we can fix this? I know you were all watching us in there, so you know what’s happened. Rocky Jr can’t really be gone, can he?”

Grove sighed and looked down at him with a frown. “It is highly unlikely that Rocky Jr will be found, the lava could have melted him away. The only thing you can do now is help Rocky get through this terrible time.”

“So you’re not even going to try?” Myungjun asked angrily, clenching his fists. “That’s our FRIEND who died in there. Rocky Jr might only be an animated companion but he’s one of us! How is it fair that if we die in there, we get pulled out and revived but he doesn’t?” His petals rained down above him the angrier he got. “If you won’t help, then I’ll go back in there myself!”

He turned around to leave and heard his father clear his throat. “Myungjun you’ll only get hurt if you go back there. More hurt then you already are.”

“I don’t care!” Myungjun shouted, silencing everyone in the room and spinning around to glare up at him. He could feel the blood still trickling down his chest and tried to ignore it. “No-one is doing anything to help us, so I’d rather burn to death over and over again in there to find him myself! Why do you care if I get hurt anyway? If you care so damn much, why don’t you be a good father for a change and go in my place instead!” He finished his tirade of angry words, chest heaving.

His father raised his eyebrows and Myungjun was frustrated to see a smile tugging at the man’s lips. “Okay.” He said simply.

“What?” Myungjun asked weakly as his anger fizzled out. “What do you mean okay?”

“I will go in your place and find this Rocky Jr you so desperately miss. I will need help though.” He added, staring pointedly at Jinwoo.

“Fine.” Jinwoo said stiffly, nodding his head towards the door to the battledome. “Let’s go.”

“Wait.” Myungjun said, still not understanding what was happening. “Why are you helping me?” He couldn’t help the miniscule flicker of hope that ignited in his chest at the thought of the man actually caring about him after all.

His father cleared his throat and gestured around the room. “You have created quite a scene Myungjun. Everyone is watching and it will just make me look bad if I say no.” He brushed past Myungjun, extinguishing the hope in his chest and making Myungjun angry at himself for hoping in the first place.

He turned around and saw that what he had said was true. Everyone was looking between them with wide eyes. Great, Myungjun thought irritably, now everyone knows he’s my father.

“Junnie I’ll be back soon okay?” Jinwoo said, pulling him in for a hug.

“I’m coming with you.” Myungjun said, pushing him away. “I can’t wait around not knowing what’s going on.”

Grove finally spoke up behind him. “Myungjun I want you to stay here. Going somewhere with your father and Jinwoo together is just asking for trouble. You could snap at any time and you do not need any more emotional trauma today. Let them handle this, they’ll be quicker alone.” Myungjun tried to protest but Grove silenced him.

“Junnie look at me.” Jinwoo said quietly and Myungjun turned around to pout at him. “We’ll bring Rocky Jr back okay? Go and check on Rocky for me.” He dropped a kiss onto Myungjuns pouty lips before stepping away and following his father back into the battledome.

*

Myungjun found Rocky and Sanha, curled up together in one of the reading chairs by the fire in the library, fast asleep. Cute, he thought with a smile before sitting down in a chair of his own and closing his eyes. He couldn’t sleep himself. Anxiety swirled around in his mind as he waited for any news of Jinwoos return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Myungjuns father stepping up to help...what?
> 
> Also, someone help Myungjun, he's literally walking around with his chest cut open? Isn't that like, dangerous or something??


	62. Chapter 62

It was well past midnight before Myungjun felt something rush past his ear. He reached up quickly to grab Jinwoos note, the smell of singed parchment filling his nostrils as he unrolled it eagerly. The fire users had learnt how to send notes this way using their magic and it came in handy now.

**_We found the original rock. It was melted down a lot so I don’t know if it will work. Your father has fire magic, thought you’d like to know._ **

If his father had fire magic, why did he ask for Jinwoos help? Myungjun quickly pushed that thought away and rushed out of his chair to gently shake Rocky awake. The younger boy whimpered unhappily and snuggled up further into Sanhas neck. Rocky froze suddenly, before pulling away and jumping out of the chair.

“What’s going on?” Sanha asked sleepily, rubbing at his eyes with a pout.

Myungjun turned to Rocky who was blushing furiously and smiled. “I have some news that might interest you.” Rockys eyes snapped towards him, a glimmer of hope in them. “When we left the battledome, I convinced my father to go and look for Rocky Jr. He took Jinwoo with him and they found his original rock.” He watched as Rockys mouth dropped open in shock and Sanha scrambled up from the chair.

“He’s alive?” Rocky asked in disbelief and Myungjun passed him the note. Rocky scanned the note quickly, re-reading it a couple of times before bursting into happy tears and launching himself at Myungjun. Myungjun picked him up in a tight hug and spun him around laughing, pure unadulterated joy radiating from them both. He let Rocky go and watched Sanha squeak in surprise as Rocky engulfed him in a hug next. Rocky pulled back and planted a messy kiss on his cheek. “Thankyou for looking after me Ddana.”

Sanha pushed him away with a shriek and furiously scrubbed at his cheek, blushing a deep crimson. “EW Hyung what the hell! Why did you do that?”

“I’m happy.” Rocky said, shooting him a big grin that made Sanha stutter. “I’m going to meet them at the combat centre bye!”

“Ddana?” Sanha asked weakly, watching his retreating back. “Why did he call me that?”

“It’s awfully cute.” Myungjun pointed out, giggling as Sanha glared at him. “Let’s go see Rocky Jr get revived yeah?”

*

When they made it to the combat centre, Myungjun saw Jinwoo sitting on one of the benches, leaning back against the wall with his eyes closed. He looked tired and Myungjun felt his heart swell. Jinwoo had been out there for _hours_ to help their friend and Myungjun was hit, yet again, with how much of a good person Jinwoo was. He knew it anyway but the little things Jinwoo did always solidified that belief.

“Myungjun.” His fathers voice made him turn and he saw him walking over, looking just as tired. “I didn’t expect you to still be awake.”

“I couldn’t sleep.” Myungjun muttered, watching as Rocky sat on one of the mats, hugging Rocky Jrs rock to his chest.

“You really care about them.” Myungjuns father said, no emotion to his voice.

Myungjun frowned and continued to avoid his gaze. “Of course I do, they’re my friends. Oh sorry,” He began sarcastically. “I forgot you told me I shouldn’t let my emotions get the better of me. But to me, it looks like that was the right thing to do in this situation. If I hadn’t gotten _emotional_ you wouldn’t have helped, and Rocky Jr would be gone.”

“It doesn’t make any difference at all that we found that rock Myungjun.” His father said, making Myungjun finally look up at him. “We could have left it there and your friend would have moved passed his grief soon enough and created another rock golem to replace it. This has been a childish endeavour on my part, but I indulged you this once. I won’t do it again.”

Myungjun growled angrily. “Of course it makes a difference! Rocky Jr was the first rock he ever made! He had it for years before he animated him so he’s special. He can _never_ be replaced.”

“First loves do not last Myungjun.” His father said, irritation seeping into his voice. “He would have forgotten about him after a time and moved on to create more powerful companions who would serve him better.” The word ‘serve’ made Myungjun bristle. Friends didn’t _serve_ other friends, they worked together. “I’m tired now Myungjun. Go and be with your friends but remember what I said.” He took off out of them room leaving Myungjun to stew angrily.

“What’s going on?” He heard Rocky ask worriedly and looked over to see Rocky Jr running around on the floor. Except he was different, he was a lot smaller, smaller than he’d ever been before and was hardly growing at all no matter how much magical energy Rocky was feeding him. The younger boy collapsed back on the mat from the strain. “Why is he so small?”

Myungjun squealed at how _adorable_ Rocky Jr was and rushed forwards to pick him up. He hardly weighed anything at all and garbled happily in Myungjuns hands. “Hey buddy we missed you!” Myungjun planted a kiss on his face and Rocky Jr made a scratchy noise that Myungjun could easily identify as a laugh. “You’re small because your rock was melted down aren’t you buddy?” Rocky Jr nodded his head quickly and tried to wriggle out of Myungjuns grip. He put him down and watched amused as Rocky Jr ran over to climb on Rockys stomach.

“Hey cutie.” Jinwoo said tiredly from behind him and Myungjun spun around to grin at his boyfriend.

“You did it Jinwoo!” He rushed forwards to give him a hug and buried his face in Jinwoos neck. He smelt extra smoky. Myungjuns joy was replaced with worry as he felt him trembling from exhaustion. “JinJin get on my back, I’ll take you to bed.” He pulled back to turn around and waited for Jinwoo to climb on. When Jinwoos arms and legs were wrapped securely around him he turned to the others. “We’re going now guys, get some sleep.” Sanha waved to him from his position on the floor as he played with Rocky Jr on Rockys stomach.

Myungjun left them to it and piggybacked his sleepy boyfriend from the room. The night air was cool, and he felt Jinwoo start to radiate heat at his back. “Stop it JinJin, you’re too tired.” The heat immediately ceased but Jinwoos body was still warm enough to keep the chill at bay. “Try and stay awake until we get to the fire users’ corridor so you can open the way for me with your magic.”

Jinwoo mumbled incoherently and five minutes later was fast asleep, snoring softly with his face pressed into Myungjuns neck.

*

Myungjun skipped all his classes the next day, in favour of staying in bed with Jinwoo. Jinwoo didn’t wake up until after lunch anyway and they both decided they could skip their last two classes.

“That was hard work yesterday.” Jinwoo groaned, stretching his arms above his head, before bringing them back down to wrap around Myungjuns shoulders. Myungjun whined happily against his chest and wriggled around on top of him, trying to get comfy again.

“You did good yesterday JinJin. I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks Junnie.” Myungjun smiled as he felt Jinwoos lips press into his hair and he buried his face into Jinwoos top. Myungjun had somehow managed to get them both changed the night before, after rooting around In Jinwoos dresser with one hand for some pyjamas and using his other hand to help hold Jinwoo up on his back whilst he slept. Having to wake Jinwoo up to get changed proved to be the hardest part and took a lot of convincing, but somehow, he had succeeded.

He breathed in the fresh scent of Jinwoos top now and sighed, feeling mixed emotions. He was happy that this top smelled much better than the one he had replaced last night, but he felt unhappy because the top was so clean it didn’t smell like his boyfriend at all. Jinwoo smelled like campfires and spice usually, so smelling only his freshly laundered clothes made Myungjun pout.

He remembered back to when he had lain in this similar position, but underneath Jinwoo instead, the night before the battledome, and how Jinwoo had left love bites across his chest before telling him how good he smelled up close. He blushed at the thought but secretly wished he had the courage to ask Jinwoo to take his shirt off, just so he could experience how good Jinwoos skin would smell up close too.

Jinwoo suddenly shifted beneath him and asked him to sit up. Myungjun did so quickly, afraid he was crushing him, and sat back on Jinwoos thighs, watching his boyfriend push himself up to greet him. Jinwoo pressed a quick kiss to his neck before pulling his shirt up and off over his head and laying back down, his beautiful tan skin spread out bare across the mattress.

“What are you doing?” Myungjun squeaked, staring hard at his face. Don’t look down, don’t look down, don’t look down.

“I read your mind Junnie, sorry, force of habit.” Jinwoo said giving him a small smile. “Come back down here and cuddle.” He opened his arms as an invitation and Myungjun hesitated. Sure, he’d touched Jinwoos naked chest before, but there was a stark difference between that and actually laying his head there. “Junnie don’t be shy, come here it’s cold without you.”

“You don’t get cold.” Myungjun pointed out.

Jinwoo grinned up at him and shrugged. “Maybe not, but I do get less warm without you around. So come and warm me up.”

Myungjun rolled his eyes but did what he was told. He slowly leaned forwards, keeping his eyes on Jinwoos face until it felt awkward to do so and then squeezed them shut, closing the rest of the distance quickly and feeling the warm firmness of Jinwoos chest hit his cheek.

“See, this isn’t so bad is it?” Jinwoo asked happily, running a hand through Myungjuns hair. “Breath Myungjun, you’ll die otherwise.”

Myungjun heavily breathed out the breath he was holding and immediately regretted it. Breathing out meant he needed to breathe in, and he was immediately assaulted by the spicy campfire smell he had grown to love. It was a lot stronger than it was at Jinwoos neck and made him dizzy. He opened his eyes when he felt something soft hit his cheek and whined in embarrassment as he realised he was shedding petals again.

“You’re terribly romantic Junnie.” Jinwoo said with a chuckle. “Filling my bed with petals all the time.”

“I don’t mean to.” Myungjun whined again, feeling his face heat up. “You just smell really good JinJin.”

Jinwoo pulled him closer to his chest and sighed happily. “Let’s stay like this then. Nap time.”

*

Myungjun woke up to the sound of someone knocking on Jinwoos door. He lifted his head off Jinwoos chest groggily and wiped the drool from the corner or his mouth and off Jinwoos chest feeling mildly embarrassed.

“Jinwoo. I know you’re in there.” Blazes voice floated through the door and Myungjun tensed. “You didn’t come to classes today and I’m here to make sure you’re okay. Open the door now.”

Jinwoo cursed beneath him and Myungjun looked up startled to see that he was awake as well. “What are we going to do?” Myungjun whispered frantically. “If he comes in, we’re done for.”

“Do you trust me?” Jinwoo whispered back. When Myungjun nodded he smiled. “Good. Wait for me.” He pushed Myungjun off of himself, breaking the contact with his magic and Myungjun fell to the floor with a surprised squeal as Jinwoos room disappeared around him.

Wherever he had ended up was dark and he got up quickly to reach around blindly for a light switch. When he found it, the room was flooded with light and he blinked rapidly, trying to adjust his eyes to the sudden change. The room he was in was completely empty and it didn’t have any windows. Of course it wouldn’t you idiot, Myungjun thought, we’re underground. He sat down against one of the walls and waited for Jinwoo like he asked.

He waited for an unknown amount of time before Jinwoo burst through the door, luckily fully clothed. “Hey Junnie, are you okay?” He asked, helping Myungjun to his feet.

“I’m fine JinJin. Did we get caught?” Jinwoo shook his head and they smiled at each other. “Good I really didn’t want another detention. Let’s go get some dinner now I’m _starving_.”


	63. Chapter 63

Myungjun walked into his greenhouse and looked around. The large wooden planter at the back held multiple different plants now and Myungjun went over to see what they wanted today. Ms Jung had given him free roam to plant what he wanted after being so successful with his tomato and bell pepper plant and he’d taken the opportunity seriously. He still had to watch and wait for them to grow steadily from the seeds she provided, as they wouldn’t be learning how to grow food, using just their magic alone, until next year. He picked a ripe strawberry from one plant and munched on it happily as he got to work.

After he had watered and weeded where possible, he harvested the rest of his strawberries and put them all into a wooden bowl before stepping back outside and locking his door. He was always extra cautious to shut it properly now after seeing what the hornworms had done to Youngjaes poor plant. He walked out into the herbology clearing and found Ms Jung to offer her a strawberry.

“Oh wow Myungjun these look delicious!” She said happily, taking one from the bowl and making a noise of approval as she bit into it.

“I’m off now.” Myungjun said, giving her a little wave. “See you next lesson.”

He made his way to lunch with a skip in his step and summoned Camellia, who landed on the floor beside him with a tinkle.

“Someone’s in a good mood today.” Her light, breezy voice made him smile even more.

“Today is a good day. My plants are thriving, I have more of my favourite classes to attend, everything sings of spring and I have this gift to give my friends.” Myungjun explained, shaking the bowl of strawberries her way. “Would you like one?”

He watched as one of her roots crept into the bowl as they walked, to wrap around one of the strawberries. She crushed it and a red stain travelled along her root before disappearing into her stem. “Lots of nutrients in that one.” She said happily, pulling her root back down.

Myungjun entered the hall and looked around. His friends were crowded together on a small table, laughing and eating happily and Myungjun made his way over with a grin on his face. “Hello.”

Jinwoo looked up and patted his lap. There were no free chairs so Myungjun sat down on Jinwoos thighs and cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. “My strawberries are done.” He laughed as multiple hands grabbed for them eagerly and made sure to save one for Jinwoo. He fed it to him and kissed the sweetness from his lips, pulling away before Sanha saw and screamed at them again.

“Can I have another one?” Jinwoo asked. Myungjun wasn’t sure if he meant another strawberry or another kiss but shook his head all the same. The others had devoured the rest and Sanha no longer had food to distract him. Jinwoo scowled and crossed his arms across his chest making Myungjun giggle. _Adorable._

Something wet popped against the back of Myungjuns head and he looked back at his friends to see Moonbin and Hoseok having a competition to see who could blow the biggest bubbles from their fingertips with their water magic. When it looked like Hoseok was winning, Dongmin quickly froze it and Hoseok shrieked as the ball of ice fell into his drink, splashing it all over the table.

They started to bicker and Myungjun turned his attention to Rocky instead, who was holding a stone in his hand, with his eyes screwed shut in concentration. Rocky Jr was sitting on the table in front of him, no bigger than Rockys cup beside him, and clapping his stony fists happily. Myungjun watched with interest as Rocky split the rock in half with his hands and cheered.

“What are you doing?” Myungjun asked. Rocky looked up and smiled, showing him the inside of the rock. It was crystallised inside, a pretty blue colour that made Myungjun gasp. “How did you do that?”

“We’ve been learning how to make crystals and gemstones in class.” Rocky said happily. “This is the first time I’ve managed to do it without help!” His excitement made Myungjun coo and he reached over to ruffle the younger boy’s hair fondly.

“What classes do you have today Junnie?” Jinwoo asked, wrapping his arms around Myungjuns waist.

“I have Design next and then Zoology after dinner. What about you?”

“Just Practical skills.” Jinwoo replied with a yawn. “I want to go back to bed instead.”

Myungjun shuffled around in his lap to look at him. “Did you not sleep well last night?”

Jinwoo shook his head with a sigh. “I didn’t train hard enough yesterday, so I wasn’t as tired last night. I managed to read half of the new book I got from the library before falling asleep, and I don’t think I slept for long after that either.”

“Sometimes its good to take a break from training so hard all the time JinJin. Sometimes I look at you and get scared your muscles are going to burst out of your skin.” His joke made Jinwoo laugh and he grinned, satisfied. “You’re such a bookworm though JinJin. You have so many books in your room already, why did you need another one?”

“I read them all.” Jinwoo said with a shrug. “Remember I once told you that I liked books more than I like people.” Myungjun did remember that. When they’d moved from the guesthouse to the academy on the day of their entrance exam, Jinwoo had been carrying a heavy looking bag, that he had revealed to be full of books.

“Is that still true?” Myungjun asked, genuinely curious.

“I like books more than people, excluding those at this table.” Jinwoo said, looking around at their friends. “I guess I like all these guys more.”

Myungjun looked around when he heard Youngjae gag and Jinwoo glared his way irritably. Youngjae quickly went back to eating his lunch and Myungjun finally noticed Hyungwon wasn’t there. “What about Hyungwon, he’s not here and you only said excluding those at this table?”

“I said what I said.” Jinwoo replied unbothered.

Myungjun sighed and shook his head. “Why can’t my two favourite boys get along?” He felt Jinwoos arms clench around his waist and looked back to see Jinwoo frowning at him.

“I’m your favourite though right? Number one favourite of us both. The favouritist?”

Myungjun bit back a laugh and schooled his expression into one of seriousness. “Whatever helps you sleep at night Jinwoo.” He squealed loudly as Jinwoo tickled him for his teasing and squirmed away to run to his next lesson.

*

Myungjun walked out of design class holding the bouquet of flowers he had made. Mr Lee had moved them on to flower arranging and Myungjun couldn’t be more excited if he tried. He _adored_ flowers and getting to spend his lessons surrounded by them was a great mood boost. He had his sketchbook and design portfolio in his bag, ready to sketch out the bouquet he had made after getting some dinner.

None of his friends were out of class yet so Myungjun sat by himself, placing the flowers gently on the table before filling up his plate with food and grabbing an extra bowl of rice. He had forgotten to eat lunch earlier, too busy running away from Jinwoos tickly hands, and felt the hunger gnaw away at his stomach. He was on his second helping when he felt a cool hand on his back.

“Hey Junnie, they’re pretty.” Hyungwon said, pointing to his flowers as he sat down beside him. “Did you do that in design class today?” Myungjun nodded proudly before noticing the little ice sculpture Hyungwon was holding. It was shaped like a dragon and glistened in the light. Hyungwon saw his awed face and held it out to him. “I made this for you in my design class. I tried to make it look like the dragon you raised but it’s actually really hard.” He added, frowning down at the sculpture in his hands.

“Is that really for me?” Myungjun whispered, reaching forwards to touch it gently. “It’s beautiful ‘wonnie, it looks just like her!”

“You’re just saying that to be nice.” Hyungwon mumbled sulkily before handing it over. “It’s not that good. When I get more skilled at shaping ice, I’ll make you a better one.”

Myungjun took it from his hands gently and stroked the little scales on the dragon’s head. He used to do that to his dragon all the time and it made a knot of sadness and longing settle in his stomach. He really did miss her sometimes. “I want a pet dragon for real one day.” He said aloud, making Hyungwon chuckle.

“People don’t keep dragons as pets Junnie. They’re really dangerous.”

“She wasn’t dangerous!” said Myungjun defensively. “She might have burnt some of my plants and my suit cuff for the masked ball and chewed on my stuffed bird, but she didn’t mean to!”

“You have a stuffed bird?” Hyungwon asked with one eyebrow raised. “Just when I thought you couldn’t get any cuter…” He laughed when Myungjun pouted and promised not to tell Jinwoo when Myungjun threatened him. “Seriously though, our assignments were just _copies_ of magical creatures Junnie. The real things are much more dangerous.”

“You sound just like my father.” Myungjun said grumpily, remembering the way his father had schooled him during the Zoology lesson he had been a guest speaker for.

“Oh yeah I meant to talk to you about that.” Hyungwon said, sounding slightly upset. “Why didn’t you tell me that your father was the Dragon Knight? That’s the most insane thing I’ve ever heard! Do you know how famous he is?”

“I only found out last year. I didn’t even know he was some guild master bigshot.”

“You only found out last year?” Hyungwon asked with a frown. “Why?”

Myungjun sighed and sat back in his chair, pushing the rest of his food away. He really wished he had told the others sooner now. “I never had a father growing up ‘wonnie. My mother always shut me down whenever I asked about why I didn’t have one, like all the other children at school. She just told me he’d left and never explained why. Then I saw him during our first trip to Voredan in a coffee shop. I didn’t know who he was obviously, but his eyes looked so familiar it made me uneasy. It was made worse when he looked my way and didn’t say a word, just drank his coffee and left. Then I saw him during the illusion on the third floor in the dungeons. He’s always there, stabbing my mother in the back. That’s why I left to go home; I was so worried something had actually happened to her, but I realised soon after it was just metaphorical for him betraying her. She didn’t even need to tell me that he was my father, I guessed it from her reaction when I described him to her and still, she didn’t tell me what happened between them. You didn’t see, but he was there during the Academies Best Fighter Competition last year and he was the one who made us fight again so quickly because he was _ashamed_ of me for losing my weapon to that girl. He didn’t care how tired or hurt I was, he just wanted me to make up for the embarrassment I made him feel.”

“What a jerk.” Hyungwon growled, stabbing at his own food angrily.

“My thoughts exactly.” said Myungjun unhappily. “After seeing him again during that zoology lesson, looking down on me for what I said about dragons, I knew I couldn’t stay there and listen to him talk. I’m sorry for not explaining things to you right there and then but I needed to get away. He just makes me so _angry_. Angry because he doesn’t care about me and because he doesn’t seem to regret abandoning me when I was just a baby.” Myungjun took a deep breath before revealing what he’d been hiding the most from his friends. “He’s the reason I hurt people, the reason I hurt Jinwoo so badly and one of the main reasons I’m in therapy. Bora told me he’s my trigger, that whenever I see or think about him, it triggers the violent urges inside of me and makes me go crazy. I’m trying _so hard_ ‘wonnie, so hard to get better but he keeps appearing and making things worse.”

He didn’t realise he was crying until Hyungwon leaned forwards to wipe at his face. “Why didn’t you tell me Junnie?” He asked sadly. “This is something I should know as your best friend, so I can help you.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to speak about it, please don’t be mad at me.”

Hyungwon made an offended noise and pulled him in for a hug. “Me? Mad at you? Not a chance.” Myungjun finally giggled and hugged him back tighter. “Junnie please tell me you’ve told Jinwoo at least.” When Myungjun nodded he sighed with relief before pulling away. “Good. No more secrets okay?”

*

Myungjun sat by the lake, watching the sun set in the sky, as he sketched his flowers feeling more relaxed than he had in a long time. Telling Hyungwon had felt freeing and he had agreed when Hyungwon asked if he could tell the rest of their friends. Myungjun didn’t want to do it himself, that would require thinking about the man again and he already knew how dangerous that was for him still.

When he was finished with his drawing, he slipped it into his design portfolio before moving on to sketch the little dragon sculpture. Hyungwon had explained to him that despite it being ice, it wouldn’t melt, due to his teacher imbuing it with an enchant. It could still be broken though so Myungjun set it carefully on the grass before getting to work.

“I’ve been looking for you.”

Myungjun turned around to see Jinwoo walking his way and gave him a small smile before turning back to what he was doing. “I’ve been out here for a while. Its been nice and quiet.”

“It won’t be quiet for long.” Jinwoo said, sitting down next to him and pointing across the lake.

Myungjun watched as Moonbin and Hoseok stepped onto the lake and sighed. They’d both learnt how to walk on water using their magic and they’d been extra competitive lately. Myungjun could already see where this was going, so he set his work aside and sat back to watch them race. Both boys set of running across the lake whilst Dongmin and Rocky cheered them on. When it looked like Hoseok was ahead, Moonbin reached out and gave him a push, causing the older boy to give out an almighty shriek before falling into the water.

“So much for the peace and quiet.” Myungjun said, shaking his head at them fondly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoseok got so much disrespect in this chapter. Moonbin and Dongmin will never let him win at anything xD


	64. Chapter 64

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uploading early because I needed to keep my hands busy. I have an important exam in an hour and I'm DYING. Anxiety is real folks TT

Myungjun looked up from his breakfast in surprise when Sanha came running into the hall screaming happily. “What’s going on?”

Sanha thrust a piece of parchment towards him and Myungjun put aside his cutlery to read it.

IMPORTANT NOTICE- 2ND YEAR STUDENTS ONLY  
YOON SANHA- AIR ELEMENTAL

I AM DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE THE BEGINNING OF YOUR FLYING LESSONS. ALL 2ND YEAR AIR ELEMENTAL STUDENTS MUST PARTICIPATE IN THIS SPECIAL CLASS, THAT WILL BE HELD EVERY SATURDAY EVENING FOR THE NEXT MONTH.  
CLASSES WILL BE TAKING PLACE OUTSIDE OF THE ACADEMY, IN THE CITY OF VEALLA AT THE KINGS CASTLE. THE ACADEMIES REPUTATION MUST BE UPHELD, SO INDECENT BEHAVIOUR WILL BE SEVERELY PUNSIHED.  
YOU CAN ACCESS THE PATHWAY TO VAELLA FROM THE GILDED DOOR IN THE AIR USERS COMMON ROOM. YOUR FIRST CLASS IS THIS SATURDAY AT 7PM SHARP. DO NOT BE LATE.

SIGNED  
ZEPHYR  
AIR ELEMENTAL LEADER

“Wow Sanha this is so exciting!” Myungjun squealed, passing the letter to Jinwoo so he could read next. “I have so many questions though.”

“Like what?” asked Sanha with a mouth full of food.

“What’s the city of Vealla? I’ve never heard of it before.” Myungjun began. “And how does it have a King? I thought there was only one King, the one in Voredan. Also, why do the air users have a common room and we don’t? That doesn’t sound very fair.”

Sanha laughed at his pout and pushed his food away. “That’s a lot of questions Hyung. Where to start…”

“Vealla is the city in the clouds, home to most air users.” Dongmin piped up from across the table. “I’ve read lots about its history in books. Apparently, it’s a sanctuary of peace that has not seen war for many years. Most elemental air users aspire to ‘ascend’ to this city upon leaving the academy for a peaceful life to match their peaceful nature. That’s what the book said anyway, there’s nothing peaceful about this one.” Dongmin finished, nodding his head towards Sanha.

Myungjun snorted at the offended look on Sanhas face and picked up his glass of water. “Okay I understand that much, but why does it need a separate king? Can’t other elementals go to this city? Wait, is the King in Voredan even a magic user? Oh bloody hell I have so many more questions now.”

Jinwoo laughed and handed the letter back to Sanha. “The King in Voredan isn’t magical. As you’re well aware, not everyone accepts magic users, so they couldn’t exactly put one on the throne. Not everyone would accept his rule otherwise. He does have a magic counsel though, that advise him on how best to deal with magic users like us and they take care of the magical side of things, obviously.”

“So, because he’s not magical, he can’t go to Vealla, which is why they need a different King?”

“That’s not the only reason.” Namjoon interjected, scratching his arm absentmindedly. “Air users have the most respected elemental magic type, which over the years has made them pretty snobby. They wouldn’t accept being ruled by a non-magical King, so they crowned their own. Also, all elementals can go to Vealla, but if you’re not an air user then you need a special invite.”

Myungjun hummed thoughtfully before realising one of his original questions still hadn’t been answered. “So Sanha, why do you get a common room and we don’t? Where even is your room anyway? I’ve never actually asked where you air users are housed.” Now that Myungjun thought about it, he was deathly curious. He knew where every other type of elemental was housed. Plant manipulators in the trees of the surrounding forest, ground manipulators in the caves underneath the forest, water and ice users on the lake and fire users under the academy in fire-proof rooms.

“My room is all the way at the top of the academy.” Sanha explained cheerfully. “We open a door and it takes us out into a smaller replica of Vealla. If we look over the edge of the walls surrounding the pathways, we can see down onto the academy grounds, but its really high up. I remember one girl was sick when she looked over the edge, she has a terrible fear of heights, I feel kind of bad for her.”

“An air user with a fear of heights?” Rocky snorted. “How unlucky.”

Sanha ignored him and continued talking. “Our rooms are incredible Hyung, so spacious and grand. It almost feels like a shame to come down to the ground again.”

“Watch out Sanha. Your air user snobbery is showing.” Moonbin said, a smile tugging at his lips.

They started to bicker and Myungjun slammed his palm down on the table irritably, shaking the cutlery. “Will all of you just shut up and stop distracting Sanha so he can answer my damn question already!” Everyone was immediately silent, looking at him with wide eyes. “Thankyou. Now Sanha, please answer my question before I die from old age.”

Sanha cleared his throat nervously to speak and Myungjun almost felt bad for snapping at them all. “We get a common room, and big rooms and other things because its all funded by the King in the sky. He pays to make sure we have everything.”

“Probably a way to bribe you into living in the real city and keeping the city going when you leave this place.” Youngjae said with a frown. “Air users really are privileged.”

*

Myungjun hissed in pain as Jinwoos daggers sliced against the skin of his arm. These weapons were by far the worst to train with and Myungjun was glad he had finally had his healing class on fusing skin back together. It certainly came in handy now. He let Jinwoo tackle him to the floor and didn’t bother getting up when Jinwoo climbed off of him.

“Stop being lazy Myungjun. You’ll never learn how to use the daggers properly if you don’t try hard enough. You haven’t even landed a single hit on me today.” Jinwoo said, looking down at him disapprovingly.

Myungjun tossed his daggers to the side and sat up before looking down at his torso. His top was sliced in at least six different places and his arms were littered with tiny cuts. “JinJin I HATE these daggers. I’m never going to use them anyway so what’s the point?”

“They’re not a main weapon usually Myungjun. I only used them as a main weapon in the battledome because I thought I’d be quicker without a pole and could rely more on my magic. Usually these are secondary weapons, to use if you lose your other one or find yourself in a situation where daggers are better. You NEED to learn how to use them. Hurry up and fix yourself and your shirt, I’ll be back in a few minutes with some water.”

Myungjun watched him go with a scowl. Jinwoo was being terribly bossy today and had reverted to using Myungjuns name rather than the nicknames he always gave him. It was stressing Myungjun out and he didn’t even know why Jinwoo was being this way towards him in the first place. He looked down at his shirt and quickly ran his finger over the torn fabric, using his magic to manipulate the fibres back together and seal the tears shut. When he was finished, he looked down at the cuts that covered his arms and spent some time fusing them closed.

“Are you finished?” Jinwoo asked, coming back over and handing him a glass of water. Myungjun didn’t bother answering him, just took his water with a mumbled thanks before draining the cup dry. Training was thirsty work. He took his cup back over to the table himself before going back to retrieve his daggers.

“Try harder this time Myungjun.”

*

“JinJin I’m so sorry!” Myungjun squeaked, dropping his daggers and reaching forwards to touch his boyfriends face. He’d finally had enough of being hurt and lashed out at Jinwoo angrily, cutting a long deep line across his cheek that was dripping blood onto his white tank top messily. “I didn’t mean to do that I swear!”

Jinwoo gave him a small smile and touched the cut with a wince. “You finally landed a hit though Junnie, I’m proud of you.”

“Stand still I’ll fix it.” Myungjun placed a hand over Jinwoos cheek and closed his eyes. He fed his magic into the cut, frowning slightly as he tried to pull Jinwoos skin back together. Deeper cuts were a lot harder to do and took him longer to fuse. The little scratches that Jinwoo had left on his arms only took him around ten seconds each but what he had done to Jinwoos face took him a couple of minutes. When he was done, he pulled back with a sigh and felt himself get lightheaded. “JinJin I need to sit down; can you help me to the bench?”

He held out his hand, expecting Jinwoo to drag him over but made a noise of surprise when Jinwoo picked him up with an arm around his back and an arm under his legs instead. “You should have just let me go to the nurse instead Junnie. It worries me when you use light magic. You’re either feeling someone else’s pain or draining your energy. Only use it when it’s absolutely necessary from now on okay?”

Myungjun nodded tiredly and rested his head on Jinwoos shoulder, happily letting himself be carried. Jinwoo placed him down on the bench gently and helped Myungjun rest his head against the wall. “You made enough progress today, let me clean up our stuff and we’ll go get you some food okay?” He was walking away before Myungjun could answer.

*

Myungjun was walking past the lake, on his way back to his room after the last lesson of the day, when a voice he had come to dread called his name. “Hello Myungjun.” He turned around slowly to see his five bullies walking towards him.

“You know I’ve never actually asked for your names. How rude of me.” Myungjun said, trying to remain calm. “Why don’t we get to know one another?”

“Oh of course. Let’s have sleepovers and braid each other’s hair whilst we’re at it.” Their leader said making them all laugh.

They all stopped abruptly when Myungjun laughed too. “You’re a funny guy. What brings you here today?”

“We came to pay you back.” The boys said simply with a shrug. “You killed three of my boys in the battledome when you pulled your bridge away.”

Myungjun looked up to see three of the boys looking angry and made a noise of fake sympathy. “Maybe you were too heavy for my vines, you do have all that brawny muscle after all. Imagine how much heavier you’d be, if you actually had _brains_ inside those thick skulls of yours.”

“What did you just say?”

“I _said_ imagine how much-” Myungjun got cut off short with a punch to the face and laughed weakly through the pain as he stumbled backwards. “You shouldn’t have done that.” He pulled his vines through the floor, wrapping them around their throats and lifting them high up into the air. He watched them struggle, feeling mildly annoyed that it had gotten this far, before looking down at his leaf shaped birthmark. He pressed it gently and thought hard. *Grove they’re here*

Grove appeared before him almost instantly and looked at Myungjuns bloody nose before looking back at the five boys struggling for breath above them. “Myungjun I told you to call me straight away and to _avoid_ getting into a fight.”

“Sorry.” Myungjun said sheepishly. “They did attack me first.” He pulled his vines back down and the five boys fell to the floor spluttering and looking up at Grove in fear.

“Now boys. Let’s start with a detention and then discuss your future here at the academy, shall we?” Grove asked, looking down at them with a smile.

*

Myungjun was walking up the academy steps on his way to the infirmary, head tilted back in an attempt to stem the blood flow, when Jinwoo rushed out of the doors, dressed in his combat clothes and probably on his way to train. He stopped, startled, when he noticed Myungjun and immediately rushed over to him looking furious.

“Who did this to you?” He asked, grabbing onto Myungjuns face to look at his nose better. “The bullies from last year? Are they bullying you again? Where are they now? Oh bloody hell I’m going to LOSE it.”

Myungjun pulled away from him gently and tried to smile reassuringly but he winced at the pain it caused his face. “JinJin please let me go and get this fixed first. I can taste blood in my mouth and its making me feel sick. I’ll tell you everything after.”

“No Junnie, tell me now. I’ll sort it out for you I promise. All you have to do is tell me where they are and they won’t hurt you again, I’ll make sure of it.”

“What, like the last time you ‘sorted them out’ and ended up getting detention, yet they still never stayed away? Seriously Jinwoo I’m not going to tell you, it’s over now anyway. I’m going to the infirmary, so you can either come with me or continue on your way to train.” Myungjun brushed past him into the academy and heard Jinwoo following him a few seconds later. Luckily, he stayed quiet. When they got into the infirmary, Jinwoo sat down on the bed beside Myungjun to hold his hand.

“I have resigned myself to the fact that I will never see the end of you two in here.” The nurse said haughtily, cleaning up the blood around Myungjuns nose. “Its broken, as I’m sure you’re aware. What happened this time?”

“Something good.” Myungjun said happily, squeezing his eyes shut as his nose vibrated back into place under her touch. “Hopefully I won’t be back here now.”

“You probably will.” said the nurse with a sigh, before wiping away the last of the blood and dismissing him.

Myungjun walked back down to the lake with Jinwoo in silence and didn’t speak until they were seated in their usual spot. “I’ve been bullied since last year. They never gave up, but I never wanted to tell you because I didn’t want you to get into more trouble trying to stop them.”

“ _What_?” Jinwoo hissed angrily. “You’ve been keeping this from me since _last year_? What else have they done to you? Tell me NOW.”

“It doesn’t matter what they’ve done Jinwoo. It’s over.”

“Of course it matters! Have they hurt you like this before? Is that why the nurse is so fed up with seeing you?” Myungjun watched as Jinwoo stood up angrily to pace around on the grass, flexing his fingers. “Where are they? Seriously Myungjun I don’t care if you say it’s over. It’s not over until I make them pay for what they did to you!” Myungjun felt the heat rolling off of Jinwoo and scrambled up to stop him pacing.

“Hey JinJin, hey, look at me. I’m okay. They haven’t hurt me that badly before, just mild bullying that I could deal with alone. You don’t need to get them back because I already did.”

Jinwoo pulled away from him angrily and walked to the edge of the water. “Was it still the five of them? They’re cowards, ganging up on you like that.” He turned around quickly to stare at Myungjun. “Before today, when was the last time? Recently?” Myungjun shook his head and he sighed in relief.

“They haven’t come near me for a while. I made a plan with Bora and Grove, to use my birthmark whenever I was in trouble, so they could catch them in the act. That’s what I did today. They came after me because I killed three of them in the battledome. Remember the bridge I made to get us all across the chasm? The three I killed there were them. I didn’t even recognise them at the time because I was so freaked out by one of those lunatics throwing their sword at me. We spoke for a while out here today and I wound them up _purposefully_ , so they’d attack me. I NEEDED them too JinJin. I needed the evidence, so I was prepared for it. I nearly got into trouble too because I used my magic on them in return.”

“What did you do?” Jinwoo asked quietly, the anger fading from his voice as he stepped back over to Myungjun. “Did you lose control?”

Myungjun gave him a small smile and shook his head. “No JinJin. I had _perfect_ control. I didn’t slip at all. Buuuut I may or may not have wrapped my vines around their throats and lifted them twenty feet into the air?”

Jinwoo finally cracked a smile and laughed loud and bright. “That’s my boyfriend everybody!” He shouted, startling some of the other students who were sitting by the lake and pointing at Myungjun. “He didn’t lose control today and avoided killing anyone else!”

“JINWOO STOP!” Myungjun shrieked, rushing forwards to clamp a hand over his boyfriends’ big mouth. “People will think I’m crazy!” He pulled his hand away with a squeal when Jinwoo licked his palm sloppily.

“So?” Jinwoo asked with a shrug, watching in amusement as Myungjun scrubbed his hand dry on his shorts. “If people think you’re crazy then they’ll stay away from you.”

Myungjun whined and crossed his arms, glaring angrily at him. “You’re the most annoying person I’ve ever met Park Jinwoo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BTW Jinwoo was being bossy and purposefully not using Myungjuns nicknames, to push Myungjun to land a hit and improve. He went straight back to calling him Junnie after Myungjun succeeded xD Sometimes tough love is the only way.
> 
> Also, Myungjuns bullies got what they deserved?? Finally?? I have so many deleted bullying scenes that were going to be scattered throughout the previous chapters, but I couldn't bring myself to post them. Myungjunnie is an angel and I already put him through too much -.-


	65. Chapter 65

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My exam went well!!  
> Half of it was creative writing, so I shamelessly used my fic and wrote a five page miniature backstory on Sanha being abandoned by his parents at the Academy guesthouse when he was 5 and it made me emo.  
> Legit nearly cried in the exam hall oops~

Myungjun pushed his finished homework away with a groan. He was sitting at his desk in his room, choosing to study there instead of in the library so Jinwoo wouldn’t find and distract him. No matter how much he loved seeing his boyfriend, he really couldn’t afford to put his work off much longer.

It was a Saturday night and he was waiting to hear from Sanha about how his flying lesson had gone. He’d made the young boy promise to report to him on his progress, as the last few flying lessons hadn’t gone very well.

Namjoon cleared his throat from his position on his bed and Myungjun turned to see a book in one of his hands, and his other hand pointing to the air above Myungjuns head. “You have a message.” Myungjun looked up to see a little piece of paper fluttering down to greet him. He reached up and plucked it out of the air, recognising Sanhas cute handwriting straight away.

_**I still suck.** _

He’d signed it off with ‘Ddana’ and a little frowny face that made Myungjun giggle. He’s using the nickname Rocky gave him, Myungjun thought to himself with a smile, maybe they’re finally friends now. He quickly wrote back some words of encouragement before placing it down on the floor and summoning some little vines to take it back to the younger boy. He took one more look at his finished homework and stood up to stretch with a groan.

“You’re finished now?” Youngjae asked hopefully, poking his head out from underneath his covers looking tired. When Myungjun nodded he sighed in relief. “Thank the deity. Please turn off the light now I’m knackered.”

“Hey I’m reading!” Namjoon said with a frown.

“I don’t care Joon.” Youngjae replied, yawning loudly. “This room is for sleeping, if you want to read, go down to the library.”

As Namjoon got up to leave, Myungjun made his way to the bathroom. “I’m going for a quick shower.” He turned the light off on the way, hearing Youngjae make a noise of happiness and hearing Namjoon stub his toe on something and curse loudly.

Myungjun locked the door behind himself, making sure Youngjae couldn’t interrupt his shower again and shedded his clothes. He stepped under the warm running water and scrubbed at his arms and shoulders before staring down at his chest with a frown. He had a new scar there, running horizontally almost all the way across from Hyejin cutting him in the battledome. He was happy to see she hadn’t cut through any of the love bites Jinwoo left. He felt a flicker of satisfaction as he imagined the scar that she must have from the sword he plunged into her back in return, before shaking that thought away. He’d been positively feral when he had done that to her and shivered at the memory. That was nothing to be proud of.

No wonder the scar specialist is always so busy, he thought unhappily, its so easy to get scarred being a magic user. He was glad he’d fused Jinwoos cheek back together in time, so that it didn’t have a chance to scar over, like his eyebrow had after Myungjun attacked him the first time. He didn’t want Jinwoos handsome face to be ruined in such a way any further, especially by his hand.

Myungjun finished his shower, with a promise to himself that he’d find another scar specialist in Voredan the next time he went and turned off the shower to get out and find a towel. I won’t go to the same man, Myungjun thought, he was scary.

*

“You only have a month left until your final exams, so you need to concentrate!” Mr Songs voice rung around the Alchemy lab and everyone fell silent. The few students who had been messing around were looking down at the table, avoiding his gaze and he sighed. “Class dismissed.”

Myungjun got up from his seat and left with Hyungwon to get some lunch. “I don’t know why he’s so worried, we’ve all done really well this year.” Hyungwon mumbled, threading his fingers through Myungjuns and navigating the sea of students through the corridors. “If we didn’t think we were good at it, we wouldn’t have picked his optional class to begin with. I thought our potion today was pretty much perfect, except your hair is really suffering right now.”

Myungjun looked up to pull the bright yellow strands through his fingers and giggled. “It’s really cute ‘wonnie. I love the colour.”

“Of course you do Junnie.” Hyungwon said with a sigh. “That’s the colour that represents you the best I think, or green.” He added thoughtfully, leading them towards the table where their friends were sitting.

Jinwoo did a double take when he saw Myungjuns hair and reached over to touch it when Myungjun slipped into the seat beside him. “You dyed your hair?”

“Accidentally.” Myungjun said, grinning at him brightly. He saw Jinwoo quickly cover his eyes and frowned. “What are you doing?”

“That hair is making you radiate more than usual, and your smile blinded me, sorry.” He pulled his hands away to give Myungjun a smile of his own, making Myungjun giggle.

“You’re so cheesy JinJin”

“Only for you sunshine.” Jinwoo said happily, leaning forwards to kiss him. Jinwoo ignored Sanhas shrieks and peppered kisses all over Myungjuns face, trying to make him laugh. “What would you like to eat for lunch Junnie? I’ll get it for you.”

“Wow the service is excellent here today. I’ll take…another kiss?”

“Don’t you dare.” Sanha hissed at them from across the table. “You’re breaking the rules Hyungs! Do it again and we’ll kick you off the table.”

“I’ll kick _you_ off the table in a minute for talking to us like that.” Jinwoo hissed back. “Just eat your food and shut it.”

Sanha backed down immediately with a scowl and only made a tiny noise of disgust when Jinwoo kissed Myungjun again.

“Now what do you want for actual food?”

*

Myungjun sat in communications with Jinwoo, trying to get a read on him. He sat back with a sigh when he couldn’t hear or sense anything. “Your psychic shield is so strong now. I wish mine was that good.”

“Told you your notes wouldn’t help you.” Jinwoo said with a satisfied smirk and Myungjun stuck his tongue out at him childishly.

“Notes are important Jinwoo.” said Mr Seo, walking over to their table. “Let me test your shield.” He didn’t even need to touch Jinwoo to get a read on him and coughed awkwardly after a few seconds. “Jinwoo those thoughts are not very appropriate for class, now are they? Concentrate properly.” He walked away leaving Jinwoo a blushing mess.

“What were you thinking?” Myungjun asked curiously before having his own suspicions and flushing. “Were you thinking about…kissing?” He whispered the last word and Jinwoos eyes snapped up.

“Umm…sure, kissing.” He smiled at Myungjuns blush and reached over to pinch his cheek. “You’re so adorable sometimes.”

Myungjun swatted his hand away with a scowl. How could Jinwoo be thinking about _kissing_ in a situation like this? Now Mr Seo knew they kissed, and he wanted to die.

“My turn.” Jinwoo said happily, taking his hands. Myungjun tried to shield his mind but now all he could think about was kissing Jinwoo and he whined, embarrassed, as Jinwoo laughed. His mind clearly hated him, as his thoughts instantly shifted to other things next. Like the way Jinwoos arms felt when they were wrapped around him, or the way Jinwoos muscles flexed invitingly during combat practice when he was glowing with sweat and looking a different kind of handsome, or how his beautiful tan skin felt when Myungjun ran his fingers over it, or how _Jinwoos_ fingers felt when they were running over _his_ skin. Every embarrassing thought that could cross his mind at that moment did, and Myungjun was mortified when Jinwoo suddenly stopped laughing to stare at him with wide eyes.

Mr Song announced it was the end of class and Myungjun quickly ripped his hands away and took off out of the room. Why do I always make a fool out of myself? Myungjun thought angrily, tears already gathering. Now he knows how much of a creep I am for thinking those things.

“Junnie wait!” He heard his boyfriends voice behind him and started running. There was no way he was going to speak to Jinwoo about this. “Myungjun why are you running?” Students gave shouts of surprise as Myungjun pushed past them and he felt panic beginning to claw at his chest. He ran out of the academy doors and towards the forest. I’ll just hide, he thought desperately, I’ll just hide until he forgets about it. “Myungjun please slow down and just talk to me!” Jinwoos voice was closer now and he realised he wasn’t going to make it to the forest in time. So, he boxed himself in. Right in the middle of the grounds. In broad daylight.

His vines blocked out most of the light and he sat down on the grass heavily to cry. He now felt embarrassed not only because of what Jinwoo saw him thinking, but because everyone outside had now seen him have a complete breakdown and were probably laughing at him at this very second. He heard Jinwoos muffled voice coming through the vines and squeezed his eyes shut. It went silent after a while and Myungjun sighed, relieved that Jinwoo had given up.

*Stop crying and come out* Jinwoos voice was shockingly clear in his mind and he squeaked in surprise. *Seriously Myungjun, I feel like an idiot touching your vines like this. It’s like the night of our first ball all over again*

*Go away then JinJin. I don’t want to talk to you right now*

*You don’t need to be embarrassed Junnie*

*I do! You saw what I was thinking about* The cringe tore through him and he groaned.

*Myungjun listen to me. You’re my _boyfriend_. If you didn’t think about those things, I’d be pretty offended*

*…You’re only saying that to make me feel better*

*I’m really not. Here, let me show you what I was _actually_ thinking about when Mr Seo came over to us*

Myungjun saw himself, laying underneath Jinwoo again, like the night before the battledome. He was breathing heavily as Jinwoo left love bites all over his chest and he watched as Jinwoo licked a long stripe up his chest and neck to the shell of his ear to nibble at it gently. Myungjun shrieked and forced his psychic shield up, feeling too embarrassed and shocked to see any more. He took it down after a few seconds, upon realising Jinwoo couldn’t talk to him through his vines with his shield active.

*JinJin what the hell! You told me you were thinking about us kissing! *

*No, you said that. I just went along with it* Jinwoos thoughts were laced with laughter and it made Myungjun scowl. *You cut me off at the best part Junnie*

*Stop teasing me Park Jinwoo*

*I’m not teasing you. I’m just trying to show you how your thoughts are nowhere near as bad as mine, yet I’m not embarrassed am I? It’s because there’s no need to be. Please come out, or at least let me in*

Myungjun thought about the students outside and how they’d look at him funny if he left now, so he pulled back a few of his vines with a sigh, giving Jinwoo enough room to squeeze into his hiding place. When he was inside Myungjun sealed the gap back up and pulled his knees close to his chest.

“This is better.” Jinwoo said happily. “Nice place you got here.”

Myungjun ignored his jokes and apologised quietly instead. “I just felt panicked. I thought you’d think I was a creep for thinking about you in that way.”

“I could never think you’re a creep. If I had to pick one person in the land who I thought was least likely to be a creep, it would be you.” said Jinwoo, nudging Myungjuns shoulder with his own and making him look up. “You’re my cute sunshine boyfriend that blushes when I mention kissing and grows pretty plants and flowers whenever you feel overwhelmed with your emotions. Does that sound like someone who could be creepy to you?” Myungjun had to admit that he didn’t sound creepy at all and finally giggled when Jinwoo leaned forwards to kiss his nose. “I really do love your hair like this though Junnie. I’m going to call you sunshine forever.”

Myungjun grinned happily. He liked that new nickname very much.

“Wow, did the sun just come out or did you just smile at me?”

“Stop being so cheesy Jinwoo.”

“Is that the sun coming up? Or is that just you, lighting up my world?”

“Jinwoo I swear to the deity.”

“I have plenty more where they came from Junnie. If you want to shut me up, kiss me.”

*

Myungjun stood at the bottom of the ladder, looking up at his treehouse, before looking back at Jinwoo who was still looking around them in awe. “Wow, you were right. Your room _is_ nicer than mine.”

“You haven’t even seen inside of it yet Jinwoo.”

“I don’t need to Junnie. I can already tell its better from down here.” Myungjun rolled his eyes and went back to thinking about his problem. He couldn’t let go of Jinwoos hand or Jinwoo would disappear, but he couldn’t climb up the ladder _without_ letting go.

Myungjun made up his mind and placed Jinwoos hand on his shoulder. “Jump on, I’ll piggyback you up there.”

Jinwoo stared at him for a few seconds before laughing. “I’ll piggyback you up there instead Junnie. I’m the strongest out of us both.” Myungjun just sighed and jumped onto his back. Jinwoo heaved them up slowly, rung by rung, continuously making sure Myungjun had a good enough grip before they reached the decking. “This is much better than the treehouse we made last summer.” Jinwoo said happily, piggybacking Myungjun into the room and looking around. “Wow you even have your own desks, fancy.”

Myungjun snorted and slipped off of his back, making sure to grab his hand in the process. “It’s hardly the epitome of luxury Jinwoo. Are you sure you want to sleep here? Namjoon snores you know.”

“We’ve never had a sleepover in your room before. It will make a nice change. Also, this means I get to sleep in _your_ clothes for once.” Jinwoo dragged them over to Myungjuns dresser and started pulling clothes out at random. “Wow I haven’t seen you wear this in a long time, it matches your hair.” Jinwoo said with a laugh, holding up the fluffy yellow sweater his mother had gotten him for a Christmas present. Myungjun took it out of his hand and put it back in the drawer.

“My pyjamas aren’t in that drawer.” He saw Jinwoos hands move towards the drawer at the top next and grabbed his wrist with a shriek. “Not that one either JinJin!”

“Why?” Jinwoo asked confused before realisation dawned on his face and he blushed. “Okay definitely not that one.”

Myungjun opened the correct one for him and tried to push the images of Jinwoo opening his underwear drawer away. That would have been incredibly awkward. After they’d gotten changed, Myungjun pulled them over to his bed to get under the covers.

“When do the others get back?” Jinwoo asked, pulling him close for a cuddle.

“Joon usually stays out with Seokjin-hyung or stays at the library till around midnight, and JaeJae comes back about an hour before him. So they won’t be back for a while.” Myungjun replied happily. “Let’s nap JinJin, I’m sleepy.”

*

Myungjun woke up sometime later, to the sounds of Jinwoo and Youngjae laughing. “What’s going on?” He asked, blinking his eyes open sleepily.

“Jinwoo found out about your little secret.” Youngjae said with a mischievous glint in his eye before dashing to the toilet and locking the door behind him. Myungjun looked around with wide eyes to see Jinwoo petting his stuffed birds.

“I officially have the worlds cutest boyfriend.” Jinwoo said, looking between them with a soft smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Myungjun is an actual sunshine, but yellow haired Myungjun? That's taking it up a level uwu


	66. Chapter 66

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I edited this during my 2 hour chem lab when I was SUPPOSED to be doing practice exam questions oop-
> 
> So if there's mistakes forgive me uwu

“Good afternoon class.” Ms Jung said with a smile. She waited until everyone had returned her greeting before continuing. “I’m sure many of you will remember, that at the start of the year, I told you all there was a special trip planned for this class and that you needed to work hard from then until now.”

Myungjun sat up excitedly on his moss-covered boulder. He was sitting in between Youngjaes legs and the younger boy gripped his waist tightly from behind in excitement. He did remember her saying that and always wondered when this announcement would finally come.

“Well I’m happy to reveal that we will be travelling to Voredans botanical gardens tomorrow morning after breakfast. You will all miss meditation and discipline class and if any of you are taking healing or numbers after lunch, you will be missing those too. This is an all-day trip and we will not be arriving back at the academy until after dinner. Are there any questions?”

Myungjun squealed in excitement with Youngjae and let his thoughts run wild on all the new plants and flowers he would see. He had learnt about a lot of different ones during his two years at the Academy, but there would no doubt be countless more he’d never laid eyes on before.

“Where are the botanical gardens?” One girl asked and Myungjun quickly snapped out of his thoughts to listen.

“They are located on the castle grounds. The King’s own team of herbologists and florists look after the gardens and it only gets opened to the public once a year. I’m sure I do not need to tell you all how to behave whilst we are there.” Ms Jung finished sternly, looking around at their eager faces. She seemed satisfied when everyone quickly shook their heads and she asked if there were any other questions.

“What will we be doing there?” Namjoon asked, from his seat on the grass by Myungjuns feet. “We’re not there purely for a break I’m sure.”

Ms Jung laughed and nodded her head. “You are correct Namjoon. We do have work to do there. BUT,” She added loudly, when a few people began to moan. “The work will be enjoyable. I would like for you all to bring plenty of parchment and some tools to draw and write with. That’s all I have to say for today. Get plenty of sleep tonight and eat a lot of energizing food for breakfast. Class dismissed.”

*

Myungjun ate his dinner happily, relaying the good news of their trip to Jinwoo who whined loudly. “Junnie I’m so jealous. I want to go too!”

Myungjun giggled and sat back in his chair. “Sorry JinJin. I’m taking my sketchbook though, so I’ll make sure to draw you lots of pretty pictures of the flowers I see. That way it’s like you’ve been yourself, right?”

“Hardly.” Jinwoo said with a pout. “But I would like your drawings though Junnie. You’ve never drawn me anything before and I want to put things up on the walls in my room. It’s so empty compared to yours.”

“I thought you liked it being empty JinJin? You said it meant less things for you to accidentally burn down.”

Jinwoo sighed and leaned over to rest his head on Myungjuns shoulder. “Junnie I’ve got excellent control over my magic now. The chances of me combusting in my sleep are practically zero. Now that I have this discipline, I’m starting to see how boring my room is, and it makes me feel bad having you sleep over when it looks like that.”

“I doubt Myungjun cares about what the room looks like when he’s in bed with you.” Hoseok said, suggestively waggling his eyebrows their way from the opposite side of the table.

Myungjun flushed and told him to shut up. “He’s right though JinJin.” Myungjun muttered quietly. “I don’t care about how your room is emptier than mine. However, if you really do want some things to go up on your walls, I’ll draw you some pictures okay? Anything you want.”

Jinwoo cheered happily and pulled away from Myungjun to eat. “Junnie eat more food, you’ve hardly eaten anything.”

“I have!” Myungjun said defensively. “I’ve eaten more then you.” Jinwoo wasn’t listening, he was too busy putting more food onto Myungjuns plate. “JinJin stop, I can’t eat all that!”

“You can and you will.” Jinwoo told him stubbornly. He picked up a piece of meat and pressed it against Myungjuns lips. “Eat.”

Myungjun whined irritably but ate it anyway. “Why do you like feeding me so much? I’ll get fat if you don’t stop.”

Jinwoo snorted and went back to his own food. “Junnie with the amount we train, you’ll never get fat. Also, I like watching you eat, it makes me happy. If you don’t eat enough to cover the amount of weight you lose every day, your soft tummy will disappear, and then I’ll be sad.”

“I second that.” Youngjae said, listening in to their conversation. “You’re the best person to cuddle at night Hyung. Joons all gangly limbs but you’re like a teddy bear.”

A smile tugged at Myungjuns lips from being compared to something so cute. He ate his food quietly after that, until he was positively full and couldn’t fit anymore in. He sat back with a groan and turned to his boyfriend who was staring at him fondly. “We don’t have a class now do we? What do you want to do?”

To his surprise Jinwoo quickly stood up and held out his hand. “I have something to show you, let’s go.”

*

Jinwoo led him under the bushes in the forest again to come out at the pond. “I’ve already seen this place plenty of times Jinwoo. Why are we here?” Jinwoo just tugged him over to sit on the flat rocks and pointed up to the night sky.

“Look up Junnie.”

Myungjun watched the stars twinkle overhead with a smile. “It’s pretty Jinwoo but- Oh WOW.” Myungjun squealed in excitement as Jinwoo held his palms up to the sky and shot little green balls of light from them. They exploded to fill the sky above them with bright green fireworks that took Myungjuns breath away.

“I can’t do any other colours yet.” Jinwoo explained. “But I thought I’d show you anyway. Do you like it?”

“I _love_ it JinJin.” said Myungjun, tearing his eyes away from the illuminated night sky to look at him. “Your magic is so beautiful. I’m so happy you finally like to use it.”

Jinwoo gave him a soft smile before leaning forwards to kiss him, fireworks crackling overhead. “Thankyou for helping me realise it Junnie. I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for you.” He pressed their foreheads together and sighed. “We only have a year left at the academy. We’re going to stay together when it’s over right?”

Myungjun felt anxiety creep in when he thought about how short the time was that they had left but he knew one thing for certain. “We’re going to stay together forever JinJin, no matter what happens.”

Jinwoo whined happily and kissed him again. Soft and sweet and sealing their promise with his lips.

*

“Where’s Joon?” Myungjun asked, climbing into the carriage after Youngjae and Jimin. He put his bag down by his feet and looked up to see them both shrug.

“He didn’t come back to the room last night either.” said Youngjae, staring pointedly at Myungjun. “It was awfully lonely by myself.”

Myungjun gave him a sheepish grin and apologised. “I fell asleep by the pond with Jinwoo last night.”

“What pond?” Jimin asked curiously. “Do you mean the lake?”

Myungjun explained about where the pond was and how beautiful it was before being cut short as Namjoon stumbled into the carriage, looking blissfully happy. “Hello everyone, sorry I’m late. Does anyone have any spare parchment and drawing tools? I forgot mine.”

Jimin quickly pulled some out of his bag and handed them over whilst Youngjaes mouth dropped. “You didn’t even go back to the room this morning? Where have you been?”

“Seokjins room obviously.” Myungjun said, gesturing to Namjoons appearance. Not only was he looking cheerful, but he was also wearing one of Seokjins shirts, which fell oversized on his lanky frame.

The carriages set off towards the castle and Youngjae tried to squeeze all the juicy details out of Namjoon, about his late-night rendezvous, but Namjoon was keeping his mouth shut. Myungjun zoned out when the trees surrounding the academy thinned, to reveal Voredan city in all of its magical glory.

The city seemed busier than usual today. People flooded the streets, magical and non-magical alike. Myungjun saw that they all looked happy, chatting excitedly to one another and carrying little flags. “What’s going on?” He asked, trying to get a closer look out of the carriage window. The flags all had the same golden symbol, but they were too far away to make out exactly what it was.

“That’s the King’s symbol.” Jimin squealed, looking just as excited as the people outside. “He must be making an appearance today!”

“Make’s sense, he is opening the castle grounds to let people into the botanical gardens today after all.” Namjoon said, still looking blissfully cheerful. “We’re lucky to be going.”

Myungjun could only agree and giggled with Youngjae and Jimin as they gushed over how handsome the man was supposed to be. “I’ve never seen a King before.” Myungjun interjected. The idea made him kind of nervous. Kings were powerful men. He went back to looking out of the window to see that most people were wearing something gold too. That must be his official colour or something, Myungjun thought. He looked down at his own clothes, a plain white top and a black pair of shorts and felt terribly underdressed.

The carriage took longer than usual to approach the castle, due to the immense number of people swarming it and Myungjun was glad to see the carriage was taking them straight through the large golden gates. He’d probably get lost in the sea of bodies if they were let out any earlier. When the carriage finally came to a stop, Myungjun climbed out onto the glistening white stone and looked up at the castle before him. It always took his breathe away.

The thick pearly white stone walls, that hummed with magical energy up close, towered over him and glistened prettily in the light. They held broad stained-glass windows, depicting the eternal battle between the Deity of Eden and the Prince of Darkness, that threw rainbows of rich colour in all directions. Myungjun turned to look at the large front doors leading into the castle. They were made of solid mahogany wood that contrasted prettily with the whiteness of the walls. The doors themselves were gilded with more gold, patterns that swirled around the wood dizzyingly and begged to be traced under his fingertips.

“Security is tight around here.” Namjoon muttered. Myungjun followed his eyes upwards and saw archers standing to attention on the castle’s battlements. He guessed there were hundreds of them at least, all spread out along the castle walls, all dressed in the same white and gold uniforms the guards on the ground wore. Every so often along the walls, there were flat topped towers holding an array of giant wooden weapons Myungjun had never seen before. Namjoon saw him staring and cleared his throat. “Siege weapons. Trebuchets, ballista and catapults to name a few. Weapons that can take down giants and dragons if they ever roamed this far west.”

“Giants?” Myungjun squeaked. “Do they actually exist?”

“They do in children’s stories.” Youngjae interrupted with a snort. “Stop scaring him Joon.”

Myungjun quickly turned when he heard Ms Jung calling for everyone’s attention and hurried over with the others to listen to her instructions. “Is this everybody? Where’s Jimin?” Jimin stepped up from behind Myungjun to give her a small wave. “Oh there you are dear. Now then everybody, I’m sure you all want to go and explore but it is imperative that we stick together. You will easily get lost in the crowds here today. We were granted early admission to get started on your work, but the gates will be open to the public within the hour. We are here to document the plant species you have never seen before and a tour guide will be out to speak to us about them, one of the kings own herbologists I believe, so I would like to remind you all to be respectful and polite. Does everyone have parchment and drawing tools? Yes? Excellent. Follow me now.”

Ms Jung led them across the castle grounds, past benches of pure white marble and giant planters that held lush green shrubbery. Myungjun was beginning to feel overwhelmed at how _beautiful_ everything was and had to clench his jaw painfully hard, in an attempt to not shed petals everywhere and ruin the pristine image of the place.

“Are you okay Junnie?” Youngjae asked quietly, threading their fingers together and squeezing Myungjuns hand. “You’re feeling overwhelmed, aren’t you? I can tell.”

Myungjun nodded quickly and gave him a small smile. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Obviously the academy has a similar structure and colouring but its nothing compared to this.” He gestured lamely around them and Youngjae laughed. “I wish JinJin was here.” Myungjun added quietly with a sigh. “He really did want to see it too. Do you think he could come here one day?”

“Yeah probably Junnie. Maybe you’ll even come together.” Youngjae always knew the right things to say and Myungjun clung to him gratefully, thanking the deity for bringing him into his life and allowing them to be friends.


	67. Chapter 67

Myungjun walked through a giant archway of more white marble to get into the botanical gardens. The gardens themselves stretched as far as the eye could see and were surrounded on all sides, by walkways formed from white marble pillars, all connected together by a gold tiled roof.

Myungjun couldn’t tear his eyes away from the plants. He remembered being amazed at the amount of plants the herbology clearing contained in the academy. But _this_ , this was something else entirely. He walked awestruck, through the maze of clear-cut pathways and tried to take everything in. One pathway opened up to reveal a long tidy row of rose buses, containing roses of every colour Myungjun had ever seen, and then some he hadn’t. There were even roses with rainbow petals that flashed frantically whenever someone walked in front of them.

Turning one corner led him to another pathway flanked on either side by thick green shoots that were at least three times his height and curled prettily at the ends. When they uncurled, they tinkled happily and projected beams of pure white light. Butterflies fluttered and danced above Myungjuns head and he reached out to touch them. To his surprise three of them flew down and landed on the back of his hand, their pretty wings tickling his skin.

“I don’t ever want to leave JaeJae.” He said dreamily, watching the butterflies fly away to join their friends. He didn’t get a verbal response but Youngjae squeezed his hand in acknowledgment, too caught up in his own wonder to reply. Myungjun followed the sound of rain and turned deeper into the maze to see it was actually one of the Kings staff, using her water magic to water the plants. She had her arms outstretched at an angle and was creating a spray of water that pattered against the leaves of the thirsty flowers.

“We’re coming up to our first stop.” Ms Jung’s voice cut through his trance. “I would like everyone to get out their parchment and sit on these wooden benches.” Myungjun quickly dragged Youngjae over to the nearest one and pulled his sketchbook out of his bag, getting to work immediately as Ms Jung spoke. “This plant behind me is a hybrid of a regular snapdragon and a magical fluxwart. The result of this combination is plain to see.” She touched one of the flowers in demonstration, and to Myungjuns horror, the flowers breathed thick black fire that engulfed her frail hand and left behind a smattering of nasty black warts across her skin. “Obviously not a very pleasant experience I must say. Do not worry, they have long since found a cure for these horrible things and they are not contagious.” The students who were slowly backing away from her sighed in relief. “Now then, I would like for you to draw these plants and write some detailed notes of their effects, taking particular care in their colouring. We will discuss uses of these plants when you are done. Get to work.”

*

Myungjun had very predictably gotten himself lost. He was so busy sketching Jinwoo some pretty flowers he found, that he hadn’t realised his class moving away. When he next looked up, there was no-one in sight, and all he could hear were birds twittering nearby and the occasional whispers of the more vocal plants around him. Then he heard a noise that made him shoot up and look around. He could hear a plant that was in distress, its thin shrill voice projecting noises of pain. Myungjun quickly took off, speed walking through the pathways to find where it was coming from. It sounded terribly misplaced in such a haven and he soon found out why when he spotted the plant in question.

A little green creature he’d never seen before in his life, was tugging at the little yellow flower’s leaves, trying to strip it bare. “SHOO!” Myungjun said angrily, flapping his hands at the thing. It turned to him and flashed a nasty looking pair of fangs his way before turning back to its eager pulling. Myungjun reached towards it, ready to pluck it away, but a hand on his wrist stopped him.

He looked up to see a young man, probably in his early twenties, looking down at him with a smile. He was wearing a plain cotton shirt with long sleeves that billowed gently in the breeze and a pair of black slacks that had seen better days. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” He said kindly, before looking at the creature with a frown. “Evil little things they are. You’d do better leaving it alone, those fangs can do a lot of damage.”

“I can’t leave it.” Myungjun said, gently pulling his hand away. “The flower is in pain; he’s asking for my help.”

The man turned to Myungjun with one eyebrow raised in question. “He? You can hear it talk?”

“Of course.” Myungjun replied, showing the man his leaf shaped birthmark. “I have plant magic. Do you think there are any sticks around here so I can bat that thing away?”

The man was still watching him with curious eyes. “I haven’t come across many plant users who have the ability to talk to plants so…effortlessly.”

Myungjun was getting impatient, the flower was still in distress and the man wasn’t being helpful at all. The only thing that kept his mouth in check were Ms Jung’s words about being respectful and polite to the people here. This man didn’t look like staff though. Have they already opened the gates to the public? Myungjun thought, suddenly panicked about getting lost in the sea of people and not finding his class. “I’m sorry.” Myungjun said quickly, looking up at the man with a strained smile. “I really can’t talk right now. I have to save this flower and find my class; I’ve gotten myself lost.” He looked back at the little green creature and made up his mind. Hoping none of the staff were around to see him, he quickly put his hands on some empty soil and forced a small amount of energy out of his palms. He rarely summoned Camellia through the soil anymore, always opting to just expend a flurry of petals and summon her using one of those, but he didn’t want to litter the castle grounds.

Camellia bloomed before him, smaller than Myungjuns hand because of how little magic he’d used to summon her, and he commanded her quietly to put it to sleep. Her pollen swept over the creature and knocked it out cold. Myungjun sighed in relief as the little yellow flower stopped crying out and he thanked Camellia before pulling his magic back in and watching her disappear in a miniature flurry of petals. Those won’t be too noticeable, he told himself as he buried them under a thin layer of soil to hide the evidence.

Myungjun quickly picked up the creature by one of its stubby legs, with disgust etched on his face, and held it out to the startled young man. “Do you know where I can put this thing? Preferably _away_ from these poor flowers.”

The man pointed wordlessly to a compost bin behind one of the trees and Myungjun thanked him with a polite bow before hoisting his bag over his shoulder and setting off. To his surprise, and mild annoyance, the man followed him, hovering by his shoulder. “How old are you? Do you go to the magic academy?”

“I’m fifteen and yes I go to the academy. I’m in my second year already.” Myungjun said proudly before remembering something his mother had told him before. “Sorry, I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.” He hoped the man would leave him alone, but he was left disappointed. He sighed quietly as he opened the lid to the bin and chucked the pest inside, before letting the lid drop with a thump. “Excuse me but why are you following me? Do you work here? Am I in trouble for growing my companion in the royal soil or something?”

To his surprise the man just laughed, loud and bright, lighting up his features and making him appear even younger. “I guess you could say I work here. I’m in these gardens enough. My names Leo, its nice to meet you…” He was clearly waiting for Myungjuns name and he reluctantly gave it, not wanting to be rude. “It’s nice to meet you Myungjun.”

Myungjun shook his outstretched hand and looked around again, hoping to spot his class. No such luck. “So if you work here am I in trouble? I only wanted to help that flower.”

“You’re not in trouble with me but I’m sure the King’s staff who work here permanently would probably be unhappy if they found out.”

Myungjun felt his heart rate pick up at the thought of getting into trouble and disappointing Ms Jung so he bowed deeply and apologised. “Please don’t tell on me Leo. My teacher will be furious, and the staff will probably kick me out and then I’ll never be able to come here again and then I’ll never be able to bring Jinwoo here and then I’ll never see all of these plants again and then-”

“Hey slow down kid, I never said I would tell did I?” Leo plucked one of Myungjuns petals out of the air that had begun fluttering around him in his panicked state and rubbed it between his fingers. For some reason, that felt like an invasion of Myungjuns privacy and he quickly snatched it back. This time the man apologised and looked genuinely uncomfortable. “I’m not magic myself, so I don’t really understand the boundaries.”

“Promise you won’t tell?” Myungjun asked, eyeing him suspiciously. He didn’t know how far he could trust him, but he looked harmless enough and even offered Myungjun his pinky. They sealed their promise quickly and the man smiled down at him. That’s when it hit Myungjun that this man was _incredibly_ handsome and he pulled back quickly with a blush. “I have to go now. Thankyou for not telling on me Leo. Next time you see one of those creatures, don’t just stand there, the plants have feelings too you know.” He took off running, hearing Leo chuckle in disbelief behind him.

*

“Myungjun where have you been?” Youngjae whispered to him furiously after he found them again. It had taken the better part of ten minutes running through the maze of a garden to spot his class and he was surprised that Ms Jung hadn’t seemed to notice his absence.

“I got distracted with drawing pictures for Jinwoo and then I heard this plant in pain, so I had to go help it! There was this little green creature, it was revolting honestly, and it was trying to tear its leaves off!” Youngjae looked horrified at the idea and Myungjun had to explain how he’d saved it. “I wonder if there are more of those things around here.”

“I hope not.” Youngjae replied with a shiver. “Anything with fangs really freaks me out.”

“How many plants did I miss out on seeing?” Myungjun asked, mind drifting back to the work at hand.

“A few but after I noticed you had disappeared, I made extra notes for you too. You can copy my drawings when we get back tonight.” Myungjun thanked him profusely before taking the notes and slipping them into his bag. “We’re moving on to the water dwelling plants now Junnie. Apparently, there’s a big pond in the middle of this garden. It really has everything.”

They chatted aimlessly, pointing out the plants they already knew as they walked past them before coming to a stop near the pond. It was full of interesting plant life that naturally got Myungjun excited but a tiny part of himself still thought that the hidden pond in the academy held more beauty.

Myungjun made his own notes again as Ms Jung spoke and shied away from the plant with properties similar to a siren. The scar on his stomach itched and he scratched it through his top feeling increasingly uncomfortable. He really hated those creatures.

*

Myungjun and Youngjae met up with Namjoon and Jimin on their way to lunch, chatting excitedly about the Kings formal appearance that would be happening within the hour. They had been allowed out into Voredan to get food under strict instructions to be back before the Kings speech. It was hard work struggling through the sea of people still trying to get in and Myungjun briefly worried about whether this was actually a good idea or not.

Then the smell of cooked food wafted over, from the street vendors taking advantage of the day’s events, and all thoughts of safety went out of Myungjun head. He just wanted to _eat_. He bought some fish cake skewers for everyone to enjoy and chewed on his noisily, trying to cool his burning mouth during bites. He couldn’t wait patiently enough for them to cool down like the others. All their walking around and working all morning had left him famished. He wondered what Jinwoo was eating for lunch and whether he was enjoying it and felt a small pang of sadness that he wasn’t here to enjoy the street food too. Then Myungjun thought about all the times Jinwoo had snuck out here anyway and the sadness disappeared. He’s probably enjoyed so much good food without me, Myungjun thought huffily with a pout.

They moved further down the bustling street, looking for something sweet to eat next and came across a man performing simple magic tricks to the entertainment of a group of young children. He was making little planes made of parchment fly around in the air above their heads, using his air magic and created little gusts of wind to rustle their hair. The children loved it, their bright screams and laughter filling the air and Myungjun couldn’t help but smile. They were so pure and innocent. He saw a chubby cheeked girl sitting by herself looking lonely and he made the split-second decision to race back and sprinkle some of his petals over her. She looked up in surprise before giggling cutely and trying to catch them. All the children crowded her after that, to see the petals, and she looked much happier.

Myungjun ran back to the others feeling satisfied and linked arms with Jimin who led them all towards a small bakery that sold fish shaped buns. Myungjun bit into his and groaned happily as the sweet red bean paste oozed out. It was so delicious he thought he could eat a thousand more…if he had any money left.

They eventually made their way back towards the castle, Myungjun feeling extra happy as the cute little girl waved at him, still holding some of his petals and they pushed through the crowd of people at the gates, muttering apologies.

They soon found Ms Jung and the rest of the class, standing at the front of the crowd and watching the big gilded mahogany doors. “Any minute now.” Ms Jung said happily, before turning to do a head count. “You’re all here excellent, just in time.”

The doors opened up with large groans and a mass of guards swept down the steps towards the crowd. Everything was silent for a few seconds before the King stepped out, and then thunderous applause filled the air, cheers and cries ringing loud enough to deafen.

Myungjun could barely hear them though. Myungjun could barely hear anything. His blood was thundering in his ears as he looked at the young handsome man. Leo.

He was dressed a lot differently. Gone were the aged black slacks and plain cotton shirt. They had instead been replaced with stunning garb only a King could wear. All Myungjun could see was gold, gold and more gold. The mantle on his shoulders was gold, the buckle of his belt was gold, the short heels of his knee-high boots were gold. Myungjuns eyes travelled up to see his golden crown nestled in his dark hair and was struck with the fact Leo was _King_.

A pot-bellied man stepped ahead of him, blowing a shrill sounding trumpet that silenced the crowd immediately and he cleared his throat to speak, reading from an ornate scroll he rolled down. “All hail King Leopold of Voredan city, second of his name and ruler of the mainland.”

The crowd chanted back and Myungjun froze in fear as the Kings eyes swept over him before snapping back in recognition. He gave Myungjun a little wave, with mirth evident in his eyes and a smile tugging at his lips. Myungjun felt his knees go weak.

_What. The. Hell._

*

Myungjun ran straight into Jinwoos open arms after stepping out of the carriage and whined loudly. “What’s up Junnie?” Jinwoo asked, pulling back to look at his face with mild concern. “Are you okay?” Myungjun shook his head and started pulling him towards the forest. Towards their pond. “Junnie tell me what’s wrong. Did you have a bad day? You went to the gardens didn’t you, so how could you have had a bad day?”

“Jinwoo I’ll tell you when we get to the pond. I really need to sit down for this.” Jinwoo was good at giving Myungjun what he wanted and stayed silent the rest of the way. When they were seated on the flat rocks, looking over the water, Myungjun cleared his throat before speaking. “I have just made the biggest fool out of myself. I know I do that often, shockingly often in fact, but this time was different. MUCH worse, astronomical amounts worse.”

Jinwoo leaned back on his palms with a sigh and closed his eyes. “Let’s hear it then.”

Myungjun told him everything, every little embarrassing detail. Jinwoo only interrupted him once, and that was to scold Myungjun for calling the King handsome. When Myungjun was finished Jinwoo looked like he was barely holding back his laughter. “Jinwoo this is _not_ funny.”

“It’s pretty funny.” Jinwoo said, voice strained.

“Jinwoo do you even _understand_ what I have just done? I touched the flower beds without permission to summon Camellia and dangled that disgusting creature in front of the KING. The KING Jinwoo. We made a pinky promise and everything! I touched his royal pinky with my peasant pinky Jinwoo.” Jinwoo finally burst out laughing and leaned forwards to clutch his stomach. Myungjun ignored his irritating behaviour and carried on. “I _ordered_ him Jinwoo! I told him if he ever saw those creatures again, not to just stand there but to do something because flowers have feelings too! I actually said that to the KING. I touched his royal soil, then dangled a garden pest in his face, then touched his royal pinky and THEN ordered him around! I even shook hands with him and look at the way I’m dressed! This isn’t appropriate attire to meet the _King_.”

Jinwoo was openly crying with laughter now. “R...r…royal soil, royal pink…pinky. Myungjun bloody hell.”

Myungjun stood up quickly with a scowl. Why wasn’t Jinwoo understanding how bad this was? “You’re not supposed to be laughing! He’s probably sending his guard here right now to behead me for treating him that way!”

“Since when did the King behead anyone?” Jinwoo asked, gasping for breath as he struggled to his feet. “Myungjun that’s positively medieval. I can’t believe this. I can’t believe you said those things. I’ve never heard something so funny in my life.”

“I’m glad my suffering is entertaining for you! You’re the biggest jerk in Aredrinnor Park Jinwoo. I’m going to talk to Hyungwon about this instead. At least he won’t laugh at my problems!” Myungjun turned on his heel and stormed away, leaving his irritating boyfriend behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [King Leo](https://images.app.goo.gl/DmkZAmoecx3B7yA66)
> 
>  
> 
> [King Leo](https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjjmuaLrtXiAhUvzYUKHaJfC2IQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fvixxleopics%2Fstatus%2F997909696857214976&psig=AOvVaw3SX2tcu6IkHtxnK65b7dqd&ust=1559927767702214)
> 
> PLEASE TELL ME IF THE LINKS WORKED, I'VE NEVER LINKED ANYTHING BEFORE 
> 
> Also Leo from Vixx has such a royal face, I knew the minute I planned this fic that I wanted him as King. Using his stage name as well because it sounds more 'Kingly'


	68. Chapter 68

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't going to post today, or for the next few days, because I'm having a hard time but I literally cannot break out of this routine I have (:

Myungjun walked into his last therapy session feeling strangely sad. Bora greeted him as usual and led him to his seat, already offering him the glass of water she knew he needed. This was part of his routine now and it was coming to an end.

“How are you feeling today Myungjun?”

“I don’t know.” He admitted quietly. “It feels weird. I’m…scared. Scared about not having help anymore. How do you even know I’m ready to finish?”

Bora sat back with a small smile on her face. “Why did you first start coming to see me Myungjun?”

Myungjun wasn’t sure if this was a trick question or not but answered anyway. “I couldn’t control my emotions and I was hurting Jinwoo.”

“And when was the last time you hurt Jinwoo?” Myungjuns mind instantly went back to the battledome, before the comforting thought rushed through his head that he hadn’t actually hurt him at all, despite slipping so badly. He shrugged. “You haven’t hurt him once since coming to see me Myungjun. We found the cause of your outbursts, found the one thing that can pull you back and have sorted out your bullying problem. Yes, you still have a long way to go, but that’s not something I can help you with any further. You know the next step Myungjun, you might not like that step, but you know you have to do it. My office is always open for you to meet with them here. I think you’re strong enough to do the rest yourself now.”

Myungjun knew she was right. Of course he did. He wouldn’t be able to get past this fully unless he talked to his parents, but he still didn’t feel ready to do that yet. He was just happy in the knowledge that there was always a safe place here for him to do so, when the time came. Myungjun thanked Bora for all her help before shyly presenting her with the gift he’d made, a pair of preserved flower earrings for her pierced ears, and quickly rushed from the room. She’d looked teary eyed at his gesture and he didn’t fancy crying today.

*

Myungjun walked into the small room for his healing exam and felt anxiety claw at his gut. He knew he had nothing to worry about. Healing was one of his strong points, but the pressure of examinations always got to him. He locked eyes with Mr Choi and gave him a weak smile before sitting down at the desk in front of him.

“Hello Myungjun. We’re going to begin your exam straight away. I find the best thing for nerves is to just get whatever’s making you nervous over and done with.” He gave Myungjun a bright smile and pushed some parchment and a pen his way. “I’m going to give you three different scenarios where healing is needed and I would like for you to write down exactly what you would do, the more detail the better. After that we will move on to the practical examination. Are you ready?”

Myungjun nodded resolutely and put the tip of his pen to the paper.

“Scenario one: You have a party of people in need of healing. One person has a deep wound on their arm that will not stop bleeding and is already infected. One other person is sitting down looking clammy and unmoving, staring into space with no wounds. The rest of your party, let’s say four others, have various cuts, not as deep as the first but still bleeding. Your supplies include: Bandages enough for one big wound or three small wounds. One spool of thread. One bottle of moonshine. You can use your magic. That is all.”

Myungjuns mind was racing. That was a lot of information to be given in one go. He hesitated for a second before writing.

_Triage system: who needs help more. In this situation, many would help the casualty with the deep wound first, but I would go straight to the unmoving, clammy one. These are signs of shock and shock can be more dangerous if left untreated for too long. It can lead to organ failure and possibly death. Trying to verbally pull them back is an option. Remove tight clothing and make sure they’re warm._

Myungjun scratched his head with his pen and sighed. What else was there?

_Moving next to the person with the deep wound. Sealing one big wound with magic can drain me at this stage of my magical development. Even if I did that, I would not have enough bandages to help the last four as its only enough for three. Therefore, I would use the bandages on the big wound. Two things must happen before then. Disinfect (moonshine) and sew up the wound with the tread. I can create a sharp needle using my vines. I have no pain relievers, so some moonshine can be administered to the casualty to take the edge off the pain. Lastly, I can use my magic to seal the four smaller wounds._

Myungjun bit his lip anxiously after reading his answer. Was that really enough? It didn’t sound like a good enough answer, but it was all he could think of, so it would have to do. He told Mr Choi he was ready for the next scenario and got ready to try again.

*

Mr Choi pulled out a dagger from the drawer of the desk and Myungjun tensed. He didn’t like where this was going. Not at all. “Now Myungjun. Time for your practical. Don’t be alarmed, I won’t feel a thing. Your task is to seal my wound shut to the best of your abilities.” Myungjun watched in horror as he carved a gash up his arm. Mr Choi didn’t even flinch.

Don’t panic, he told himself sternly, you’ve seen worse. Focus. Focus. Focus. Myungjun took a deep breath before placing his hands gently over Mr Chois bleeding wound. He forced his magic out into it, making sure to take it slow and screwed his eyes up in concentration as he focused on pulling the skin back together. He felt it shifting under his hands, the sensation always making him nauseous, but he tried to push it away. He could feel his magic drain as the minutes passed, skin fusing cell by cell. Right when he was about to reach his limit he stopped. Mr Choi immediately pulled his arm from view and made a noise of approval as Myungjun slumped back in his seat, feeling weak and dizzy.

“Myungjun I would like to remind you that you need at least a B in this exam to be offered a place in my Advanced Healing Class next year.” Myungjun nodded weakly, already aware of that and desperately hoping he’d done enough. “Here take this.” Myungjun opened his eyes to see Mr Choi holding out a lollipop. “Something sugary will help get some of that energy back.”

*

Myungjun slipped into the seat beside Jinwoos and was happy to see food already on his plate. “Watch out Jinwoo. I might start to get lazy if you keep doing things like this.”

Jinwoo just grinned and poured himself a drink. “How did your exams go today?”

“Healing went okay I think…I hope. Herbology was easy and Zoology was boring. Who cares about mythical creatures that don’t exist? It’s the ones that do exist that we should be worried about. They’re the ones that can actually kill us.” Myungjun shovelled food into his mouth as Jinwoo laughed.

“Let’s just hope next years lessons are more exciting then.”

“How did your exams go JinJin?”

“Like you said, Zoology was boring but practical skills was really fun. You’ll like it too, its set up like an obstacle course this year and you have to use your magic in different ways to get through it. At one point, I had to melt down a thick wall of ice and another time I had to jump into a pit of fire to absorb it all through my skin. It weirdly tickles.”

Myungjun had to admit that did sound pretty fun and couldn’t wait to see what his exam would be like. It was tomorrow so he had plenty of time to prepare. “How many exams do you have left JinJin?”

“Just the one.” Jinwoo said happily. “Religion this Sunday and then I’m done. Doing only two optional classes really paid off.”

Myungjun sighed. He did feel a bit envious of Jinwoo. He still had exams left to do for practical skills, alchemy and design, but deep down he knew it was better to have knowledge in more areas, for him at least, as he still wasn’t sure what he wanted to do when he left the academy next summer. He wanted to ask about Jinwoos plans but decided to save that conversation for a later date.

“Considering we have no other exams today; would you like to go for a walk after you’ve finished eating?” Jinwoo asked, pulling Myungjun out of his thoughts.

“Sure JinJin. I need to go to the library after to do some last-minute revision for alchemy. You can come too but don’t distract me, seriously.”

Jinwoo made an offended noise beside him. “Since when do I distract you?”

Myungjun rolled his eyes. He was regretting it already.

*

“…can’t get caught Minnie. We’ll be in so much trouble.”

Myungjun paused in his rush to get to his practical skills exam. Just walk away, he told himself, don’t get involved, its probably not as bad as it sounds.

“We won’t get caught. I have enough money to cover us, they won’t even notice trust me.”

Myungjuns feet took him straight around the next corner to face the younger boys. They looked up startled at his sudden appearance and Dongmin quickly hid something behind his back. “Spill it.” Myungjun said firmly. He rarely exercised his Hyung powers over his friends, but this hadn’t sounded very good.

“Its nothing Hyung.” Moonbin said, shifting his weight on his feet and looking extremely guilty.

“I heard most of what you said already, so you might as well tell me the rest. If you don’t, I’ll go and find the others and you can tell us all.” He knew they wanted to be secretive about whatever it was that they were planning and the thought of even more people getting involved was all it took.

Dongmin quickly shook his head and stared at him desperately. “Please don’t! If we tell you then you have to keep it a secret.”

“Minnie no!” Moonbin whispered to him angrily. “We can’t tell anybody. He’ll only try to stop us.”

Myungjun watched them bicker feeling impatient. He was going to be late for his exam at this rate, but he knew he had to find out what they were up too. It was sounding increasingly worse by the second. “Guys tell me now. I don’t have time for this, you’re making me late and you’re making me annoyed. The more annoyed I am, the less likely I’ll want to keep this a secret.”

“We’re running away.” Dongmin blurted out. “For the summer. I’m not going home.”

Myungjun just stared. “Are you serious? You two…two fourteen-year olds…are running away…for an entire summer?” He took a deep breath before exploding. “Are you _insane_? Where would you even go? Do you know how unsafe that is?”

Moonbin groaned and let his head fall back against the wall. “I told you we shouldn’t have said anything.”

“We’ve already planned everything Hyung.” Dongmin said quickly. “I have money, Moonbins already taken some weapons from the third-year student racks, the metal kind not the wooden ones we use, and we have our magic. We’ll be fine.”

Myungjun didn’t know who Dongmin was trying to convince because it certainly wasn’t working on him. This screamed danger and there was no way he was letting them go without a fight. “Dongmin you can’t seriously believe that? I thought you, of all people, would be smart enough not to do anything so reckless. Also, since when did you two become thieves? I’m really disappointed in you both.”

Moonbins ears were bright red and Dongmin visibly backed down. “We were planning to put them back when we started our third year Hyung.”

“What if you’d gotten caught stealing them though huh? You wouldn’t _have_ a third year here! Go and put them back right now Moonbin. You can’t just run away. You might not like your parents Dongmin, but they’ll be terribly worried if you go missing. Can you honestly tell me you would be okay with putting them through that?” Dongmin stayed silent, looking at the floor and Myungjun sighed. “I get it.” He said, lowering his voice. “There were times I wanted to run away from home too, but the world outside of here is dangerous.”

“We know more about the outside world then you do Hyung. Me especially.” Moonbin interjected, still trying to fight against it, albeit weakly.

“I won’t deny it.” Myungjun said with a shrug. “I didn’t even know magic existed until a couple of years ago, but you two said it yourselves in the dungeons last year; outside of the academy there’s no safety net to fall back on. We get revived from death in here to learn how to live but out there…its staring actual death in the face.” He could see his words were affecting them, so he gave one final desperate push to change their minds. “What happens if one of you gets hurt? Neither of you are healers. Moonbin I’ve seen the way you react when Dongmins gets something as small as a papercut, so how could you willingly put him in even more danger? You could _die_ do you understand? This isn’t a game. There are bad people and bad monsters out there, that you two won’t be able to face alone. I can’t stop you from going, and I’ve run out of time to try and talk you out of this, but I hope you listen to my words. If not for me and not for the sake of your parents, then for each other. Don’t put yourselves in danger like that. I can promise you that you’ll regret it.”

Myungjun turned on his heel and rushed off to his exam. He didn’t want to look back to see if it had worked, if he had been able to convince them not to be so idiotic, because he had a bad feeling it still hadn’t been enough.

*

“Myungjun you’re late. You know I have to deduct points because of this don’t you?” Myungjun nodded sadly at Miss Yoon and stepped up to the starting line. Jinwoo was right, it was an obstacle course and he had his particular exam inside a large room made purely of dirt. He’d been surprised walking in, to see the dirt floor, the dirt walls, and the dirt ceiling but it only made sense with his type of magic.

“Do I have a time limit?” He asked, staring across the course and gulping. It didn’t look very safe.

“No time limit. You just need to do it as quickly as possible. This is more about your magical skills and how well you can use different spells. As you run the course, I will call out instructions and you have to follow them to the best of your abilities. Are you ready?”

Myungjun nodded determinedly and put his hand on the gate. A whistle blared and he pulled the gate open, stepping inside of a large wooden pen.

“Crush your enemies.” Was all Ms Yoon instructed before giant rats materialised on the other side of the pen and charged towards him. Only two of them, so Myungjun made quick work of ripping his vines through the dirt to wrap around them. He forced his magic through his vines and made a face of disgust when they exploded, spraying blood and guts everywhere. The remains disappeared and were promptly replaced with three more rats. He crushed them too. Then four appeared. It was a cycle that Myungjun realised would be testing how many enemies he could kill in one go. When seven were summoned, he only just managed to catch the seventh one before crushing them all and held up his hand.

“Sevens my limit.” Ms Yoon nodded her head and jotted something down on her board. Myungjun groaned when another rat was summoned, even bigger than the last ones. Myungjun realised it was about the size of the rat boss on the first floor and knew he wouldn’t be able to crush something so large. So he did what he always did in the dungeons and crushed its legs instead. It fell to the floor with an angry squeak and disappeared.

“Impressive.” Ms Yoon called out to him. “Quick thinking.”

Myungjun accepted his praise happily and hurried through the gate on the other side of the pen. He was faced with a giant chasm, around thirty feet across he guessed, with a singular circle of land in the middle that he assumed he needed to reach.

“Bridge.” Ms Yoon instructed and Myungjun did so easily. He had made enough of them by now to know what to do and reached the little circle of land in no time. Myungjun lifted up his hands to create another bridge to get to the other side but was stopped. “Find another way across, no bridges.” Myungjun froze. He didn’t know of another way to get across. The circular piece of land he was standing on was too small to perform a running jump. Think Myungjun _think_. He looked around before his eyes stopped on the dirt ceiling. Images of him swinging through the air on his vines and crashing into the cliff during the last dungeon run came to mind and he knew what to do. I won’t be slamming into any cliffs this time, he told himself determinedly before aiming his hands at the ceiling, around the centre point of the chasm in front of him. His vines shot down to greet him and he grabbed hold, tugging a few times to test their stability before throwing caution to the wind and jumping. He used his body weight to propel himself and swung forwards over the abyss. When he was close enough to the other side he let go and screamed on his way down. He landed with a thump, safely on the other side and rolled over onto his knees. That had been a lot less cool than he had imagined, and he felt mildly embarrassed for screaming, but Ms Yoon seemed pleased. He climbed to his feet and dusted himself off before walking towards the next pen.

The ground rumbled ominously when he closed the gate behind him and little rocks on legs, with razor sharp fangs burst out of the ground before running his way. “Put them to sleep.” Myungjun listened to his instructions and tried to remember back to what colour flower he needed for that. He gave up trying to remember, the rock monsters were getting closer, so he expended some of his petals and summoned Camellia instead. She landed on the floor with a tinkle and looked around.

“Hello Myungjun. This looks like fun.” Her voice was light and airy and calmed him down considerably. “Those…things, will be upon us any second now and their teeth look sharp. How can I help?”

“Put them to sleep.” Myungjun watched proudly as she distributed the correct spores and incapacitated the little monsters. They were sucked through the floor and he looked up when he heard Ms Yoon sigh.

“I didn’t tell you that you could use your companion Myungjun.”

“You didn’t tell me I couldn’t either.” Myungjun pointed out with a grin. Ms Yoon just chuckled and shook her head, writing more notes down.

“This next monster requires poisoning.” A giant mound of flesh appeared in front of Myungjun and he gagged at the smell it exuded. It smelt of sewers and sweat and mould. It opened its giant mouth in a groan and started creeping towards him making awful squelching noises that made Myungjun want to gag even more.

“That is utterly revolting.” Camelia said huffily. “One poison swarm coming right up.” Myungjun stepped back as Camellia released a thick cloud of dark purple pollen that engulfed the fleshy mound. It didn’t stop its advance immediately. The poison needed time to spread, so Myungjun soon found himself pressed up against the gate trying to get away. It finally gave one final groan before disappearing and Myungjun breathed a sigh of relief.

“Excellent work Myungjun. You’re free to go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't write anything about Myungjuns exams last year, so I decided to write a little something for this year. Not the most exciting of chapters but it felt necessary.


	69. Chapter 69

Myungjun woke up on friday morning feeling energised. Tomorrow was the second and last dungeon run examination of the year and he was ready to do his usual routine. He always prepared a certain way the day before these exams now and sprung out of bed to get started. He padded into the bathroom to get washed up and scrubbed his teeth, whilst trying to tame his wild bedhead with his fingers. It didn’t appear to be working, so he soon gave up and went to find his comb instead.

When he’d made himself look presentable enough, he crept out of the bathroom to get dressed, trying hard not to wake the others. They’d both come in late last night, so Myungjun wanted them to get as much sleep today as possible, in preparation for tomorrow. Luckily enough, he’d come to learn they were both heavy sleepers, so he managed to sneak out successfully.

First stop, breakfast. Jinwoo was always up early the day before the exams too. Always shovelling his food down like a madman in an attempt to free up enough time in the day to train one final time. Myungjun slipped into the seat next to him in the hall and reached back for some food that floated past.

“How are you feeling today?” Jinwoo asked, after swallowing the impressively large amount of food he’d managed to cram into his mouth.

“Energetic.” Myungjun replied, giving him a smile. “I’ll be down in the combat centre to train with you this afternoon. Just need to sort out my healing supplies first. I really hope we learn how to grow our own medicinal plants next year. I always feel bad raiding the herbology supply shed. Then because I feel bad, I never bring enough, and then we always run out at the most inconvenient of times.”

Jinwoo hummed and poured them both a glass of water. “Ask Ms Jung when you see her today and see if you’ll be doing that next year. It would be helpful if you could get more. Especially the plants that boost our magical energy. Are you seeing Mr Choi today too?”

Myungjun nodded and quickly chewed the food he was eating. “Even though I can fuse skin back together now; I still want to bring a good amount of bandages just in case. You’ve seen how much using light magic drains me.”

“It drains you too much and it makes me nervous.” Jinwoo said. “But anyway, if you spend the morning packing and the afternoon training with me, what are you doing this evening? Do you want to sleepover? We can go down for breakfast together that way.”

Myungjun quickly shook his head. “I’m going to spend the evening in the library, reading up about all the monsters we know we’ll face in there. The later floors especially. There must be an easier way to kill the cockatrices without using Camellia and Rocky Jr as our eyes. You saw how badly that ended last time with Rockys back. We need to avoid leaving ourselves so vulnerable. If one of us gets a wound that bad again, I probably won’t be strong enough to close it completely and it will take me ages.” Jinwoo nodded thoughtfully between bites of food and let Myungjun talk. “I also want to check out the battle section of the library, to look up strategies on effective traps and stuff. I can’t let that centaur run us around like that again. Jumping over that chasm was stupid and reckless and I’m lucky I didn’t fall. I very nearly let go of my vines when I crashed into the cliff face, it really hurt.” Myungjun finished with a pout and rubbed his elbows and knees absentmindedly. They’d taken the worst of the blow.

Jinwoo pushed his empty plate away with a satisfied sigh and sat back to look at Myungjun properly. “I’ll come with you to the library then and help you look. On second thoughts, we should ask the others on our team at lunch or dinner to meet us at the library to help. We can sit at one of the tables and make up proper plans for a change. I know we plan a lot when we’re in there, but it would be nice to do so beforehand.”

“Sounds good JinJin. I think we’ll have Sanha with us this time around as well. I’ve been helping him improve his psychic shield this week and he’s gotten pretty good at keeping me out. So hopefully he can keep the illusions at bay. It really does worry me when he fails there. I want to ask him what he sees but I know he’ll only tell me when he’s ready too.” Myungjun sighed and stood up feeling full. “I’ll see you at lunch.” He bent down swiftly to kiss Jinwoos inviting lips and made his way across the hall.

He passed by Moonbin and Dongmin on their way to eat and eyed them suspiciously. They didn’t look like two boys planning on running away anymore and he allowed himself to hope that they’d changed their minds.

“Morning Junnie.” He turned at the sound of Hyungwons scratchy morning grumble and smiled at the sight of him. He looked ruffled and tired, with his shockingly bad bedhead that was sticking out in all directions and his tattered Pyjamas. He was even barefoot.

“Why didn’t you get changed before you came down Hyung?” Myungjun asked, making his way over to him. “Wasn’t it uncomfortable to walk here without shoes?”

“Hoseok is being too excitable this morning. I had to get out of there. Can you believe he woke me up this early? I don’t even feel fully human yet.” He groaned and ran his hand through his hair, not making it any better.

“Come down here you giant, let me fix that for you.” Myungjun said kindly, gesturing for Hyungwon to bend down. He just seemed to keep growing and Myungjun felt awfully short next to him.

Hyungwon bent down with his hands on his knees until he was eye level with Myungjun and sighed happily at the feeling of Myungjuns hands in his hair. “Feels good Junnie. I want to go back to sleep now.”

Myungjun giggled and flattened his hair as best as possible. “There. Now you look like a presentable human being and not a walking nest for birds.”

Hyungwon grinned at him before pressing a quick kiss to his forehead and standing up. He stretched out his back with a groan until it cracked and looked down at him. “Thanks Junnie. What are you doing today?”

“Packing supplies, training with Jinwoo and then taking my team to the library to plan. What about you?” Myungjun asked.

“Eating, sleeping, more eating, more sleeping and then killing Hoseok for waking me up early and no doubt keeping me awake tonight.” He cracked a smile when Myungjun giggled again and reached over to ruffle Myungjuns hair. “I’ll see you later then Junnie.”

Myungjun watched him leave to get some food and called out to him. “Put some shoes on Hyung!” Hyungwon just waved a hand dismissively over his shoulder without bothering to look back.

*

“Ms Jung, I have a question.” Myungjun said, watching as she unlocked the door to the supply shed at the back of the herbology clearing. She made a noise to let him know she was listening and opened the door, gesturing for him to go in first. “Thankyou. Anyway, I was wondering if we’d learn how to grow our own medicinal plants. I always raid the supplies here and it makes me feel bad for not giving you anything in return.”

Ms Jung’s resulting chuckle was full of warmth. “Myungjun you always give me things. I’m pretty sure I’ve eaten more of the fruits and vegetables out of your greenhouse then you have yourself at this point.” Myungjun smiled at that thought. He loved sharing everything he grew with people and it was extra nice sharing with Ms Jung because she always gave him such good feedback. “Also, you are more than welcome to take as much as you want out of this shed. It gets restocked every day, so there’s never a fear of things running out. To answer your question; yes, we will be learning how to grow medicinal plants when you come back from your summer holidays. It will be a very long course because it requires intricate and difficult care and magic, but I am sure it will be of great use to you.”

“That’s excellent news!” Myungjun said feeling excited already. “I can’t wait to get started.”

“I’ll leave you to your packing in here now. Like I said, take as much as you need but remember to close the door behind you. It doesn’t need to be locked because I’m sure other students will be down here after you.”

Myungjun thanked her profusely before turning to the wooden boxes lining the shelves. He usually liked to scan the shelves and look inside all the boxes at the interesting plants and seeds and bulbs, but he was determined to get everything done quickly today to have more time to train. He went straight to the large box on the bottom shelf labelled _**‘Pain Relief’**_ and pulled it out onto the floor. He opened the wooden lid and was hit with an earthy scent that carried hints of peppermint and something else he couldn’t identify. He dug around for the oldest looking ones and took them first. He knew the older they were, the more potent they would be and was happy to see at least ten of them were dark green in colour. He started loading up one of the sections in his yellow herb pouch with them and when it was full, he stuffed in six more just for good measure. He didn’t feel as guilty for taking them anymore.

He moved to a different box labelled _**’Energy Revive’**_ and did the same. Next, he went through plants for curing poisons and venoms and plants that he needed to use to make pastes, like aloe for burns and hibiscus for disinfecting wounds in the absence of moonshine. He paused on his way to the door when he remembered Moonbin in the last dungeon. He had been going into shock and Myungjun had told Jinwoo he would ask Grove about the plant he used to calm Myungjun down before. I don’t want to waste time finding Grove, Myungjun thought to himself. He could have used his birthmark, but after his bullies had been caught, the charm had been taken off. He turned back to scan the shelves and his eyes stopped at a box labelled _**’Shock’**_. He reached up eagerly on his tiptoes to pull it down and frowned when he read the small print. _**’Brew in tea only’**_.

“That won’t be very helpful.” He muttered to himself. He put it back on the shelf reluctantly and turned to leave, but a tray on the table near the door caught his eye and gave him an idea.

*

Myungjun knocked on the door in the hall, where the shiny metal trays usually floated in and out of when they were carrying food at mealtimes. He waited for a few moments before pushing it open and walked into a large kitchen. There was no-one in sight, but the kitchen was full of noise. Knives were busy chopping vegetables and meats on the counters with no hands controlling them. A blender was whirring loudly in the background and sputtering every now and then as new food floated inside of it. Stacks of plates, cups and cutlery were clattering noisily in the sink as they were being washed with steaming water, by foaming sponges that sometimes dripped water over the sides and onto the floor. Myungjun watched as a mop quickly sped across the kitchen to wipe up the liquid and shot back over to lean against the wall again when it was finished.

Myungjun had never been in the kitchens before and was fascinated by how it worked with no-one to control things. Myungjun cleared his throat and the noise ceased immediately. He tensed as everything turned his way, the knives glistening under the bright overhead lights.

“Can I help you?” Myungjun nearly screamed at the voice that came from behind him and spun around to see a boy in chefs robes watching him. He had a shaggy mop of silver hair and piercing blue eyes, with a sharp nose and a slim face. He didn’t look much older than Myungjun himself, maybe seventeen at most and he was carrying a bag of flour that left white patches up his arms and over his robes.

“Oh hello. Sorry, I didn’t know anyone worked in here.” Myungjun said nervously, willing his shocked heart to slow down.

“How else would your food get made?” The boy asked curiously, with his head tilted slightly. Myungjun looked down to see the boys swirly glowing birthmark and everything made sense. An air user, that’s why everything was floating around and working without the need for hands.

“You do all this by yourself?” Myungjun asked, looking around at everything that was being done. “It’s a lot of work for one person.”

The boy brushed past him and dumped the bag onto a wooden work surface, flour billowing up in clouds. “It’s easy when you get used to it, but yeah, I work here alone. Overtook the previous chef after I finished my third year at the academy. You came in here for something.”

Myungjun remembered the reason for being there in the first place and pointed to the stove. “I need to boil some water, in a teapot preferably. No need for cups.”

The boy nodded and flicked his wrist before turning back to the bag of flour. Myungjun watched in awe as a black metal teapot, dented from years of use and a little bit rusty on the handle, landed with a thump on the stove. “Fill it for me. I’m a bit busy.” The boy instructed, elbows deep in the bag of flour already. Myungjun quickly rushed to the sink and filled a glass with water, trying to avoid the sponge that had resumed its job of washing the plates, and moved over to the stove to pour it into the teapot. A fire crackled to life below it and Myungjun waited patiently for it to boil.

“What are you making?” Myungjun asked, turning to watch him.

“Cakes today. Something extra sugary for tomorrows exams. Good luck with that by the way.” Myungjun thanked him with a grin before turning back at the sound of the teapot whistling. He went to grab the handle but was stopped by a very floury hand on his forearm. “Don’t touch it, its hot. Let me do it.” Myungjun stepped back, wiping the flour off his arm, and watched as the boy grabbed a towel first to pick it up by the handle. He placed the steaming teapot on a clean metal tray that he pulled out of one of the cupboards, before turning back to Myungjun. “Where do you need it?”

Myungjun quickly hurried over to take the tray but the older boy held it up and out of reach. “I asked you a question. I’ll carry it for you.”

“In the hall on one of the tables, I guess. I don’t want to interrupt your work though. It’ll be lunch soon.” Myungjun pointed out, worried that he’d be taking up too much of his time.

The boy just shrugged and walked towards the kitchen door. “It’s fine. I can stop for a minute, let’s go.” Myungjun opened the door for him and followed behind him to the table he usually sat on with his friends.

“How did you know I was coming to sit here?” Myungjun asked curiously, sitting down in his usual seat and watching the tray be placed in front of him.

“I’ve seen you before. You always bring that flower in here with you. He’s pretty.”

“She.” Myungjun corrected, and was ready to answer the boys next question before it even had a chance to leave his lips. “I know, animated companions are supposed to be an extension of yourself, so how can mine be female? I don’t know either.”

“Well you are quite pretty yourself.” The boy said with another shrug, as if that explained it. Myungjun flushed and stared down at the teapot, not really knowing how to reply. “What flavour do you like?”

“What?” Myungjun asked, thrown by the topic change.

“You know, flavour, for the cake.” The boy explained, staring down at him.

“Umm…I like lemon?”

“You don’t sound too sure about that.” The boy pointed out, sounding amused.

“I’m sure. Lemon. Lemon is good. Why?” Myungjun finally looked up to see him scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Just wondering. Gotta go, enjoy the…hot water.” He left before Myungjun could thank him and he watched him disappear into the kitchen feeling utterly confused. Why would anyone care about what flavour he liked? He shook his head and pushed that odd conversation from his mind to focus on the task at hand. He tentatively touched the lid of the teapot and was happy to feel that it was cool enough to remove, so he took it off and put it down gently on the tray to watch the steam billow out.

Myungjun opened up the pouch that was strapped across his chest next and pulled out two glass vials with cork stoppers and dug around for the shock curing herbs. He poured the herbs into the teapot and sat back to let it steep. I can only make two vials, he thought to himself unhappily, my pouch is so full already, I can’t fit anymore in. He hoped he didn’t need to use them at all, but it was always good to have a back-up plan. He was going to make two vials of the steeped tea, to drink as cold shots if the time came. He planned to wrap them in some of the bandages before putting them back into the pouch, so they’d have less chance of being smashed.

“Let’s just hope I don’t get hit in the chest.” Myungjun muttered to himself.

*

Myungjun left after lunch with Jinwoo to train in the combat centre. He’d already been back to his room before lunch to get changed into more appropriate clothing and deposit the yellow embroidered pouch on his bed.

“We can take a main weapon and the daggers as a secondary into the dungeons tomorrow Junnie. So, we’ll train with both today.” Jinwoo explained, going to find the correct equipment for them both. “I’ll get the thigh harnesses and sheathes out for the daggers, but you can keep your sword belt off for now. There’s no point putting it on because you won’t be putting your swords down today…unless I knock them out of your hands obviously, and that’s-”

“-when I use my daggers.” Myungjun recited perfectly. “I know JinJin.”

“Wow you actually listened to me then.” Jinwoo said cheekily, avoiding the hit aimed his way. “I’m just kidding. Wait here.”

Myungjun went to find a mat to use and started to stretch. There were other students training for the exams too and he spotted Rocky sparring with Jackson again and gave him a little wave.

“Stand up straight Junnie, I’ll put them on you.” Jinwoos voice came from behind him before he came into view. Myungjun stood up and offered Jinwoo his leg. Jinwoo made quick work of adjusting and buckling the harnesses around Myungjuns thighs and managed to do it without tickling him too much. When he was done, he slid the daggers into the sheaths, the handles just below Myungjuns hips, and stood up to kiss him. “All done Junnie. Go and get your swords and my pole, so I can sort my own daggers out.”

Myungjun made his way to the weapon racks happily and pulled down what they needed. When they were both finally ready to begin, Jinwoo bowed his head politely and gave him a small smile. “Let’s see how much you’ve improved.”

*

Jinwoo shouted in surprise as Myungjun swept him off his feet and they landed heavily on the mat together. “Looks like I’ve improved a lot.” Myungjun said smugly, placing a quick kiss on his boyfriend’s cheek before standing up and offering him his hand.

“I was just distracted.” Jinwoo grumbled, ignoring his hand and pushing himself to his feet to step off the mat alone. “Let’s go to dinner.” Myungjun grinned at his retreating back. He knew Jinwoo didn’t like losing but he’d said fair and square that whoever lost the next round had to piggyback the other to dinner. Myungjun quickly unbuckled and removed the harnesses around his thighs and dashed around putting everything away.

Jinwoo walked over to him when he was finished and offered him his back resignedly. Myungjun jumped on and loosely wrapped his arms around Jinwoos neck. “I command you to move.”

“I command you to be quiet.” Jinwoo fired back, voice light enough for Myungjun to know it was a joke. “I’m going to win next time and make you carry me.”

“I already carried you all the way to your room the other week AND had to get us ready for bed, so be grateful you’re only carrying me to the hall.” Myungjun said smartly and grinned when Jinwoo stayed silent.

They made it to the hall and Myungjun saw their friends already sitting around the table.

“Myungjun, there’s a present for you.” Jimin said, pointing to a little plate on the table in front of Myungjuns usual seat. Jinwoo put him down and eyed the cupcake curiously. “A boy with silver hair and blue eyes asked us to give it to you.”

Myungjuns eyebrows raised in surprise and he looked towards the kitchen door that was currently opening and closing to let the trays of food out. He couldn’t see the chef anywhere in sight and turned his attention back to the cake.

“I’ve never seen anyone with silver hair and blue eyes before.” Youngjae said with a strange look on his face. “He looked kind of mysterious, in a hot kind of way you know?” Jimin immediately agreed and Myungjun turned to watch Jinwoo choke on his water.

“JinJin are you okay?” He asked with mild concern, rubbing his back. “Drink slower next time.”

Jinwoo gasped for breath as his coughing died down and he pointed to the cake. “Don’t eat it.”

Myungjun frowned and pulled the plate towards himself. “Of course I’m going to eat it Jinwoo. It was made for me; it would be rude to turn it down.”

“A hot, mysterious guy made that cake for you and as your boyfriend I say no.” Jinwoo said stubbornly, plucking the cupcake off the plate and shoving it all in his mouth. Jinwoos face contorted into a grimace as he chewed, and he quickly washed it down with another glass of water. “Ew lemon? I hate lemon.”

“I _love_ lemon.” Myungjun whined, pouting at Jinwoo for stealing his food and not understanding why he wasn’t allowed to eat it. “You’re so greedy. You could have at least saved me a bite.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jealous Jinwoo is the funniest thing. 
> 
> Off to the dungeons next chapter!~


	70. Chapter 70

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since when did this fic get over 140 kudos?! I swear the last time I looked it was around half that ;-;  
> Thankyou lovely humans, I'll try to write better chapters in the future!<3

Myungjun stood in front of the giant oak doors, that led to the dungeons, feeling calm. He rarely felt calm in situations like this, but he was so sure they’d do a better job this time around after the sheer amount of planning they had done the previous night. If anything, he was feeling a little impatient, just wanting to get in there and begin.

When the doors opened, he patted his herb pouch, promising the little flowers embroidered on it that he’d do well, before stepping inside with his team. Jinwoo wasted no time in lighting the torches along the walls with a snap of his fingers and they set off towards the first floor.

The rats fell in a storm of icy daggers, courtesy of Dongmin and they swiftly moved onto the boss room, where the boss fell to Jinwoos fire, aided by Myungjuns trapping vines. The hive on the second floor was located and blown off the tree by Sanha and the boss was quickly put down by a mixture of different magic. It was only when they were walking down the stone steps to the third floor that Myungjun stopped everybody.

“Illusion time guys. Psychic shields up before we enter the room.” He turned to look at Sanha. “YOU especially. We’re not losing you again.”

Sanha nodded, looking awfully nervous and Myungjun took a deep breath before turning back around. Here goes nothing, he thought to himself before forcing his shield up in his mind and stepping into the room. It was strange not stepping straight out into the field again and he crushed the fairy flying his way with ease. He turned back to watch everyone else enter one by one and Sanha came through last. Where he stopped dead and stared into space.

“Not again!” Rocky growled angrily. “Is he an idiot or something?”

“I’m not an idiot!” Sanha said offended, before reaching up and crushing the fairy above him. “I was just joking.”

“Well it wasn’t funny!” Rocky argued back with a frown before turning on his heel and walking away.

Myungjun rushed over to give Sanha a hug and congratulated him happily. This was the first time ever that Sanha had gotten this far and he needed to hear how well he’d done. Sanha grinned at him, saying his thanks and clung to Myungjuns arm as they walked into the Riddler’s room.

*

The floors passed by quickly after that. The longest floor to clear was the fourth, because Sanha screamed like he was being murdered when the spiders came out and it took ages to calm him down after that. Myungjun ended up using one of his two shock vials early on, just to get him to stop panicking, and he made him close his eyes whilst the others took the spider boss down. Myungjun didn’t have to boost anyone until after the siren trident boss on the sixth floor. They were working well on conserving energy and managed to get to the seventh floor with only minor scrapes.

Walking out into the cockatrice desert was where they put their first plan into motion. Myungjun had done the research last night and discovered that not only could a cockatrice turn its enemies to stone by looking them in the eye, but it could also turn itself to stone. Which meant they needed a mirror. They had spent a long time debating on how to get a mirror inside the dungeons, before Myungjun remembered looking down into the pond to see the love bite Jinwoo had left on his skin the first time, and the answer had been simple. Moonbin just needed to create a wall of water for the Cockatrices to see themselves in. The only problem being, they were inside a scorching desert and Moonbins water magic wouldn’t work very well there.

Dongmins suggestion had been to pack bottles of water in a bag for Moonbin to drink when they first stepped foot in the desert to boost the water level in his body. So Myungjun and the others stood back now to watch.

Moonbin downed five of the glass bottles, letting them fall to the sand with a clink before humming happily and stretching his arms out in front of him. “Let’s do this guys.” He said cheerfully, setting off across the desert and making tonnes of noise to alert the creatures. They burst free from the sand dunes and Sanha squeaked in fright at the sight of them.

“Why do these things even _exist_.” The younger boy whined, hiding his face in Myungjuns neck. “Giant chickens with dragon wings are so freaky.” Everyone murmured their agreements and watched as Moonbin created his wall. The cockatrices flying towards it took one look at their reflections and fell to the sand with heavy clunks. The walls rumbled to life around them and they stepped through the corridor leading to the boss room, cheering about their success.

*

“One of you must sacrifice yourselves to let the others go free. If not, we’ll kill you all.” The centaur said with his arms crossed over his chest. “Who will it be?”

“The only ones being killed today are you.” Dongmin said, the obvious need for revenge burning in his voice. “Do it Binnie.”

That was the signal for everyone to move. Myungjun didn’t bother looking back at the fight that had erupted as he tore through the trees with Rocky, to come up behind the centaurs again. His body was tingling with excitement as he pulled his vines through the floor behind them and he wrapped them around the bows they were holding. He snapped them all cleanly in half. The centaurs were only half as dangerous without their weapons now. Rocky kneeled down beside him and tore the ground apart, swallowing half of them before they could even turn around. They left the rest to the others and Myungjun watched proudly as Sanha created a tornado so vicious it tore the last centaur to shreds.

“See? I’m not an idiot.” Sanha said haughtily, sticking his tongue out at Rocky who just rolled his eyes.

Myungjun could already sense another fight brewing between the two boys, so he stepped between them and pointed to the newly formed corridor through the trees. “Fight the enemies, not each other. Don’t make me smack you both.” They shot each other one final dirty look before racing to the corridor, pushing and shoving. Myungjun watched them go with a sigh. Jinwoo walked over to him and held out his hand, which Myungjun took gratefully. He threaded their fingers together and felt Jinwoo rub comforting circles into his skin with his thumb.

“Ignore the babies. They’re all fangs but no bite. They wouldn’t really fight each other you know.” Jinwoo said reassuringly. “If they did fight, they’d probably cry and apologise to each other afterwards anyway.” Myungjun laughed and agreed. He could almost imagine it.

They approached the centaur boss and let him explain the rules again, so Dongmin and Sanha could hear for the first time. “You have three minutes to incapacitate me. If you do not succeed, I will choose one of you to die. You have six people left on your team so that’s six chances.” The old but tough centaur said.

“Wow he’s a bundle of joy isn’t he.” Dongmin muttered.

Myungjun stepped up to make the first move and closed his eyes. Don’t screw this up, he told himself, take it slow. The plan was to cage himself, the centaur, Dongmin and Sanha in with his vines and leave Moonbin, Rocky and Jinwoo outside. Myungjun needed to create walls of vines big enough that the centaur couldn’t jump them and with enough space in the middle to move and fight freely. Moonbin, Jinwoo and Rocky were the back up if he somehow got out.

It was going to take a huge amount of energy to achieve, so Myungjun got an energy reviver out beforehand. He moved his magic down to his palms and pictured the vines coming up around them. The ground rumbled before breaking apart and just like the last time, the centaur immediately sprung to action. It tried to jump the vines but came up short and kicked out at them angrily. Myungjun quickly ate the plant, already feeling weak at the knees and watched as Dongmin created a javelin out of ice and launched it towards the centaur. It jumped to the side, dodging the ice with lightning speed and charged towards him. Sanha stepped up in front of Dongmin protectively and blasted the centaur with his magic. Its advance slowed as it fought against the heavy wind and eventually started to be blown backwards, his hooves digging into the dirt, trying to find purchase on the floor.

“Two minutes left guys!” Jinwoo shouted out worriedly from behind the wall of vines. Myungjun wished Jinwoo could be inside to help but his fire magic would burn the walls down and it would be pointless if the centaur escaped. The centaur let itself be blown back at the wall and began kicking at the vines with its hind legs again, trying to break free. Dongmin created another ice javelin and threw it. It tore through one of the centaur’s front legs and he reared back, crying out in pain, before charging their way again with an obvious limp. Myungjun pulled his swords free and raced forwards to meet him. He expected them to clash halfway but the centaur jumped over him completely and Myungjun didn’t have enough time to turn before he was booted in the back by a very solid hoof. It connected painfully with his right shoulder blade and he heard the crack of his bone before he felt it.

“Hyung no!” Sanha screamed as Myungjun fell forwards.

Myungjun reflexively put his arms out to cushion the blow and the shock it sent up his right arm to his shoulder made him see stars. The pain was immense and made him lose control over his vines. They retreated back into the ground and the boys outside gave shouts of confusion as the centaur charged away through the trees.

“Get him!” Myungjun gasped out through the pain and watched Jinwoo hesitate between him and the centaur. “GO NOW!” Jinwoo snapped out of it and raced through the trees with Moonbin and Rocky close behind. Myungjun was pulled to his feet and leaned heavily against Dongmin for support. “Someone get me a pain reliver.” He said through gritted teeth, feeling his back throb and burn. Sanha raced forwards and dug one out before pressing it to his lips. Myungjun chewed and felt the pain fade.

Myungjun didn’t waste any time, he knew it would wear off soon enough. He pulled away from Dongmin and ran his finger straight down the middle of his shirt, cutting it all away and heard the boys gasp.

“Hyung its really bad!” Dongmin squeaked. “What can we do?”

“Is it cut?” Myungjun asked firmly. “Is it bleeding?”

Sanha nodded his head and Myungjun sighed. “I can’t fuse it shut because I can’t reach around without doing more damage to the bone.” He dug around in his pouch for the needle and thread and held it out between the two boys. “One of you do it.”

“We’re not healers!” Dongmin said, taking a tiny step back. “If I even try that I’m going to be sick.”

“Stop being a baby! Do you want me to bleed out?” Myungjun asked, the panic of what had happened to him was making him irritable. “Sanha you do it.”

The younger boy whined and backed away as well. “Hyung I can’t do it either.”

“FINE!” Myungjun snapped. “Don’t bother. At least put this paste over it and bandage it up.” He put the needle and thread away and held out the tub and a roll of bandages. Sanha took one look at Dongmin and they began to play rock-paper-scissors for it. Dongmin won and cheered as Sanha took the supplies out of Myungjuns hand with a groan. He gagged the whole time he was spreading the paste on and Myungjun guided him through how to bandage. It didn’t go very well. Myungjun soon gave up and told him to just tape down a thick wad of bandages over the top of it in the hopes it would stick. The hardest part was turning his top into a makeshift sling. He couldn’t just leave his arm hanging by his side. Sanha helped him tie it around his neck and he tested if it could take the whole weight of his arm. Miraculously, it held.

Myungjun heard Jinwoo calling his name in the distance and quickly looked down at his chest to make sure it was definitely covered by the sling. Jinwoo burst out of the trees soon after, looking frantic, and ran towards him.

“Junnie! Oh bloody hell look at you! What happened?” He asked, voice full of worry as he looked him over.

“He got booted in the shoulder blade by the centaur.” Dongmin explained for him, eyeing the treeline. “Where’s Binnie and Rocky?”

“They used a lot of magic; they’re taking a slow walk back. I couldn’t wait though. I didn’t know what was wrong with you Junnie. I looked up when the vines came down after hearing Sanha scream and you were on the floor. I was so _worried_ , I could barely concentrate. How are you feeling?” Jinwoo asked, frowning as he peered into his face. “You don’t look so good.”

“I’m fine for now.” Myungjun said. It was a lie. He felt panicked and sick and dizzy and wanted nothing more than to just leave and get his shoulder fixed but he didn’t want to worry Jinwoo any further. “Tell us how you took the centaur down whilst we wait for the others.”

*

“Trolls _stink_.” Sanha whined unhappily as he looked at the bodies surrounding him. “They smell even worse than the sewers on the first floor.”

The acrid stench of their unwashed bodies was all Myungjun could smell and it wasn’t helping with his already nauseated state. He crossed the cave, stepping over them to reach the other boys. He’d stayed out of the fight, only using his vines to help those in need once or twice and left the physical stuff to the rest of them. He was feeling ashamed of himself for allowing himself to get hurt and being so useless to them all but tried to push that away. Feeling that way wouldn’t help them at all in here. Jinwoo rushed over to meet him halfway and made sure he was okay before taking them all through the corridor to the boss room.

Myungjun stared up and up and up at the giant troll that was standing still in a massive room made of grey stone blocks. It was pale green in colour and covered in thin layer of black dirt. The rancid smell rolling off of its grimy body was intense.

Moonbin turned to them holding his nose. “That’s a big club its holding. If we get hit by that we’re done for.” His voice came out slightly nasally and he looked back at the gnarled wooden club warily.

“That’s as big as a tree trunk!” Myungjun said incredulous. “Wait…that is a tree trunk.”

“Let’s DEFINITELY avoid getting hit by it then.” Dongmin said weakly. He smiled when Moonbin gave him an encouraging pat on the back. “What was the plan again?”

“There is no plan.” Jinwoo said with a sigh. “Our original plan won’t work anymore. It’s too big. Junnie won’t be able to trap something that large and it will probably take too much energy for Rocky to create a chasm large enough to swallow it. If you tried, you’d probably take us all out too.” Jinwoo added when it looked like Rocky was going to protest. “I think me and Sanha should deal with it. Boost my fire Sanha.”

“I’ll go behind and try to damage its ankles.” Myungjun decided. “I’ve still got one good arm.”

“Not with your sword Junnie.” Jinwoo said, looking at him with a frown. “You’ll be in stomping distance. You can make your vines sharp can’t you? Use those instead and stay out of range.”

“How do we stop that club if it comes swinging at one of us?” Sanha asked, looking at it nervously. “How are we supposed to stop a _tree_?”

Myungjun had an idea and squealed excitedly. “Bin, wood goes soft when it gets wet! You concentrate on blasting it with your water and Minnie, help me taking out its ankles with those ice javelins of yours. They’re really cool!” Dongmin grinned at him and nodded.

“Smart thinking Junnie.” Jinwoo praised him, kissing him quickly before stepping away. “Let’s do this guys.”

Myungjun and Dongmin set off together, jogging around the boss with their shoes thumping against the grey stone. Myungjun tried to calm himself. He could feel the pain slowly coming back in his shoulder and tried desperately to ignore it.

“READY?” Jinwoo called out. Myungjun gave him a thumbs up with his good arm and he watched as Jinwoo erupted into flames. He counted down the seconds it took for Jinwoo to move his fire down to his hands and watched as they shot out towards the troll. Sanha stepped up beside Jinwoo and held his hands out. The wind was immense. Myungjun could feel it from the other side of the dungeons and it boosted Jinwoos flames until they were monstrously large, completely engulfing the giant troll.

It roared loudly and Myungjun instinctively tried to cover his ears. His right shoulder protested, and he hissed at the pain, vision blurring from the intensity of it. Dongmin was already throwing javelin after icy javelin, and when Myungjun looked up, he could see Moonbin working on dampening the wood. I have to help, he thought to himself angrily, I can’t just stand here.

Myungjun raised his good arm, focusing on moving his magic down to his palm, when the edges of his vision suddenly started to fade. He launched a few sharp vines that did nothing more than poke at the trolls’ heels before stumbling to his knees. Pain relief, he thought to himself, I need pain relief. He fumbled in his pouch pulling things out at random. No, not that, not that one. The ground began to vibrate as the troll stomped towards Jinwoo and Sanha, intent on taking them out first and Myungjun heard his name being called.

Dongmin was crouching in front of him, asking what was wrong but Myungjun couldn’t speak, he couldn’t _breathe_. Every time he took a breath it felt sharp in his chest and the lack of oxygen was making his head spin. He did the only thing he could to help his friends. He untied the pouch around his chest and thrust it at Dongmin before falling forwards to be sucked through the dungeon floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Myungjun. The first to leave the dungeons for once :(


	71. Chapter 71

Myungjun woke up in a pair of strong, warm arms and groaned at the way his body ached. “Junnie? Junnie are you awake?” Jinwoos voice came from above him and he looked up, with some effort, to see his handsome face etched with worry. “How are you feeling sunshine? You scared us.”

Myungjun looked back down to see his friends sitting around the bed on chairs, watching him intently. “My body hurts. What happened in there?”

“After you left, we took down the boss and moved onto the tenth floor. You won’t _believe_ what’s on that floor Hyung.” Sanha said, shivering at the memory.

“Let’s talk about that later.” Jinwoo said quickly. “Moonbin could you go and find the nurse and tell her he’s awake?” Jinwoo helped Myungjun sit up and peered into his face. “I’m sorry Junnie.”

Myungjun looked at Jinwoo and frowned. Why was he apologising? “What for JinJin?”

Jinwoo took a deep breath before speaking. “I was so focused on getting us through the dungeon that I didn’t realise how bad your injuries were. Your shoulder blade was shattered, two ribs at the top were fractured and you tore a lung Junnie. A _lung_. You must have been in so much pain, I’m so _sorry_.” Myungjun was startled to see tears welling up in his eyes.

“Don’t cry JinJin. I didn’t feel much until that last boss room. I only found it hard to breathe after I tried to cover my ears when the troll roared, so I must have torn it then. You couldn’t have known, so please don’t blame yourself.” He tried to reach out to touch Jinwoos face but the pain in his shoulder stopped him. “Bloody hell this hurts so bad.”

“Language Myungjun.” The nurse said, coming into view and shooing Jinwoo off the bed. “I was able to locate and fix the problem with your lung and did a quick heal on the rest, but I’ve been busy with other students in worse conditions, so I was waiting for you to wake.” Myungjun nodded as she spoke, understanding fully why she’d need to treat other students first and tried to stay still as she came up behind him. “You did the right thing by putting your arm in a sling and I put it back on you, but it needs to come off now so try not to move.”

Myungjun stayed as still as possible as she took it off and was glad to see Jinwoo purposefully staring at the floor. Myungjun knew his lack of a shirt should be the least of his worries but he couldn’t help how uncomfortable it made him feel.

When the nurse was finished, and all of the pain was gone, Jinwoo stood up and took off his shirt before wordlessly holding it out to Myungjun to cover himself up, still looking away.

“You two are so weird.” Moonbin said with a sigh.

*

Myungjun rushed down the academy steps to greet his mother as she stepped out of the carriage. He ran into her open arms, squealing excitedly, and hugged her tight. “I’ve missed you!”

She laughed and pulled away to look at him. “You’ve grown so much Junnie! Do you even have clothes that fit you anymore?”

Myungjun nodded quickly and hooked his arm through hers to lead her inside. “I’ve been making my own clothes in design class to replace the ones I’ve grown out of. Did you have a safe journey here?” He listened to his mother talk as he led her down the academy corridors to the hall and found an empty table to sit at.

“Where are the others?” His mother asked after she finished relaying the events of her uneventful journey.

Myungjun shrugged and looked around. Everyone should have been in there by now to collect their results. “I’m going to speak to Grove. I’ll be back in a second.” Myungjun stood back up and joined the queue of students. When he finally reached Groves table, he took his results scroll with shaky hands. The nerves of not knowing how he had done were taking over and it took all of his willpower not to tear it open right there and then. He waited until he was seated back next to his mother before checking.

2nd YEAR STUDENT EXAM RESULTS.  
KIM MYUNGJUN, EARTH ELEMENTAL-PLANT MANIPULATION VARIETY.

HERBOLOGY-A  
ZOOLOGY OF MAGICAL CREATURES-C  
ALCHEMY-B  
INTERMEDIATE COMMUNICATIONS-B  
INTERMEDIATE COMBAT AND WEAPONS TRAINING-B  
INTERMEDIATE PRACTICAL SKILLS-B  
DESIGN-B  
HEALING-A  
MEDITATION AND DISCIPLINE-SATISFACTORY

DUNGEON RUN OVERALL SCORE- 2750 POINTS  
DETAILS:  
FEBRUARY DUNGEON RUN EVALUATION  
NUMBER OR FLOORS CLEARED- 8 (+400 POINTS)  
NUMBER OF BOSSES ELIMINATED- 8 (+800 POINTS)  
NUMBER OF LIVES SAVED/HEROIC DEEDS PERFORMED- 15 (+150 POINTS)  
1\. Breaking illusion in record time- Floor 3  
2\. Cutting MOONBIN free- Floor 4  
3\. Preventing PARK MINHYUK from incapacitating himself- Floor 6  
4\. Shielding MOONBIN from harm (Trident)- Floor 6 BOSS  
5\. Preventing MOONBIN from going into shock- Floor 6 BOSS  
6\. Creatively healing PARK MINHYUK (Sewing)- Floor 7  
7\. Delivering the killing blow- Floor 7 BOSS  
8\. Pulling PARK MINHYUK to safety- Floor 8  
9\. Shielding remaining party from harm- Floor 8  
10\. Incapacitating all enemies at once (Sleeping spores)- Floor 8  
11\. Jumping the chasm- Floor 8 BOSS  
12\. Delivering the killing blow- Floor 8 BOSS  
13\. Taking PARK MINHYUKS pain during his incapacitation- Floor 8 BOSS  
HEALER BONUS (+25 POINTS)

JUNE DUNGEON RUN EVALUATION  
NUMBER OR FLOORS CLEARED- 9 (+450 POINTS)  
NUMBER OF BOSSES ELIMINATED- 8 (+800 POINTS)  
NUMBER OF LIVES SAVED/HEROIC DEEDS PERFORMED- 10 (+100 POINTS)  
1\. Using psychic shield to block illusion- Floor 3  
2\. Destroying all enemy weaponry- Floor 8  
3\. Caging in the boss successfully- Floor 8 BOSS  
4\. Shielding entire party from harm- Floor 9  
5\. Strategizing effectively- Floor 9 BOSS  
6\. Using final moments effectively (Handing over medical supplies)- Floor 9 BOSS  
HEALER BONUS (+25 POINTS)

CONGRATULATIONS KIM MYUNGJUN. YOU HAVE PLACED IN THE TOP 5% FOR YOUR SCORE GAINED IN THE DUNGEON EXAMINATIONS.

CONGRATULATIONS KIM MYUNGJUN. YOU HAVE SECURED THE TITLE OF THE ACADEMIES BEST FIGHTER- BATTLE ROYALE VICTOR.

Myungjun sighed in relief when he saw that he had gained a high enough grade to take advanced healing next year. It was the class he wanted to do the most and the one he had been most worried about. He handed the scroll to his mother to read.

“You got less A’s then last year.” She observed before unrolling the scroll further. “But you doubled your dungeon score AND you won a title! Well done my smart, brave boy!” Myungjun giggled as he was pulled into a cuddle and accepted the praise proudly. All the pain and struggles had been worth it yet again. “Oh hello Sanha.”

Myungjun pulled away to see Sanha sitting at the table, beaming their way. “Hello Ms Kim! How have you been?”

Myungjun tuned their conversation out as he looked around the hall for his boyfriend. He spotted him talking intensely to Blaze and watched, surprised, as Jinwoo hugged Blaze tight. Blaze seemed equally as shocked but smiled soon after and ruffled Jinwoos hair. Jinwoo turned around to leave and made his way over when he spotted Myungjuns waving hand.

“Hey Junnie, did you get your results already?” He asked, sitting down at the table. “Hello Ms Kim.” Myungjuns mother greeted him kindly before turning back to her conversation with Sanha.

“Yes, I’ve just read them. I doubled my dungeon score from last year!” Myungjun said, thrusting the results scroll towards him.

Jinwoo took the parchment and gave it a quick scan before grinning up at him. “You did so well Junnie, I’m proud of you.” He quickly looked towards Myungjuns mother to make sure she wasn’t looking before leaning forwards to kiss Myungjun softly. “I have some news.”

“What news? Is that why you hugged Blaze?” Myungjun asked curiously, taking his scroll back and setting it on the table.

Jinwoo blushed lightly and nodded. “I didn’t mean to hug him. I just got excited.” Myungjun held back the urge to coo at him. “Here read this.” Jinwoo held out his own scroll and Myungjun took it, expecting it to be his results but opened it to reveal a letter instead.

PARK JINWOO- FIRE ELEMENTAL

AFTER CAREFUL CONSIDERATION ABOUT YOUR GRADES AND RECENT SUCCESS IN THE ACADEMIES BEST FIGHTER COMPETITION, I AM DELIGHTED TO OFFER YOU A PLACE ON OUR INTENSIVE WEAPONS TRAINING COURSE THAT IS BEING HELD OVER THE SUMMER.

THIS COURSE IS BEING OFFERED TO ONLY FOUR STUDENTS AND YOU HAVE BEEN SELECTED AS ONE OF THE CANDIDATES AFTER PROVING YOURSELF SUCCESSFULLY THIS PAST YEAR.

YOU WILL BE TRAINED IN THE USE OF NEW WEAPONARY AND-

Myungjun stopped reading. Jinwoo wasn’t coming home with him for the summer. He knew he’d already made up his mind after seeing his reaction with Blaze and forced a smile before looking up at his excited boyfriend. “That’s _incredible_ JinJin! You’re going to learn so much, I’m really jealous.”

“My hard work has finally paid off.” Jinwoo said with a laugh, taking the letter back and looking down at it happily. “This is what I’m good at. I’m good at fighting and I’m good with weapons. I don’t have a lot of knowledge outside of that like you do, but I try my best to make up for it. I thought winning three titles this year was as good as it was going to get and then this opportunity landed in my lap. I’m so happy Junnie, so so happy.”

Myungjun was happy for Jinwoo too. Happy that they were finally realising Jinwoos worth and rewarding him for his efforts. But he was also sad. Sad at the thought of not seeing Jinwoo for a whole summer, a whole _month_.

Myungjun watched as Jinwoo handed his letter to his mother and listened to them all talk excitedly, opting to stay quiet himself.

*

“Myungjun and Sanha make sure you’re all packed for tomorrow.” His mother told them sternly as they finished their dinner. “I want to leave straight after breakfast.”

Myungjun assured her that he would, before saying goodnight and watching her leave the hall. He’d already packed the night before, so he wasn’t in a hurry to go back to his room. He wanted to spend as much time with Jinwoo as possible.

Jinwoo seemed to share the same sentiment as he stood up and offered Myungjun his hand. “Sleepover?” Myungjun agreed eagerly and took Jinwoos hand, saying a quick goodnight to their friends before following Jinwoo to his room.

When the door was closed behind them, Myungjun was quickly engulfed in a hug and squeaked in surprise. “What’s wrong JinJin?”

“I needed that.” Was all Jinwoo said quietly, before pulling back and giving him a small smile. “Let’s get changed and washed up and then get into bed okay?” He led Myungjun over to his dresser and pulled out some pyjamas for them both, closing his eyes as Myungjun got undressed first. When they were both done, Jinwoo took him into the bathroom and retrieved their toothbrushes. “Can I brush your teeth again?” Jinwoo asked him.

“But it tickles when you do it JinJin.” Myungjun said with a pout.

“Exactly, it might make you giggle again. You’ve been quiet all afternoon.” Jinwoo said, looking down at their entwined hands with a frown. “What’s wrong?”

Myungjun didn’t want to ruin Jinwoos mood with his own selfishness, so he gave his hand a squeeze making Jinwoo look up. “Nothings wrong. Here, get brushing.” He opened his mouth wide with an ‘ahh’ and Jinwoo got to work eagerly, eliciting giggles from Myungjun every now and then.

When they were tucked up in bed, Jinwoo sighed happily. “I love hearing you giggle Junnie. Its one of my favourite things.” He was silent for a while before talking again. “I’m going to miss you.”

That was all it took for Myungjun to break apparently. He felt the sadness crash over him and choked on the sob he’d been holding back all afternoon, burying his face further into Jinwoos shoulder so he wouldn’t see.

“Junnie? Junnie why are you crying?” Jinwoo tried to pull away to look at him, worry evident in his voice, but Myungjun wouldn’t let him move. “Did I say something wrong? Junnie please look at me.”

Myungjun shook his head and cried harder, clinging to Jinwoo like he might disappear and never come back. He knew he was being silly. He’d see Jinwoo again after the summer, but it felt like such a long time away. He didn’t want to be away from Jinwoo for one _day_ , let alone being away from him for a whole month. He’d spent two years seeing him every day, so it would be a big change, one he wasn't sure he could handle.

When he realised Myungjun wasn’t going to look up, Jinwoo pulled him in for a cuddle instead and ran his fingers through Myungjuns hair, over and over again in an attempt to calm him down.

“Breathe Junnie, take deep breathes for me. It’s okay, you’re okay, everything’s okay.”

Myungjun could feel the petals falling over them but couldn’t find it within himself to be embarrassed about it anymore. He cried for a long time, letting all the negative emotions he was feeling be washed out in his tears. Jinwoo pressed kisses into his hair and rubbed his back and waited patiently for him to finish.

“I’m sorry.” Myungjun finally croaked out. “I’m sorry for being dramatic. I’m just going to miss you _so much_ JinJin. I feel like I miss you already.”

“Don’t apologise Junnie.” Jinwoo said sadly. “I know that it’s a long time to be away from each other, my heart aches just thinking about it, but you know I have to do this right? I won’t get another offer like this again.” Myungjun nodded against Jinwoos shoulder, understanding completely and finally released the vice-like grip he had on him. Jinwoo was pulling his face up a second later and kissed all the tears away. “I hate it when you cry. It makes me want to cry too.”

Myungjun laughed weakly and looked up at him. “You better work really hard this summer now.”

Jinwoo grinned and rolled them over until Myungjun was on top of him. “I’ll work extra hard just for you sunshine. All you have to do this summer is look after Sanha, have lots of fun and stay safe okay? If Jung-hoon comes near you, don’t you dare let him touch you again.”

Myungjun nodded quickly and looked down at Jinwoos concerned face. “Of course JinJin. No-one will ever touch me again if I can help it.” He closed the distance and kissed him softly. “It will go fast right? We’ll see each other again really soon…right?”

Jinwoo just sighed and reached up to sweep Myungjuns hair off his face. “I don’t know how fast the time will go Junnie. But I’ll pray to the deity every day that it goes by in a flash.”

Myungjun leaned down to bury his face in Jinwoos neck, begging himself not to cry again. He felt Jinwoos hands trailing patterns in his back and let it be a distraction. They stayed like that for a while, just enjoying each other’s presence until Jinwoo tapped his back gently.

“Junnie can I mark you again? One last time before you go?”

Myungjun pulled back to see Jinwoos face and nodded. Jinwoo moved to roll them over but Myungjun stopped him, feeling nervous. “JinJin wait.” Jinwoo stopped immediately, frozen like a statue. “Teach me.”

He watched as Jinwoos eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “Teach you? Teach you what?”

Myungjun whined, feeling embarrassed already but realised he couldn’t back out now. “Teach me how to give love bites JinJin. I want to give you one too.”

Jinwoo looked like Christmas had come early. After getting over the initial shock of Myungjuns request, he broke out into a bright smile that made Myungjuns heart flutter. “Sit up then Junnie.” Myungjun did so quickly and was more prepared this time for Jinwoo to remove his shirt. Jinwoo crossed his legs to make a more comfortable seat for Myungjun and Myungjun wrapped his legs around Jinwoos waist, feeling excited and anxious. “Do you want me to just pull down the collar of your shirt?” Jinwoo asked quietly, reaching up to stroke Myungjuns face. “Or do you feel brave enough to take off your shirt again as well?”

“Just pull my collar down JinJin.” Myungjun muttered back, blushing lightly. “I’m not feeling particularly brave right now.”

Jinwoo laughed and leaned forwards to kiss his pout away. “That’s fine cutie. Copy everything I do okay?” Myungjun nodded determinedly and held his breath as Jinwoo pulled his collar down gently, leaning in to kiss his exposed skin. He left a few soft kisses before pulling back and staring at Myungjun expectantly.

It took a few seconds for Myungjun to realise Jinwoo meant copy it step by step and he flushed in embarrassment. “Sorry, I didn’t realise I was doing it straight away.” Jinwoo just chuckled and reached up to thread his fingers through the hair at the back of Myungjuns head.

“There’s no rush okay? We have all night.”

One night is all we have though, Myungjun thought sadly. He took a deep breath before copying Jinwoo and leaning down to leave a few hesitant kisses along the top of his warm chest. I’m kissing his chest, his _chest_ , Myungjun thought feeling his face heat up at the thought, I’m kissing somewhere that isn’t his lips and it feels…nice. He felt Jinwoos hand tighten in his hair and heard his boyfriend whine quietly above him. Knowing that he was making his boyfriend happy fuelled him to take it further. He nibbled delicately at Jinwoos skin, like he had felt Jinwoo do to him before, and shivered happily as Jinwoo pressed his face into his hair to stifle a moan.

“Junnie that feels so good.” Myungjun pulled back to see Jinwoo looking down at him with hooded eyes. “My turn.” Jinwoo pulled the collar of his shirt down again, a bit too hard this time and Myungjun heard some of the seams snap. “Sorry.” Jinwoo said quickly, not sounding sorry at all. Soon it was Myungjuns turn to whine happily when Jinwoo started nipping and sucking at the skin below his collarbones. He grabbed at Jinwoos hair with both hands, pulling him closer, never wanting him to stop and growled in irritation when Jinwoo pulled back. “Don’t growl at me Myungjun or you won’t have that shirt on for much longer.”

Myungjun pouted and unhooked his legs from around Jinwoos waist and when Jinwoo went to protest, he placed a hand on the centre of Jinwoos chest and pushed him back down onto the mattress. Jinwoo made a noise of surprise and audibly gasped when Myungjun leaned down to leave love bites of his own. He tried to copy what Jinwoo did and felt a bolt of possessiveness shoot through him as the dark angry marks blossomed on Jinwoos skin. He felt Jinwoos hands in his hair, tugging at it softly, trying to pull him away but he couldn’t stop. He let his instincts take over instead and trailed kisses down his boyfriends’ chest till he reached the top of his abdominal muscles. He eyed them hungrily before tracing the dips of them with his tongue. Jinwoo whimpered above him and tugged harder at his hair.

“Mine.” Myungjun growled possessively. Jinwoo was his, no-one else’s and he’d make sure everyone knew it. He trailed his tongue further down before sucking harshly at the skin above Jinwoos belly button, feeling his boyfriend squirm beneath him.

He yelped in pain a second later as Jinwoo pulled his head away with the hand in his hair. “Junnie stop.” Jinwoo gasped out. Myungjun looked up to see Jinwoos chest heaving as he breathed heavily, a thin sheen of sweat covering his skin. “My magic…I can’t control it. You have to stop.”

“I don’t want to.” Myungjun said, realising he was breathing just as deeply but with a hint of panic. “I don’t want to stop. I don’t want it to be over because then we’ll sleep, and the time will go too quickly. It can’t go too quickly JinJin, it just can’t!”

Jinwoo let his hair go with an unhappy sigh and used his hand to wipe the fresh tears off Myungjuns face instead. “Don’t cry. We don’t have to sleep yet Junnie. I just don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want that to be last thing that happens before you leave.” He pulled Myungjun down for a cuddle and peppered kisses all over his face in an attempt to cheer him up. It took a while, but it eventually worked.

“Ew JinJin, you’re all sweaty!” said Myungjun, trying to pull away.

Jinwoo made an offended noise and pulled him closer. “Yeah and whose fault is that! You got awfully brave there didn’t you? You’re brave enough to tongue my abs to death but not brave enough to take your shirt off? You’re one confusing person Kim Myungjun.”

Myungjun swore he died of embarrassment that night.

*

“You should go Junnie.” Jinwoo said with a chuckle, holding Myungjun at arm’s length. They were standing outside the carriage that Myungjuns mother and Sanha currently occupied. “Your mother could look out of that window at any moment you know.”

“I don’t care.” Myungjun said with a frown, pushing Jinwoos hands off of his shoulders and leaning back in to kiss him again. It was slow and passionate and Myungjun tried to convey just how much he would miss him. He pressed their bodies together, trying to memorize the way Jinwoos felt against his own before pulling away to breathe again. “See you next month JinJin.”

He rushed into the carriage, afraid of looking back and heard Jinwoo laugh happily as it pulled away.

“Its about time you came up for air Myungjun.” His mother said teasingly. He huffed at her and leaned back against the leather seat to close his eyes.

 _I’ll see you soon JinJin_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How is Myungjun going to survive a whole summer? Poor bub.


	72. Chapter 72

Myungjun woke up abruptly one morning, startled out of his sleep by something he couldn’t immediately identify. It was only when he smelt burning parchment that he realised what had pulled him back to consciousness. He scrambled to sit up, jostling a whining Sanha, to look where the note had landed. He found it tucked under his pillow and opened it eagerly.

_**Good morning sunshine.**_  
_**Eats lots of good food today and give yourself lots of kisses from me. If you come back and your cute squishy tummy is gone, I’ll pin you down and feed you myself.**_  
_**P.S Tell Sanha and your mother that I said hello**_

Jinwoo had drawn a tiny sun in the corner of the note and a love heart at the end. It made Myungjun swoon. His boyfriend was the sappiest, cutest, cringiest person he’d ever met, and he’d never want to change him. He rushed to the desk in his room and pulled out some clean parchment and a pen.

_**I’ll eat a lot but only if you do too, you need the energy! I hope training is going well. JinJin fighting!!** _

He drew flowers all along the bottom of the note, completely overdoing it but failing to care and gave the note a kiss before sending it through the floor with his vines. He looked down at the note Jinwoo sent him again and read it with a smile. It was the first one he had received since leaving for the summer and it had already been a week. Jinwoo must be so busy, he thought with a sigh before climbing back into bed and pulling Sanha back up to his chest, allowing sleep to claim him again.

*

Myungjun walked down to breakfast with Sanha, to see his mother rushing around the kitchen, cooking different types of food. “Oh hello boys. Take a seat.” She said, sliding two full plates onto the table.

Myungjun sat down and looked up at her frantic movements. “What are you doing?”

“We’re going out for a picnic today!” She said happily, pulling a pan off of the stove and letting the food inside cool. “I’m packing all your favourite foods.”

“From the looks of it, you’re packing enough to feed the kings guard.” Sanha said cheekily and shrieked as Myungjuns mother brandished her wooden spoon at him threateningly.

“You’ll be thanking me when your stomachs are full later. Eat your food you cheeky boy.” Sanha did so quickly, flashing her a big smile with his mouth full of food and she sighed before turning back to the stove, shaking her head.

Myungjun ate his food happily, making sure to finish it all at Jinwoos request and pushed his plate away with a satisfied sigh. “What should we do until lunch?” He asked, looking over at Sanha who was just finishing his breakfast too.

Sanha shrugged. “Dunno, should we go for a walk? It’s nice outside today.”

Myungjun looked out of the kitchen window to see the sun shining brightly and quickly nodded. “Let’s go and get dressed first.”

*

Myungjun and Sanha said goodbye to his mother before stepping outside into the heat. When they reached the end of the garden path, they picked a random direction and started to walk, not really caring where they ended up.

It wasn’t until they’d gotten halfway down the street, that Myungjun realised something wasn’t right. The town was peaceful and strangely quiet for a hot summer’s day. There were no excitable children running around, no sounds of rushing water from people watering their gardens in the heat, no dogs barking playfully and weirdest of all, no sounds of birds or bugs. It was as if the whole world was holding its breath and it suddenly made Myungjun incredibly anxious.

“What’s going on?” Sanha asked, sounding just as uneasy. “Where is everyone?”

“Where are the _animals_?” Myungjun added looking around. “It’s like everybody’s gone into hiding.” They walked a bit further down the street and came at a crossroads, looking around. “This is seriously starting to freak me out. Sanha use your magic and tell me what you hear.”

Sanha looked around nervously, making sure there was definitely nobody in sight who would see him using his magic and closed his eyes to concentrate when he deemed it safe enough. His birthmark began to glow, and he frowned. “There’s a lot of movement about a mile east but everywhere else is just…silent. I can still hear movement from behind us at your house but that’s it.”

“We’re the only ones here? Something’s definitely wrong. Should we go and check it out?” Myungjun asked, looking down the road that would take them east. “It will only take us around ten minutes if we walk fast.”

Sanha looked back the way they had come, towards Myungjuns house and whined. “Maybe we should tell your mother first.”

“Don’t be a baby.” Myungjun said, feeling impatient. “We’re _magic_ Sanha, we’re trained to deal with all sorts of things. My mothers not magic, she wouldn’t be able to help us, even if we asked. Let’s just go.”

Sanha reluctantly followed, trailing behind and complaining the whole time. Myungjun walked quickly, ignoring him as best as he could and focusing on the area around them. He was startled to see that some houses had their front doors left wide open, as if their occupants had left in a hurry and weren’t expecting to come back. The lack of noise, combined with the lack of people, left a bad feeling in Myungjuns gut. Every now and then, they would come across a child’s toy, left abandoned in the street and Myungjun even spotted someone’s stray shoe.

“Hyung, somethings seriously not right.” Sanha spoke up. “We need to hurry; I don’t want to leave your mother alone back there for too long.”

Myungjun agreed and began to jog. They made it towards the source of the noise to see the doors of the town hall flung open, revealing where all the people had gone. Myungjun ran up the steps and hurried inside, hearing the loud din of people talking and arguing. He spotted the elderly couple who ran the sweet shop he always attended and went over to speak to them.

“Hello. What’s going on?” He asked politely, looking around at panicked faces. “Has something happened?”

The elderly woman looked up from her seat and reached forwards to clutch his hand with her frail, shaky ones. “Oh Myungjun, I was worried when I didn’t see you. Where is your mother?”

“She’s at home.” Myungjun said with a frown. “Why is everyone here?”

The woman’s eyebrows raised in surprise and she gripped his hands tighter. “At home? Why is she still there? Didn’t you get the message?”

Myungjun was beginning to feel confused. “There wasn’t any message.” The only message he had received that morning was Jinwoos and he didn’t think she was talking about that. “Did everyone get it?” When the elderly woman nodded her head, he scowled. “Who was giving out this message?”

“A group of boys. They spotted the problem and alerted everyone. We all came straight here. They said they had told everyone! Oh dear, you must get your mother here at once it’s not safe child!”

A group of boys? He looked around, stomach sinking to see Jung-hoon smirking his way and spun back to look at the elderly woman. “What do mean its not safe? What’s the problem that they spotted? Tell me please!” He could feel the panic settling in, as endless possibilities swirled around in his head.

Her next words made him freeze. “Monsters dear. They’ve been on the move, through the forests, hunting in packs. We heard news about a month ago, but we didn’t think they’d come this far out.”

Just when Myungjun opened his mouth to speak, a cry came from the doors. Myungjun turned back to see a man carrying a white bow with a quiver full of arrows at his side. A hunter. “They’re here. We need to get everyone out, now. Keep going east and don’t stop. I’ve alerted the nearest guild to help us.”

An angry uproar rose from the people inside the town hall and Myungjun watched as they shouted at the man.

“A guild? That’s full of magic users!”

“We don’t need their help; we can fight the monsters ourselves!”

“I’m not letting any filthy magic users near my children!”

Myungjuns brain was whirring. The man said they needed to keep moving east, which meant the monsters were coming from the west…the way they had just come. “Sanha, we need to go NOW.”

Sanha nodded and they set off running, ignoring the old woman’s confused shouts behind them. Myungjun brushed past the hunter and ran back towards his house.

“HEY KID, DON’T GO BACK THERE ITS DANGEROUS!”

Myungjun ignored the man and kept running, hearing Sanhas shoes hit the pavement behind him. All he could think about was his mother, and how they’d left her behind. He hoped that whatever the monsters were, they didn’t have time to hurt her. She wasn’t magic, she couldn’t fight, and she was completely unaware of what was happening. He let his panic fuel him and pushed himself faster.

“Hyung I can hear movement up ahead. Lots of it.” Sanha shrieked behind him. “Can you feel that?”

Myungjun could feel exactly what he was talking about, there was magic in the air. He never noticed it at the academy because he was always surrounded by it, but in this non-magical town, the magic was obvious, a tingling across his skin that made the hairs on his arms stand on end.

They made it to the end of their road in record time and Myungjun skidded to a stop at the sight in front of him. A thick, unnatural grey fog was rolling across the ground, covering the street completely and Myungjun looked closely to see movement coming from inside it.

“What the heck is that!” Sanha squeaked as a shape rose from the fog.

Myungjun watched as the shape unfurled a large pair of leathery purple wings, pointed at the ends and big enough to create a gust of humid air on this breezeless summer day. The opening of the wings revealed a glossy black body, full of protruding bones. It had a head full of hair, that hung down to the fog in greasy, black curls that shined in the sun. Myungjuns eyes flickered to the creature’s face and he nearly screamed out of pure fear. The first thing he saw, was a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, that clicked together every now and then almost uncontrollably, speaking in a language Myungjun couldn’t possibly hope to understand. It didn’t have a nose, just two black slits that opened every now and then as it breathed the same air he did. Its eyes made Myungjun freeze. Pure black pits that promised nothing but madness and insanity for those unfortunate enough to stare at them for too long.

He felt a hand on his arm and was pulled behind the nearest tree by Sanha. “It hasn’t seen us yet Hyung. What are we going to do? I’ve never seen something like that before!”

Myungjun didn’t think he could even speak. The shock of seeing something so unnatural, so _evil_ made everything he had faced in the dungeons seem like child’s play. Moonbins words rung around in his head.

_…no safety net to fall back on. Its staring actual death in the face…_

This was it. This was death. They were two teenage boys, weaponless, adultless and on a quest to save his clueless mother. He almost wanted to laugh. He’d just said to Sanha, not even twenty minutes ago, about how they were magic and had trained for every situation. But he knew they were untrained for this. There was no amount of training in the world that would have been enough. They were going to die trying to save his mother and he was never going to see Jinwoo again. He wished he had a pen and some parchment, to write him one final note before he left.

A bloodcurdling scream pulled him out of his thoughts, and he recognized it immediately as his mothers. It was as if his whole body went on autopilot. He pulled away from the tree, ignoring Sanhas protests and ran as fast as he could towards his house, towards danger. He saw the creature in the fog spin round to watch him and he jumped as it hissed his way, clawed hands stretching out towards him. A giant gust of wind blew the creature back and he turned to see Sanha using his magic.

If that creature is out here, why is my mother screaming? Myungjun thought.

_Monsters dear. They’ve been on the move, through the forests, hunting in packs._

Packs. More than one. Myungjun burst through the gate leading up to his front door, to see it wide open with more of the unnatural fog disappearing inside his house. The fog was _freezing_ , a stark difference to the heat of the sun. Another scream sent him hurtling inside, where he saw his mother brandishing a pan at the approaching monster. Myungjun dived at it, knocking it over and away from his mother. It hissed and clawed at his face. Myungjun narrowly dodged being shredded and sprung to his feet, wrenching the pan out of his mothers’ hands and smacking it over the monster’s head with all his might. It crunched sickeningly and the monster went limp.

“Junnie thank the deity! What’s going on? Why are these monsters here?”

“We don’t have time to talk.” Myungjun said quickly, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the back door. “We need to get out and head east. They’re evacuating the town as we speak.”

“Myungjun where’s Sanha?” His mother asked, clutching his hand tight with fear in her eyes.

“He’s out the front, fighting one off. I’ll go and help him when I get you out of here.”

His mother pulled him harshly to a stop. “Myungjun no! I’m not leaving my boys to fight whilst I run off to cower in my skirts! Give me that bloody pan and let’s go.” Myungjun had never heard his mother curse and handed the pan over with wide eyes. She promptly turned on her heels and marched them over to the front door. Another creature popped out of the fog in front of her and she screamed angrily before bashing it over the head. Myungjun realised his mother was a lot scarier than he thought.

He ran ahead, back up the garden path, to see Sanha being backed up the road, blasting three separate winged creatures that were advancing on him menacingly. Sanha looked terrified but he was doing a good job.

Myungjun expended some of his energy and summoned Camellia, not caring about openly using his magic now. His mother screamed behind him and Myungjun turned to see her swinging wildly at his flower.

“Myungjun tell your crazy mother to stop it! If she hits me, I will not hesitate to knock her out.”

Myungjun quickly stepped between them. “Mother stop! This is my companion; she can help us.”

His mother eyed her suspiciously before lowering her pan. “Sorry Junnie. I got carried away. Its awfully exciting fighting again.”

Myungjun wanted to ask her what she meant but heard Sanha shout behind him. He turned back to see a creature advancing on him quickly from the side. Myungjun set off running, aiming his hands towards it and when he got close enough, he tore his vines through the ground, the stone from the road breaking apart noisily around him. He wrapped them around the creature and squeezed. It exploded in a mess of black liquid that sizzled when it hit the floor.

“Don’t let it touch you!” He called out. He knew it would burn, whatever it was. He pulled his vines through the floor again, creating a wall between Sanha and the three encroaching monsters and they turned to him with a hiss. “Camellia, poison.” He dived to the side as she released her pollen and grabbed his mother as she tried to run past. “Mother stay away from the pollen. Don’t breathe it in.”

“I won’t. Let me get to Sanha, I need to protect him.” Myungjun looked up to see the passion in her eyes and nodded, letting her go. She kept out of reach of the pollen and monsters alike and ran around to disappear behind Myungjuns wall. He turned back to his own fight and saw the monsters rising from the cloud of poison, not slowing down at all. He knew he had to wait for it to take effect, but they should have slowed down a bit by now.

“Myungjun they’re immune.” Camellia called, backing up fast on her roots to reach him. “What should we try next, sleep or hallucinate?”

Myungjun groaned, neither of those were permanent solutions. They don’t need to be, he reminded himself, we just need to hold them off long enough for the guild the hunter spoke about to get here. He didn’t know when that would be though. “Okay, sleep.” Camellias pollen engulfed them, but nothing happened, they just kept advancing. “Camellia, pain.” That finally stopped them. He watched them fall to the ground, writhing around and letting out the most ungodly screeches.

He saw his mother come back around the wall, without Sanha, and she pointed behind him. “JUNNIE WATCH OUT!” He dived forwards instinctively and felt sharp claws rake down his back. Fear flooded through him as he realised how close he had been to dying and he spun around to see even more of the creatures coming out of the freezing cold fog. Five, six, seven. They were never ending. He was trapped between Camellias pollen and the approaching enemies. He pulled his wall of vines back into the ground and used them to shield himself from the seven others. He turned around to see Sanha and his mother standing back to back, surrounded by a least five more. Sanha was creating tornados that pulled the monsters apart but even more materialised around them. Camellia was still distributing spores over the three on the ground and Myungjun realised for the second time that day that they were going to die.

A noise made him look up and he saw something hurtling through the sky towards his wall, so he pulled it away to make room. A woman landed heavily on the floor in front of him, breaking the ground apart with her impact. She had bright blue, shoulder length hair that fell prettily over her face, which was set into a scowl. She was clad in a short, tight, white top, that showed off an impressive scar on her lower back and black tight trousers with a dagger nestled in a harness on her left thigh. She looked back at him with a frown before taking in the scene around her. Myungjun watched as her birthmark began to glow. She created a vicious tornado that ripped all seven of the creatures to shreds.

“Why are you still here? You were supposed to be evacuated!” She said angrily, before cursing as more of the creatures rose from the fog.

“I came to save my mother.” Myungjun said defensively, heaving his vines through the floor and crushing one of the creatures that came their way. He pushed the woman aside as a glob of the black goo flew towards her and it landed on the floor instead with a sizzle.

She looked down at it in surprise. “Thanks, I forgot about that. How are you magic? We got told this is a non-magic town.”

“I’m hiding it.” Myungjun said with a shrug. “What do you mean we? Where are the others?”

“On their way. I flew ahead to scout it out. You’re not doing a very good job of hiding your magic by the way.”

Myungjun laughed and crushed another winged monster. “I decided to make an exception today. Do you have a healer with you? My back hurts.”

The woman quickly turned to look at it. “It got you good huh? Yeah we have a healer, we always bring at least one. I’ll let him know you need help. For now, go and help your friends’ kid, I got this.”

Myungjun nodded dutifully and called Camellias attack off. He could feel her slowly draining his magic and didn’t need to run out at a time like this. He knew the pollen would disappear completely in around ten seconds, so he ran as fast as he could around it, to reach Sanha and his mother. He couldn’t crush any of the monsters when they were so close to the others, so he picked up the nearest object, a branch that had been blown off one of the trees by Sanhas vicious wind and raced towards the creature that had yanked his mother’s pan from her hands. The branch snapped in half as it impacted the creatures head, serving as nothing more than a distraction. The creature spun around to hiss at him angrily and Myungjun could have sworn he saw his frightened reflection in its sharp, shiny teeth.

A bright blue light hit the creature in the side of the head and it immediately turned to ice before falling to the side with a clunk. Myungjun stamped on its head for good measure. He turned to see another woman, similarly dressed, but with two swords on her hips and black waist length hair, firing bolts of ice at the creatures surrounding them.

We’re safe, he thought weakly, we’re going to be okay. He saw Sanha collapse out of the corner of his eye and rushed forwards to help his mother. She was panicking, shaking him and calling his name, so Myungjun crouched down to see the damage. There didn’t seem to be any and Myungjun sighed in relief when he realised that Sanha was just drained.

“He’ll be fine mother, stop fussing. Pick him up and go east, get him out of here.” Myungjun ordered her, trying to break past the panic she was feeling. She nodded slowly, scooping Sanha up off the floor and ran in the direction of the town hall. She should have left ages ago, Myungjun thought irritably. He turned towards the woman with the swords. “Excuse me! Can I have one of your swords?” The woman looked up in surprise and seemed to think about it seriously, before shrugging and chucking one to him. He caught it, feeling the unfamiliar weight in his hand and swung it through the air experimentally. He’d never used a metal sword before and listened to the way it sliced through the air with nervous excitement. A creature appeared in the fog in front of him, startling him out of his trance and he swung the sword hard and fast. It sliced he creatures head clean off its shoulders and he hissed in pain as the black goo splattered up his arm. It burned through his skin and the smell of his burning flesh made him gag.

“Find the Queen!” He heard a voice to the left of him and looked across the street to see a burly looking man pointing in the direction the fog had rolled in from. He was dressed in a long red coat, that looked like it had seen better days, and had a giant black hammer strapped to his back. His head of thick grey hair gave away his age and Myungjun was startled to see a big scar running diagonally across his weathered face. He didn’t want to think about what could have done that to him. “Kill her so these damn things stop regenerating.”

Its like the dungeons, Myungjun thought to himself, kill the boss. He pushed the pain on his arm away and started to run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that sure escalated quickly.  
> Let me reinforce the idea that Myungjun can actually die outside of the academy.  
> Every second he spends near those things is life threatening. So he's either really brave or really stupid -.-


	73. Chapter 73

“What’s a kid doing here?” Myungjun heard the big burly man in the red coat ask as he ran past. “Get him out of here! WHO GAVE HIM A SWORD?”

Myungjun ignored him and ran through the freezing fog, looking for the source of it all, looking for the _Queen_. Up ahead, a group of the creatures were materialising. Myungjun ran faster, trying to reach them before that had a chance to form. He swung the sword hard and fast in a big arch in front of him, jumping backwards when the black goo sprayed out. They fell and Myungjun set off running again.

“THAT’S WHY I GAVE HIM A SWORD!” He heard the black-haired woman shout behind him. He felt proud of himself for helping and realised he wasn’t feeling so scared anymore.

He was screaming a second later as a creature came out of nowhere, lunging at him from the side. He heard a sickening crunch as the burly man took it out with his giant hammer. “Don’t let your guard down boy. Eyes on all sides at all times you hear?” Myungjun nodded quickly and the man finally grinned down at him, revealing a mouth full of gold teeth. “Where’d you learn to fight like that?”

“The Academy.” Myungjun explained. “About to start my third year. I know they said there were no magic users here but…surprise I guess.”

The man laughed and patted him on the back with enough force to throw Myungjun forwards a few feet. He gritted his teeth through the pain it sent through his torn skin and the man looked down at his bloody hand in surprise. “You’re hurt.” Myungjun just nodded and carried on running, launching his vines as one of the creatures lunged at the blue haired woman up ahead. He pulled it away from her before crushing it. I should have done that earlier when those things were around my mother and Sanha, he thought to himself irritably, I really have no strategic skills. If Jinwoo was here he’d already have a plan. Myungjun had none. The only thing he cared about was killing the Queen who had sent her minions after his mother in the first place. “SOOYOUNG, DO YOU KNOW WHERE JAX IS? THIS KID NEEDS HEALING!” The burly man’s loud voice made Myungjuns head ring from the close proximity and he scowled. People needed to stop calling him a kid. He was _fifteen_ not five.

“OVER HERE!” A boy around Myungjuns age came running through the fog towards them, being chased by a horde of the winged monsters. Myungjun suddenly realised he’d not seen them use their wings and fly, not once, they always just ran across the ground like the rest of them. “A little help would be nice.” The boy said, grabbing the top of Myungjuns arm and pulling him backwards, away from the mass of black leathery bodies coming their way. Myungjun could hear their sharp teeth clicking together in a terrible symphony of noise and allowed himself to be led away with little resistance.

The boy, Jax, pulled him behind an abandoned carriage and looked him over. “Your back is fine, just a few shallow scratches I can fuse, but your arms another story. Those are burns from demon blood.”

“ _Demon_ blood?” Myungjun squeaked. “Those things are demons? I thought demons didn’t exist!”

“Didn’t your parents ever tell you the stories of the Prince of Darkness? Stories have to start somewhere, and this land isn’t as clear cut as it looks. Enough of the talking, those burns will only get worse and spread. Luckily for you, we were prepared for this attack, we’ve been tracking them for a few weeks now. I’ve got the salve that can help, but I’m afraid demon scars don’t fade. You won’t be able to get them magically removed either. At least not legally.”

Myungjun looked down at his left arm and sighed. His skin was going to be so ugly now. At least he’ll always have something to remind himself of his first proper battle outside of the Academy.

“This is your first fight?” Jax asked, looking up in surprise.

“Did you just read my mind?” Myungjun retaliated, pulling his arm out of the boy’s grip with a scowl. “You shouldn’t do that its rude.”

Jax rolled his eyes and started rooting around in the white robes he was wearing. “I didn’t read your mind dumbass, you said that out loud.” He pulled out a pot of salve and got to work on Myungjuns arm. It sizzled against the burns when it was put on and Myungjun was glad to feel the pain fading away.

“How old are you anyway?” Myungjun asked, looking him over. He realised Jax didn’t look like an Aredrinnor native, at least compared to the few people he’d seen in his lifetime. The boy’s eyes were different, and his face looked harder, more defined. His blond, short hair had a streak of black running around each side of his head and he was wearing lots of green earrings that matched his eyes.

“Sixteen, you?” Jax spun him around and pulled his shirt up, telling him to hold it. Myungjun blushed lightly at the way he was exposed and was glad the boy couldn’t see.

“Fifteen. You’re the healer in your guild? I didn’t expect someone so…young. Especially when everyone else looks, you know, older.” Myungjun felt the skin of his back being fused together and heard the boy grunt in pain. “Sorry.” Myungjun said quickly. “I forgot that it would hurt you.”

“You’ve used light magic too?” Jax asked, pulling Myungjuns top back down when he was done.

Myungjun turned to him and nodded. “I’m a healer too. I would have fused them shut myself, but I couldn’t reach.”

“Sucks for us doesn’t it?” Jax said with a sigh. “We can help everyone else, but one cut out of reach and we’re useless to ourselves. But yeah, I’m one of the guilds healers.”

“There’s more than one?”

“My guilds pretty big so we need more than one. Those guys out there aren’t usually the team I choose to go on jobs with, but the other healers were already gone. My guild has strict rules about demon related jobs, there has to always be one healer at least. Which I think is pretty ridiculous considering the fact I could just chuck them all a tub of salve and leave them too it. But rules are rules I guess.” He finished with an irritated sigh and gestured back to the battle raging beyond the carriage. “Wanna go back out there?”

Myungjun nodded eagerly. He followed Jax back into the fog and stared at the back of his blonde head. It was strange, even though he was basically Myungjuns age, he seemed a lot older, a lot more mature.

His eyes snapped up when he saw bright red fire, as bright as Camellias petals and watched as the burly hammer man wiped out a whole group of the monsters with a fiery inferno of pure heat that melted the stone path underneath it. The hot summer air got impossibly hotter and Myungjun whined unhappily as he began to sweat. He thought Jinwoos fire was hot, but it was nothing compared to _this_.

Sooyoung, the blue haired air user, landed heavily on the ground behind the man and she straightened up to speak to him. “The Queen is about half a mile ahead. She’s spilling out those devil’s spawn like there’s no tomorrow. We need to step up our attacks if we want to get anywhere near her.”

The man nodded, pulling his hammer off of his back again. “Go and get Yuri, she’s back there keeping the monsters away from the town hall. Everyone should have left by now and we need her up here to help. Be quick about it.”

Sooyoung nodded dutifully before propelling herself up into the air, hair whipping wildly around her face as she flew back the way they had come. Myungjun could tell this older man was the team leader now and followed Jax over to him.

“He’s fixed.” Jax said, pointing to Myungjun. “Minor demon burns but I got it early enough to stop the spread. Are we going full out assault?”

The leader nodded. “We have to, we won’t get anywhere near her otherwise. I’ve seen demons like her before. It’s best if you stay back kid.” The man said, looking down at Myungjun.

“Hey! Stop calling me a kid! I’m only a year younger than him.” Myungjun replied angrily, nodding towards Jax. “I’ve been healed now, I can help.”

The leader went to open his mouth but Jax cut in. “This is only his first fight. We can’t have a rookie distract us. I might only be a year older than you, but I’m seasoned in battle. You’re not.”

Myungjun growled angrily and shoved a finger against Jax’s chest, hard, making him stumble backwards in surprise. “I’m not a rookie! I’ve maintained high grades in all of my classes, _including_ combat training, I’m in the top five percent in the whole Academy for my score in the dungeons AND I won a title in the battledome. This might be my first fight, but so far I’ve done a lot more than you during it!”

Jax pushed him back just as angrily. “I’m a healer jerk, I don’t need to fight!”

Myungjun was _not_ going to back down against someone who called him a jerk. “I’m a healer too but you don’t see me running away from our enemies like you! Stop hiding behind the grown ups and man up yourself.” Myungjun jumped when he felt a heavy hand land on his shoulder. He looked back to see the leader grinning down at him.

“You’re a fiery one aren’t you boy. Are you sure you have plant magic?” His laughter was hearty and rich and made Myungjun laugh nervously too. “No-ones ever spoken to our Jax like that before. He needed to be knocked down a peg or two. The ladies are coming now so we need to get moving.” Myungjun turned around to see Sooyoung and Yuri jogging through the fog towards them. “You can come with us boy on one condition.”

“Anything.” Myungjun said quickly, eager to prove himself.

“Whenever I take newbies into the field, I make them stay by me. One, for safety and two, they gotta learn from the best.” He flashed Myungjun his gold teeth before stepping away and looking at them all. “There’s five of us now. We gained an extra healer so we can afford to focus on hitting hard and fast. Sooyoung, boost my fire. Yuri, when we get close enough, seal up where the Queen is spewing these vermin from. Jax, keep your eyes peeled for any strays that try to get away and trap them. And…”

“Myungjun.” Myungjun supplied his name helpfully.

“And Myungjun, stay by me and stay out of my fire okay? Keep those demons off my back, I’m going straight for the Queen herself.”

Everyone acknowledged their commands and Myungjun raced behind the rest, curious to see what the Queen would look like. There was half a mile of winged monstrous creatures standing between them and Myungjun fought his way through alongside the rest. One side of him felt hot from the pure heat blasting out of the leader’s hands and his other side felt chilly, from the icy aura surrounding Yuri as she froze their enemies one by one. Occasionally, Sooyoung would fall from the sky to help them fight and give reports on how much farther they had to go.

Myungjun saw demons creeping into peoples houses through their open doors and made a mental note to relay this news to the others when the Queen fell. He hoped she would fall at least. He really did want to see Jinwoo again. He let that thought fuel him as he crushed his next enemy and used his vines to shield Jax from harm when one of them lunged his way. The blonde boy just awkwardly nodded his thanks, but that was enough for Myungjun. He was already beginning to feel bad for snapping at him before.

“Halfway there!” Sooyoung called out, creating a tornado that tore through a long line of enemies ahead of them.

We can do this, Myungjun thought determinedly.

*

We _cannot_ do this, Myungjun thought resignedly.

He looked up at the Queen who was sitting in the middle of the street, towering over the nearby houses, as she released demon after demon from her mouth. She looked similar to her spawn, but where they were thin and bony, she was wide and plump. Her wings curled protectively around her stomach and when Myungjun looked through the gaps between them, he could see shapes writhing beneath her black glossy skin. It was sickening. Even from their distance, he could smell her. It was a dark, metallic smell that reminded Myungjun of blood and reeked utterly of death.

The leader whistled low through his shiny teeth. “She’s a whooper. I can’t remember the last time I fought a demon this big.” He looked down at Myungjuns uneasy expression and smiled. “I’ve fought bigger and survived. Let’s send her back to the underworld, shall we?”

Myungjun realised that fighting alongside fully trained magic users was a whole lot different to fighting alongside his friends. Their raw magical power was intense. He could feel the magic crackling through the air as they attacked, eliciting screams of fury from the Queen as her children were slain by her feet. More burst free from her mouth, like they were being summoned from the very depths of hell itself and it took all of Myungjuns willpower not to scream whenever one of the demons lunged at him.

He was doing what he was told, keeping them off of the leaders back as the man cooked the Queen alive, using his boosted fire, courtesy of Sooyoung. Myungjun was happy to see this strategy being used outside of the Academy, as he’d come up with it himself for the battledome. The blazing red flames licked at the Queens skin, making it sizzle and bubble revoltingly. The leader was doing it slowly, walking further round her at an almost leisurely pace.

Without warning, the Queen unfurled her giant leathery wings and Myungjun found himself flying backwards through the air from the sheer force of it. He aimed his hands towards the floor and managed to catch himself with his vines, losing his sword in the process. He quickly lowered himself safely to the ground and shot his vines out to catch Jax too. Sooyoung caught Yuri but the leader wasn’t so lucky. Myungjun watched as he crashed through a window, glass shattering noisily, as he disappeared inside someone’s house. Demons swarmed the place a second later and Myungjun let his feet carry him towards danger.

“STAY AWAY FROM THERE!” Sooyoung called out to him. “THE OLD MANS GONE WE CAN’T SAVE HIM NOW!”

Myungjun ignored her. The thought of leaving anyone to die at the hands of these monsters was too much to bear. I can catch and crush seven at a time, Myungjun reminded himself. He ignored the way the tiredness was settling in. He’d used massive amounts of energy already, but he couldn’t stop until all of them were dead. He distributed his vines, catching seven of the demons that were trying to enter the house and crushed them all, their black goo coating the walls. He heard the Queen scream and turned back to see Yuri attempting to freeze her mouth shut. Sooyoung was holding her under the arms and dangling her mid-flight as Yuri used her ice magic. It looked terribly dangerous and Myungjun hoped Sooyoung wouldn’t drop her.

He quickly looked back at his own fight, scolding himself for getting distracted again and saw the leader struggling to his feet through the broken window. A demon jumped on him and dragged him to the floor. Myungjun panicked hearing the mans shouts of pain and summoned Camellia to help.

“Myungjun your magical energy is dwindling. I can cast one more spore distribution.” Myungjun cursed and looked between her and the house, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth as he tried to think through his options. The creatures were immune to sleep and poison. The only spores that would work were Camellias hallucinogenic ones, but he couldn’t make them all feel pain because it would affect the leader too, and himself if he tried to go in and drag the obviously injured man out.

“Camellia, can you make them believe he isn’t there anymore? If they can’t see him, they might give up. I’ll be the distraction to lure them out.”

She nodded her flowery red head and they crept into the house together. They located the room easily; it was a kitchen. Traces of the residents’ breakfast was still scattered around, newly garnished in a layer of shattered glass and blood. Myungjun could count at _least_ ten of the monsters in the room, all trying to claw at the fallen man who was still shouting in pain and trying to fight them off.

Myungjun signalled for Camellia to get to work and felt his energy drain considerably as her spores swept the room. The effect was immediate. The monsters looked around in confusion and Myungjun heard the man groan in relief.

My turn, Myungjun thought grimly, use this chance wisely. “HEY OLD MAN! I’LL LEAD THE MONSTERS AWAY AND SEND JAX. YOU’LL BE OKAY.” He shouted is as loud as he could, making sure the monsters heard him over their loud clicking teeth, and making sure the leader heard him through his obvious haze of pain. They turned to him fast, hissing and reaching out to him with their claws and he backed away. “Camellia, keep going until they’re all out and away from him.” He turned on his heel and ran, hearing their clawed feet scratch the wooden floorboards in the house as they gave chase.

Myungjun burst out of the front door and into the hot sun and watched Jax look over at him in shock from his position behind the nearest tree. “When they’re all out, help him!” Myungjun shrieked as he ran past, luring the swell of enemies away from the house. He ran as fast as he could, down the street and away from the Queen, trying to give Jax enough time to save that poor man. Myungjun felt the flap of leathery wings behind him and screamed, using his utter terror to push him faster.

He saw the crossroads up ahead and…a man? He nearly passed out from relief there and then when he realised it was the hunter from earlier. “HEY! HELP ME!”

The hunter’s eyes widened in shock as he looked towards them. He quickly pulled his white bow off of his back and nocked an arrow. Myungjun dived to the side as he fired it and felt the backwind of the arrow as it narrowly missed his head. Myungjun heard a thump and a shriek and knew it had hit its target. He couldn’t look back. He just kept running towards the hunter, dodging all his arrows as they killed the demons behind him. He was fifteen feet away when the man ran out of arrows. “RUN!” Myungjun shouted.

“I’m a hunter, not prey.” The man said stubbornly, pulling a serrated knife from his belt. He ran towards Myungjun, brushing past him and Myungjun looked over his shoulder to see him cut down one of the demons, its black goo coating his chest. He didn’t stop, he just cut them down one by one before tackling the last one to the floor. Myungjun heard the shriek and then silence. The man rolled off of it with a groan and Myungjun could smell his burning flesh.

He took one look at the mans face and everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter around a week ago and now that I'm seeing it again I'm like 'He really just passed out in the midst of a battle? Isn't that terribly dangerous?' xD  
> The leaders down, Jax is busy healing him, the hunter is down, Myungjun is down. There's only Sooyoung and Yuri left...Good luck ladies uwu


	74. Chapter 74

“…waking up. MS KIM, MYUNGJUNS WAKING UP!” The sound of Sanhas frantic voice ripped Myungjun back into consciousness. He blinked his eyes open, feeling terribly lethargic and looked up at the ceiling. It looked oddly familiar. He turned his head to the side and saw why. He was in his room.

We can’t be in here, Myungjun thought as the panic took over, the demons!

He tried to sit up quickly but his mother came rushing in and pushed him back down onto the bed. “Calm down Junnie. We’re safe here.”

“How can we be safe?” He asked, pushing her hands away and sitting up. “They’re out there, I can hear them!” The clicking of their teeth was ringing loudly in his ears. How wasn’t she hearing it?

“Junnie I promise you there’s nothing there. The demons are all gone now. Please lay back down you must be tired.”

Myungjun didn’t feel tired, he felt _terrified_. That poor man. That poor hunter. He’d sacrificed himself to save Myungjun and what had happened to the leader? “Mother what happened? Why are we back home? Where is everybody?”

She shushed him gently and upon realising he wasn’t going to lay down, helped him from the bed instead. Myungjun stood shakily on his legs and leaned against her. His body was definitely exhausted, even if his mind wasn't. “You’ve been asleep for four days Junnie. Everyone has already left, and the demons are long gone. Let’s go downstairs and get some food okay?”

Myungjun nodded and let himself be led from the room. Sanha was standing just outside, hovering nervously and he immediately rushed forwards to help support Myungjun down the stairs. When Myungjun was seated at the table, Sanha thrust a small pile of parchment towards him.

“Jinwoo-hyung has been sending you messages. He started to get worried when you didn’t reply so I sent him a note back but didn’t get a good reaction.” Sanha explained, biting the nails of his fingers.

Myungjun sighed and shifted through the pile.

_**Junnie you won’t believe who I’m on this summer course with!!** _

_**This is the part where you send me a note back asking who it is** _

_**Junnie I’ve waited 24 hours for a reply. What are you doing?** _

_**Myungjun it’s been two days you’re worrying me now. Please reply to me, I can’t concentrate in class and I’ve got a terrible feeling in my stomach** _

Myungjun read through a few more before coming to the separate pile he’d sent to Sanha.

_**What do you mean demons?? Is Myungjun okay? He’s not been replying to my messages. You better answer me straight away Sanha!** _

_**How is he hurt?** _

_**I’m coming** _

Myungjun groaned as he read the last note. “How long ago was this sent?”

“A few hours ago.” Sanha said, staring down at the table top. “I did try to tell him you were okay, but I told him about your demon burn as well and he sent that back. Is he really going to come here?”

Myungjun knew without a shadow of a doubt that he would. “Not if I can help it.” He replied. “Go and get me some pen and parchment.”

Sanha nodded dutifully and rushed back upstairs. Myungjun accepted the food his mother placed in front of him and started to eat. It hit him how _ravenous_ he was. Well I have been asleep for four days, he thought, I should eat a lot.

When Sanha came back, he reluctantly pushed the plate of food away and started to write.

_**Park Jinwoo if you step one foot outside of that academy and cut class I will personally come and strangle you myself. I’ve done it before, so you know I’ll do it again.** _

He grimaced at the dark memory but carried on writing.

_**I’m fine, just tired and my burns are already healed. I have a lot to tell you, but I’ll save it for when I see you again. Go back to your classes and stay there. We’ve been apart for nearly two weeks now because of your choice to do this course and if you leave now and get kicked off of it, it will have all been for nothing. Yet again, I AM FINE. Stop worrying.** _

Myungjun drew a singular flower at the bottom of the parchment and sent it through the floor with his vines, before pulling his plate of food back towards himself. Sanha watched him eat in silence and his mother occasionally came to the table to refill his plate. When he’d eaten all he could stomach, he sat back to get some answers.

“Where did the guild go? Is their leader okay?”

His mother sat down at the table, distributing hot cups of tea before speaking. “The guild left yesterday. Their leader was in bad shape but thanks to you leading the demons away, their healer was able to reach him in time.” Myungjun whined happily, feeling relief wash over him. He’d been so worried about the old man. “The guild left a message for you. And a gift.” Myungjun looked up in surprise and watched her get up to pull something white from behind the kitchen door. A bow. More specifically, the hunters bow.

“No.” Myungjun said quickly, refusing to take it. “I can’t accept that. That man _sacrificed_ himself to save me.”

“He’s not dead.” Sanha piped up, sipping at his drink. “Jax went back for you both and treated his burns. He looks pretty scary now but he’s still alive.”

Myungjun was shocked. How could he have survived something like that? “Well I still can’t take it.” Myungjun said. “He saved me. If anything, I should be giving him something in return.”

“He insisted, so stop being so difficult Myungjun. Its rude to turn down things that have been offered to you.” Myungjuns mother scolded him lightly. “Also, it wasn’t the hunter who gave it to you. He gave that bow to the guild, in payment for them answering his request. The original job was posted by the King, offering a cash reward to the guild who successfully killed the Queen, so the leader accepted the money from the King and is giving the side reward to you. For saving HIS life.”

Myungjuns head was spinning. It was a lot of information to take in. He didn’t fully understand the whole job and reward situation, but one thing was clear. The bow was definitely his for saving their leaders life. He finally reached for it with a shaky hand and felt the smooth surface of the bows arc underneath his fingertips. “Its not made of wood.” He said, feeling the absence of it almost immediately.

“It’s bone, from one of the hunter’s biggest kills.” Sanha said excitedly. “He made it himself. He said the string is made from unicorn hair that he plucked himself as well. I asked him if he killed the unicorn for it, but he assured me it was still alive. How cool is that?”

Myungjun let his hands travel down the curved bone, feeling how smooth it felt, before sliding his hand up the string. It felt solid and twanged nicely when he pulled it. “Its so cool.” He admitted. “But I have no idea how to use a bow. I don’t even have any arrows.”

“Keep it as a souvenir.” His mother suggested. “To remind you of how you saved someone’s life. I’m so proud of you Junnie. You were so brave even when faced with such danger. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help you.”

“You did help.” Myungjun said quickly, placing the bow onto the table and reaching for her hand. They met halfway and he smiled. “You got Sanha away from there and allowed me to concentrate properly on protecting you both. I’m the man of this house remember, it’s my job.”

His mother laughed and gave his hand a squeeze. “You are. You’ve done an amazing job as well. I can’t believe how you’ve grown. You’re not my little boy anymore I can see that now.”

“It’s fine, you always have me.” Sanha cut in, grinning brightly at them both.

“Very true.” His mother said, leaning over to ruffle Sanhas hair. “My two brave boys.”

“You said the guild left me a message too.” Myungjun reminded her before she got distracted in doting over the younger boy.

She nodded and sat back in her chair. “They said they’re always in need of new healers, if you didn’t have a plan after the Academy. I think you left a good impression on them.”

“You’d be okay with that?” Myungjun asked, cautiously gauging her reaction. “You’d be okay with me joining a guild?”

She sighed and collected their empty cups before taking them over to the sink. “I’d never be okay with it Junnie. It’s dangerous work, if what we faced here gives you any indication. But I tried to stop your father once and it didn’t end well. It’s your life to live. I already took your childhood from you. I won’t take your adulthood too.” She swept out of the room before Myungjun could reply.

*

It was the middle of the night when Myungjun woke up to the sound of glass smashing downstairs. His immediate thought was _monsters_ before he heard his mother’s raised voice.

“ARE YOU CRAZY? WE HELPED YOU! WE SAVED THIS TOWN!”

Myungjun sprung out of bed and shook Sanha awake. “Hey wake up! Somethings happening downstairs.” They both raced down to see glass all over the kitchen floor and amidst the shards, a stone. Myungjun followed the raised voices to the front door, where a mass of people was gathered in their front garden.

“There they are! You little monsters destroyed half our town with your nasty magic!”

“Parasites both of you!”

Myungjun stepped up in front of his mother to glare at them angrily. “My mother’s right. We _saved_ this town! There wouldn’t have been a town for you to come back too if those demons were left to roam free! Two people nearly died out there to save your stupid homes and this is the thanks we get? My mother isn’t even magic, and she still stayed to fight. You call yourselves men? Don’t make me laugh. My mother is more manly than you could ever hope to be.”

Myungjun watched as Jung-hoon pushed to the front of the crowd, lazily tossing a stone into the air and catching it. “Nice speech but you trashed my house. Glass and blood all over the kitchen, so I paid you back, first with the glass and now with the blood!” Myungjun watched as Jung-hoon dived towards him and he suddenly remembered Jinwoos words.

_If Jung-hoon comes near you, don’t you dare let him touch you again._

Never again, Myungjun thought. He pulled his vines through the floor and wrapped them around the advancing boys’ legs, trapping him securely. A woman who could only be Jung-hoons mother ran forwards screaming, trying to yank him free. Some people stepped back in shock at his blatant display of magic, whilst other rushed forwards with angry shouts. Myungjun trapped them one-by-one until it was made clear he’d trap them all. He knew his limit was seven, but they didn’t need to know that.

“STAY BACK!” He shouted, aiming his hands towards them. “STAY AWAY FROM US!”

“You’re a FREAK!” Jung-hoons mother screamed. “Let my son go at once!”

Myungjun rolled his eyes. Her words bounced off of him, not affecting him at all and he sent the tiniest bit of magic through the vines holding Jung-hoon, squeezing his legs ever so slightly as a warning. The boy shouted in surprise and burst into tears. “He’s trying to kill me!”

“Shut up you big cry baby, you’ve done worse to me.”

Myungjun jumped when his mother gave an angry shout behind him and he stumbled to the side as she brushed past. “You were the one who beat up my son before? He’s not the monster, you are.” Myungjun froze and heard Sanha gasp behind him as his mother slapped Jung-hoon straight across the face, with a force that would have made the older boy fall, had Myungjuns vines not been there to stabilise him.

Jung-hoons mother lunged at his own and they scrapped viciously in front of their band of onlookers.

“Their whole family is crazy!”

“Yeah let’s get out of here.”

Myungjun watched the crowd disperse and pulled back his vines to let the others go. Jung-hoon ran to pull his mother away and they left hurriedly after the rest, throwing frightened glances back at them.

“Mother are you hurt?” Myungjun asked, rushing to check her over. She looked well enough, a couple of scratches that he quickly fused, and she pulled him in shakily for a hug.

“We’re leaving this place and never coming back.”


	75. Chapter 75

“I WANT THE BIG ROOM!” Sanha shrieked, rushing up the stairs of the new house. He screamed when he looked back to see Myungjuns mother chasing him.

“Excuse me young man, _I’m_ having the big room!” she said, catching up to him and grabbing him round the waist to tickle him.

Myungjun watched their exchange fondly from the bottom of the stairs, not caring what room he ended up with. He was just happy they were out of that dreadful place. Moving hadn’t been easy but they’d found a way and were now situated close to Voredan, in an all magical town.

When they’d first pulled up, Myungjun had almost wanted to cry seeing people openly using their magic and realising he didn’t have to hide his true self anymore. The first thing he did was summon Camellia. Some young children who ran past waved to her in awe and she had waved one of her roots back. It was blissful.

“Hurry up and help me unpack!” Myungjun called up the stairs, after watching them disappear around the corner. He heard their giggles coming from one of the rooms and sighed. “Guess I’ll do it all myself then.” He muttered, walking out of the house to start carrying some of their possessions inside.

“Would you like some help?” Myungjun looked up the garden path to see a boy leaning on their gate. His body looked strong and intimidating but his face said otherwise. He looked sort of sweet. “I’m your new neighbour.”

“Sure.” Myungjun said with a shrug, walking over to open the gate for him. He stood taller than Myungjun and had jet black hair that was swept of his forehead. “I’m Myungjun, it’s nice to meet you.” He held out his hand and the boy took it, giving it a firm shake.

“My names Wonho. That’s a nice flower.” He nodded over to Camellia, who was basking in the sun behind him. “You have earthen magic too?”

“Yeah. Plant manipulation.” Myungjun said proudly, showing off his leaf shaped birthmark. He looked down at Wonhos wrist to see his mountain shaped one. “Ground manipulation, like my friend Rocky.”

“Is his name really Rocky? That’s cool.”

Myungjun quickly shook his head and laughed. “No, it’s just a nickname. Do you attend the Academy? I’ve never seen you before.”

“Finished there a few years ago. I do miss it sometimes.” Wonho said almost wistfully. “The dungeons were my favourite.”

“What floor did you get too before you left?” Myungjun asked, letting himself be curious.

“Me and my team got to nineteen alone.” Wonho said proudly. “But the last ever dungeon run is special and gives you the opportunity to get even further.”

That piqued Myungjuns interest. “Special how? I’m just about to enter my third year.”

“Well I won’t spoil it too much then.” Wonho began, a teasing glint in his eyes. “All I’ll say is that in the last dungeon run, I made it to floor forty.”

“FORTY?” Myungjun shrieked. He was shocked. He’d fallen on floor _nine_. “That’s ridiculous! You must be an incredible fighter. Do you have any tips?”

Wonho laughed and opened his mouth to speak but they were interrupted by Myungjuns mother. “Junnie dear, who’s your new friend?” She asked, walking down the garden path towards them.

“My names Wonho. I’m your new neighbour, it’s nice to meet you.” He bowed politely and gestured to the pile of belongings on the grass. “I came to help.”

“Well that’s very kind of you Wonho. I’m Myungjuns mother but you can call me Ms Kim. If we start with moving the items for the kitchen, I can cook you boys up some lunch.”

“Where’s Sanha?” Myungjun asked, looking over her shoulder into the house. “He should be out here helping us.”

Myungjuns mother looked back startled. “He was right behind me.” She called his name and he came racing down the stairs.

“Sorry I went to the toilet. What’s going-” He stopped dead when he saw Wonho and stared at him.

Wonho stepped forwards and held out his hand. “Hi, you must be Sanha. My names Wonho it’s…why is he running away?”

They all watched confused as Sanha tore back up the stairs and Myungjun heard one of the doors slam shut. “I’ll go check on him.” He said quickly, feeling worried about his weird behaviour.

He ran into the house and up the stairs. It was easy to spot what room Sanha had disappeared into, it was the only closed door. “Sanha. Sanha what’s wrong?” Myungjun asked, knocking on it gently. He squealed in surprise when the door was wrenched open. Sanha grabbed him by the arm and pulled him inside before slamming the door shut again.

“Hyung who is that?” He squeaked, ears bright red. “Why is he here?”

“Well he _was_ trying to introduce himself to you Sanha. He’s our new neighbour and he offered to help. Why did you run away?” Myungjun asked with a frown. Sanha shifted uncomfortably and mumbled something Myungjun couldn’t hear. “What was that? Speak properly.”

“I said he’s really handsome.” Sanha whined, hiding his face behind his hands. “Don’t make me go out there Hyung.”

“He- what?” This was a lot to take in. “Sanha, do you like…boys?” Sanhas eyes widened and he froze. “It’s okay if you do.” Myungjun said quickly. “I mean our whole friendship group does…wait, I’ve never even asked half of them.” Myungjuns thoughts drifted to Hyungwon and Hoseok and Youngjae and Jimin and he realised it had never come up in conversation with them. “But anyway,” He continued quickly, looking at Sanhas frozen state. “like I said, it’s okay if you do. I just thought there was something going on between you and that girl that saved you in the battledome.” Myungjun remembered the way Sanha had blushed when he thanked her.

“I don’t know.” Sanha finally squeaked out. “Hyung I don’t know but please don’t tell anyone!” He looked close to panicking, so Myungjun quickly shushed him and promised he wouldn’t. He opened his arms with an offer for a hug and Sanha rushed into them looking for comfort.

“I won’t tell anyone I promise. It’s okay if you don’t know, you’re only twelve.” Myungjun pointed out wisely.

“When did you know?” Sanha whispered, pulling back to look at him. “When did you know you liked boys?”

Myungjun shrugged. “I guess I always knew. I always avoided girls and thought they were gross.”

Sanha snorted in amusement and finally looked like he had calmed down enough. “Thanks Hyung.” He said quietly. “I feel a bit better now.”

“Good!” Myungjun replied happily. “Now let’s go downstairs and help unpack. Don’t look at me like that Sanha. Wonho might be handsome but he’s our neighbour and you’ll have to meet him at some point. You should just get it over and done with.”

*

The days passed by relatively quick for Myungjun. They settled into the new house and Myungjun was constantly waking up in the best of moods. He did miss sharing a bed with Sanha because he no longer had anyone to cuddle with but accepted it after seeing how _ecstatic_ the younger boy was for having his own room for the first time. Myungjun had been surprised when his mother revealed she wanted a bigger house with an extra room. When Sanha had heard, he had cried upon realising he now had a permanent home after the academy. Myungjun couldn’t imagine how anxious the younger boy must have been about having nowhere to go when it was over. Now he didn’t have to worry at all.

“You’re my son too Sanha.” His mother had said, cuddling him as he cried. “Me and Junnie will look after you I promise. You’re not alone anymore.” He cried even harder when she told him to call her mother. “There’s no need for formalities anymore Sanha. Ms Kim is to impersonal.”

Every day since, Sanha had run down the stairs in the morning, screaming ‘MOTHER’ at the top of his lungs until she laughed and told him to try and avoid waking the whole neighbourhood up.

Today was no different. Myungjun woke up to hear Sanhas shouts and groaned, trying to stifle the noise out with a pillow over his head. “I’ll never have a peaceful morning again.” He whined mournfully to himself, before kicking the covers off and getting up to get dressed. He felt something rush past his head when he was pulling his trousers on and stumbled trying to catch it. A little folded up note.

_**3 days left** _

He grinned, looking down at Jinwoos reminder. He’d sent one every morning for the past week, counting down the days and making Myungjun more and more excited. It’s not like he needed reminding, he was always counting down in his head anyway, but the notes were always welcome. He placed the note on the desk in his room, beside all the other notes Jinwoo had sent him over the holidays and went downstairs to get some breakfast.

*

“Hyung where are we going?” Sanha asked, eyes raking over all of the storefronts.

Myungjun pointed to a tiny bookstore up ahead. “We’re going there. I’m going to get Jinwoo a gift for finishing his course.”

The store itself looked extremely old, weathered by years of exposure to the sun and rain alike. A little wooden sign creaked in the breeze above the door and books of varying ages were stacked haphazardly in piles outside. Myungjun eyed them curiously before pushing the door open. A light bell tinkled above and when he stepped inside, he was hit with the smell of old books. The smell reminded him of the library in the academy and it comforted him greatly. Myungjun walked down the rows of tightly packed volumes, running his fingers along the leather-bound spines and stopping occasionally at the ones that caught his eye. He didn’t know exactly what he was looking for, but he had a general idea. He wanted it to be related to Jinwoos course, something on weaponry.

“Can I help you?”

Myungjun turned to the owner of the voice and smiled, hearing Sanha squeak in surprise behind him. “Hey, I said I’d come visit you.”

Wonho gave him a bright smile in return and gestured around. “Need help looking? I know this store like the back of my hand.”

“I don’t want to distract you from your work.” Myungjun said, pulling one of the books off the shelf beside him. _**How to tame a giant**_. Myungjun snorted and put it straight back on the shelf. Giants didn’t exist, Youngjae had said so before.

“My work is literally helping people Myungjun.” said Wonho, shaking his head and looking over Myungjuns shoulder. “Hello Sanha.” Sanha mumbled his greeting before disappearing between the shelves. “He’s quiet again today.”

“He wasn’t this morning.” Myungjun said with a sigh. “Anyway, I’m looking for books on weaponry. My boyfriend is doing a summer course at the Academy and I want to get him something for completing it.”

“Intensive weapons training? I did that course when I was there too!” Wonho said happily. “I made three best friends for life during that summer. It was so fun. Follow me, I have the perfect book.”

*

“MY GUITAR!” Sanha shrieked, rushing back into the house.

Myungjuns mother groaned unhappily. “How many more things is he going to forget? You’re going to be late at this rate!”

Myungjun placed his bags in the carriage before going back out to say goodbye to her. “I’m going to miss you.” He pouted, hanging around her neck and whining dramatically.

“Not as much as me!” Sanha said, running over with his guitar on his back to join in on their hug. “I’ll miss your cooking the most though.”

Myungjuns mother made an indignant noise and pulled away from them both. “I knew you two only loved me for my cooking. Get out of my sight both of you.” She shooed them into the carriage with a barely contained smile. “Be good, work hard, eat well and get plenty of sleep. Tell Jinwoo I said hello and I’ll see you all for graduation.”

She shut the door behind them and Myungjun unlatched and opened the window to talk to her. “Look after yourself and my plants!” he said, pointing to the patches of flowers he’d grown in the front garden. “If you need help with anything, go and ask Wonho, he said he’s always happy to lend a hand.” The carriage started to pull away and Sanha squeezed into the window next to him.

“Goodbye mother! Watch out for demons!” She laughed and waved at them until they were out of sight. “You don’t think there will be more demons, do you?” Sanha suddenly asked looking worried. “I was only joking.”

“I’m sure there won’t be.” Myungjun answered, shivering slightly at the memory of them. “We killed their Queen after all.”

Sanha seemed placated by his words and sat back to tune his guitar. “Do you want to hear a song?”

“Sure.” Myungjun said, leaning back against the leather and closing his eyes. “I’m glad we moved closer to Voredan; we won’t have to spend two days travelling there now.”

Sanha strummed a few notes and started to play. “I didn’t mind the journey before. We got to stay at that inn with the nice old lady who used to give me sweets.”

“She was kind.” Myungjun admitted. “It’s a shame we won’t be going back but I don’t think I could have survived two whole days this time.”

“You miss Jinwoo-hyung that much?” Sanha asked, playing an intricate set of notes that had him frowning down at the strings in concentration.

Myungjun hummed his answer and let his thoughts drift to his boyfriend. His heart was aching from being away from him for so long. He had asked Jinwoo, the night before he left, if the days would go fast and some actually had. Mostly however, they’d dragged by and he’d struggled to be one hundred percent happy every day. It felt like a part of him was missing, much like how he’d felt when his magic had been supressed. He just didn’t feel complete.

“You’ll see him in a few hours Hyung.” Sanha said, sounding sincere for once. “I’m sure he missed you too.”

“Wake me up when we get there then.” Myungjun mumbled. He wanted the time to pass as quickly as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Using Wonhos stage name because I'd get terribly confused calling him Hoseok too lmao
> 
> Can we all cry over how much Sanha was in this chapter? Cute baby boy.   
> He got ADOPTED guys. Please cry with me~


	76. Chapter 76

Myungjun was shaken awake and instantly sprung up from his slumped position. They were passing through the trees on the way onto the academy grounds and Myungjun scrambled to open the window and look ahead. He could see other carriages pulling up and unloading students. He was looking for one in particular though, and when he spotted him, he nearly cried in relief.

Jinwoo was sitting on the wide stone steps leading up to the academy’s front doors, elbows on his knees as he flipped something into the air that glinted in the sun, before catching it and repeating the action. He looked relaxed as his eyes scanned the carriages.

“I’ll take your bags in for you Hyung.” Sanha offered as the carriage slowed to a stop.

“Thanks Sanha.” Myungjun said gratefully, reaching over to pat his head. “I owe you one.” He threw open the carriage door and barrelled outside. “JINJIN!” His scream startled the other students around him, but he didn’t care. He was too busy rushing through the crowd, eyes on his boyfriend only.

Jinwoos head snapped up at the sound and he jumped to his feet, not looking so relaxed anymore. “SUNSHINE!” His shout was a lot louder and Myungjun giggled at the looks on the faces of the students around him. His heart soared as Jinwoo raced down the steps towards him. They crashed in the middle with exclamations of joy and Myungjun jumped up to wrap his legs around Jinwoos waist. Jinwoo held him tight, saying his name over and over again and swaying from side to side on his feet. “Junnie, Junnie I missed you so much. You’re here, you’re actually here.”

Myungjun pulled back to look at him, tears of joy already making tracks on his cheeks. “I’m back JinJin! Let’s never be apart ever again, I thought my heart would break.”

“That’s fine by me.” Jinwoo replied with a grin. He reached up with one hand to wipe the tears off Myungjuns face. “These are happy tears I hope.” Myungjun quickly nodded making him laugh. “Good. Come here.” He moved his hand to the back of Myungjuns head and pulled him in for a kiss. Myungjun whined happily and kissed him back, ignoring the mutters of the people around them and Jinwoo moved his hand back down to hoist Myungjun back up his waist when he started to slip.

“Get a room you two.”

Myungjun pulled back to scowl at Hyungwon when he walked past and stuck his tongue out at him. Hyungwon just laughed and swept up the academy steps, out of sight.

“Let’s listen to him JinJin.” Myungjun said, looking back at Jinwoo and kissing him again.

Jinwoo chuckled at his eagerness and put him down gently. “We can go to my room _after_ you fill your forms in and _after_ you show me your arm, so I can make sure you’re okay.”

Myungjun pouted at him but pulled up the sleeve of his top anyway, watching the way Jinwoos eyes widened at the black, blotchy, smattering of scars. They started small at his wrist and grew bigger as they reached his elbow, where most of the demon blood had landed. It disgusted Myungjun how they were charred black and stood out against his skin. Jinwoo didn’t speak, he just pulled him in for another hug and squeezed him tight.

“I’m sorry Junnie.” He whispered after a while, pulling him impossibly closer. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you. I never wanted you to get burned. Ever. It's my worst nightmare. It must have been so painful.”

Myungjun sighed and rubbed Jinwoos back. “You don’t need to apologise. None of us knew what would happen. It was my mistake anyway, I got excited about using a metal weapon for the first time and forgot the blood would burn if it touched me. It did hurt but I got it treated quickly. Let’s just forget about it okay? I don’t like thinking about what it’s done to me.”

“Anything you want handsome. Let’s go get these forms done then.”

He let go and Myungjun let himself be led inside to the hall. Jinwoo took him over to Grove and took his forms for him, as Myungjun was too busy clinging to his arm and making noises of impatience. He didn’t care about these stupid forms or his stupid burns. He cared about seeing his boyfriend again for the first time in a whole _month_. Jinwoo led them to an empty table and handed him the parchment and a pen, which Myungjun accepted with a sigh and he quickly filled in his details, choosing Namjoon and Youngjae as his roommates again and scanned the list of classes.

KIM MYUNGJUN- EARTH ELEMENTAL, PLANT MANIPULATION VARIETY  
HERBOLOGY (COMPULSORY)  
ADVANCED PRACTICAL SKILLS (COMPULSORY)  
MEDITATION AND DISCIPLINE (COMPULSORY)

ZOOLOGY OF MAGICAL CREATURES-DEMONOLOGY (OPTIONAL)  
ADVANCED COMBAT AND WEAPONS TRAINING (OPTIONAL)  
DESIGN CLASS-PLANT MANIPULATION VARIETY (OPTIONAL)  
ADVANCED COMMUNICATIONS (OPTIONAL)  
ALCHEMY (OPTIONAL)  
HISTORY AND LAW (OPTIONAL)  
ADVANCED HEALING-WEEKEND CLASS(OPTIONAL)  
ADVANCED NUMBERS-WEEKEND CLASS (OPTIONAL)  
RELIGION-SUNDAY CLASS (OPTIONAL)

SHAPESHIFTING-SPECIAL INVITE RECEIVED (OPTIONAL)

PICK UP TO 3 OPTIONAL CLASSES. IF YOU WISH TO TAKE ANY MORE YOU MUST DISCUSS THIS WITH YOUR ELEMENTAL LEADER FIRST TO ASSESS YOUR CAPABILITIES.

Myungjun groaned unhappily. There were so many classes he wanted to do. How was he only supposed to pick three?

“Junnie what’s that?” Jinwoo asked, eyes wide as he pointed to a spot on the parchment. “You got a special invite to shapeshifting! I can’t believe it, that’s so cool!”

Myungjun quickly re-read where he was pointing and blanched. He hadn’t even processed that properly the first time. “Why did I get a special invite? Did you get one?” He looked up at Jinwoo hopefully but frowned as Jinwoo shook his head. “I’m going to ask Grove. I’ll be back in a second.” Jinwoo let him go and Myungjun took the parchment back up to his leader.

“Hello Myungjun. Have you picked your classes already?” Grove asked, looking up at him from his seat with a smile.

“I actually have a couple of questions regarding them.” Myungjun began. Grove raised his eyebrows but let him talk. “I want to do more than three. I also want to know why I got a special invite to shapeshifting but Jinwoo didn’t.”

Grove sat back in his chair and drummed his fingers on the table. “The shapeshifting class is only available to those who have shown exceptional capabilities in their studies. You took on many classes last year and still managed to keep up with the work and achieved impressive results in AND out of the classroom. I can’t speak for Jinwoo, that’s Blaze’s job but I would assume he didn’t match the criteria for this class. Shapeshifting is extremely difficult so if you wish to take this class, I can only allow you to take up to three others. I can’t push it any higher than that.”

Myungjun stared down at his parchment, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. He wanted to do at _least_ four more. “What if I promise to put the work in? You already said yourself that I took lots of classes last year and managed. Can I take four more? That’s only an extra one.”

“Myungjun I really don’t think-”

“PLEASE Grove. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t think I could do it.”

Grove sighed and leaned forwards to rest his elbows on the table. “What are the four you wish to take?”

“Advanced healing, advanced communications, advanced combat and weapons training and zoology.” Myungjun read off the ones he was desperate to do and looked up at Grove with pleading eyes.

“Myungjun, zoology was your worst class last year. Why do you want to take it again?” Grove asked with a frown.

Myungjun looked down at what had really caught his eye. _Demonology_. “Last year I wasn’t interested enough in the mythical creatures we learnt about, so I admit I didn’t try hard enough. However, I’m interested in demons.”

“Myungjun, demons are known to be mythical as well.”

“I’ve seen them.” Myungjun said quickly. Groves eyes snapped up to meet his. “I fought them. A lot of them.” Myungjun could tell Grove didn’t believe him so he yanked up the sleeve of his top again to show Grove the burn scars. Grove looked down at them with wide eyes and reached out to turn his arm from side to side to get a better look.

“What did they look like?”

“Black and purple colouring, winged, sharp teeth that clicked a lot.” Myungjun mimed fangs but was left confused when Grove sat back in what could almost be seen as relief. There was _nothing_ to be relieved about when it came to those creatures.

“Fine. I can see why you would be interested in that class, so I will allow you to take the four you want, on top of shapeshifting. If you choose to do shapeshifting that is.” Myungjun quickly nodded and ticked the five classes he wanted before handing his parchment in. “Myungjun I’m putting all of my trust in you to do well. Study hard and good luck.” He thanked Grove profusely and made his was back over to Jinwoo.

*

The door to Jinwoos room closed behind them and Myungjun squealed as he was pulled in roughly for a kiss. Jinwoo led him backwards towards the bed and the mattress hit the back of Myungjuns legs before they fell down onto it. He felt Jinwoos tongue brush over his lips and opened them with a happy whine, wrapping his arms around Jinwoos neck. He’d missed this so so much. Myungjun gently licked at Jinwoos tongue, making his boyfriend moan quietly into his mouth as one of Jinwoos hands travelled up his side, making him shiver when Jinwoos fingers brushed over his ribs.

“Junnie, let’s get on the bed properly.” Jinwoo said sounding breathless when he pulled back. Myungjun quickly shuffled up the bed and let his head fall down onto the pillow. It was a familiar feeling, like coming home after a long time of being away. Jinwoo appeared above him a second later, leaning back down to kiss him again and groaned as Myungjun wrapped his legs around his waist.

“Junnie you know the rules. Off.” Jinwoo scolded him, tapping his thigh.

Myungjun whined unhappily and shook his head. “Don’t want to.”

“Stop being a brat. You can’t do this when we lay down.”

“Why?” Myungjun challenged him. “What difference does it make? You let me jump on you and wrap my legs around your waist when we’re standing up. How is this any different?”

“We’ve been through this before. It’s a lot different Junnie.” Jinwoo said, sounding impatient. “Off. Now.”

Myungjun shook his head again and Jinwoo growled down at him in frustration. “Well don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Jinwoo leaned back down to kiss him and pressed their bodies together.

*See? This isn’t so bad is it?* Myungjun thought hard, smirking into their kiss. He loved getting his own way.

*Isn’t it?* Jinwoos voice rang around in his head and before Myungjun could even think of a reply, Jinwoo rolled his hips against Myungjuns own, in a way that had Myungjun gasping. He opened his eyes to see Jinwoo smirking wearing the smirk now.

“What was that?” Myungjun squeaked. He wasn’t sure whether he liked that feeling or not.

“That was the reason I don’t want you to wrap your legs around me. What you just felt is what I feel whenever you do that. So, legs off now.”

Myungjun hesitated before letting go. Jinwoo sighed in relief above him and leaned down to kiss his forehead. “Thankyou for listening to me. One day I’ll let you do it without stopping you, but not today.” When Jinwoo kissed him properly again, Myungjun snaked a hand around his waist and flipped them over. “Junnie what are you doing?” Jinwoo asked surprised, as he watched Myungjun sit back and straddle his thighs.

“I want to see the love bites I left.” Myungjun replied quietly. He knew they’d be long gone by now. The ones Jinwoo left on him were gone too but he still hoped there were some traces left behind at least.

“They’ve faded sunshine.” Jinwoo said, smiling up at him softly. “Do you want to give me another one to replace them?” Myungjun thought about it and nodded shyly.

Jinwoo didn’t waste any time. He sat up straight away, jostling Myungjun slightly and pulled him in for another kiss. Myungjun felt Jinwoos hands on his arms, trailing down until he could thread their fingers together. Jinwoo gave them a quick squeeze before placing Myungjuns hands at the bottom of his shirt.

“Take it off for me Junnie.” Jinwoo muttered against his lips. “I always take it off myself, I want you to do it.”

The only time Myungjun had taken off Jinwoos shirt before, was during the Hallows eve ball last year, and he remembered _telling_ Jinwoo that it had to come off and not giving him another choice. The memory still made him cringe but right now all he cared about was being with his boyfriend and making him happy.

“Can you do that for me?” Jinwoo asked, pulling back to look at his face. “Or are you too shy?”

“I can do it JinJin.” Myungjun answered quietly, avoiding his gaze as he felt his face heat up.

Jinwoo leaned forwards to kiss his flushed cheeks. “Good boy.” He lifted his arms and Myungjun pulled his top off with shaky hands and dropped it off the side of the bed. Jinwoo sighed happily and lay back down. “Feels good not having clothes trapping the heat of my magic in.”

When Myungjun finally built up the courage to look down at Jinwoos chest he gasped. It was covered in bruises, some of them yellowing and faded, so Myungjun could tell they had been there for a while. Others were newer, angry purples and blues, that covered half of his chest. The things that shocked Myungjun the most were the wounds. He had cuts and fresh scars scattered haphazardly over his skin, some cuts were deeper than others and some looked recent. He had a particularly nasty looking one running diagonally over his shoulder and down his collarbones that was scabbing over.

“JinJin what is all this?” Myungjun asked, heart clenching painfully at the sight. “It must hurt so much.”

Jinwoo looked down at his chest in surprise. “Oh, I forgot…Junnie pass me my shirt, don’t look at it.”

Myungjun shook his head stubbornly and glared at him. “How did this happen? Who did this to you?”

Jinwoo sighed and let his head fall back onto the pillow when he realised Myungjun wasn’t going to give up. “It wasn’t called an _intensive_ combat training course for nothing Junnie. I’m perfectly fine. It doesn’t hurt that much anymore.”

“Why didn’t you go to the nurse?” Myungjun asked angrily. “Your wounds could have gotten infected!”

“Myungjun if I went to the nurse every time I got cut, I wouldn’t have had the time to train. The others are in similar conditions to me.”

Myungjun groaned in annoyance. Jinwoo had revealed in one of his notes who the other three selected students were and at first Myungjun had been excited at the thought, but this new development just made him feel terrible. “Well in that case, we’re going to find Rocky and Hoseok and drag them to the nurse too. I can’t do anything about the other boy because I don’t know him but-”

“What do you mean ‘too’? I didn’t say I’d go to see the nurse.” Jinwoo interjected. “Junnie I don’t mind healing naturally.”

Myungjun wasn’t listening to him. He just grabbed his hand and dragged him off the bed. “Here, put this back on.” He picked up Jinwoos shirt and thrust it towards him. “We’re going whether you like it or not.”

*

Myungjun led the other boys into the hall for dinner. He’d herded them to the nurse hearing nothing but protests, but they all thanked him in the end when their wounds were treated, and the pain was siphoned away. He scolded them all for their recklessness, _including_ Hoseok even though he was older and watched them all apologise to him looking sheepish.

He made his way over to their table and was glad to see Sanha still had his bags from the carriage. He felt a bit guilty knowing that Sanha had been made to watch over his stuff for the past couple of hours and made sure to thank him when he slipped into his usual seat.

Sanha passed his bag over and then his bow.

“Wow Junnie where did you get it?” Jinwoo asked, gesturing for Myungjun to hand the bow over. Jinwoo ran his hands along it before standing up to wield it properly. He pulled the string back, aiming towards an invisible enemy, and let it go with a twang. The noise was satisfying, and he whined happily before sitting back down.

“Didn’t Hyung tell you?” asked Sanha looking surprised. “Why didn’t you tell him?” He added, looking at Myungjun.

“I told Jinwoo I’d tell him all about our fight when I saw him. I guess there’s no better time than the present.” Myungjun began to relay everything that had happened, with Sanha interjecting eagerly here and there.

~

“…and then Hyung pushed Sooyoung to safety so she wouldn’t get hit by the black goo!” Sanha exclaimed excitedly making Myungjun shift uncomfortably in his seat as everyone praised him.

“It was nothing Sanha. Don’t make a big deal out of it.”

“Another time, Hyung picked up a branch and smacked one of the demons over the head with it to distract it from hurting mother!” Sanha said, pointing to him proudly.

“Sanha seriously, I hadn’t meant for that to happen. I was trying to kill it. I didn’t think the branch would break that easily. What about you? You held off three at once!”

Rocky made an impressed noise and Rocky Jr clapped his little hands together excitedly. “So, what happened next?”

~

“The old man crashed straight through a window into someone’s house!” Myungjun said animatedly a while later, gesturing to the crash with his hands. “You’ll never guess whose house it was JinJin. JUNG-HOON!”

Jinwoo cackled loudly and high-fived him. “I hope the place got trashed.”

“Well it was SWARMING with demons a second later. The others told me the old man was done for, but I ran in there anyway to help him. Don’t look at me like that JinJin, I’m fine aren’t I? Camellia had my back. I was nearly drained at that point but asked her to make the demons hallucinate. You should have seen how confused they were! I distracted them and gave Jax enough time to save him. That’s when I came across the hunter. He must have been shocked seeing me running down the road with a horde of them at my back. He shot them all whilst I dodged his arrows, it was so _exciting_.” All Myungjun could remember was feeling terrified but they didn’t need to know that. “He was AMAZING though honestly; he dived straight after them and killed the leftovers to save me. He looked messed up pretty bad after being splattered with their goo, but he survived! I was so shocked to hear it. The bow was his that he gave to the guild as an extra reward for answering his request. Killing the demons Queen was originally a job posted by the King because he’d heard about them terrorising other towns, so the guild took the cash reward and gave me the side reward for saving the old man’s life.”

“Oh wow Junnie you did so well!” Jinwoo shrieked happily, wrapping an arm around Myungjuns shoulders. “I can’t believe you got to go on a guild job before me, I’m so jealous.”

Myungjun leaned into him with a happy sigh. “They even offered me a place as one of their healers.”

“No way!” said Hoseok, mouth open wide in shock as he leaned across the table. “Students don’t usually get offers until the end of the third-year here. Are you going to accept?”

Myungjun shrugged, jostling Jinwoos arm. “I’m not sure what I want to do yet. I don’t even know if I want to join a guild.”

“You’ve got a whole year to decide Junnie.” Jinwoo said to him when everyone had finally gone back to eating their food and chatting amongst themselves. “There’s no rush.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Myungjin have reunited :') Soft boys.
> 
> Myungjun is going to be doing shapeshifting??? Hell yeah.
> 
> Also, Jinwoo, Rocky and Hoseok all need a smack for letting their bodies get trashed. Just saying.


	77. Chapter 77

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extra long chapter today. I was too lazy to split it into two -.-  
> Proof read half asleep, so if there's anything wrong with it...sorry

Myungjun woke up on Friday morning cuddled up to his boyfriend. He’d spent more nights in Jinwoos room then in his actual room so far and believed it to be necessary. He’d spent a whole month sleeping alone, so now he planned to spend at least that many nights in Jinwoos room. He knew they shouldn’t do it too often because there was more chance of getting detention, but it was at times like this where he just didn’t care.

Jinwoo whimpered in his sleep and Myungjun looked up at his face to see a small crease in between his eyebrows. He must be having a bad dream, Myungjun thought sadly. He didn’t want Jinwoo to have bad dreams, but he didn’t want to wake him either, he needed the sleep. Myungjun reached up and lightly ironed out the crease with his thumb. Jinwoos mouth opened slightly and he breathed out a little bit heavier than usual making Myungjun giggle quietly. He could watch Jinwoo sleep forever.

“Mmm I can hear you giggling Junnie.” Jinwoos voice was deep and scratchy as he was pulled out of his sleep and Myungjun thought he sounded _at least_ a billon times more attractive like this. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing.” Myungjun said quickly, burying his face in Jinwoos neck and nuzzling it gently. “I just like watching you sleep.”

Jinwoo hummed happily and rolled onto his side to face Myungjun and pulled him closer. “Why aren’t you sleeping? Is it time to get up?” A quick look at the clock told Myungjun they still had at least another hour and when he told Jinwoo, he groaned. “Go back to sleep then Junnie.”

“I can’t.” Myungjun whined. “I’m not sleepy anymore. Looking at you has woken me up.”

“Do I look that bad?” Jinwoo joked, voice sounding even scratchier as he chuckled.

“You could _never_ look bad JinJin. You’re too handsome.”

Jinwoo pulled back to look down at him with a small smile on his face. He had major bedhead and Myungjun held back the urge to laugh. “I’m not as handsome as you though Junnie. I still can’t believe you’re my boyfriend sometimes. Thinking back to when we first met, how shy and awkward I was, it just doesn’t make sense.”

“It does make sense.” Myungjun replied earnestly. “Nothing’s ever made more sense in my entire life JinJin.” He stopped to take a deep breath, needing the courage to speak his next words. “Even though the magic inside of us shouldn’t mix, I still think we go together perfectly. I’m human before I’m magic and every human part of me wants to be with you… _needs_ you.”

Jinwoo no longer looked sleepy. He was staring down at Myungjun with fiery intensity in his eyes and when Myungjun finished talking he leaned down to kiss him passionately. Myungjun kissed him back, morning breath be damned and moaned quietly when Jinwoo tugged lightly at his hair.

He meant every word he’d said. He knew it was extra dangerous for someone with his type of magic to be with a fire user, but he couldn’t stay away from Jinwoo even if he tried. It was a silent, invisible force that pulled them together, one he knew would never break.

Jinwoo dragged Myungjuns lower lip with his teeth before pulling away to look at him again. “You have no idea what you’re doing to me Junnie.” He said quietly, trailing a hand down Myungjuns side. It travelled down Myungjuns body to the back of his thigh and Jinwoo hitched it up over his waist. Myungjun liked this new position and lifted his leg up a bit higher, so it was settled comfortably above Jinwoos hip, before pressing his whole body up against him. Jinwoo kissed him again, more urgently this time and pulled the material of Myungjuns pyjama shorts further up to massage the skin there. Jinwoo had never touched the bare skin of Myungjuns thigh before and it made him squirm.

“JinJin that feels weird.” He said, pulling away from their kiss.

“Good weird or bad weird?” Jinwoo asked, one eyebrow raised with an amused look on his face.

“…good weird.” Myungjun decided after a few seconds of thought. Jinwoo grinned before kissing him again and continuing. Myungjun whined happily when Jinwoos kisses left his lips to trail across his jaw and down his neck instead. His concentration was slipping, and everything started to go hazy as Jinwoos wet mouth roamed his neck. Myungjuns hand found purchase in Jinwoos hair and he clutched it tight, desperate for something to ground himself, and he pulled Jinwoo in closer, moaning his name quietly.

Jinwoo tensed for a brief second before carrying on, his actions becoming more desperate. He licked a stripe up Myungjuns neck before moving back down, leaving love bites in its place. The sharp pain helped clear Myungjuns mind a bit and he soon felt Jinwoos hand moving from the back of his leg, creating heat wherever he touched. Jinwoos thumb brushed the sensitive skin on the inside of Myungjuns thigh and he choked on a sob. It felt overwhelmingly good, making him dizzy to the point where he could barely breathe.

Jinwoo pulled back quickly at the sound, to look at him with wide eyes. “Junnie? Junnie are you okay?”

Myungjun couldn’t answer, he just rolled Jinwoo over onto his back and climbed on top of him to kiss him again. Jinwoo protested weakly and tried to push him away but Myungjun couldn’t really hear him. The haze in his mind came back and he slipped a hand under Jinwoos shirt to touch his warm skin. He could feel all the dips of his muscles under his fingertips and raked his nails down them making Jinwoo whimper into his mouth.

It wasn’t until he felt the pure heat rolling off of Jinwoo that he pulled away to look down at him. They were breathing heavily, lips kiss swollen and slick with spit as they stared at each other. “Are you awake yet?” Myungjun asked breathlessly. He felt like he’d just run a hundred laps around the lake.

“I don’t know.” Jinwoo answered, eyes looking slightly out of focus. “I think I might still be dreaming.”

Myungjun giggled, leaning down to kiss him once more before looking back at the clock. “Oh we’ve only got fifteen minutes left.” He was surprised at how quickly the time had gone.

“Good. Fifteen more minutes to make out with my gorgeous boyfriend. Get back here.” Myungjun squealed as he was pulled back down again. He’d definitely missed this.

*

“JinJin look at what you’ve done! How am I going to leave the room now?” Myungjun whined, pointing to his neck. “You’re not supposed to give me love bites here. Everyone will see them!”

“You didn’t stop me when I was giving them to you.” Jinwoo pointed out after spitting his toothpaste into the sink.

Myungjun pouted and went back to trying to fix his hair in the mirror. “I wasn’t thinking straight Jinwoo and now I have to go out there looking like I’ve been abused.”

Jinwoo laughed and put both of their toothbrushes back into the cup on the shelf. “Do you want to give me some in return so I can share your embarrassment?”

Myungjun just sighed and shook his head. “No. You told me people only give love bites in the heat of the moment and this is not one of those times. I’m trying to fix my hair as you can see.”

Jinwoo used his free hand to grab Myungjuns hip and turned him around to back him up against the edge of the sink. “It could be one of those moments.” He said, voice a lot lower than it had been a second ago.

When Jinwoo leaned in for a kiss, Myungjun quickly put his hand over his boyfriends’ lips. “No JinJin. We have class, we’re already late for breakfast. Stop trying to distract me.”

Jinwoo grinned into his palm and pulled away. “Fine. I have some exciting news about one of our classes today anyway.”

“What news?”

“I can only tell you it’s for Combat training. The teacher has a special announcement and you’ll want to hear it I promise.”

“But JinJin that’s our last lesson! Why did you tell me now?” He whined unhappily.

Jinwoo just laughed at his impatience. “You’ll just have to wait and see. Stop pouting and let’s go get some breakfast before I decide to take you back to bed and kiss that pout off your lips.”

*

Myungjun walked into his first ever shapeshifting lesson five minutes late despite rushing his breakfast. He’d barely managed to eat enough and felt slightly cranky because of it. I need to stop sleeping in Jinwoos room, he thought huffily as he apologised to his teacher and rushed to take a seat.

There weren’t many people in this class and Myungjun looked around at some of the familiar faces. Jaebum was there, the boy from Myungjuns healing class who had answered Mr Chois moonshine question last year, and he also saw Hyejin talking quietly to a boy he didn’t recognise.

Another boy, who was sitting beside Myungjun, was already making notes on a piece of parchment and Myungjun peeked over to read what he’d missed. It didn’t seem very important, but he did see that the boy’s name was Min Yoongi and he nudged him gently to introduce himself. Yoongi just nodded in greeting before going back to his work.

“Now that everyone is here, we can begin.” The teacher said, standing up from her seat and walking round to lean against the front of her desk instead. “My name is Miss Hwang and I will be your shapeshift teacher for the year. Shapeshifting is an art form. It is the art of metamorphosising one’s own body, allowing you to change your appearance, age, gender, race…amongst other things. Shapeshifting has many uses. For example, enhancing your body for combat. Let me put this into perspective for you, who here has faced the cockatrices in the dungeons?” Everyone raised their hand and she nodded happily. “I’m sure some of you even lost team members on that floor because of the cockatrices unique power of turning its enemies to stone. What if I told you that you could look it in the eye and _not_ be turned into an ornate statue? How? Let me show you.”

She pushed herself off the edge of the desk and closed her eyes. Myungjun saw two separate marks glowing on either wrist and stared in awe as her skin began to take on a grey hue. It got darker and more prominent as the time passed until her eyes snapped open. Myungjun could hear the scraping of stone on stone as she looked around at their shocked faces in amusement. Her _eyes_ were making that scraping noise? That thought made Myungjun weirdly nauseous. He tensed as she walked over to him, feet clumping heavily on the wooden floorboards and she stopped to look down at him before holding out her hand.

“Take my hand and tell me what you feel.”

Myungjun reached forwards shakily, trailing his fingers down her palm before grabbing her hand and giving it a firm squeeze. He almost couldn’t believe it. He’d felt the rough stone clearly under his fingertips and she was as solid as a rock when he applied a bit of pressure. She moved around the room, to each of them in turn before coming to a stop in front of her desk again.

“A cockatrice would not be able to turn you to stone if you were _already_ made of it.” She grinned at the chuckles she received and slowly faded to her regular appearance. “This was an example of enhancing your body for combat. However, some of you may leave the academy and decide that a life of fighting isn’t for you, so how can you use your shapeshifting powers for other situations?” Myungjun watched her perform a few more tricks. She changed the colour and length of her hair, made herself smaller and taller, and even took on the appearance of Yoongi who tensed beside him at the sight. “There are many things a shapeshifter can do, but for now, your first task is to successfully change the colour of your hair, as it is the simplest spell to do. Does anybody have any questions before we begin?”

Myungjuns hand shot up in the air. His question had been burning in the back of his mind ever since he watched her first transformation. She nodded towards him and he cleared his throat to speak. “You have two marks? Ones your birthmark, but what’s the other one?”

She smiled and presented both of her wrists to the class. Her birthmark was shaped like a flame so Myungjun could easily guess her magic type. The other mark was shaped like a star and had glowed white whereas her birthmark had shone red. “Good question. This star shaped mark is the mark of a registered shifter. When you complete your exams this year, you will be given this mark and put down on record as one of the few shifters in the land. This class is small for a reason. Shifting must be kept to a select few to keep it a prestigious art. If everyone in the land could shift, many businesses, like barbers and hairdressers for example, would go out of business as there would be no use for them anymore and many people would be left jobless.”

Myungjun frowned. He understood the reasoning, but he was still feeling uneasy about something else. “Well why were we chosen as the ‘select few’? I got told it was because of my academic success but I’m not buying it. I have friends who are much smarter than me, who have achieved greater things over the two years we’ve been here. Yet I’m here and they’re not.”

Miss Hwang raised one of her eyebrows. “Impressive Myungjun. You’re very perceptive. I will admit, some of you are here for your academic success and some of you are here for different reasons. I cannot fully disclose your specific reason Myungjun but what I can tell you is that you are here at someone’s request. Before you ask me who, that’s the part I cannot reveal. You deserve your place here just as much as the rest though, so I hope you work hard. Now, anymore questions?”

*

“You ready for combat training?” Jinwoo asked, practically vibrating in his seat from excitement.

Myungjun nodded eagerly between bites of his dinner. “I’ve been waiting all day for this special announcement. It better be good Park Jinwoo.”

“It _is_ good Hyung.” Rocky said from across the table looking just as hyper. Rocky Jr was running around on the table top, making the dinnerware shake. He knocked over a glass of water and Sanha reached over to pick him up.

“Someone needs to calm down.” Sanha scolded lightly, using his free hand to pick up the glass. Whilst Jinwoo steamed the table dry, Myungjun turned to Rocky to gauge his reaction. He expected him to be mad at Sanha for disciplining his companion, but Rocky was just observing their exchange quietly.

Myungjun soon went back to eating his food and when he was done, Jinwoo and Rocky both stood up to leave with him. Sanha passed Rocky Jr over and Myungjun was amused to see Rocky Jr protesting and trying to get back to the younger boy.

“You can’t stay with me. You have to go to class.” Sanha told him, scratching the little rocks head with a soft smile on his face. “If Rocky stays after class today, I’ll come down and see you okay?”

Rocky Jr nodded and garbled something up to Rocky who just sighed. “Fine. I’ll be there after class. See you later I guess.”

Jinwoo grabbed hold of Myungjuns hand and dragged him from the hall, speed walking them down to the combat centre. His nervous energy was making Myungjun excited and he really hoped the news lived up to it or he’d be terribly disappointed. Maybe we’re training with a new weapon, he thought. That was enough to make him happy, he really did hate the daggers and hoped they’d moved onto something else for this new year.

Jinwoo opened the door to the combat centre and told Myungjun to take a seat on one of the mats. The centre was empty and Myungjun looked at the clock to see they still had five minutes until the start of class. He lay back on the mat and closed his eyes, listening to Jinwoo moving around the room.

The room slowly filled up around him with the earth and fire students all muttering amongst themselves. Myungjun heard the combat teachers clap their hands, signalling that they wanted everyone’s attention and he quickly sat up to see…Jinwoo and Rocky standing at the front of the class?

“Welcome everybody, to advanced combat training. We’ll be your new trainers for the year as our usual ones are busy with the first and second year students.” Jinwoos eyes found Myungjuns own and he gave him a small smile. What was happening?

“How can you two teach us?” Hyejins voice came from the side of the room where she was leaning against the wall looking bored. “You might be skilled fighters but we’re all in the same year and some of us aren’t as far behind you in terms of skill as you think.”

Rocky stepped forwards and cleared his throat, silencing the murmur building in the room. “Most of you here do not know this, but there were four students who were chosen at the end of last year to stay behind during the summer. We were amongst those four and we spent the summer training with new weapons and learning how to teach and lead. This method of teaching has been happening at the academy for over ten years now and has only led to good results. As you’re aware, our previous combat teachers are mute, they can’t explain the technicalities these new weapons possess so they needed people who could talk.”

“Why didn’t they just hire other teachers for this year?” Namjoon asked curiously. “Not that I’m complaining or anything.”

Jinwoo smiled at him before speaking. “We’re not entirely sure of that either. All we know is what we’ve told you.” His gaze swept around the room. “This is still a serious class, despite us being your friends. We have the power to reward and discipline just like any other teacher here and we won’t hesitate to exercise that power. This is an important year. It’s our last one and we want you all to do well. If you have any complaints, feel free to see either Blaze or Grove after this class ends. For now, I want everyone to find a mat and stretch. Let’s get started, shall we?”

*

At the end of the lesson, Myungjun stormed straight over to his boyfriend and tapped him on the shoulder. Jinwoo turned away from the weapons rack to look back at him and grinned as their eyes met.

“Hey Junnie…surprise!”

“Park Jinwoo why the _hell_ didn’t you tell me any of this before?”

“Language Myungjun. Don’t make me give you detention.” Jinwoo said, crossing his arms and smirking cockily. Myungjun screamed in frustration on the inside at his smug behaviour but pouted on the outside and pretended to be on the verge of tears. Jinwoo fell for it immediately, uncrossing his arms as the smirk was wiped off his face. “Hey Junnie don’t cry, I was only joking! I won’t give you detention I promise.” He moved to give Myungjun a cuddle but Myungjun pushed him away, tears and pout disappearing instantly.

“Don’t act so cocky next time Jinwoo.” Myungjun said, his own smug smirk pulling at his lips from his effective pout attack. “Thanks for the lesson _Sir_ , I’m leaving now, have a good night.” He turned on his heel and walked away, hearing Jinwoo curse as he hurried to put all the swords back on the rack, the metal clanging noisily.

“Junnie wait!” Myungjun kept walking until he reached the doors and opened them to feel the cool night air hit his skin. He shivered lightly as he stepped outside and he whined quietly in relief when a pair of warm arms wrapped around him from behind a few seconds later. Jinwoo buried his face in Myungjuns neck and nuzzled it softly, leaving light kisses here and there. “I’m sorry for not telling you.” He said, turning Myungjun around to look at him. “I did want to, more than anything. It’s so hard keeping secrets from you, but I had to. We were sworn to secrecy about the whole thing. Are you mad at me?”

Jinwoos pleading eyes made Myungjun cave with a sigh. “No JinJin, I’m not mad at you.” Jinwoo cheered happily and hugged him tight. “BUT.” Myungjun began, voice choked from how hard Jinwoo was squeezing him. “You shouldn’t keep secrets from me. No matter who tells you to. I’m your boyfriend JinJin, you should tell me everything.”

Jinwoo let him go and pulled back to grin at him, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “I know I’m the teacher here Junnie, but I think you need to discipline me for this bad behaviour.”

Myungjun pretended to think about it before getting a wicked idea. He supressed the urge to smile and grabbed a fistful of Jinwoos shirt, leaning in to kiss him. He stopped, millimetres from Jinwoos lips and breathed out heavily, feeling Jinwoo shiver against him. “You’re right JinJin, but detentions too boring isn’t it?” His teasing voice made Jinwoo whine quietly and Myungjun felt a rush of control go through him. “Let’s play a game. All you have to do is tell me what you want.” Myungjun was satisfied to see a blush forming on Jinwoos face.

“I want you to kiss me.”

“And?” Myungjun asked, leaning closer.

“I wa…I want you to sleepover.” Jinwoo stuttered, gulping audibly.

“And?” Myungjun whispered breathlessly, pressing their bodies together, knowing full well the effect he was having on his boyfriend.

Jinwoo made a strangled noise in the back of his throat. “I want to touch you.”

Myungjun hummed thoughtfully and stepped away, watching as Jinwoos dazed eyes followed his movement slowly. “Pick one.”

“What?”

“Pick one.” Myungjun repeated, pretending to sound indifferent. “You told me three things you wanted, now pick one. That’s all you can have, that’s your punishment.”

“I- what?” Jinwoo asked again, blinking the dazed look from his eyes. “Myungjun that’s not fair.”

Myungjun shrugged. “Punishments aren’t supposed to be fair. Hurry up I haven’t got all night.” Jinwoo growled angrily and reached out. “That’s your choice?” Myungjun asked and Jinwoo froze. “If you touch me, I won’t kiss you or sleep over.”

Jinwoo was scowling as he let his hand drop back down to his side. “So if I asked you to sleep over, I wouldn’t be allowed to touch OR kiss you? That’s stupid Myungjun, you wouldn’t be able to stop yourself either.”

Myungjun knew he was right but tried not to show it. “Oh I would Park Jinwoo. I’d just remind myself how you kept this secret from me for over a MONTH and it would stop me just fine. Wanna find out how serious I am?” Jinwoo clenched his jaw and shook his head. It made Myungjun squeal inside. He had so much power here and messing with Jinwoo was exhilarating. “So what will it be JinJin?” Myungjun pushed his luck and licked his lips, slowly and deliberately, watching as Jinwoos eyes followed the movement of his tongue.

He wasn’t surprised when Jinwoo grabbed him around the waist and pulled him forwards, crashing their lips together almost painfully as he kissed him. Myungjun felt weak at the knees when Jinwoos tongue brushed over his own and it took all his will power to pull away.

“Good choice JinJin. I’ll see you tomorrow then.” He walked towards the forest hearing Jinwoo make a noise of utter disbelief behind him.

“YOU CAN’T DO THIS TO ME MYUNGJUN!”

Myungjun ignored him and forced his jelly legs to keep going.

It wasn’t until he got back into his room that he groaned in pure embarrassment and rushed over to join Youngjae on his bed. “JaeJae you will not _believe_ what I have just done.”

“Spill it.” Youngjae said eagerly, pulling the covers over them both.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jinwoo and Rocky are the teachers for the earth and fire students.  
> Hoseok and Mark (GOT7) are the teachers for the water and air students.
> 
> Also, its the return of Myungjae's gossip sessions xD Myungjun really does tell him everything uwu


	78. Chapter 78

When Myungjun went down to breakfast the next day, Jinwoo was sitting down looking murderous. He slipped into the seat beside his angry boyfriend and pretended not to notice. He knew it was his fault for teasing Jinwoo so much the night before, and he did regret it a bit, but it would be a lie to say he didn’t find it fun.

Youngjae had found it highly amusing as well after Myungjun relayed all the details and the younger boy sat down opposite him now, grinning at the look on Jinwoos face. Myungjun turned to see Jinwoo glaring at Youngjae suspiciously before realisation dawned on his face and his eyes snapped to Myungjun looking even angrier.

“You told him?” He hissed, lowering his voice so none of their other friends would hear. “You think it’s funny to tease me like that and then run off to blab it to _Youngjae_ of all people? He’s the biggest gossiper of us all!”

Myungjun quickly looked down at his plate blushing fiercely. “I didn’t tell him.” He denied it weakly but Jinwoo saw through him instantly.

“You’re a terrible liar Myungjun.” He said, standing up suddenly. “I’m going to meditation and discipline early. See you soon.”

Youngjae choked on the word discipline and Jinwoo threw a very bad word at him, that would have gotten Myungjun in trouble with his mother, before he turned on his heel and stormed out of the hall. Youngjae was cackling across the table but, luckily for Myungjun, kept his mouth shut when the others asked what was so funny.

Myungjun rushed his breakfast and sped down to class. He grabbed a cushion from the box by the door and looked around to find his boyfriend. Jinwoo was sitting in the corner, eyes screwed shut as he flexed his hands on his thighs. It was supposed to be meditation, but he didn’t look very relaxed. Myungjun did feel a little guilty and approached him cautiously to sit near him. Jinwoo tensed at the sound of Myungjuns cushion hitting the floor but he didn’t open his eyes.

“JinJin?” He murmured quietly. Jinwoo sighed loudly and reached out blindly for his hand. Myungjun grabbed it and played with his fingers as Jinwoos voice entered his mind.

*Junnie we’re supposed to be quiet in this class*

*I know, I just wanted to make sure you were okay*

Jinwoos hand gave his a light squeeze. *I’m just sleepy…and cranky. I didn’t sleep well last night* Myungjun finally looked at him properly. He had dark circles under his eyes and did seem tired. The guilt flooded through him uncontrollably and Jinwoo sighed. *I can feel your guilt Junnie, stop it. It’s fine. I deserved that last night for keeping everything a secret from you, you did nothing wrong. It was just torture trying to sleep in an empty bed that smells purely of you, not only from you sleeping over so often recently but because of the blanket you made me last Christmas full of your petals. It was like you were there when I closed my eyes and it wasn’t helping my…condition*

*Condition?*

Jinwoo quickly pulled his hand away with an awkward cough and Myungjun saw the blush dusting his cheeks. He moved to grab Jinwoos hand again, but Jinwoos eyes snapped open and he shook his head. Myungjun sat back with a pout and stared down at the floor. He didn’t like not knowing things but if Jinwoo was embarrassed he wouldn’t push him.

The lesson passed by slowly, with Myungjun trying and failing to clear his mind and meditate properly, and he sighed in relief when they were told they could go to lunch. When Myungjun stood up to stretch out his legs, Jinwoo picked up both of their cushions and slipped a hand around Myungjuns waist to lead them across the room. He chucked the cushions into the box by the door and nodded to the teacher politely when they left.

Jinwoo was quiet all the way down to the hall. When they were seated, Myungjun quickly filled up Jinwoos plate with food for him and smiled when Jinwoo thanked him with a kiss.

“JinJin you should go to sleep when you’ve finished eating. Its Saturday, so you don’t have any more classes today.”

“Come with me?” Jinwoo asked hopefully and Myungjun felt awful when he had to turn him down.

“I’ve got advanced healing next remember?” Jinwoo nodded resignedly and went back to eating his food with a frown on his face. It made Myungjuns heart ache. “If you nap the two hours I’m gone, I’ll meet you for dinner and then we can do something together okay?” Jinwoo perked up at the idea and nodded eagerly. “You’re so cute JinJin.”

“I’m not.” He mumbled with a scowl, but his blush gave him away. “Go to your stupid class Junnie.”

Myungjun giggled and kissed his cheek before standing up to leave. “See you later cutie.” He dodged Jinwoos hands with a squeal and dashed from the room.

*

“Welcome to advanced healing everybody!” Mr Choi said with his bright smile. “All of you are here today because you did exceptionally well in your healing exam before the summer and managed to pass with a B or higher. You learnt many things last year and I can assure you that you will learn many things this year too. Becoming a skilled healer is extremely challenging but leads you to become a priceless asset. Healers are needed everywhere; we are what keeps death from approaching the people in this land and we are the people who buy them the time to live. Sadly, over recent years, not many students have been interested in healing. Most want to learn how to fight and how to get better at fighting as they believe this is the best way to ensure their survival. In one sense, that is true but in others, it is their downfall. One bite, scratch or hit from the wrong creature, or human, can end their life in the blink of an eye.” Myungjun shivered at the thought. “We are the shield that stands between our friends and family and their inevitable death. Think about that as we progress this year and let that thought fuel you to do well.”

Myungjun nodded determinedly along with the rest and watched with interest as Mr Choi walked over to the wooden cupboard at the side of the room to pull a box out. He put the box down heavily on his desk and pulled out a bone. Myungjun tensed. Please don’t tell me that’s a human bone, he thought weakly as his lunch threatened to make an appearance.

“Some of you look very shocked.” Mr Choi chuckled, his eyes sweeping the room. “Never fear, this isn’t from a human.” A collective sigh of relief sounded, and he smiled before continuing. “These are bones provided to us by some of the guilds in Voredan. They go out on their jobs and collect the bones of monsters they slay to make a tidy profit selling them to us to use in our healing classes. Our lessons for the next month or so, depending on how quickly you can learn, will be on mending broken bones.”

Myungjun jumped when Mr Choi snapped the bone cleanly in half with a loud crack. He placed it on the desk and Myungjun leaned closer to watch as the man’s birthmark began to glow. The bone vibrated noisily on the table before coming back together again seamlessly. Myungjun clapped along with the rest when he held it up looking as good as new.

“Now then, I would like each of you to step forwards and take one from this box so we can get started on the lesson.”

*

Myungjun walked to the combat centre holding his white bow and feeling nervous. Jinwoo had decided to train with him after dinner and insisted that Myungjun go back to his room and retrieve his guild gift first. Myungjun wasn’t stupid. He knew what this meant. Jinwoo was going to teach him how to use it properly but he still felt nervous. This was a ranged weapon and all he was used to were melee ones.

He didn’t go into the combat centre like usual, he went around the side to the big, open, grassless piece of land that was lit up brightly by torches as they blazed under the setting sun. Jinwoo was already there, back straight, feet shoulder width apart, and standing at an angle to the straw dummy thirty feet in front of him. He nocked an arrow, lifted his slender wooden bow up and pulled the string back slowly with his dominant hand. Myungjun watched frozen as Jinwoo lined up the arrow to the target, not wanting to distract him. Jinwoo let the arrow loose and it shot through the air and landed with a thump right in the centre of the dummy’s chest.

“Wow JinJin!” Myungjun squealed, racing over to him looking thoroughly impressed. Jinwoo turned to him with a proud smile and laughed when Myungjun kissed him. “You’re good at everything.”

“We’ll be learning how to use bows in combat training soon, so I thought I’d get you started now.” Jinwoo said happily, leading him over to the wooden barrel full of fletched arrows.

“Isn’t that showing favouritism?”

Jinwoo laughed and pulled a handful of the arrows out. “Of course it is. You’re my favourite student after all. More than that though, you’ll be learning to use your own bow. Everyone else will be using the lighter wooden ones but you’ll be using one made of bone. It will be harder and more difficult to use because its heavier but I’m sure the results are better. May I?” He gestured to the bow in Myungjuns hand and Myungjun handed it over quickly. Jinwoo gave him the wooden one to hold and stepped back over to the straw dummy. He drove the arrows he was holding into the ground before pulling one free and nocking it.

Jinwoo lifted up the bow to aim it and made a noise of approval. “Definitely heavier. You’ll build up some muscle holding this.” He let the arrow loose and it tore through the air. It ripped straight through the straw dummy and disappeared into the grass behind it. “Definitely better results too. Fitting for a bow made from a monster bone don’t you think?”

Myungjun was still shocked at how powerful it had been and nodded dumbly when Jinwoo turned to look at him. He watched as Jinwoo pulled another arrow from the ground and let that one loose too. It tore through the dummy again, just like all the others he loosed after that, until straw littered the ground around the dummies feet.

Jinwoo sighed happily and stepped back to hand the bow to Myungjun before going to collect all the arrows that had disappeared into the grass. Myungjun tried to practice when Jinwoo wasn’t looking, without an arrow because he didn’t want to accidently injure his boyfriend when his back was turned, and found the bow to be a lot heavier than he’d thought. He barely had it held up for ten seconds before his arms started to ache and became shaky. I can’t aim with a shaky arm, he thought mournfully, why am I so weak? He quickly put the bow down when Jinwoo turned to him with the missing arrows.

“Trying to kill me off huh?” Jinwoo asked jokingly as he made his way over.

“I was only seeing how heavy it was.” Myungjun mumbled to him with a blush. “I think it’s too heavy for me right now.”

Jinwoo smiled at him softly and gestured to the slimmer wooden bow. “I’ll teach you the basics with that first, then we’ll move you on to your one. I’ll also incorporate a workout routine for your arms that will make you stronger. It won’t happen overnight, but I’ll train with you until you’re strong enough okay?” Myungjun didn’t like the sound of the extra workout but nodded anyway. “Good. Put your bow down over there and we’ll get started.”

*

“JinJin I can’t concentrate properly if your arms are wrapped around me like this. I can hold the bow properly myself so let go.”

Jinwoo laughed and stepped back to give him some space. “Sorry Junnie, I can’t help myself. You just look so cuddly.” He shrieked when Myungjun spun around to point the arrow at his head. “Okay okay sorry. You don’t look cuddly you look terrifying, please point that thing somewhere else.”

Myungjun giggled and turned back towards his actual target. He breathed out slowly like Jinwoo taught him and let the arrow loose. It missed completely and he whined in annoyance. “JinJin this is the billionth time I’ve missed now. I don’t think I can do this.”

Jinwoo came into view in front of him and rolled his eyes. “Junnie that was only the sixth time. Stop being so dramatic. You’re doing fine. You’re getting closer every time.”  
“I bet you got it straight away.” Myungjun sulked, pulling another arrow out of the ground beside him. Jinwoo didn’t answer him and it made him groan. Of course Jinwoo hit it first time. “Show off.”

“Hey!” Jinwoo laughed, pretending to be offended. “I didn’t say anything.”

“You didn’t need to Jinwoo. Now move before I shoot you.” Jinwoo stepped away quickly and Myungjun nocked his arrow and pulled his bow up. He stood how Jinwoo taught him, at an angle, legs shoulder width apart, back straight. He pulled the string back slowly with his right hand and let his eyes trail down the shaft of the arrow. That’s when he felt it, the slight evening breeze, ruffling his hair gently on the left side of his head. This is why I keep missing, he realised. He shifted his arrow slightly to the left to combat the breeze and breathed out slowly. I can do it, he thought to himself. He let the string go with a twang and the arrow closed the distance to the dummy and thumped into its chest. Not quite the centre but close enough.

“I DID IT JINJIN!” He shrieked excitedly, waving the wooden bow around in the air and wiggling his butt in a strange victory dance that made his boyfriend smile when he turned back to look at him.

“You did so well sunshine, I’m proud of you.” Jinwoo replied, making his way over to drop a kiss onto Myungjuns expectant lips. “You worked out the trick?”

Myungjun nodded happily and pointed vaguely to the sky. “The breeze.”

“Exactly. Okay then, I think you can move onto your bow now, but first, on the floor and give me ten push ups.”

Myungjuns mouth dropped. “What?”

“You heard. Ten push ups. We need to start building your muscle now and I’m sure you can do at least ten.” He watched expectantly as Myungjun hesitated. “If you don’t move that cute little butt of yours in the next five seconds, I’ll make it twenty.”

Myungjun tossed his wooden bow aside and dropped to the floor in less than two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We love archer boyfriends in this household.  
> RIP to Myungjuns arms. Jinwoo was deathly serious about making him work out.


	79. Chapter 79

Jinwoo trained Myungjun intensely over the next few weeks. The combat class was introduced to bows and Myungjun got a lot of odd stares as people saw him using his own. The rest of his classes were going well but he always went to sleep at night, utterly exhausted and aching all over from Jinwoos late night workouts.

October rolled around and Myungjun found he could hold his bow up for longer periods of time without his arms getting tired and his aim was nearly perfect now. Jinwoo always nodded approvingly to him when he walked past, doing his rounds and helping the other students. Myungjun often found his gaze drifting towards his boyfriend when he was teaching. He was so assertive, sure and confident now, it made Myungjuns heart flutter. Jinwoo had taken to the role like a fish in water and Myungjun realised yet again that he was born to lead.

Rocky was doing just as well. He was stricter than Jinwoo, but the harshness of his words was dampened when Rocky Jr popped out of his hair to garble encouragingly at whatever student was taking the heat. Everyone loved Rocky Jr now. People were often wary of him before because Rocky was generally quiet and withdrawn in class but now that he was coming out of his shell, people were warming to them both. To say that Myungjun was proud of his friends would be an understatement.

*

Myungjun sat beside Jimin on the dirt floor of their practical skills classroom with a sigh. He was exhausted from using so much magical energy, in an attempt to grow his first ever tree. It was the first task they’d been given since the start of their third year and it had been over a month now with minimal progress. He looked around to see everyone else was still struggling too and felt a bit better. Namjoon was flat out on his back breathing heavily as Youngjae fanned him with some parchment and Myungjun gave him a small wave when he looked over.

Jimin whined quietly and leaned down to rest his head in Myungjuns lap. “Hyung I’m so tired.”

Myungjun made a noise of sympathy and ran his fingers through the younger boy’s blonde fluffy hair. “I’m tired too Jiminie. This is hard work isn’t it?”

“The hardest.” Jimin muttered, letting his eyes flutter shut. “Can you wake me up in five minutes? I just need a quick power nap.”

“Of course.” Myungjun said kindly, playing with his hair. He watched as Jimin’s breathing slowed to a steady deep rhythm and let it lull him into a sense of relaxation. Maybe I should nap too, he thought as he yawned loudly.

He felt like he’d only closed his eyes for a few seconds when he was being shaken awake by a sleepy looking Jimin. “Hyung, hyung wake up class is over.”

Myungjun groaned and sat up. Since when had he lain down? “What time is it?” He asked, voice hoarse from sleep.

“Two o’clock Hyung, we have to go, we’re late for communications.”

Myungjun shot up and grabbed Jimin’s hand to drag him from the room. They’d missed lunch completely and were already halfway through their second class. Why didn’t Miss Yoon wake us up? He thought irritably. They ran down corridor after corridor until they burst through the doors to their classroom breathlessly.

“Nice of you to finally join us boys.” Mr Seo said with a frown. “Take a seat.”

Myungjun muttered his apologies before letting go of Jimin’s hand and going to sit beside Jinwoo.

“Where have you been?” Jinwoo whispered to him. “I thought something happened to you. You didn’t turn up for lunch.”

“Fell asleep.” Myungjun admitted quietly. “I thought Ms Yoon would wake us up, but she didn’t.”

Myungjun jumped as his name was shouted across the classroom. “Myungjun! You arrived late to my class and now you’re being disruptive and not paying attention. Do I have to give you detention?”

Myungjun shook his head quickly and sat up properly to listen. He felt Jinwoos hand give his thigh a comforting squeeze under the table and relaxed slightly.

“Now then, as I was saying. Over this past month we’ve done a lot of theory work. Mainly centred around the process of using our minds to cause hallucinogenic episodes in others. However, it is one thing to do theory and another thing to put that theory into practice as I’m sure you’re all very much aware.” Myungjun had flashbacks to his argument with Jinwoo over the importance of notes last year and groaned quietly at the memory. He heard Jinwoo chuckle quietly beside him and pushed Jinwoos hand off of his thigh. “For the rest of today’s lesson, I would like for you to pair up and attempt a hallucinogenic takeover of your partners mind. Remember, _read your notes_.”

Myungjun turned in his seat to face Jinwoo who was still smiling to himself. “How many times do I have to tell you to stop reading my thoughts JinJin?”

“I didn’t!” Jinwoo denied, the smile wiped from his lips. “We must have just been thinking the same thing.”

“Yeah right.” Myungjun said huffily. He didn’t believe him at all. Jinwoo just rolled his eyes and grabbed Myungjuns hands.

As the minutes passed, Myungjun started to get more impatient. Every spell he was being taught this year, in all of his classes, seemed overly difficult. He was struggling to see why he needed to learn this spell anyway. If he wanted to make someone hallucinate, he could just use Camellia.

Myungjun groaned in relief when the lesson was over. He’d only been there for half of it, but it had felt extra-long today. He could already tell he wouldn’t be enjoying communications as much as before for the next few weeks and just hoped that whatever they moved onto next would be worth taking the additional class for.

*

“What are we going to be learning in combat training today JinJin?” Myungjun asked, taking a sip of his water. He felt positively full from dinner and was slumped back in his seat rubbing his stomach.

“Well you’ve learnt how to hit a stationary target from a standing position, so we’ll move onto different positions next. Like loosing arrows when you’re on one knee, or if the target it up high or down low in a stationary position. It’s a bit trickier technicality wise, but it won’t take you too long to learn.”

Myungjun hummed thoughtfully as he put his cup down on the table. “After that I’m guessing we’ll be hitting moving targets?”

Jinwoo nodded and smiled at him. “Hitting moving targets when you’re stationary. Then hitting stationary targets when you’re moving and finally hitting moving targets whilst you’re moving as well. That one will take the longest to learn and we’ll probably still be doing it after Christmas.”

“What weapon are we moving onto after that?” Myungjun asked, curious as to what could be cooler that bows.

Jinwoo opened his mouth to speak but Rocky cut in. “Stop spoiling everything Hyung. We planned this out together and you’re giving everything away!”

“Sorry.” Jinwoo said, looking sheepish. “Junnie you’ll just have to wait and see. It is really exciting though I promise.” Myungjun wanted to protest but the disappointed look in Rockys eyes made him keep quiet.

Instead, he turned to watch as Moonbin created a little cloud over his own head that rained down upon him. He absorbed the water through his skin before dispelling the cloud and creating a new one over an unaware Hoseok who shrieked as the rain fell down his neck.

“YAH! You little brat get back here!” Hoseok yelled, chasing Moonbin who’d fled the room cackling. Dongmin just sighed and continued to eat his dinner. Hoseok and Moonbin teasing each other was a regular occurrence, so none of them batted an eyelid to it anymore.

It was also normal to see everyone practicing different spells around their table during mealtimes now. This last year was hard work and they had to practice wherever they could. The most annoying spell being used recently was Sanhas. He was constantly trying to create shrill sounds with the air that were meant to deafen enemies but ended up just giving them all headaches.

“Sanha cut it out.” Hyungwon snapped as the ice sculpture he was trying to make shattered all over the table from the force of it. Sanha immediately closed his palms and the noise ceased, making everyone sigh in relief. “If you want to practice that dreadful spell, go and do it outside.”

Sanha pouted and got up to leave. “It’s not my fault this is what I’ve been told to learn Hyung!” He knocked over the new sculpture that Hyungwon was forming pettily and ran from the hall. Hyungwon swept all the ice off the table with a growl of frustration and got up to leave too.

“Everyone is so stressed already.” Myungjun observed with a sigh. “Maybe we should all take a break and do something together.”

“The Hallows eve ball is coming up soon.” Jinwoo pointed out. “Maybe we could all go together this year instead of splitting up like we’re used to. Not that I’m complaining or anything. The last two balls we had were pretty fun right?”

“Myungjun had _too_ much fun last year.” Youngjae said with a mischievous smirk. “I won’t let you drink too much moonshine this time around Hyung.”

Myungjun froze. Youngjae wasn’t supposed to say that. He watched Jinwoo turn to him slowly out of the corner of his eye and held his breath.

“Myungjun. Would you like to tell me what he’s talking about?” Jinwoos voice was low and calm and it made Myungjun even more nervous.

“What do you mean?” Youngjae asked, looking between them with a frown. “You didn’t know?” Myungjun frantically shook his head at Youngjae but the younger boy was looking at Jinwoo. “Hyung was wasted at the ball last year. He fell off the treehouse and everything!”

Myungjun groaned and let his head fall down onto the table with a thump. He wasn’t at all surprised when Jinwoo grabbed him by the arm a second later to drag him from the hall. Jinwoo took him into one of the deserted classrooms and closed the door behind them with a snap.

“Myungjun what the hell! You were drunk?” Jinwoo asked incredulous. “How did you even- no that’s not important. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Myungjun couldn’t look him in the eye, so he looked down at the floor instead. “I didn’t know I was drunk! I’d never had alcohol before, it just happened.”

“That’s why you were so confident in teasing me and taking my clothes off wasn’t it?” When Myungjun didn’t answer Jinwoo groaned and let his head fall back against the wall. “Junnie I can’t believe this. I nearly undressed you too! I nearly took advantage of you and I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I did. Who else knew you were drunk?”

“Youngjae, Namjoon and Hyungwon-hyung.” Myungjun mumbled, still looking down at the floor and shuffling his feet nervously. “Hyungwon-hyung knew I was drunk straight away. He said he could smell it. How did you not know, I kissed you?”

Jinwoo pulled Myungjuns face up with a hand under his chin to scowl at him. “I’ve never drunk alcohol before Myungjun. I don’t know what it smells like, I just know what it is. That’s so irresponsible of you. You know that right?” When Myungjun nodded sadly he sighed. “I really thought you’d made progress with your confidence when it came to me but now I know it wasn’t really you after all.”

“I’m sorry JinJin.” Myungjun said quietly, tears welling up in his eyes. “I should have told you sooner. I was just embarrassed because of what I’d done.”

“I know.” Jinwoo said firmly. “You avoided me for days afterwards. That’s pretty hard to forget Myungjun.” Myungjun felt fresh guilt wash over him. “but I’m not mad.” Myungjun finally looked him in the eyes. “It’s your choice whether you want to drink or not, that’s not something I have a say in, but you need to be more careful. What’s this I heard about you falling from the treehouse hmm?”

“I didn’t fall.” Myungjun mumbled, trying to pull away but Jinwoo kept him held firmly by the chin.

“What was that?”

“I said I didn’t fall.” Myungjun said louder. “I was dressed as a dragon JinJin.”

Jinwoo didn’t speak for a few seconds but when he did it sounded like he was holding back a laugh. “Please don’t tell me you’re about to say that you flew.” Myungjun finally smiled and Jinwoo groaned letting his chin go. “Your jokes aren’t getting any better I see.”

“Hey!” Myungjun whined, hitting Jinwoos chest lightly. “My jokes are hilarious.”

“Sure they are Junnie. Let’s go to class. I’m the teacher, I can’t be late.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise double upload today!!!
> 
> I have no self control and wrote all the way up to chapter 94 last night -.-


	80. Chapter 80

It was two weeks until the hallows eve ball when Myungjun found himself down in his greenhouse, watering his new plants. His greenhouse had been upgraded this year. His plants were now situated in one of the larger greenhouses at the back of the magic clearing, so he had a lot more room to play with. His plants from last year had disappeared and he’d spent the last month and a half looking after little seedlings he was given, of a variety of different medicinal plants, that were still too small to identify.

Ms Jung had told him last year that the plants were hard to grow as they required a lot of intricate magic and she wasn’t joking. Myungjun left every herbology lesson near enough drained of magical energy and today was no different.

He walked down to lunch feeling lethargic and collapsed into his seat beside Jinwoo with a groan. “I’m exhausted JinJin. Herbology is so hard.”

Jinwoo made a noise of sympathy and filled up Myungjuns plate for him. “Eat lots then sunshine. You’ve got shapeshifting next, so you need the energy.” Myungjun just whined and opened his mouth, waiting for Jinwoo to look at him. When he did, Jinwoo just sighed and started to feed him. “The things I do for you Junnie. You’re right, you are getting lazy.”

Myungjun pouted at him with his cheeks full of food and Jinwoo quickly apologised. “I’m tired JinJin. If you were tired, I’d feed you.” He said after swallowing his food.

“I know you would. Here, I’ll feed it ALL to you okay? So cheer up and stop pouting. You look extra cute with your puffy cheeks and it’s doing funny things to my heart.” Jinwoo dramatically clutched his chest and pretended to fall back in his chair and die, making Myungjun giggle. His boyfriend was so silly sometimes.

“You act like you’re tough Jinwoo but you’re disgustingly soft for Junnie.” Hyungwon pointed out from his seat across the table.

Myungjun giggled again at the scowl on Jinwoos face but quickly went back to eating quietly when Jinwoo turned that scowl on him. Jinwoo kept his word and fed him every last mouthful before pressing a kiss to his lips and standing up.

“I’ve got practical skills Junnie. I want to go early so I’ll see you later okay? Have a good shapeshifting lesson.” He pressed another kiss into Myungjuns hair before walking away and Myungjun watched him go feeling a lot more energised. I’ll work extra hard now, he thought determinedly.

*

“Excellent Myungjun!” Miss Hwang praised him, after he’d successfully changed the colour of his hair. He looked into the mirror in front of him to check if he’d missed any patches and was ecstatic to see it was all a cotton candy pink. “Now that you’ve mastered the spell as well, we can all move on.”

Myungjun did feel mildly embarrassed at being the last one to learn this spell but he couldn’t deny the fact that he was proud of himself, no matter how long it had taken. He sat back in his chair to listen when Miss Hwang spoke again.

“Our next lessons will be on growth. The growth of your hair and the growth of your bodies. Hair growth is a lot simpler and is more for vanity purposes, so we won’t spend too long on it. As you all know, to use your magic, you focus on moving it all down to your palms. In this case, you’ll need to move it all up here.” She tapped the side of her head with a finger and looked at them all in turn. “Who here has already been taught how to move their magic to somewhere other than their hands?” Myungjun looked around to see that Hyejin, the boy she sat next to, whose name he’d learnt not too long ago, Kihyun and Yoongi, all had their hands in the air. Only Jaebum and himself kept them down. “Over half of you, that’s good news. The ones who have, I would like for you to get into a group and practice together, and Jaebum and Myungjun, come and sit here and I’ll teach you now.”

Myungjun hurried over to sit near her desk and he smiled to Jaebum when he came over to sit beside him.

“Us plant users have to stick together.” Jaebum said, returning his smile. “Just because we’re learning later than the rest, doesn’t make us any less capable.”

Myungjun cheered up considerably at his encouraging words and turned to Miss Hwang to focus hard on her instructions. “Now boys, it’s a simple trick. It’s more of…imagining where you want your magical energy to go. You subconsciously move it down to your palms all the time because that’s how you aim your magic. Tell me, where do you feel that magic travelling from? It has to come from somewhere.”

Myungjun frowned as he thought about it but Jaebum answered first. “It comes from my chest.”

“Exactly.” She said happily. “All magic beats through your body from your heart. It travels alongside your very blood, which is why you may sometimes feel it thrum underneath your skin. We cannot change the direction our blood flows but fortunately for us, we _can_ change where our magic ends up. It doesn’t have a direct fixed path and it is not bound by vessels or capillaries or even skin.”

“That’s how I learnt to summon Camellia.” Myungjun interjected excitedly. “The very first time, I summoned her by forcing my magic out of my body, out of my skin.”

“Well then, I’m sure you’ll learn this simple trick in no time at all.” Miss Hwang said with a smile. “Should we get started?”

*

“Your hair is pink.” Jinwoo observed with wide eyes when Myungjun sat down at the table for dinner. “You finally mastered the spell?”

Myungjun nodded happily and leaned over to grab the jug of water. “Look what else I learnt.” He put the jug down next to his cup and closed his eyes, focusing on moving his magic up to his head. He felt his hair growing longer and stopped when it brushed his shoulders.

“Wow Junnie that’s so cool!” Jinwoo squealed, running his fingers through the pink curls. “You look nicer than I expected with longer hair. Are you going to keep it like this?”

“I could if I wanted. After I’ve changed my hair, it stays like that without needing magical energy to keep it that way.” Myungjun explained with a shrug. He picked the jug up again to fill his glass and put it back on the centre of the table when he was done. “What lesson do you have next JinJin?”

“Nothing now. I’m going to the practical skills classroom to practice melting things safely. My fires still a bit wild and I want to get it under full control.” Jinwoo explained, splaying his hands out on the table top. “I’m going to have ultimate control over my magic by the time I leave here, I’ll make sure of it.”

“You can do it JinJin.” Myungjun replied encouragingly, through mouthfuls of food that he’d collected as Jinwoo had talked. “You have great control already. I remember the way you suspended your fire in the air, and how you created that wall of flames.”

“I’m surprised you remember that considering what happened afterwards.” Jinwoo said with a smirk, his hand landing on Myungjuns thigh and creeping up it. “You pulled me onto your lap remember?” He laughed as Myungjun choked on his food and smacked him on the back a few times. “Sorry. You’re just so easy to fluster, it’s funny.”

“It’s not!” Myungjun whined, feeling his face heat up at the memory.

Jinwoo cooed and leaned over to squish Myungjuns cheeks. “Your face matches your hair now Junnie, you look extra pretty.” Myungjun swatted his hands away and focused on changing his hair to black and making it shorter again, hearing Jinwoo whine unhappily next to him. “I like you pink and fluffy.”

“You can’t tease me this way.” Myungjun said huffily. “I’m going to zoology.”

He tried to get away from Jinwoo, but his annoying boyfriend clung to him the whole way down to the classroom, whining loudly about cotton candy and the unfairness of the world.

*

“Before we finish today, does anyone have any questions?” Ms Lee, the zoology teacher asked. Multiple hands flew up into the air and she picked someone at random.

“What would happen if someone is injected with demon blood?” A girl asked, sounding way too eager for the type of question she was asking.

Ms Lee looked thoughtful for a second. “As you’ve been told, demon blood supposedly burns any skin it touches, however, it is said to work differently if injected into the vein. It is still uncertain as to the actual existence of demons, so this field of study is obviously very scarce. You’ll hear many stories though, from drunk men in taverns who claim to have seen these creatures with their own eyes, but I always say to take it with a pinch of salt.”

“If a man ever saw a demon, I’d say he’d have a good enough reason to drink.” Myungjun piped up, making the people around him laugh. “Demons are scary things.”

“You say that like you’ve seen them.” Ms Lee said, obvious disbelief in her voice.

Myungjun just shrugged and exchanged a knowing look with his friends. “Maybe I have.”

“Okay.” Ms Lee said, clapping her hands. “I think that’s enough for today. You’re obviously getting tired I see. Let’s pick this up next lesson. Class dismissed.”

Chairs scraped along the floor as people stood up to leave, talking amongst themselves and Hyungwon scoffed as he got to his feet. “Why do adults refuse to believe in the existence of demons? The King himself put that job request up, the one you went on.”

Myungjun just sighed and let Hyungwon lead him from the room with the others trailing behind. “Maybe it was a secret job. That’s the only way I can explain it.”

“Why didn’t you just stand up to her and show everyone your demon burns?” Hyungwon asked, leading them through the corridors.

“I don’t need to bring any more attention to myself ‘wonnie. People are still talking about my dad being the Dragon Knight and there’s still that ridiculous rumour going around that I killed those five boys who bullied me. This is all Jinwoos fault for screaming about it at the lake.” He groaned at the memory making Hyungwon laugh. He still remembered the first time someone came up to him and asked if he’d really killed those boys, and even though Myungjun explained that they’d been expelled for bullying, the rumour still spread anyway. “If I start telling people I’ve seen demons they’ll accuse me of being one myself. People already avoid me as it is.”

“Well isn’t it lucky that you have us as friends then?” Youngjae piped up from behind him. Myungjun just hummed in agreement without looking back and heard Youngjae go back to his conversation with Namjoon and Rocky about the upcoming ball.

“Is the notice up for the ball theme yet?” Myungjun asked, looking up at Hyungwon.

Hyungwon just shrugged. “Should we go check out the notice board?” Myungjun nodded eagerly and they set off to find it. When they got there, it was obvious it was up, as there was a crowd of students hanging around.

“EXCUSE ME. SON OF THE DRAGON KNIGHT AND MURDERER OF FIVE INNOCENT BOYS COMING THROUGH.”

Myungjun shrieked and turned to glare at Hoseok as he came up beside them and got nothing but an evil grin in return. A path was cleared immediately and Myungjun hid his burning face in Hyungwons arm as they walked through the crowd of shocked students. He was going to commit actual murder after this.

*

Myungjun was sitting at one of the big library tables with the others, doing exactly what they’d done this time last year. Discussing outfit ideas. The theme for this year’s ball, was revealed to be couples’ costumes and a few of his friends weren’t happy about it.

“What if we want to go by ourselves?” Hyungwon asked with a scowl. “I’ve gone to the last two alone.”

Hoseok made an offended noise next to him. “Excuse me, but we went together.”

“No, I just met you there.” Hyungwon said indifferently, ignoring the pout on Hoseoks face.

“Me and Minnie already have the _perfect_ outfits.” Moonbin said proudly, waving around a piece of parchment. “Who wants to see?” Everyone purposefully ignored him so Myungjun sighed and held out his hand. Moonbin handed it over, looking excited, and Myungjun unfolded the parchment to take a look.

“These are your outfits?” He asked, eyes wide. “Who’s going as the siren?”

“Me.” Dongmin said proudly. “I’m the siren that lures pirate Binnie to his death. Cute right?”

Myungjun wouldn’t exactly call that cute. “Dongmin where’s your shirt?” The picture that was drawn on the parchment had a tight pair of blue scaled trousers, a crown of shells, a badly drawn trident and nothing else.

“I don’t need a shirt.” Dongmin said casually.

“Of course you need a shirt!” Myungjun squeaked. “You’ll be half naked!”

Dongmin laughed at the look on his face and held his hand out for the parchment, which Myungjun handed back to him. “Not all of us are scared to show a bit of skin Hyung. Besides, Binnies going to paint the top of my chest to represent scales, so I’ll be covered up enough.” Myungjun couldn’t imagine allowing Jinwoo to paint his chest and then going out in public like that. Dongmin was a lot braver than he was.

“Jinnie told me he’d think of an idea for us himself.” Namjoon piped up happily. “I don’t care what I wear honestly.” Myungjun heard the others begin to tease him and turned back when he felt Jinwoo tap his shoulder.

“What do you want to go as?” Jinwoo asked, taking Myungjuns hand and playing with his fingers. “We can go as whatever you want.”

Myungjun sighed and cuddled up against him. “I don’t know JinJin. Do you have any ideas?” Jinwoo shook his head. “Well we still have about two weeks left to come up with an idea and make the costumes. If you get any spontaneous ideas let me know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to touch Myungjuns pink curly hair~


	81. Chapter 81

Myungjun was sitting by the lake after finishing his Saturday healing class when he heard his name being called. He turned smiling to see Jinwoo rushing over to him with a roll of parchment in his hands. He dropped down on the grass beside Myungjuns legs and presented it proudly. “Our Halloween costumes. I had the perfect idea.” Myungjun quickly took the scroll from him and opened it up.

Jinwoos drawing was childlike and it made Myungjun smile before he realised what he was actually seeing. “Jinwoo why are we wearing dresses?”

Jinwoo snorted and shook his head. “They’re not dresses Junnie. They’re tunics or surcoats. Well, longer than regular tunics and shorter than regular surcoats.”

“So, a dress?” Myungjun asked again deadpan.

Jinwoo rolled his eyes and gestured to the paper. “Whatever, just look at the rest of it.”

Myungjuns eyes roamed his terrible drawing to see what looked like wonky hats and strange looking boots. The only things he could clearly make out were the cloaks, and that was only because they were big colourful triangles. He realised Jinwoo hadn’t even coloured inside the lines properly and held back a laugh. It was strangely endearing.

“What do you think?” Jinwoo asked, staring at him hopefully.

“I don’t know what to think JinJin. Your drawing is awful, please just explain it.” He looked up to see Jinwoo blush and Jinwoo snatched the parchment back with a scowl.

“It’s not my fault I can’t draw.” He mumbled. “This is a crown see.” He pointed to the wonky hat and Myungjun did laugh this time. Jinwoo ignored him and carried on. “Then this is the cloak, the surcoat, the boots. I was going to draw weapons, but I don’t know if they carry weapons.”

It finally clicked in Myungjuns head what Jinwoo was actually hinting at. “You want us to go as Kings?”

Jinwoo nodded quickly and explained everything in a rush. “See how mines coloured orange and red and yellow? I want to be the King of fire and I drew yours mainly green, alongside the other colours, so you could be the King of flowers!”

“Okay…” Myungjun said slowly, thinking about how to word his next sentence without offending him. “JinJin that’s not exactly…coupley is it? I mean we can go like that, but we’ll look like Kings from different lands.” He watched the sad frown forming on Jinwoos face and rushed to fix his mistake. “It’s a great idea though JinJin. Let’s just work on it together okay? That can be the base and I’ll find a way to make it blend better.” He sighed in relief when Jinwoo looked up at him with a bright smile.

“Okay Junnie. I did work really hard on this you know.” He went back to staring down at his artwork with so much pride it made Myungjun want to scream at how cute he was.

Myungjun shuffled over to cuddle up to him and pointed down at the parchment. “Can I keep it? I’ll need it to plan and make our outfits, but I also want to put it in my design portfolio afterwards. I’m not doing design this year, but I still brought it with me just in case I was, and I’d like for your drawing to go in there too.”

Jinwoo nodded eagerly and pulled Myungjun in for a proper cuddle. “We’ve got no lessons now so let’s sit here for a bit. We haven’t rested by the lake together for a long time.”

*

Myungjun was panicking. He only had a few days left to make their outfits and he hadn’t made much progress. He’d spent too long trying to figure out how to blend Jinwoos ideas together and he still wasn’t sure he’d done a good enough job.

He planned to make Jinwoo some intricately woven cuffs from his vines. Two cuffs for the tops of his boyfriends’ attractive arms and two longer in length to cover the entirety of his calves. He wanted to decorate them with flowers in varying shades of red, orange and yellow to match his fire King theme but by adding a touch of his flower King theme too. For himself, he’d make the cuffs for his wrists instead of his biceps, as he was still too shy to show them off, and he planned to decorate them with flowers of all different colours, to match the cape of flowers he’d already started on, that would hang down his back to the floor. Luckily enough, Jinwoo still had his fire coloured cape from his phoenix costume the previous year, so that was one less thing for Myungjun to worry about.

Jinwoo had also asked him to make their dresses. Jinwoo firmly denied that they were dresses, but they sure looked like it to Myungjun. He had sent Jinwoo a note, telling him to meet him in the design room as he needed to take his measurements and was still waiting for him to turn up.

Whilst he waited, Myungjun focused on sketching the designs for their crowns. He briefly wondered whether he should ask Rocky to make them for him, using his metal manipulation magic, but was startled out of his thoughts by the door opening. He looked up to see it was just Jinwoo and felt himself relax.

“Hey Junnie, I got your note. Are you okay?”

Myungjun nodded quickly and stood up to grab a measuring tape. “I’m fine. I just need to take your measurements JinJin. Come over here and take your top off.”

“Wow, you’re actually asking me to take it off? I thought this day would never come.” He joked, an overdramatised dreamy look on his face.

Myungjun just rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers. “Quickly JinJin, I don’t have all day.”

Jinwoo noticed the stressed look on his face and sighed, moving over to gather Myungjun up in his arms. “You’re working too hard Junnie. I saw you earlier doing your homework in the library. Have you even been to get food today?”

“I don’t have TIME for food JinJin.” Myungjun said, wriggling away from him. “Please just remove your top so I can do this.”

Jinwoo mumbled something about romance being dead but pulled his top off all the same. Myungjun immediately stepped forwards to measure his biceps, the width of his shoulders, his neck, around his chest, his lean stomach and he only hesitated when it came to Jinwoos hips. He waited, silently asking for permission and Jinwoo nodded down at him, lowering the waistband of his shorts ever so slightly to give Myungjun the room to measure him properly. Myungjun tried to do it quickly but didn’t miss the way Jinwoo shivered when his fingers brushed his skin. He measured his thighs and calves next before stepping away with an awkward cough.

“You’re done.” He tried hard to remember all the numbers and rushed to write them down before he forgot. “You can go.” When Jinwoo didn’t answer, he turned around to see him standing behind him and jumped in surprise before standing up straight. “What’s wrong?” He asked nervously.

Jinwoo took a step forwards and the tops of Myungjuns thighs hit the table as he backed away. The look in Jinwoos eyes was something Myungjun hadn’t seen before and it instantly set him on edge.

Jinwoo stepped forwards again and Myungjun realised Jinwoo hadn’t put his shirt back on and his shorts were still riding low on his hips. He quickly looked up with a blush, trying not to stare and froze as Jinwoo grabbed him by the waist. Jinwoo lifted him up onto the table like he weighed nothing at all and pushed Myungjuns legs apart to step between them.

“Junnie.” His voice was low and hushed and made Myungjun quiver with anticipation. “Junnie.”

Jinwoo didn’t say anything else, he just surged forwards to kiss him. It was nothing like he was used to. There was no softness about it. It was fierce and impatient and caught Myungjun completely off guard. Jinwoo grabbed his hips and pulled Myungjun towards himself until their hips clashed painfully. Jinwoo groaned into his mouth and moved down to kiss Myungjuns neck.

Myungjuns brain finally caught up with what was happening, and he tried to push Jinwoo away weakly, not entirely sure if he wanted him to stop or not. “JinJin, I don’t have time, I need-” Jinwoos lips met his own and swallowed down the rest of his words. Myungjun gave up trying to get away and kissed him back, wrapping his arms around Jinwoos shoulders and after a brief moment of hesitation, wrapped his legs around Jinwoos waist too.

Jinwoo growled low in his throat and Myungjun tensed as he felt Jinwoos hot hands slip under his top to claw at his back. He pulled away from their kiss with a gasp when Jinwoo scratched particularly hard and felt Jinwoos lips move back down to his neck. It was only when he felt Jinwoo pulling his top up that he unhooked his legs and arms and pushed him away with a shriek. “JinJin stop!”

Jinwoo stumbled back looking dazed. Myungjun quickly pulled his top down and wrapped his arms around himself. He was shivering and he didn’t know why. Excitement? Fear? The loss of Jinwoos body heat? He wasn’t sure but he stared at the floor, worrying his bottom lip in between his teeth as he listened to Jinwoos laboured breaths.

“Junnie? Oh…oh no, what-” Jinwoo was struggling to get his words out. “I’m sorry Junnie I-”

“It’s fine.” Myungjun said quietly. He slipped off the table and instantly felt his legs buckle.

Jinwoo grabbed him before he fell and held him up. “Are you okay? No that’s stupid, of course you’re not okay. Junnie I’m so sorry, I don’t know why I did that!”

Myungjun heard the panic in his voice and looked up shakily to give him a weak smile. “I’m okay, just…taken aback. I didn’t expect it that’s all.” Didn’t expect it was an understatement. His heart was hammering away in his ribcage and it wasn’t showing any signs of slowing down.

“I tried to take your shirt off Myungjun! Why did I do that?” Myungjun tried to interrupt but Jinwoo carried on in his distressed ramblings. “Look at you, you’re trembling! Oh no I’ve scared you, haven’t I? Junnie I’m so _sorry._ ”

Myungjun sighed and pulled away from him to lean up against the edge of the table. “JinJin I’ve already said I’m FINE. Look, I’m not trembling anymore.” He forced himself to stop but shook involuntarily from the effort anyway and Jinwoos bottom lip began to wobble. “Park Jinwoo if you start to cry about this, I’ll be terribly angry. Yes, you tried to take my shirt off, but you stopped when I told you to, so there’s nothing to apologise for.”

“I’m going to go.” Jinwoo said quietly after a few seconds. “I think it’s best if I just leave you to your work.” Myungjun watched him walk to the door, where he stopped with his hand on the handle. “Let me know when you’ve finished, and I’ll come get you.”

Myungjun confirmed his request and waited for the door to close behind him before collapsing into his seat and letting out a shaky breath. That wasn’t like Jinwoo at all.

*

Myungjun looked up at the clock to see it was near midnight. He’d just finished the long cuffs for Jinwoos calves and sat back with a satisfied sigh. He’d finished the majority of their outfits now and only had the crowns and his accessories left. He still wasn’t sure how to incorporate fire into his flower King costume but tried not to dwell on it. He still had a couple of days left to think of something.

Myungjun wrote Jinwoo a quick note, telling him that he was finished and sent it through the floor. He got to work, tidying up the scraps of material and putting away the tools he’d used.

A few minutes later, the door opened and Jinwoo stepped inside looking timid. He smiled hesitantly at Myungjun but didn’t make any moves to approach him. Myungjun finished cleaning before bundling up their outfits into the flower cloak he had made and using it to carry everything to the door.

“Let’s go.” Myungjun said tiredly, turning off the light. He didn’t protest when Jinwoo took the bundle of items from him and let him carry it through the corridors. “Why are we in here JinJin?” He asked as they entered the hall.

“I know its late, but you’ve hardly eaten today. I’ll make something for you in the kitchens.” Jinwoo led him over to the nearest table and gently deposited the bundle on top of it. “Take a seat Junnie. I’ll be out soon.” Jinwoo pulled a chair out for him and when Myungjun was seated he dropped a kiss into his hair before going to make him some food.

Myungjun groaned tiredly and rested his head against the table. He knew that Jinwoo was making him food for another reason too. It was his apology for what had happened earlier, and it was an apology Myungjun was happy to accept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jinwoos personality took a lot of turns in this one chapter o.O


	82. Kings Of Hallows Eve.

Myungjun woke up from his nap to feel Jinwoo shaking him gently. “Sunshine, it’s time to get up. The ball starts in a couple of hours.” He chuckled when Myungjun whined and snuggled up to him, desperate to sleep some more. “Come on Junnie. I have something for you.”

That caught Myungjuns attention. He looked up at the soft smile on Jinwoos face and moved to sit up. Jinwoo helped him get comfortable against the headboard of his bed and leaned over to pull out a long wooden box from the drawer in his bedside table. He offered it to Myungjun who took it with a squeal of excitement.

“It’s for your costume tonight.” Jinwoo explained. “Open it.”

He didn’t need to tell Myungjun twice. He opened it and gasped, trailing his fingers over the delicate chain. The necklace was made of a thin silver metal that glinted prettily in the torchlight from above Jinwoos bed. He looked closely at the small glass ball that was attached to it, to see something green flickering inside.

“It’s my fire.” Jinwoo said quietly. “I got the idea from a book I was reading the other day. The fire will ignite every time you’re near me. Cool right?” Myungjun nodded, too stunned to reply verbally. “Let me put it on you.”

Myungjun handed it over and turned around so Jinwoo could clasp it around his neck. He sighed happily when he felt Jinwoo press soft kisses against his skin and turned back to look at him, puckering his lips expectantly. Jinwoo leaned in to kiss him properly and hummed happily when Myungjun wrapped his arms around his neck.

“Do you like it Junnie?” Jinwoo mumbled against his lips.

“I love it JinJin. Thank you.” Myungjun rubbed their noses together cutely before pulling back. “You’ve given me two necklaces now. The pink gemstone one that you gave me, when you asked me to be your boyfriend, is in my room, inside the box with the glass flower you made me for Christmas two years ago.”

Jinwoo smiled and reached up to stroke Myungjuns cheek. “It’s been a long time hasn’t it? Although it also doesn’t feel very long at all.”

Myungjun leaned into his hand and closed his eyes. He knew what Jinwoo meant. It felt like only yesterday they’d met for the first time, but it also felt like he’d known Jinwoo his whole life. He turned his head to kiss Jinwoos palm softly before reluctantly sitting back.

“I need to go get ready JinJin. We’ll be late otherwise.”

*

Myungjun was back in his room, putting the finishing touches to his outfit. He buckled the belt around his waist and clipped the heavy flower cloak around his shoulders. He stepped into the bathroom to look in the mirror and admired the way he looked.

The cuffs around his calves felt a bit uncomfortable against his skin but they looked extremely pretty with all the colourful flowers, so he couldn’t complain too much. The ones on his wrists felt better and he wiggled them around, enjoying the way the petals fluttered gently. The dress, or _surcoat_ as Jinwoo kept insisting, felt soft against his skin and he flushed for the tenth time looking down at how short it was. With the belt cinching it around his waist it rose even further up his thighs and he tried to pull it back down to his knees, only to sigh when it just rose again straight away. He gave up and looked at the crown balancing on the side of the sink. Rocky had made it for him out of a bronze metal and had even gone as far as to carve flowers into it for him. He’d made one for Jinwoo too, carving little flames instead. Myungjun had been overjoyed to see how good they looked and thanked him profusely for his efforts before handing over the flower bouquet Rocky had asked for in return.

Myungjuns current dilemma was his hair. He didn’t know what he wanted to do with it. He sighed before stepping out of the bathroom to ask for advice. Youngjae had left ten minutes earlier, instructing them to gather everyone and meet him in their usual storage room when they were ready. Luckily enough, Namjoon was still in the treehouse, fixing the wonky halo on his head.

“Joonie, how should I style my hair? I’m wearing this crown on top of it.” He showed him the heavy metal and Namjoon thought long and hard before answering him.

“Black and curly would be best. Make your hair a bit longer too.” Myungjun quickly thanked him before moving his magic up to his head and stepping back to the mirror to look at the results. He nestled the crown between his curls and made a little noise of joy. It looked cute.

With his flowery attire complete, he went to sit on his bed. He was careful not to crush any of the flowers on his cape as he waited for Namjoon to finish. Seokjin had designed their couple outfits, with Namjoon as a sweet looking angel, complete with white fluffy wings and a halo that refused to stay put on his head. Namjoon told Myungjun that Seokjin was coming as a devil and he blushed when he explained how racy his outfit was supposed to be. Myungjun just laughed and patted him on the back, wishing him good luck with surviving the night.

Myungjun let his mind drift to Jinwoo. He’d purposefully made Jinwoos surcoat sleeveless so he could show off the cuffs on his biceps. Myungjun knew deep down, that there was another reason he wanted Jinwoo sleeveless, but refused to admit it to himself. He’d made Jinwoos surcoat the same length as his own and the thought of Jinwoos surcoat brushing his thighs too made Myungjun feel a bit lightheaded. He knew Jinwoo had attractive legs, he saw them a lot in his combat gear but Jinwoos _thighs_ were only ever on display when he was in his pyjama shorts, where only Myungjun could see them. He knew he’d be throwing a lot of girls dirty looks tonight as they eyed his boyfriend and made the mental note to stick by Jinwoos side at all times.

“Hyung?” Myungjun snapped out of his thoughts to see Namjoon hovering by the door. “I asked if you were ready to go?”

Myungjun felt a bit embarrassed at being caught daydreaming about his boyfriend but it wasn’t like it was anything new. He nodded quickly and walked to the top of the ladder where he stopped Namjoon abruptly.

“Joonie can I climb down first?” He asked with a blush, gesturing to his legs.

“Of course. What made you wear a skirt though?”

“It’s a dress. Which Jinwoo insists is a surcoat.” Myungjun corrected. “It was all Jinwoos idea.”

“Ahh that explains it then.” Namjoon said with a knowing smile. “You do realise he’s using this as an excuse to check you out?”

Myungjun froze with his foot on the ladder and looked up at Namjoon in surprise. “He what?”

“Why else would he have designed something so…short? People usually wear trousers under surcoats you know.”

Myungjuns mouth dropped in shock. Was there really an ulterior motive behind this outfit? “Joonie I can’t go without trousers then!”

“You can and you will. We’re running late and we told Youngjae we’d meet him in the storage room with the others. Just go Hyung, you’ll be fine.”

*

Myungjun spotted Jinwoo standing at the academy doors, looking as royal and as handsome as Myungjun had imagined. He tried not to stare at all of his exposed tan skin and made his way over with a scowl. When he got closer, he felt a slight heat on his neck and looked down to see the necklace Jinwoo made him had worked. His fire ignited inside the little glass ball and danced prettily at the close proximity to his boyfriend.

“Wow Junnie you look incredible.” Jinwoo said, making Myungjun look up. Jinwoos eyes were travelling up and down his body appreciatively and Myungjun closed the distance and shoved a finger against Jinwoos chest.

“You scoundrel! Joonie told me the reason you made my outfit like this. I’m supposed to be wearing trousers Jinwoo!” Myungjun sensed Namjoon hurrying past him into the academy and watched as the corners of Jinwoos mouth curled up.

“I like this better Junnie.” He replied, wrapping his arms around Myungjuns waist beneath his cloak. “You have such pretty legs. I couldn’t stop thinking about them after that morning.” Myungjun flushed at the memory of Jinwoo massaging his thigh as they kissed and scowled all the more when his boyfriend laughed at his red face. “Don’t be mad sunshine, you look amazing, honest. I’m showing off just as much leg and even more arm so don’t be embarrassed. It’s only one night a year we get to dress up so let’s enjoy it okay?”

Myungjun sighed, defeated, and nodded his head. Jinwoo was right. If there was one day Myungjun was going to wear something this short, it would be today. “Let’s go and find Youngjae then.”

*

“Oh bloody hell Youngjae not again!” Namjoon groaned from his position against the wall, nestled up against his boyfriends’ side. Namjoon had been right, Seokjins outfit _was_ racy. He was showing so much skin Myungjun couldn’t look at him for more than a few seconds at a time.

Youngjae just grinned and held up the two bottles of moonshine in his hands. “There’s loads of us this time Joon, Myungjun-hyung can’t drink it all to himself.” He laughed at the glare Myungjun sent his way and held both bottles out. Moonbin grabbed one immediately and took a few gulps before sighing happily and wiping at his mouth with the back of his hand. Dongmin took it less enthusiastically and only had a sip before handing it to Seokjin. Seokjin downed half the bottle and let Namjoon drink the rest.

“One left.” Youngjae said, wiggling the last bottle in Myungjuns direction. To his surprise, Jinwoo stepped forwards to drink. He drank more then Myungjun was expecting before thrusting it in his direction. Myungjun had flashbacks to his hangover, before groaning and taking the bottle. He drank some, less than last Hallows eve, before offering it to Hyungwon. Hyungwon refused and Youngjae snatched it up instead, draining the rest of it.

“Let’s get this party started!” Youngjae squealed excitedly, racing from the room after hiding both of the empty bottles in a tattered looking box. Everyone trickled out behind him but Jinwoo pulled Myungjun back at the last second.

“What’s up Ji-” Myungjun got cut off as Jinwoo pulled him in for a kiss. He opened his lips willingly when Jinwoos tongue swept across them and tasted the moonshine in his mouth. Jinwoo pulled back too early for Myungjuns liking and looked at him with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“I needed that.” Jinwoo said with a grin. Myungjun squealed as Jinwoos hands squeezed his hips. “I’ll need a lot more later.” He pulled away, leaving Myungjun a stuttering mess and gestured to the door. “Let’s go before they realise we’re missing.”

*

The moonshine took longer to hit this time, and when it did, Myungjun was relieved to realise he didn’t feel the effects quite so much. It was more of a happy buzz that kept him the perfect amount of fuzzy and lightheaded as Jinwoo swept him across the dancefloor. The coloured lights overhead illuminated his boyfriends’ handsome features and on more than one occasion he found himself leaning in for a kiss. He couldn’t help himself, Jinwoo just looked too good.

Jinwoo, who had drunk more than him, seemed to be handling his alcohol very well, despite confessing that he’d never drunk it before. His eyes seemed out of focus sometimes, but he never faltered in his step. He just spun Myungjun around the dancefloor and muttered compliments and praises into his ears.

“So pretty Junnie.” “So handsome.” “You look like a real King. My King.” “Kiss me sunshine.”

Myungjun melted more and more at his words and clung to him, never wanting to let go. He had to though, when he felt someone tap his shoulder, and he looked back to see Hyungwon holding out his hand. Myungjun kissed Jinwoo one more time before stepping away and letting Hyungwon take him instead.

Hyungwon didn’t dance nearly as well but it was still fun, and they laughed a lot whenever Hyungwon stepped on Myungjuns feet. Their height difference was also an issue and Myungjun eventually found himself just pressed up against Hyungwons chest and swaying backwards and forwards in his best friend’s arms. It was nice.

He danced with all of his friends in turn and enjoyed every second of it.

He felt even happier when he looked over at the doors to see Sanha and Rocky step inside, standing apart but wearing the same outfit, inspired by their twin tiger assignments during their first year. He quickly excused himself from his dance with Dongmin to hurry over and greet them.

“Took you long enough to get here!” He shouted over the music. “We’ve been here for ages!”

“Sorry.” Rocky shouted back. “It took a while to paint Sanhas face. He squirms a lot.”

“It’s because it tickled!” Sanha whined, scrunching his nose up cutely. His whiskers were pretty wonky but Myungjun thought Rocky had done a good job regardless. He looked at the ears they were wearing in awe. Rocky had made them out of pure white crystal, and it matched the white fur capes they were both wearing.

Myungjun watched confused as Sanhas fluffy hair began to move but squealed in delight a second later when Rocky Jr poked his head out between Sanhas ears. “He looks so cute!” Myungjun gushed, looking at the little whiskers Rocky had painted on him too. He was wearing the tiniest pair of tiger ears Myungjun had ever seen and he garbled happily at the praise. Myungjun scratched him softly under the chin, because he couldn’t stop himself from touching something so cute, before stepping back.

“Your boyfriend wants you.” Rocky said, pointing behind him. Myungjun quickly said goodbye to them both and turned back to the dancefloor to see Jinwoo dancing slowly by himself and gesturing for Myungjun with one hand.

Myungjun rushed over and sighed happily as Jinwoos warm arms snaked around his waist. It was already warm inside from the sheer number of students dancing but Jinwoos warmth was different. It went bone deep, warming up every inch of Myungjuns body in a pleasant, less stifling way.

“Are you having fun?” Jinwoo muttered in his ear, his warm breath making Myungjun shiver. Myungjun nodded and pressed his face into Jinwoos neck, nuzzling it gently and pressing little kisses into his hot skin. “We should get out of here soon.” Jinwoo added, pulling him closer and rubbing his hands up and down Myungjuns back. Myungjun nodded again, swaying in time to the music and licking gently at the sensitive skin above Jinwoos collarbones. He felt the groan Jinwoo let out more then he heard it and smiled into his neck. “Stop it sunshine. You’re teasing me again and I know it’s only because you drank tonight.”

“You drank more than me.” Myungjun pointed out, pulling back to look up at him with a pout. “I didn’t drink that much JinJin.”

Jinwoos eyes narrowed. “So are you saying you’re teasing me _without_ the influence of alcohol?” When Myungjun nodded he smiled. “You’re getting more confident around me Junnie, I like it.”

“Of course I am JinJin. I spent a whole month without you. It was enough to show me how much I care about you, how much I want to be with you. I like teasing you and I like kissing you, so I’ll do them whenever I please. Do you have a problem with that _my King_? Myungjun asked with a smirk.

Jinwoo just shook his head, chuckling with disbelief before he leaned forwards to kiss him again.

*

Myungjun and Jinwoo ran through the corridors, giggling and pushing each other as they made their way to the storage room. “They were definitely suspicious.”

Myungjun found himself pressed up against the nearest wall a second after he’d spoken. “It’s because you look like this.” Jinwoo said lowly, eyes roaming his face. “All flushed and pouty, out of breath and so obviously in need of a kiss or two. It’s obvious why we told them we were leaving.” Myungjun giggled feeling intoxicated by the happiness he was feeling and pushed Jinwoo away to continue on their quest for privacy.

They reached the storage room and Myungjun opened the door before shutting it quickly again with a scream. He had definitely just seen Namjoon topless. The door opened a few seconds later and Seokjin popped his head out, looking far too happy for someone who had just been caught in such a situation.

“Sorry guys. Rooms occupied.” He threw them a wink before closing the door and Myungjun turned to Jinwoo feeling mortified.

Jinwoo burst out laughing and stumbled back to slump against the wall. “That was so awkward, oh bloody hell I can’t breathe.”

Myungjun eventually started to laugh as well, mainly from the absurdity of it all, and quickly grabbed Jinwoos hand to pull him off the wall. “Let’s go to your room instead JinJin.”

They made their way towards the entrance to the fire users’ corridor and Myungjun screamed again when Blaze popped out of nowhere in front of them. He looked down at them in surprise before giving them a disapproving look.

“And where do you think you’re going?” He asked, using his leader voice that made Myungjun shy away.

“Outside.” Jinwoo said quickly. “Definitely outside.” He dragged Myungjun towards the academy doors before Blaze could give them detention and Myungjun gasped when they stepped out into the snow, immediately forgetting why they had left the dance in the first place.

“JinJin look! It’s snowing so early!” He reached up to grab one of the snowflakes and whined happily when it melted against his warm skin. “I love the snow. Can we go play?”

Jinwoo looked at his hopeful expression and melted quicker than the snowflake had. “Of course sunshine. Just stay close to me because it’s cold and you’re not wearing nearly enough for this weather.”

Myungjun nodded quickly, heart full of excitement, and dashed down the steps, feeling his cloak of flowers billow out behind him. He ran out onto the grounds until they were far enough away to see nothing but the snow and he dropped to his knees, feeling his skin chill as he started to make a snowball.

“I hope you’re not thinking about throwing that at me.” Jinwoo said, sounding amused as he crouched down in front of him to watch. Myungjun could already see Jinwoos birthmark glowing as he radiated heat.

Myungjun quickly shook his head and began to roll the ball along the ground, gathering more snow. “I want to build a snowman JinJin. Do you want to help?”

Jinwoo eagerly agreed and they spent the next twenty minutes creating and perfecting their masterpiece. Myungjun thought it was beautiful but Jinwoo said it looked like a big snow blob. That earned him a smack on the arm.

“This is our _child_ JinJin. Don’t call him a blob.” Myungjun said with a pout, crossing his arms.

“We had a child out of wedlock? How scandalous.” Jinwoo said with a dramatic gasp, stepping over to pat the snowman’s head. “Our beautiful baby blob.” He laughed and dodged the kick aimed his way and held up his hands in surrender. “If you kill me, I won’t be able to give you your surprise.”

Myungjun stopped on his way to hit him again and narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “What surprise? You’ve already given me my necklace.” He could still feel the steady warmth at his neck, and it felt comforting.

“I have an even better surprise.” Jinwoo said, lowering his voice to a dramatic whisper. “You have to close your eyes though Junnie. It’s really important.”

Myungjun rolled them before closing them. “If you’re just going to kiss me, I’ll really kill you you know.”

He heard Jinwoo chuckle and then felt something warm glide up his finger. “Open your eyes Junnie.”

Myungjun looked down to see a dark metal band around his finger and gasped at how pretty it was. It seemed to ripple with more of Jinwoos green fire, but he realised it was just a trick of the moonlight when he looked closer. “You made me a ring?”

“I made us _both_ rings.” Jinwoo said, showing Myungjun his matching one. “I did have a grand plan. I was going to wait until we won the best couples outfit award at the end of the night, and I was going to get up on that stage with you to accept it, get down on one knee and ask Kim Myungjun the Kings of flowers to be my husband for the night in front of everyone. You were going to swoon and tell me you’d love to be my husband for the night because I’m terribly handsome and you couldn’t say no even if you tried.” Myungjun snorted in amusement at that, shaking his head. “But then that same Kim Myungjun teased me too much, so we had to leave. However, our plans for privacy were foiled multiple times and now we’re out in the snow, fathering snow babies out of wedlock. How tragic. Bards will sing about this for decades.”

Myungjun shrieked out a laugh and threw himself at his dorky, adorable boyfriend. “You’re so silly JinJin. If you’d have asked me that, in front of all those people, I would have died of embarrassment right there and then.”

“Oh yeah I didn’t think of that.” Jinwoo said, pretending to be deep in thought. “I forgot my boyfriend is so shy and cute.”

Myungjun made an offended noise and pulled away. “How could you ever forget that I’m cute? That’s abominable, you’d be a terrible husband Jinwoo.”

Jinwoo grinned and pulled him back in for a kiss. “I could never truly forget. I lay my eyes on your cute face every single day. You know if you were a vegetable you’d be-”

“Jinwoo if you say a cute-cumber I’m going to break up with you.”

“Marry me Junnie.”

“What?”

“Marry me for the night. Be my King of flowers, my husband of flowers, my husband of Kings…okay that doesn’t sound right, forget that one. Marry me.”

“For the night?”

“For the night.”

“How’s about forever?”

The blush on Jinwoos face was worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Myungjin got tipsy, married and fathered a child all in one night oof~


	83. Chapter 83

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double upload today but the second chapter will come later tonight~

Myungjun took a deep breath and breathed it out slowly before loosing his arrow. His target moved too fast and he missed by a few centimetres.

“Again.” Jinwoo commanded firmly, completely immersed in his role of the teacher.

Myungjun nocked another arrow and aimed again, allowing himself more time to plan and when he let it loose, his arrow tore through the straw dummy that was flying through the air. Myungjun turned to Jinwoo with a smile, expecting to get praise but saw him frowning instead.

“Faster next time Myungjun. If that were a real enemy, you would have been dead by now. Again.”

Myungjuns smiled slipped from his face and he nocked another arrow before loosing it almost immediately, not bothering to aim properly. Naturally, it missed by a long shot and Jinwoo sighed irritably beside him.

“Stop messing around Myungjun. I won’t let you leave tonight until you hit that thing properly.”

Myungjun made a noise of utter disbelief as his boyfriend, or Mr Park right now, turned on his heel to help another student nearby. He grumbled angrily to himself about how unfair Jinwoo was being and nocked another arrow. He softened slightly when the setting sun hit his ring, making it glint against his skin. He’d refused to take it off ever since the hallows eve ball and quickly turned back to see if Jinwoo was still wearing his. He softened further when he realised he was. Myungjun wasn’t really angry with Jinwoo, he knew Jinwoo just wanted him to do well and he was right, Myungjun _had_ taken too long to loose.

So Myungjun put on his determined face and practiced hard for the rest of the lesson. He changed positions a lot, standing, down on one knee, crouching on a wooden crate, he tried everything and eventually had to stop when his arms grew tired. He rested for a while, watching the sun set and disappear completely, before he heard Rockys dismissal of the class.

“Sunshine?”

Myungjun looked up to see Jinwoo smiling down at him. “Yes JinJin?”

“I saw you practicing hard. You did really well, I’m really proud of you.” His smile grew when he heard Myungjun whine with happiness. “You like being praised don’t you?” When Myungjun nodded he muttered, “Cute.” before offering his hand.

Myungjun let himself be pulled to his feet and went to put his bow back into storage, reminding Jinwoo to lock the door properly. He didn’t want anybody to steal it. Not that they’d be able to successfully hide such an obvious weapon anyway.

When Jinwoo and Rocky had finished cleaning up after the class, Jinwoo made his way over to thread his fingers through Myungjuns own, looking down at their rings with a smile. “Let’s go sunshine.”

Myungjun allowed himself to be led from the combat centre and out into the chilly night. It hadn’t snowed since the night of the hallows eve ball and Myungjun always joked that it had snowed especially for them. Jinwoo was happy to play along of course.

“You need to start wrapping up warm from now on Junnie.” Jinwoo said, pulling him closer. “I can’t be with you all the time and I don’t want you to get sick.”

“I rarely get sick.” Myungjun said proudly. “Only that one time when I fell into the lake after Hoseok let me go. I don’t plan on falling into any lakes anytime soon though, so I’ll be okay.”

They walked in silence until they reached the edge of the forest. “I’m serious Myungjun.” Jinwoo said, holding him back and rubbing his warm hands over Myungjuns colder ones. “I really don’t want you to get sick at all. Please bundle up tomorrow.”

Myungjun sighed loudly. “Fine. I’ll put on my fluffy yellow jumper and everything, just for you.”

Jinwoo grinned and ruffled his hair. “Good boy Junnie. You should make your hair yellow again too, it will match.”

“Gosh you’re so demanding.” Myungjun said teasingly, pulling away from him. “I’ll see you tomorrow JinJin. Sleep well.” He kissed Jinwoos cheek before opening the way to his treehouse and stepping over the magic boundary.

*

“You actually wore it.” Jinwoo said happily at breakfast the next day. He ran his hands along the yellow fluffy fabric and Myungjun hummed happily. “You’re also blonde.” Jinwoo observed.

“It’s not exactly yellow but it’s close enough.” Myungjun said with a shrug. “Do you like it?”

“Of course I do. What a stupid question Junnie. I like everything on you.”

Myungjun grinned and ran a hand through his hair. He’d done a good job this morning, it felt extra soft. He wanted _Jinwoos_ hands in his hair but he’d have to wait for later. They had meditation and discipline first and then he had advanced healing. He couldn’t get distracted by his handsome boyfriend again.

“Do you want to sleep over tonight?” Jinwoo asked, grabbing Myungjun a bowl of rice and filling up his plate. “You haven’t slept over in a few weeks now.”

“I did.” Myungjun replied, accepting his food and digging in happily. “I slept in your room before the hallows eve ball remember.”

“Afternoon naps don’t count.” Jinwoo pouted. “I want to wake up next to you again. It’s been really long, I miss it.”

Myungjun gave an overdramatic sigh, acting as if sleeping over was the hardest thing ever to do. “Fine. I’ll stay tonight.” When Jinwoo cheered Myungjun stopped him. “BUT, you can’t make me late for classes again JinJin. When we get up, we _get up_. Do you understand?”

Jinwoo saluted dutifully and flashed him a cheeky grin. Myungjun didn’t trust him at all.

*

Myungjuns hands shook from the effort but he shouted in joy when his bone fused back together. “Mr Choi, I did it!”

His healing teacher swiftly made his way towards him, weaving between the tables in the classroom. “Wow you did.” Mr Choi picked it up to inspect it. “It’s near enough perfect too. That’s excellent progress Myungjun, congratulations.”

Myungjun took the bone back happily and inspected it himself. He could see the one tiny sliver he’d missed and quickly fused it together. “So now I’ll be able to fuse broken bones in humans?”

“That’s the idea.” Mr Choi said kindly. “However, most of the time, you can’t see a broken bone in a human, you can only sense how much more needs fusing. So next, I’m going to need you to break your arm.” He took one look at the horrified expression on Myungjuns face and laughed, loud and warm. “I’m only joking Myungjun. Fusing human bones isn’t something that’s taught here. They have specialised doctors for those sorts of things. What I have taught you is only enough to do a quick bone heal on a human, if you’re in a situation of grave danger. Just enough of a heal to get them back on their feet again but they would need to see a specialist after to have it set properly.”

Myungjun nodded and put his bone down on the table. “Okay well what are we learning next?”

“We still have a few students who haven’t been able to achieve this spell yet, so we won’t be moving on today at least. I will allow you to leave early as you’ve done such a good job. I’ll see you next weekend Myungjun.”

Myungjun thanked him before rushing to put his bone back in the cupboard and skipping happily out of the classroom. He’d only been let out half an hour early, but it was still enough time to get changed into his combat gear and practice a bit more with his bow.

Getting to his room was easy enough but when he went inside, he stumbled upon something he probably shouldn’t have seen.

“Hyung!” Youngjae exclaimed, face flushed. “I thought you and Joon were in healing class?”

Myungjun stared at the other boy who was shifting nervously on the edge of Youngjaes bed. I guess I don’t have to ask if he like boys or not, Myungjun thought before snapping out of it and looking at his friend.

“Uhh, I got let out early. I just need to get changed, don’t mind me.” He rushed to pull a pink tank top, that he’d made in the design room, and a black pair of shorts out of his dresser. He quickly locked himself in the bathroom and tried to push the images of Youngjae kissing that boy out of his head as he got changed. That was so awkward. _I need to get out of here._

Unfortunately, Youngjae seemed to have other plans. When Myungjun left the bathroom, making a beeline for the door, Youngjae stopped him. “Hyung?”

Myungjun turned around slowly. “Yeah JaeJae?”

“Umm this is-”

“Bangchan.” The other boy said confidently, a complete change to how he’d looked before. “We’re just friends.”

“Riiiiiight” Myungjun said looking between them. “Friends who kiss yeah?”

Youngjae flushed at his words. “You and Jinwoo-hyung used to kiss even though you were just friends!”

“I kissed JinJin for the first time after we confessed that we liked each other.” Myungjun said deadpan. “It might have taken us a while to actually get together after that but we both knew each other’s feelings. Which I doubt is something you’ve discussed?” Their silence told him everything he needed to know, and he sighed before moving to the door. “I’ll leave you too it then.”

*

Myungjun loosed another arrow that tore through his moving targets chest. It still wasn’t exactly centre, but it was close enough. The sun was hidden behind thick grey clouds today, so he was making better progress without being blinded by it every so often. He heard movement behind him and turned to see Jinwoo leaning up against the combat centre wall, arms crossed, eyes half closed with a small smile on his face that made Myungjuns skin tingle.

“How long have you been there?” Myungjun asked, nocking another arrow. “You weren’t down here when I first arrived.”

“I’ve been here for a few minutes. I was in the practical skills classroom. I didn’t expect to find you down here practicing.” Myungjun let his arrow loose and it tore through the targets leg. “I also didn’t expect to see you wearing something like this.” Jinwoos voice came from directly behind him and Myungjun squeaked in surprise when he felt Jinwoo tug the bottom of his tank top. He spun around to look at him and saw the lazy smirk on his face and watched as Jinwoos eyes roamed his arms appreciatively. “This is new.”

“I made it in the design room last week.” Myungjun said, suddenly feeling very naked under Jinwoos gaze and stepping back. “I need to go and find my arrows.” Jinwoo didn’t stop him when he ran away, past the dummies and onto the grass, but Myungjun heard him chuckle softly and he felt his face heat up. Maybe it had been a bad idea to wear this. He knew his arms looked good, he’d built up some muscle after holding his heavy bow so much, but he’d failed to think about how Jinwoo would react. A quick look over his shoulder told him that Jinwoo was definitely still watching him and he spent longer than necessary finding his arrows, just so he could build up the courage to go back.

By that time, Jinwoo had picked up Myungjuns discarded bow and was loosing arrow after arrow into one of the unmoving dummies. When he heard Myungjun approach he stopped and held the bow behind him. “There’s a price to get this back.”

Myungjun already knew where this was going and groaned. “JinJin, you can’t bribe me with my bow just to touch my arms. Give it back.”

“I can and I am. I never knew how attractive you could look in a top like that. I should have made you wear one of mine ages ago.”

Myungjun held out his hand for his bow. “Give it.” Jinwoo shook his head stubbornly and Myungjun gave in with a frustrated sigh. “Fine. You have five seconds.”

Jinwoo put his bow down before rushing forwards and pulling Myungjun in for a kiss. Myungjuns arms tingled as Jinwoos hands grabbed them, giving his biceps a squeeze. Jinwoo whined happily into his mouth and rubbed his hands up and down them until Myungjun pulled away feeling slightly breathless.

“Satisfied?” When Jinwoo nodded, Myungjun pointed to his bow. “I want that back now.” When Jinwoos back was turned, Myungjun allowed himself to squeal inside. Jinwoo had just touched his _bare arms_ and had enjoyed it. It still surprised him whenever Jinwoo found enjoyment in a part of his body. First his stomach, then his thighs and now his arms. He’s also touched my back and my shoulders before, Myungjun thought to himself, maybe it wouldn’t be that hard to take my shirt off in front of him now. He quickly pushed that thought away, blushing fiercely at the idea. I did NOT just think that.

“Junnie?” Myungjuns eyes snapped up to see Jinwoo watching him curiously. “Why are you red?” He reached forwards to take Myungjuns hand and Myungjun quickly stepped away shaking his head. He knew he was too embarrassed to put up a proper psychic shield right now and he didn’t need Jinwoo invading his mind again. Jinwoo seemed to understand anyway, if his smirk was anything to go by. “Junnie are you having inappropriate thoughts?”

Myungjun scowled and willed the heat in his cheeks to disappear. “I don’t have inappropriate thoughts Park Jinwoo. That’s your job.”

His attack caught Jinwoo off guard and gave him enough time to snatch his bow back. Jinwoo just looked stunned before laughing. “I guess that is my job. Come here and let me act on my thoughts then Junnie.”

Myungjun shrieked and ran away as Jinwoo gave chase, chasing him across the grounds and around the lake. Myungjun knew Jinwoo was faster than him but his boyfriend was doing a good job of pretending otherwise.

“Junnie slow down, you’re too fast! Is the idea of me acting on my thoughts that repulsive to you?” Myungjun giggled and eventually slowed to a stop when they’d run the whole length of the lake, flopping down on the grass and breathing heavily. He put his bow safely to the side as Jinwoo dropped down beside him.

“JinJin why didn’t you just catch me?”

“I had a nice view from behind.”

“From be- JINJIN!” Myungjun squealed and hid his burning face in his hands. “You’re awful.”

Jinwoo laughed and pushed Myungjun over onto the grass before cuddling up to his chest. “Sorry but you have the cutest butt I’ve ever seen. Did you know it jiggl-”

“Say one more word and I’ll end you.” Myungjun threatened, wrapping his arms around Jinwoos shoulders and pulling him closer to his chest. “Also, I’m only allowing you to cuddle me right now because it’s cold.”

Jinwoo climbed on top of him properly before pressing his face into Myungjuns neck. “I don’t mind being a blanket Junnie…you smell really nice and its comforting. Let’s have a nap.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Myungjun has a praise kink: Confirmed. uwu


	84. Chapter 84

Two and a half months into his third year at the academy and Myungjun finally managed to grow his first tree. It was only a foot taller than himself, but it flourished with pretty green leaves, a stark contrast to the barren trees surrounding the grounds at this time of the year. He collapsed to his knees when it was done, head spinning from how much energy he had used.

Just like with every other spell he had learnt; he knew he needed to keep practicing in order for his body to get used to the strain and to train it to use less magical energy on that particular spell in the future. The spells he had learnt in his first year were so ingrained in his body he barely used any magical energy at all when performing them now. So, he knew that one day he’d be able to grow trees with barely any effort. It just wouldn’t be anytime soon.

“Hyung? Are you okay?” Myungjun opened his eyes to see Namjoon crouching down in front of him. Myungjun nodded tiredly and struggled to his feet. “You’ve created the biggest tree out of all of us.” Myungjun looked around to see it was true. Some people’s trees weren’t even waist height yet, and others were barren. One looked positively rotten and Myungjun thanked the deity that his didn’t look like that.

“Do you have any parchment on you Joonie? I need to speak to JinJin.”

“Yeah in my bag. Hold on I’ll get some for you.”

Myungjun waited, leaning up against his tree and smiled as his practical skills teacher came over to admire his work.

“Well done Myungjun. Yours is the best here I think. You must be exhausted, you’re free to leave when you wish.” Ms Yoon said kindly.

“I wish I could, but I don’t think my legs will let me just yet. They feel like limp noodles.” Ms Yoon laughed and wished him luck before moving on. Namjoon came back and handed him the writing tools and Myungjun wrote Jinwoo a quick note, using Namjoons back as a table.

**_JinJin I’ve finished class, I’m in the earthen practical skills classroom. As my boyfriend, it’s your duty to bring me something extra sugary to eat. Please hurry I’m desperate_ **

Myungjun drew a sun shining down on a little tree and covered the rest of the note in love hearts, hoping to soften his boyfriend enough. He sent it through the floor and thanked Namjoon for being his writing surface. Namjoon just smiled and went to talk to Youngjae.

Two minutes later Myungjun had his reply.

**_You’re lucky your cute. My bed is extra warm this morning. Ten minutes_ **

Myungjun giggled and sat down with his back against the trunk of his tree. He knew it was a cheeky request, especially when Jinwoo was enjoying his free lesson in bed, probably catching up on some much needed sleep. He really was desperate though. Unless one of his friends wanted to carry him to the hall, he didn’t think he had any other choice.

Youngjae came over after a few minutes and sat down in front of him. “Why are you still here Hyung?”

“Waiting for my handsome boyfriend to bring me some food. I have jelly legs.”

Youngjae laughed and pointed to Myungjuns lap. “Can I?” Myungjun nodded and Youngjae sighed happily as he moved to lay his head on Myungjuns thighs. “Sit back Junnie you’re blocking the view.” Youngjae said, trying to get a better look at the leaves on the tree above them.

Myungjun made an offended noise but sat back anyway. “JaeJae I _am_ the view.”

Youngjae snorted. “Yep, you’re a sight to behold alright.” He shrieked as Myungjun dug him in the ribs and quickly apologised.

“So, how are you and Bangchan?” Myungjun asked after a minute of comfortable silence. “Have you decided whether you like each other or not?”

Youngjae closed his eyes and sighed. “Me and Chan are just friends. I don’t even know why I kissed him.”

Myungjun hummed thoughtfully before speaking. “I didn’t even know you liked boys.”

“Neither did I until I kissed him. Maybe that’s why I did it, to find out you know?” He cleared his throat awkwardly before rolling over and pressing his face into Myungjuns stomach. “I still like girls though.” His voice was muffled and Myungjun smiled down at him, running his fingers through Youngjaes soft brown hair.

“You can like whoever you want JaeJae. Whatever makes you happy.” Myungjun looked up to see Jinwoo walking through the doors towards him with his food. “Speaking of what makes us happy, JinJins here.”

“Am I being evicted off your lap?” Youngjae asked, pouting up at him.

“Sorry JaeJae.” Myungjun offered him an apologetic smile and Youngjae just groaned and got up to leave, saying goodbye. Myungjun turned his attention back to his boyfriend who was waving an ice cream cone in front of his face.

“I know it’s the middle of November, but ice cream was the sugariest food I could get.” Myungjun giggled when he realised his ice cream was already melting in Jinwoos hot hands.

“Thanks JinJin.” Myungjun took the cone, before making the split-second decision to lean forwards and lick the melted ice cream from Jinwoos fingers. They both froze and Myungjun looked up at him feeling like he’d overstepped some sort of boundary. “Sorry.” He whispered quickly before leaning back and taking a big bite from his ice cream to stop his mouth doing anything else. It shocked his teeth and he scrunched up his face at the feeling.

Jinwoo laughed above him and sat down. “Don’t bite it silly.” Myungjun was relieved that Jinwoo was ignoring what he’d just done and allowed himself to look up at him again. “Can I have some?” Jinwoo asked quietly, already leaning forwards. Myungjun nodded wordlessly and watched as Jinwoo licked a long stripe up it, eyes never leaving Myungjuns own. Myungjun looked down at the ice cream on his tongue and had the strongest urge to lean forwards and lick it off. But forced himself not to. He’d already been weird enough. It seemed like Jinwoo had been expecting something to happen, because he sat back looking slightly disappointed but quickly smiled when he noticed Myungjun watching him. “Thanks Junnie, it looked too delicious not to try.”

“You did get it for me after all.” Myungjun said, returning his smile. He hummed happily when he felt the energy coming back to him with every lick, the sweet strawberry taste never leaving his mouth, even after it was all gone.

*

Myungjun sat in his greenhouse, sketching and identifying all of his medicinal plants. He had two pain relief plants that were easier to identify because of their peppermint scent. He was also happy to see he had three energy revival plants and one that grew herbs to combat common poisons.

When he was finished sketching and writing notes, he made a list of the plants he still didn’t have and left his greenhouse to find Ms Jung. He spotted her inside another student’s greenhouse and waited patiently for her to leave.

“Hello Myungjun. Did you need any help?” She asked kindly after shutting the greenhouse door behind herself.

“I’ve identified all of the seedlings you gave me and I’m missing some that I’d like to grow. I was wondering if you could take a look at this list and tell me which ones I can have.”

Ms Jung took the list and read through it quickly. “Leave this with me. They’re all reasonable requests so I’ll get a tray of these seedlings set up for you for next lesson. It’s too late to do it today, the lessons over now.”

“Thankyou! You’re the best teacher ever.” Myungjun flashed her a bright grin and she chuckled, shooing him away.

Myungjun made his way towards Youngjaes greenhouse and collected him before going to drag Namjoon away from his, so they could get some dinner. “What class do you two have next?” Myungjun asked as they made their way across the grounds.

“Alchemy.” They said at the same time.

Myungjun sighed and dragged his shoes along the grass. “I really wanted to do alchemy again this year, but I had too many optionals chosen already.”

“I’d rather do shapeshifting then alchemy Hyung. You’re so lucky to be doing that class. It’s really small isn’t it? Not a lot of people.” Namjoon asked, jogging up the steps to the academy doors.

Myungjun nodded and gave a shout of annoyance when someone bumped into him. The younger boy apologised quickly with wide eyes before rushing away.

“I see everyone’s still scared of you.” Youngjae pointed out happily. “I was starting to forget about the rumours. No one has come up to me in ages, asking if you’ve killed people. It’s made my days a lot less fun.”

Myungjun had a bad feeling settle in his gut and reached over to pull Youngjae to a stop. “Please tell me you’ve not been helping to spread that ridiculous rumour?”

“Of course he has, I caught him telling a bunch of the first years last week.” Hyungwons voice came from behind him and Youngjae quickly wrenched his arm out of Myungjuns grip to run away cackling.

Myungjun stamped his foot in anger and whined unhappily before turning to look up at Hyungwon. “Why didn’t you stop him?”

“Since when has anyone been able to stop that boy from talking? He’s the biggest gossiper of us all.” Hyungwon said, rolling his eyes and offering Myungjun his arm.

Myungjun took it with a sigh and let him lead them to their table. Myungjuns eyes drifted to the kitchen door and he waved at the silver haired chef as he walked past it. He waved back with a small smile and Myungjun sat down feeling a bit happier.

*

“How are you doing that so fast?” Yoongi asked with wide eyes when Myungjun grew a couple of inches in height. “We’ve only had two lessons on body growth!”

Myungjun looked down at him with a grin. “I’m in advanced healing and we learnt how to fuse bones, so I already know how to manipulate them. For once I won’t be the last person to learn a spell in this class!” He shrunk down to his normal height and then shrunk a little more till he was looking up at Yoongi instead. “This is actually kind of fun.”

Miss Hwang dismissed the class soon after and Myungjun raced from the room to get to the library. He’d made plans with Jinwoo to meet there and practice for their communications class. They were still trying to strengthen their hallucination spells and it was best to practice somewhere quiet.

He found Jinwoo dozing off on one of the plush library chairs by the fire and went over to gently shake him awake. “JinJin I’m here.”

Jinwoo blinked his eyes open sleepily before looking up at him with a smile. “Hey handsome, did you have a good class?”

“The best.” Myungjun said proudly. “I learnt a spell before everyone else this time. I can’t wait to show you but first we need to work on the other one.”

Jinwoo patted his lap and yawned loudly. “Sit here Junnie. We can practice like this, I’m too tired to move.”

“We won’t be able to practice properly if you’re tired.” Myungjun pouted, sitting down.

“You go first. It might be easier to make me hallucinate because of it.”

Myungjun leaned forwards to press their foreheads together, completely unnecessary for the spell but he wanted too anyway, and focused hard on establishing a link with Jinwoos mind. It was extremely easy because of Jinwoos vulnerable state and he concentrated on building the image in his mind that he wanted Jinwoo to see.

He thought about their new house, the way it was laid out, the way it smelt fresh and flowery, the sounds he could hear from his bed in the morning, including the birds at his window and the pipes clunking in the walls as the water was turned on for Sanhas shower. He pictured his bed and the way the sheets felt soft against his skin and pulled back when he heard Jinwoos intake of breath.

“Where are we Junnie?”

“My new room.” Myungjun said with a smile. Myungjun could still only see the library around them but he knew what Jinwoo was seeing. “Our new room. Do you like it?”

Jinwoo nodded and reached around himself blindly. He frowned when his hand hit the arm of the library chair and the illusion was shattered. “Send me back.”

Myungjun giggled and cuddled up to him. “Don’t worry JinJin. We’ll go there for real when we’ve graduated from here.”

“Are you sure your mother would be okay with that?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t she be?” Myungjun looked up at him confused. His mother had already allowed Sanha to live with them permanently, so why not Jinwoo?

“Junnie I’m your boyfriend. I don’t think she’d be okay with us sharing a bed.” He looked down at Myungjuns lost expression and sighed. “Never mind, just don’t get your hopes up about this okay? I know you want me to come back home with you when all of this is over, I want that more than anything too, but chances are it’s not an option.”

Myungjuns heart clenched at his words. It couldn’t be true. His mother would never leave Jinwoo to fend for himself out there but the way Jinwoo said it with such certainty made anxiety claw at his chest.

“I’ll talk to her.” Myungjun whispered. “I’ll make sure you have a home with us Jinwoo.”

“I don’t need a home. I just need you.” Jinwoo replied, pulling Myungjun close for a cuddle and kissing his forehead. “We’ll figure something out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm never letting these boys eat ice-cream again >.<


	85. Chapter 85

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Off to Voredan!!

Myungjun stepped out of the carriage and onto the bustling streets of Voredan city. Everything was covered in a thin layer of snow and he wrapped his fluffy scarf further around his neck as he waited for the others to get out.

Jinwoo stepped out after him and moved to fuss over Myungjuns clothes. He buttoned Myungjuns coat all the way up and put his earmuffs on properly. “Gloves?” Jinwoo asked. Myungjun pulled them out of his coat pocket and Jinwoo helped him put them on before fussing over his scarf. Myungjun felt like a giant marshmallow with the number of layers he was wearing but Jinwoo wouldn’t let him take any off.

“JinJin my scarfs fine. If you pull it up any higher, I won’t be able to see.” Myungjun whined.

Jinwoo finally stepped away and looked him over. “That’s better. You won’t get sick now. You look very warm.”

Myungjun looked over Jinwoos own outfit. He was only wearing a light leather jacket over his shirt, that was straining against the muscles of his arms and he didn’t have any winter accessories to combat the cold. He didn’t need them of course but it still made Myungjun unnecessarily uneasy. “You don’t look very warm JinJin.”

Jinwoo grinned and pressed his cheek up against Myungjuns for a second before pulling away. Myungjun felt how hot his skin was and whined as the loss of that heat left his skin feeling colder than before. “I’m boiling hot Junnie. It’s you we need to worry about.”

“If you put any more layers on him Hyung, he won’t be able to walk.” Rocky pointed out as he stepped down from the carriage. Rocky Jr was garbling noisily from somewhere inside his coat and Rocky said something to him in a language Myungjun couldn’t understand but he heard Rocky Jr fall silent soon after.

“It’s my job to make sure he doesn’t catch a cold.” Jinwoo said huffily.

“EVERYONE OVER HERE PLEASE.”

Myungjun followed Jinwoo to the source of the voice and saw the four elemental leaders standing at the front of the carriages, ready to give their usual speech. This time it was the water leaders turn.

“This is your last trip to Voredan as a student of the Academy. I expect you to still behave like civilized human beings whilst we are here as you still need to uphold the reputation of your school.” Frost gave them all stern looks before continuing. “Blaze and Zephyr will be in the upper part of the city if you wish to find them for help, and Grove and I will be in the lower part. You have until sundown to explore the city and then I want you back here. If you get into trouble, press your birthmarks and we will come to find you.”

The second he dismissed them, everyone scattered to enjoy the attractions the city had to offer. Myungjun only had one place in mind this time around though.

“Where do you want to go first Junnie?” Jinwoo asked, threading his fingers through Myungjuns gloved ones.

“I want to find a scar specialist.” Myungjun answered quietly. “I need to get rid of one that’s been bugging me.”

“One scar specialist coming right up!” Jinwoo said cheerfully as he begun to walk. Myungjun let himself be led and smiled down at his shoes as they crunched against the snow. Jinwoo knew this city like the back of his hand with the amount of times he’d snuck out, so it didn’t take long for them to find the building they were looking for and when Jinwoo opened the door to the place, a loud buzzer sounded overhead to signal their arrival.

Jinwoo approached the young woman at the front desk who looked up in disinterest. “Do you have an appointment?” She asked, tapping her pointed nails against the wood.

“No, is there any chance we can be seen now?” Jinwoo asked politely. Myungjun looked around the waiting area to see it was empty.

“Let me check.” She said, flicking through a leather-bound book. Myungjun rolled his eyes, she was just being difficult, there was obviously no one else here. “Sure. Take a seat, I’ll let her know you’ve arrived.” Jinwoo thanked her before taking Myungjun over to sit down.

“Do you have enough money?” Jinwoo asked, looking up at the list of prices on the wall.

Myungjun followed his gaze and squirmed uncomfortably when he realised he’d be using nearly all of his coins for it. “Yeah. I just need this damn thing off of me.”

Jinwoo opened his mouth to speak, probably to ask which scar he was talking about, but another young woman came out and called them in. Jinwoo led the way again, which Myungjun was grateful for and the woman shut the door behind them with a snap.

The room was bright and clean and only contained a couple of white chairs and a sterile looking white bed. Jinwoo took a seat and Myungjun hurried to sit next to him feeling nervous.

“What can I do for you boys?” The woman asked, looking a lot nicer than the one at the front desk.

Jinwoo cleared his throat and spoke first. “We both need scars removed. I’ll go first.”

“You’re getting it done too?” Myungjun asked surprised. Jinwoo just nodded to him with a smile before moving over to sit on the bed when the woman gestured to it. Jinwoo shrugged his jacket off and pulled his top off straight after. Myungjun bit his lip worriedly when he saw the number of scars covering Jinwoos chest from his weapons course over the summer. The bruising had disappeared, but the scars still remained as bold as before.

“This one.” Jinwoo said, pointing to the biggest one that ran diagonally across his shoulder and over his collar bones.

The woman got to work immediately and made light conversation as she moved her hands over the damaged skin. “How did you get it?”

“Trying and failing to dodge an axe.” Jinwoo said, avoiding the horrified look on Myungjuns face.

The woman made a noise of sympathy before moving back up the scar again. Myungjun could see it disappearing under her hands and knew she’d have the replica scar under her blouse for the next few days.

“It’s a badass looking scar.” She said, making Jinwoo laugh. “Why did you want it off?”

Jinwoo didn’t say anything but the woman made a noise of acknowledgment. “I see. I’m sure he’d appreciate it.” Myungjun sat there confused until he realised Jinwoo must have told her telepathically. He burned with curiosity but had to push it away when the woman told Jinwoo he was done. “Just the one? You have a lot more on your chest.”

“My wallets a bit light right now.” Jinwoo said, pulling his top back on and hanging his jacket over his arm before getting up. “I’ll probably be back though.”

The woman nodded and turned to Myungjun with a smile. “Your turn.” Myungjun pushed his nerves away and made his way over to the bed. He started taking his layers off. His gloves, earmuffs and scarf went first, then his coat and jumper. He took his cotton shirt off before he was left in just his undershirt. When he looked past the woman, he saw Jinwoo eyeing him curiously and he begged him with his eyes to look away. The message seemed to get across, as Jinwoo gave him a small smile before looking at the floor. Myungjun still felt uncomfortable so he quickly stood up and moved away from the bed to turn his back to Jinwoo. The woman raised her eyebrows in question but didn’t ask. Myungjun finally took his undershirt off and the woman whistled low between her teeth.

“You’ve got some nasty looking ones too.” Her eyes narrowed when she looked at Myungjuns left arm. “Scars from a demon burn? I haven’t seen one of those in a long time. I hope that’s not the one you want me to remove because I can’t.”

“It’s not.” Myungjun assured her quickly. “I know it’s not possible to have them removed legally…why is that though?”

“Demons are associated with dark magic and only dark magic can remove them. Something I don’t dabble in of course” The woman gave him a smile and gestured to his other arm. “Is it that snake bite? Or that scar on your stomach?”

Myungjun quickly shook his head and pointed to the horizontal one that ran along the top of his chest. “It’s this one.”

The woman stepped forwards and got to work. Myungjun was glad he’d turned his back because he could already feel his skin tingling from Jinwoo watching him. He flushed when he thought about how this was the first time Jinwoo was properly seeing his bare back and hoped it looked okay.

“How did you get it?” The woman asked as her soft hands brushed over the scar.

“Daggers.” Myungjun said, feeling queasy at the memory of his blood splattering up Hyejins arms before he killed her. “I just want it gone.”

The woman didn’t ask any more questions, she just finished the removal and let Myungjun move to put his clothes back on. After Myungjun was wrapped up again, he turned around to see Jinwoo looking at the floor. Who does he think he’s fooling? Myungjun thought to himself with a roll of his eyes. Jinwoo looked up when Myungjun approached him and gave him an innocent smile.

After they’d finished paying, their pockets feeling a lot lighter than before, Myungjun pulled Jinwoo to a stop outside and scowled at him. “I knew you were staring at me in there Jinwoo.”

Jinwoo had the grace to look guilty at least. “Sorry Junnie. I just wanted to see what scar you had removed. I never even knew you had a scar on your chest.”

Myungjun softened upon realising Jinwoo was just curious. “I didn’t feel the need to tell you about it. It was from the battledome, when Hyejin cut me before I…killed her.” As if his thoughts summoned her, Myungjun looked past Jinwoos shoulder to see her coming out of an apothecary across the street. Her eyes met his and she shook a paper bag his way with an unsettling smirk on her face before walking down the street and out of sight.

“What are you looking at?” Jinwoo asked, after realising Myungjun wasn’t listening to him talk. He looked behind himself but Hyejin was already gone. Myungjun had a terrible feeling writhing around his stomach but tried to squash it down when Jinwoo turned back to him.

“Nothing JinJin. Let’s go get some hot chocolate yeah?”

*

Myungjun and Jinwoo walked the streets of Voredan with warm bellies after consuming an excessive amount of the hot chocolatey liquid that had been topped with mountains of whipped cream and marshmallows. Myungjun had joked about feeling like a marshmallow himself and Jinwoo had leaned across the table to kiss the cream from Myungjuns lips. It was another perfect day with Jinwoo, but it was made even more perfect when he spotted a woman drawing in a little tent at the side of the street.

“JinJin lets go get a picture of us drawn!” He squealed excitedly, already dragging him towards her. Jinwoo didn’t resist and sat there patiently as the woman got to work. She was fast, faster than Myungjun could ever hope to be with his sketches and when she was done, Myungjun gasped happily at the result. It looked exactly like them and she’d drawn Jinwoo watching him, capturing his soft smile and the fondness in his boyfriends’ eyes. It made Myungjuns heart flutter and he happily handed over the last of his coins for her masterpiece.

Jinwoo looked it over next and smiled down at it. “It’s cute. Where are you going to put it?”

“It can go in my design portfolio for now. I’ll carve a frame for it and hang it above our bed at home.” Myungjun explained happily.

“Junnie…” Jinwoo began but Myungjun shook his head. He didn’t want Jinwoo to tell him not to get his hopes up again. He was coming home with him whether his mother liked it or not. He couldn’t live one day without Jinwoo. His boyfriend just sighed and held his hand. “Come on Junnie. I have something to show you.”

Jinwoo led him to a part of the city Myungjun had never been to before. There were less businesses around but bigger buildings, some of which had big decorated banners hanging from their walls. It wasn’t until Myungjun saw a familiar symbol that he realised where they were. He pulled Jinwoo to a stop and looked at him with wide eyes.

“JinJin we can’t be here. That’s my father’s guild!” Jinwoo looked around in surprise and stared up at the giant guild hall, that was made from large blocks of black stone. The building was at least six floors high and a large wooden sign adorned the wall above the large oak doors.

**Dragon Blades**

His father’s banners were predictably decorated with pictures of dragons surrounded by a ring of deadly looking weapons. It made Myungjun uncomfortable just looking at it. The doors to the guild hall were wide open and he saw people walking around inside, laughing and joking and looking happy. He couldn’t imagine his father being that way.

“I’m sorry Junnie. I didn’t realise. I just wanted to show you the guild district, I forgot Dragon Blades was a Voredan guild. Let’s go okay?”

Myungjun nodded quickly and let himself be pulled away. He thought back to the last time he had seen his father. It had been after they had found Rocky Jr. He remembered Jinwoo saying his father had fire magic and finally voiced a question he’d long forgotten about.

“JinJin. Why did my father ask you to help him in the battledome? You told me he had fire magic, so he wouldn’t have needed your help getting into that lava.”

Jinwoo was quiet for a while and didn’t talk until they were out of the guild district and back into the business part of the city. Myungjun was beginning to think he wasn’t going to answer before he spoke up. “He wanted to know about me.” Jinwoo said awkwardly. “He asked me lots of questions about who I was, what I was studying at the academy, what my parents did for a living, how long I’d been seeing you, my…feelings towards you. He asked everything.”

Myungjun was mortified. His father had asked Jinwoo about what his _dead_ parents did for a living. His heart clenched painfully at the thought of how sad Jinwoo must have been to have that resurface. “I’m sorry.” Myungjun said quietly. “He shouldn’t have asked you those things.”

“Why are you apologising for him?” Jinwoo asked, looking at Myungjun with one eyebrow raised. “You didn’t make him ask me those questions. Honestly I think he was just testing me.”

“Testing you?”

“To see if I’m good enough for you.”

Myungjun scoffed. “He isn’t allowed an opinion to begin with. I should have known he had some sort of ulterior motive behind asking you to help.”

Jinwoo pulled Myungjun to a stop under the nearest tree and gathered him up in his arms. “I didn’t mind the questioning Junnie. I only told him what I wanted too, and he never pushed me for answers if I didn’t want to give them. All that matters is that we got Rocky Jr back right? Exactly. Let’s forget about your father, I want to spend the rest of our time here with a happy boyfriend, not a frowny one.”

Myungjun sighed feeling far from happy. “He’s on my mind now though JinJin. It’s hard to forget about him.”

“I’ll make you forget.” Jinwoo said, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He reached up and grabbed one of the branches of the tree above them. He shook it vigorously and Myungjun shrieked as snow fell down on top of them. Jinwoo quickly pulled away and scraped some snow off the floor.

“Don’t you dare.” Myungjun warned him, eyeing the snowball warily. It hit him in the chest a second later and he watched in disbelief as his boyfriend stuck his tongue out at him before running away. “I’M GOING TO KILL YOU PARK JINWOO!”

Myungjun definitely forgot about his father after that assault.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep revealing more and more areas of Voredan and I feel proud for creating it uwu
> 
> Also, what did Hyejin have in that paper bag I wonder...


	86. Chapter 86

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to upload early today, enjoy<3

Myungjun was sitting down on one of the mats in the combat centre, watching Jinwoo and Rocky teach one final time before the Christmas holidays. Rocky was recapping everything they’d learnt so far and Jinwoo was answering any of the questions that were being asked.

“What are we moving onto when we come back?” Jackson asked him excitedly. “Please say it’s something cool.” Myungjun didn’t think there was anything cooler than bows but listened to Jinwoo anyway.

Jinwoo turned to Rocky and they exchanged a look. Rocky nodded and stepped away into the storage room where Myungjun could hear him moving things around. He came out a few moments later with a wooden box and dumped it on the floor by Jinwoos feet. Jinwoo bent down and pulled some shiny metal objects out that fit into the palm of his hand. Myungjun instantly recognised it as the thing Jinwoo was playing with on the academy stairs when his carriage had pulled up at the start of the year.

A mixture of sounds filled the room, some excited gasps, confused whispers and some people muttered sounding uneasy.

“Can anybody tell me what these are?” Jinwoo asked, holding them up so everyone could see.

“Shuriken’s.” Hyejin answered, sounding interested for once. “A weapon used to injure and distract rather than to kill.”

“Excellent Hyejin.” Jinwoo praised her. Myungjun shifted uncomfortably at the happy look on her face and he froze as her eyes found his own to smirk his way. He really didn’t like her. “These are indeed shuriken’s, meaning hidden hand blade, and they’re used mainly as distractions or to cause brief injuries. Like all weapons, however, there _is_ a chance they can kill if used properly, by slicing open important arteries for example. They can also be coated in poison, so when they embed themselves in the skin of your enemies, they deliver the poison in a painful yet effective way.”

“These weapons are secondaries.” Rocky continued after Jinwoo stopped to take a breath. He held one up to the light before slipping it out of sight in a specialised belt that he had put on whilst Jinwoo spoke. “They’re used mainly to perform glancing hits, enough to scare and confuse an enemy that hasn’t seen you coming yet. They won’t know what hit them as it’s a small blade that can easily disappear behind them. It puts them in a vulnerable state of mind and allows you to make a battle changing first move. This belt I’m wearing is how they can be safely manoeuvred around without cutting you. They’re obviously extremely sharp.”

The class jumped in surprise when Jinwoo suddenly launched a handful at one of the wooden dummies to the side of him. He didn’t even look but they all thudded noisily into the wood and glinted menacingly in the light. “Extremely sharp.” He repeated with a small smile. “We’ll be using them after Christmas, so we won’t go into too much depth with them today. We only have ten minutes left, and as it’s the last lesson this term, we’ll let you go early. Have a good holiday.”

The class dispersed, chattering excitedly and Myungjun was happy to hear people talking about how cool Jinwoo had been throwing the shuriken’s without needing to look. His boyfriend _was_ cool, so cool, so impressive with every weapon he used, especially when he made it all look so easy.

“Junnie I said class was dismissed.” Myungjun looked up from his seat on the mat and saw Jinwoo staring down at him with a smile. “Unless you’re waiting here for someone? Maybe someone extremely handsome who impressed you so much today that you’d be willing to give him a kiss?” He laughed when Myungjun scrambled to his feet but made a noise of surprise when Myungjun pulled him towards the storage room that Rocky was just coming out of, after putting the box of shuriken’s away.

“We’ll be five minutes.” Myungjun told Rocky who just looked at them in confusion before Myungjun shut the door behind them with a snap.

“Junnie what-” Myungjun cut off Jinwoos words by leaning in slowly to kiss him, pressing Jinwoo gently up against the closed door with his hands flat on Jinwoos chest. He’d never kissed Jinwoo by pushing him up against something before and now he knew why Jinwoo did it to him all the time. Myungjun hummed happily when he felt Jinwoos hands move up to cup his face and melted inside when Jinwoo stroked his cheeks with his thumbs, kissing him softly. Myungjun snuggled closer until his hands were pressed firmly between their chests and he felt both of their heartbeats, beating slightly out of sync but each beating just as fast.

Myungjun pulled back after a while to smile at his boyfriend who looked relaxed and happy. He saw the emotion in Jinwoos eyes and knew his reflected the same right back at him.

“Sunshine.”

“JinJin.”

“Sleep over tonight.”

“I’m going to sleep over every night from now until Christmas. You better get some washing done because I’ll be using a lot of your clothes.”

“That’s fine by me. They look better on you anyway.”

*

Myungjun woke up on Christmas morning to the feeling of Jinwoos lips pressing kisses all over his face. He tried to pretend to be asleep still but couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips.

“Mmm you’re awake.” Jinwoo said happily, leaving one final kiss on his lips before pulling back. “I’m sorry, you just looked so cute sleeping; I couldn’t help myself.”

Myungjun giggled and rolled over to cuddle him. “It’s okay, it’s a nice way to wake up. What’s the time?”

“Seven.”

“SEVEN?” Myungjun shrieked in disbelief. “You woke me up on Christmas day at SEVEN? You monster. That’s it, I’m going back to sleep.” Myungjun yanked the cover back up to his chin and turned his back on Jinwoo, smiling to himself at Jinwoos unhappy whine.

“I can’t sleep anymore Junnie, I’m too excited! I need to see your face when you receive my present. Please look at me.”

Myungjun sighed loudly and turned back around…where he came face to face with a teddy bear. Jinwoo had clearly made it himself because it looked terrible. Its face was lopsided, and it was made from a variety of different fabrics that didn’t match at all but Myungjun didn’t care. He _ADORED_ it. He took it from Jinwoo and hugged it tight, feeling how plush it was and looked down to giggle at its funny face.

“Hello Mister Bear.” Myungjun said, talking in the voice he reserved for his stuffed toys only. “You’re _lovely_ , I’ll take good care of you and you’ll sleep right beside me with my two little birds okay? Would you like that?” He made the bear nod up at him and heard Jinwoo curse quietly. Myungjun looked up confused to see Jinwoo watching them.

“Sorry.” Jinwoo said quickly. “You’re just…” He clutched his chest and pretended to be in pain. “I swear to the deity you’re the most adorable person I’ve ever seen Kim Myungjun. It physically hurts just looking at you.” Myungjun giggled again and snuggled up to him. Jinwoo pulled him close and showered him with kisses. “Never stop giggling, never stop being happy, never stop being adorable and never stop being my boyfriend okay sunshine? Can you do that for me?” Myungjun nodded seriously and Jinwoo grinned at him before poking his nose. “It’s time for my present now.”

“You’re looking at it.” Myungjun said, waggling his eyebrows.

“I- what?”

“I’m the present.” Myungjun said flashing him a bright smile. “I spent all my money in Voredan, and I didn’t know what to make you. So, I’m the present.”

A slow smile spread across Jinwoos face until he was positively beaming. “Does this mean you’ll do whatever I say for the whole day?” Myungjun nodded. “ _Whatever_ I say?”

“Whatever you say JinJin.”

Jinwoo made a noise of excitement and rolled over until he was on top of Myungjun, Mr Bear squashed between them. “We’re going to spend all morning right here.”

“I like the sound of that.” Myungjun said breathlessly. “What would you like me to do first?”

*

“Nice of you to finally join us Hyungs.” Dongmin said, looking amused as his eyes took in their ruffled appearances. “Only just got out of bed? Did you have a nice sleep?”

“The best.” Jinwoo said sounding blissful, taking a seat at the table. Myungjun went to sit in his usual seat beside him but squealed as Jinwoo pulled him down onto his lap instead. “Sit with me Junnie.” Myungjun nodded obediently and leaned over the table to grab the jug of water for them.

“Please refrain from being gross at the table.” Moonbin said, watching them with a look of disgust on his face.

Myungjun frowned and poured two glasses of water. “We’re not doing anything out of the ordinary Moonbin. I always sit on his lap.”  
“I know.” Moonbin said, looking pointedly at Jinwoo behind him. “But he’s looking at you in a way that’s making me want to gag.” Myungjun looked back to meet Jinwoos eyes. They looked innocent enough. Moonbin scoffed across the table. “Unbelievable. You should watch out Myungjun-hyung, he eyes you like you’re his lunch when your backs turned.”

Myungjun flushed at his words and quickly turned away from Jinwoo to sort out their _actual_ lunch. They’d stayed in bed for too long and he was dying of hunger. He tried to ignore the way his skin tingled from Jinwoos eyes on his back and started to gather food for them.

“Feed me Junnie.”

Myungjun shuffled around on Jinwoos lap to look at him better and balanced the plate of food on his thighs. He fed one spoonful to him before Sanha groaned. “Hyungs you _are_ being gross. Why are you doing everything he says?” Sanha asked, looking at Myungjuns flushed face.

Jinwoo swallowed his food and smacked his lips noisily. “He has too.”

“Why?” Rocky asked curiously, ignoring the way Rocky Jr was waving a knife around in the air. Luckily Sanha was paying enough attention to take it from him before he could cause any real damage.

“Because I said so.” Jinwoo answered with a shrug, looking way too cocky for Myungjuns liking.

“No its because _I_ said so.” Myungjun replied, shoving another spoonful of vegetables into Jinwoos mouth to shut him up. “I was too poor and uncreative to get him a gift, so I told him I’d do whatever he wanted for the day.”

Dongmin groaned across the table. “I don’t even want to know any more. It’s easy to guess why it took you so long to get down here now.”

Jinwoo laughed at Myungjuns fierce blush and wrapped his arms around his waist. “We had _lot’s_ of fun, didn’t we Junnie?”

“Shut your mouth and eat your food Park Jinwoo.”

*

Myungjun was walking back from the toilets when he saw Dongmin speaking quietly to Frost down the corridor. He only managed to catch the end of their conversation.

“…for me. It means a lot.” Dongmin said, bouncing happily on the balls of his feet. “How long?”

“Half an hour because I need to get a cup of coffee first.” Frost replied, running a hand through his platinum blonde hair. “Keep them occupied until then.”

Dongmin thanked him before rushing off to the hall, not noticing Myungjuns presence. Myungjun followed after him feeling curious and sat down again beside Jinwoo. He watched as Dongmin jittered nervously in his seat, constantly shooting glances over his shoulder to the kitchen door, which Frost had disappeared into on his quest for caffeine.

“Dongmin are you okay?” Myungjun asked, watching the way Dongmin jumped and turned back to offer him a strained smile.

“Fine Hyung.” He turned to Sanha and pointed to his guitar. “Play us the Christmas songs you learnt, and any others you know whilst you’re at it.”

Sanha looked a bit confused at his request but picked up his guitar anyway. Rocky Jr clapped excitedly and ran to sit right in front of him, his little legs dangling over the edge of the table.

Sanha played something upbeat that had everyone swaying along to the music but Myungjun was watching Dongmin with a frown. He was using their maknae to distract them all from whatever he was planning with Frost.

It was during Sanhas third song that Frost stepped out of the kitchens and made his way out of the hall, throwing Dongmin a wink that everyone but Myungjun missed. The time trickled by and eventually Sanha got bored and put his guitar down.

“Let’s go play in the snow Hyungs.” He said, standing up.

“WAIT!” Everyone turned to Dongmin and he flushed. “Has everyone eaten enough? Don’t you want to eat something sweet before we leave?” Yet again he managed to distract their clueless friends and Myungjun sat back in his chair with his arms crossed wondering what Dongmin was playing at.

“Dongmin.” Frosts voice came from the doors a while later and Dongmin looked up quickly, breaking out into a wide smile. “It’s done. Be careful.”

“We will!” Dongmin squealed, pulling a large bag out from under the table that Myungjun hadn’t noticed before. Neither had the others it seemed, as they all looked surprised at the sudden appearance, including Moonbin. “I have everyone’s Christmas presents in here.” Dongmin said happily. “One pair for each of us.” He pulled out a pair of white boots, covered in purple stars and Myungjun gasped when he saw what they were. Everything suddenly made sense.

“Ice skates? Frost froze the lake didn’t he!” Dongmin looked at him in surprise before nodding. “Let’s go then!” Myungjun squealed, holding out his hand for his pair. Dongmin handed them all out in turn and led the way outside and into the snow.

“Junnie wait.” Myungjun stopped and turned to look at his boyfriend. “Wait here for me.” Jinwoo took off towards the fire user’s corridor where he disappeared.

“We’ll meet you there.” Myungjun assured the others when they hung back looking impatient. They left him without a second thought, and he waited for a few minutes before Jinwoo returned, carrying an armful of clothes. “Oh no JinJin. I’ll be _fine_.”

“You’re in your pyjamas still Junnie.” Jinwoo pointed out with a scowl. “You’re putting this on whether you like it or not.” Myungjun just sighed and accepted his fate. Jinwoo bundled him up and wrapped two different scarves around his neck.

“JinJin I’ve never worn this many layers in my life! You’re overdoing it. I won’t be able to skate like this!”

“I’ll help you skate Junnie. Stop complaining.” Jinwoo scolded him before standing back to admire his work. He picked up their skates by the laces and held Myungjuns hand with his free one. “Let’s go cutie.”

When they got to the lake, Myungjun could already see Dongmin trying to teach Moonbin who was wobbling around and shrieking. Sanha was down already, whining loudly about bruises whilst Rocky skated around him laughing and not helping him up. Jinwoo stopped at the edge of the ice and crouched down in front of Myungjun to put his skates on for him, before sitting back and quickly doing his own.

“Have you ever skated before Junnie?” He asked, stepping onto the ice and holding out his hand. Myungjun shook his head and felt excitement well up inside of him as he took Jinwoos hand and stepped onto the ice after him. “Neither have I.” Jinwoo confessed.

“How are you supposed to help me skate then?” Myungjun laughed, watching as Jinwoo took a shaky step. To his surprise, Jinwoo stayed on his feet and began to pull him along. He didn’t have to do anything at all. Jinwoo just dragged him forwards slowly until they reached the others. “Of course you’d be good at this too.” Myungjun sighed.

“Hyung help me!” Sanha moaned, holding his arms out to Myungjun from his seat on the ice. Myungjun looked down at his pout and quickly let go of Jinwoos hand to help their cute maknae. He took a few shaky steps towards him before falling down himself with a screech. He landed with an ‘oof’ but was happy to see all the layers Jinwoo put on him had cushioned the blow. Jinwoo grabbed him under the arms and pulled him to his feet again before going to help Sanha up next.

“Rocky help Sanha.” Jinwoo ordered him with a scowl as Rocky skated past, twirling gracefully and laughing at the younger boy. Rocky skated back over to them and skidded to a stop, his skates spraying freezing cold ice up Sanhas legs. He grabbed Sanhas arms and yanked him forwards, making Sanha shriek and trip over his feet. Rocky caught him at the last second and tutted.

“I can’t help him, he’s too clumsy. He can’t even fly properly, so how can he skate?” Sanha found his footing and pushed Rocky away angrily.

“It’s not my fault I can’t fly! Go away you jerk, I’ll skate with the people I actually _like._ ”

Rocky just shrugged and skated away, looking just as graceful as before. Myungjun rolled his eyes at their exchange and held his hand out to Sanha. “Let’s have fun without that meanie. It doesn’t matter if you can’t fly. Neither can we.” Sanha looked between Myungjun and Jinwoo and finally smiled.

“Thanks Hyungs. Let’s play!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never been ice skating and it shows~


	87. Chapter 87

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT:  
> I rarely ever ask you lovely humans to do anything but I really do need you to read the notes at the end of this chapter after you've finished reading it. They're SUPER important for the upcoming chapters of this fic!!  
> Thankyou uwu~

Myungjun sighed happily as he sat on the edge of Jinwoos bed, his legs dangling over the side, with Jinwoo behind him brushing his hair with his comb. Jinwoo had taken to brushing his hair in the mornings whenever he slept over and Myungjun wasn’t complaining. It felt nice and relaxed him. He didn’t know why Jinwoo liked doing it so much but decided he didn’t really need to know.

“Longer Junnie.” Jinwoo commanded quietly behind him. “I’ve run out of things to brush.” Myungjun giggled and made his blue hair a little bit longer. “More than that! That’s hardly anything.” Jinwoo complained. Myungjun tried again and stopped when it reached his shoulders. “That’s better. We’ll get up after this okay?” Myungjun nodded and swung his legs happily, rubbing circles into Jinwoos thighs that were resting either side of him.

When Jinwoo was finished, he leaned over to place the comb back on his bedside cabinet before sitting back up and wrapping his arms around Myungjuns waist, hooking his chin over Myungjuns shoulder. The both sighed happily at the same time before bursting into giggles.

Myungjun turned back to look at Jinwoo and smiled brightly. “Should we go to breakfast now?”

“Are you hungry?” Jinwoo asked, running a hand through Myungjuns hair. Myungjun thought about it before realising he was and nodded. His stomach rumbled lightly to back up his statement and Jinwoo laughed before telling him to get up. “If we go for breakfast now, we’ll still have some free time before our first lesson so we can go sit by the lake or something yeah?”

*

True to his word, Jinwoo led them to the lake to look out across the calm, unfrozen water after they’d eaten. Myungjuns breath formed white clouds in the air in front of him and he snuggled closer to Jinwoo to get some warmth. His head and his heart felt at peace out here and he finally felt ready to face his first day of lessons after the Christmas holidays.

Jinwoo shifted and looked down at Myungjuns gloveless hands with a frown. “Junnie where are your gloves?”

“Right here!” Myungjun said cheerfully, moving to stand in front of Jinwoo and putting his hands inside the pockets of Jinwoos black leather jacket. Jinwoo held back his smile and shook his head with a forced sigh.

“What am I going to do with you hmm?” When Myungjun shrugged Jinwoo put his hands into his pockets too and pulled Myungjuns out to look down at them. “You should hold my hands instead Junnie, they’re a lot warmer.”

Myungjun watched as Jinwoo stroked his thumb over the ring on his finger and he did the same to Jinwoos. “JinJin?”

“Hmm?”

“Because we’re married-”

“We’re not really married.” Jinwoo said for the hundredth time since giving Myungjun the band. “I already told-”

“Because we’re married,” Myungjun carried on, ignoring him. “I was wondering if my name was Park Myungjun now?”

They both looked up and Jinwoo seemed lost in thought before shaking his head. “If anything, I’m Kim Jinwoo now. I’m marrying into _your_ family Junnie. I have none left to offer you.”

“You say that as if you aren’t already offering me the world.” Myungjun said quietly. Jinwoo gazed at him with a soft smile and Myungjun let the name roll off of his tongue and smiled back. “Kim Jinwoo is pretty. I like it.”

“Not as pretty as you.” Jinwoo said, chuckling at Myungjuns resulting blush. “One day I’m going to marry you for real, you know that right?”

Myungjun did know that. There was no-one else in the land that he would rather spend the rest of his life with. He was fifteen, he knew people would say he was too young to be thinking such thoughts, but he knew how he felt. He knew it for certain. Park Jinwoo was meant to be with him. They were destined to meet each other here, to grow alongside each other, learning their different strengths and weaknesses, their different likes and dislikes. He didn’t necessarily believe in the deity herself, but he sent a quick prayer up to her now, thanking her for allowing Jinwoo to be born and brought into his life and asking her to keep him safe and happy always.

“Junnie?” Myungjun snapped out of his thoughts to look up at his boyfriend. “I asked you what classes you have today sunshine.”

“Herbology, shapeshifting and zoology.” Myungjun recited perfectly, without needing to check his timetable. “I really should go and check on my greenhouse now JinJin. I need to summon Camellia too, I haven’t seen her for months, she’s going to be so angry at me.”

Jinwoo sighed and pulled him in for a hug. “She’ll understand. You’ve been really busy with your classes and you haven’t found yourself in a situation where you really _needed_ her either. Just summon her when you get to the greenhouses, where its permanently warm, and avoid summoning her in the snow, it might just make her grumpier.”

Myungjun nodded dutifully and pressed a quick kiss to Jinwoos lips. “I’ll see you in a couple of hours Mr Kim.”

Jinwoo chuckled and kissed him again. “I could get used to hearing that.”

*

Camellia was definitely grumpy. “Oh, it’s lovely to see you again Myungjun. I thought you’d never let me see the light of day again.”

Myungjun whined and stroked her petals. He’d summoned her with enough magical energy to make her his height and he leaned forwards to press his forehead against her. “I’m sorry. I’ve just been busy; I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

“How exactly do you plan on doing that?” She asked huffily, her tinkling voice making Myungjun realise just how much he’d missed her. “I’m not easy to please you know.”

Myungjun snorted and pulled away. “You’re basically my other half Camellia, I know exactly what will please you. Food.” He saw her physically perk up at the idea and laughed. “I have some nice fertilizer with your name on it over there, and then when we go to lunch, I’ll steal all the fruit just for you okay? I’ll even go into the kitchens and ask the nice chef to prepare a special platter for my special companion.”

Myungjun was glad to see her cheer up considerably after that and he sprinkled some fertilizer over her roots before moving to sort out his other plants. The ones he planted at the start of September were now budding and the other seedlings Ms Jung had prepared for him before the holidays were flourishing nicely. He used the watering plant that Jinwoo had gotten him last Christmas, to water all of his plants and pulled out a few stray weeds before asking all of them in turn if they wanted some fertilizer too. They all said no, so Myungjun went over to his bag to pull some parchment out and sketched their new buds instead, making notes on the back of each sheet of parchment on how they smelt currently and how they felt before deciding he was done for the lesson.

“Let’s go a bit earlier so I can get you that fruit platter.”

*

Myungjun kept Camellia at his side all day. He fed her all the fruit he could find at lunch and felt increasingly better the happier she got. In shapeshifting, the teacher did a double take when they walked through the doors and Myungjun had to explain what she was. Miss Hwang allowed her to stay by his side whilst she taught them how to change their facial features. Myungjuns mood fell slightly when he realised he’d be the last to learn this spell as well. Everyone got the hang of it by the end of the lesson, especially Hyejin who replicated Jaebums face perfectly, and Myungjun left with a sigh, still struggling to change his eyes and lips effectively.

Zoology wasn’t much better. He had a surprise quiz on all the different demon types he learned about so far and messed up a few of their names, earning himself a disapproving look from Ms Lee. He promised her he’d do some more revision before leaving to go look up books on demons at the library.

Myungjun hadn’t arranged to meet him there, but he found Jinwoo curled up in one of the reading chairs, surrounded by different books on weaponry and Myungjun was happy to see the book he had purchased from Wonhos bookstore on his boyfriend’s lap. Jinwoo looked up in surprise when he approached and gave him a relieved smile.

“Hey Junnie. Do you think you could watch my stuff for me? I’m _desperate_ for the toilet.” Myungjun nodded readily and Jinwoo moved everything to the side before racing out of sight. Myungjun sat down in his vacated seat and whined happily at the heat he’d left behind. He pulled some of the pieces of Jinwoos parchment towards himself and snorted in amusement at the atrocity of his writing. It was all a scribbled mess and he wondered how Jinwoo could even make out what he had written. Myungjun certainly couldn’t.

Jinwoo had written his name on the top of each sheet of parchment and Myungjun grabbed the nearest pen to change them all to _Kim Jinwoo_ instead, giggling quietly to himself. He quickly put all the parchment back inconspicuously and paused at a sound he’d recognise anywhere. He told Camellia to stay with Jinwoos stuff and walked a few shelves down to see Sanha snoring on one of the chairs, curled up under a jacket Myungjun didn’t recognise.

Myungjun was about to leave when he saw Sanhas hair move and Rocky Jr poked his head out garbling quietly. Rocky must be here somewhere, Myungjun thought to himself, Rocky Jr can’t stay animated if he’s not nearby. He set off to find him and spotted the younger boy sitting on one of the library tables, doing his homework.

“Why is Rocky Jr with Sanha and not you?” Myungjun asked as he approached him.

Rocky looked up in surprise before processing his question and shrugging. “Dunno. Rocky Jr seems to like him, I don’t know why, Sanhas an annoying brat.” He went back to reading the textbook in front of him before scribbling down some more notes.

“Rocky you do realise Rocky Jr is an extension of yourself.” Rocky just hummed in acknowledgment but he didn’t look up as he flicked the page of his textbook over. “Which means Rocky Jr feels whatever you feel.”

“What about it Hyung? I’m a bit busy right now.”

Myungjun just sighed and shook his head. “Never mind. I’ll leave you too it.” He made his way back through the shelves. He’ll figure it out eventually, Myungjun thought to himself, he wants to be friends with Sanha whether he admits it to himself or not.

Myungjun approached Camellia and saw that Jinwoo was already sitting back in his chair and writing more notes of his own.

“Where did you go?” Jinwoo asked when Myungjun sat down in the chair next to him.

“I heard Sanha snoring, so I went to make sure he was okay.” Myungjun explained, mind already drifting to the work he was supposed to be doing himself. “You spend enough time in here bookworm, do you know where I can find books on demons?”

Jinwoo smiled down at his work before setting it aside. “I’ll show you Junnie, but you shouldn’t sabotage my notes like that. I’m not Kim Jinwoo yet.”

Myungjun giggled and followed him through the library, hearing Camellia tinkle lightly behind them. “It wasn’t _sabotage_ JinJin. It was an _improvement_.”

Jinwoo stopped in front of one of the shelves and pulled a couple of books down before dumping them into Myungjuns waiting arms. “I suppose, but you really did sabotage one piece of parchment. It was one of the lesson reports I need to hand in to the head of the academy by tomorrow.”

Myungjun gasped and quickly apologised. “I’m sorry JinJin. Your writing was just so terrible I couldn’t read what it was about. I wouldn’t have written on it otherwise.”

“You suck at apologies Myungjun.”

“Yet you forgive me anyway.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kim Jinwoo uwu~
> 
> IMPORTANT:  
> In regards to the upcoming chapters, for the first time you'll be reading POVs from Myungjun AND Jinwoo. (The hardest most rewarding thing I've ever done for this fic honestly) and there will be OBVIOUS headings for where the POV changes.  
> Also, you NEED to read the beginning notes of every chapter, they're going to contain warnings for what the chapters contain. I've written 13 chapters of fluff straight...THIRTEEN, and if you should know anything about me as a writer, its that I build fluff to make the angst hit harder...get where I'm going with this? See you tomorrow then loves<3


	88. Chapter 88

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER WARNINGS:  
> Mentions of sex/masturbation.  
> Mild Smut  
> Language (Literally one word lol please don't kill me)
> 
> My longest chapter to date. Let the angst begin~

**Myungjun**

It was around a week before the February dungeon run examinations, when Myungjuns world came crashing down around him.

As far as days went, his had been pretty good. He’d had shapeshifting first and they’d moved onto enhancing their bodies for combat. Something he was _extremely_ interested in. Afterwards, he had gone down to his greenhouse and harvested his second batch of medicinal herbs, praising himself for getting them done in time for next week’s exams.

His last class of the day found him down in the combat centre, practicing his archery with only Rocky teaching the class. Jinwoo had claimed he had something to do that lesson and would be down there practicing himself later that night when everyone was asleep. Myungjun was sad Jinwoo wasn’t there but told himself to man up, he could do one lesson alone. He’d spent the entire summer without him last year for crying out loud.

He stood twenty feet from one of the straw dummies, as the lesson came to an end. He’d spent the first hour and a half practicing inside with the shuriken’s but had given up and moved back to using his bow outside instead. He liked it so much better. He nocked his arrow and pulled the string taut, keeping his arm straight and steady. He always hit stationary targets perfectly every time now but wanted to hit it once more for luck before leaving. It was a silly superstition, but he always did it at the end of each lesson regardless.

A hand on his shoulder made him release his arrow with a squeak of surprise and he watched forlornly as it missed his target completely and disappeared into the night. How unlucky. He turned around with a scowl, ready to scold whoever had sabotaged him and came face to face with Hyejin.

“Hello.” She said brightly, a voice Myungjun had never heard from her before. “You looked thirsty, so I got you some water.” She held out the cup in front of her and Myungjun eyed it suspiciously. He didn’t trust Hyejin very much. The last time they had actually spoken, he had plunged a sword into her back to the sound of her promising to get revenge. They’d been completely avoiding one another during their lessons together this year and to say he was upset by that would be a lie. She saw him hesitate to take the cup and laughed. “It’s just water Myungjun. See?” Myungjun watched as she raised the cup to her lips and relaxed. It really was safe to drink after all.

“Thanks…I guess.” Myungjun said awkwardly, taking the cup and draining it dry. “Why are you helping me?”

Hyejin shrugged and picked at her nails with her usual air of self-confidence. “Just got bored and saw you were alone. Where’s your boyfriend anyway?”

Myungjun sighed and gestured for her to follow him as he walked into the darkness of the night, that wasn’t lit by the blazing torches, to find his arrow. “He had something to do this lesson.”

“He’s the teacher. Won’t he be worried about failing his students or something equally as ridiculous?” Hyejin asked making Myungjun laugh.

“It is ridiculous isn’t it? He couldn’t do any wrong towards us even if he tried.” Myungjun said proudly, searching around the grass for his missing arrow. “He said that he’d train alone later on tonight when we’re all asleep. Hey, do you think you could use your fire as a light so we can see better out here? I can’t find this arrow.” Myungjun didn’t hear her reply and turned around to face her. “Did you hear me?”

“I did.” Hyejin said, her usual sly tone creeping back in. “But I’m bored of playing nice now. You’ve given me everything I needed. Let’s have some fun now, shall we?” Myungjun felt a chill of fear go through his body at her complete change of demeanour but didn’t have time to reply before her fist was swinging his way.

Then everything went black.

*

**Jinwoo ~Later that night~**

Jinwoo loved fighting. He loved it more than anything. Well, excluding Myungjun of course. He loved how fighting made him feel. Strong, empowered, useful. He loved the idea of being strong and skilled enough to protect Myungjun and their friends. He always rushed first into fights in the dungeons to protect them, always first to charge into the battledome to take the pressure off his teammates. He knew it would still be like this outside of the academy when they leave. If he could convince Myungjun to join a guild with him, he’d always be the first to fight, to keep Myungjun out of harm’s way. Myungjun would protect him right back. Heal all of his wounds and boost him whenever he needed it. They made the perfect team.

However, the thing he loved almost as much as the ability to protect his loved ones, was what fighting did to his body. As he got older and grew into all of his features, he could really see the difference it made. He was no longer the weak little boy who got bullied and was too scared to use his magic. He was built and intimidating and wasn’t afraid to square up to anyone who tried to pick fights with him or his boyfriend. They still received prejudice from some students who couldn’t accept the fact they were together and on more than one occasion he’d had to defend their relationship with his fists. Myungjun didn’t know half of the fights he got into and he was glad. He didn’t want him to get upset.

The biggest reward for his hard efforts in training his body, was watching the way Myungjuns face changed when he undressed in front of him. Jinwoo knew he was still too innocent to know what he was feeling, but Jinwoo could see the desire in Myungjuns eyes and it made him feel _good_ about himself. So, he’d purposefully do things to show off. Wearing sleeveless tops when they had combat training, picking up heavy things in front of Myungjun just to see the way his eyes were drawn to his strained biceps, pulling Myungjun into hugs and squeezing him gently to remind him of his strength. He did feel a bit bad teasing Myungjun in a way he wouldn’t notice, but the way Myungjun whined quietly in happiness or unconsciously licked his lips when he was looking at Jinwoo made it worth it.

It wasn’t just Myungjun though. He could feel eyes on him a lot as he walked the corridors and grounds. Girls and boys alike would eye him as he walked past and at first it had made him uncomfortable, but now he just ignored it. He didn’t want anyone else to look at him in that way. Only Myungjun. It would always be only Myungjun.

Present day Jinwoo was down in the combat centre burning off some steam. Ten more minutes, he told himself, just ten more minutes in here and then I’ll go out and practice my archery and think up my next lesson plan. He blinked the sweat out of his eyes as he sparred against his favourite wooden dummy. It was battered and dented from years of heavy use. Jinwoo always used this one and liked to think some of the damage had been caused by him over the last three years.

He lashed out again and again at the wooden dummy in front of him, fists thumping against the wood, blows being cushioned by the wraps around his knuckles. He looked down at them now and smiled. Wrapping his knuckles always reminded him of Myungjun. Even after three years, he still wrapped them for him. He knew Myungjun could do it himself, but the older boy always asked him to do it for him and it made Jinwoo feel strangely proud.

As if his thoughts had summoned him, Jinwoo turned around at the sound of the doors opening, closing and locking to see his cute boyfriend smiling his way. He loved his smile. It radiated pure happiness and always left Jinwoo breathless. “Hey Junnie.” He said, stepping aside to pick up a towel. Ten minutes be damned, he’d always drop whatever he was doing for Myungjun. “Why are you locking the doors? I thought you’d be asleep by now.”

“I wasn’t tired. I came here because I wanted to be alone with you Jinwoo.” Myungjun said shyly, stopping in front of him and looking down at his feet. He was so cute it made Jinwoo want to scream.

Jinwoo pulled Myungjuns head up gently by his chin and let his eyes roam over his face. He went through a mental checklist in his head, like he did every time he looked at Myungjun.

Big expressive eyes that make me want to drown in them? Check. Long curly eyelashes that flutter prettily when he blinks his eyes? Check. A cute boopable nose that deserves a thousand kisses? Check. Soft pillowy cheeks that puff out when I watch my cute boyfriend eat food happily? Check. And finally, my favourite part, pink plush lips that deliver the cutest pouts and just SCREAM kiss me every time I see them? Check.

In short, he knew his boyfriend was gorgeous, angelic, pretty, perfect, cherubic, handsome, every single one of those words and a thousand more could apply to him and he’d scream it from the top of the academy and let the whole world know if he could. I’m so glad no-one can read my mind, Jinwoo thought, I have a reputation to uphold here. “It’s not my fault my boyfriend’s so adorable.” He mumbled quietly to himself and watched as Myungjuns face scrunched up cutely in confusion.

“What was that JinJin?” He asked softly. Jinwoo didn’t answer, feeling slightly embarrassed and leaned forwards to kiss him instead. He knew not to hug Myungjun whilst he was sweaty by now, the elder didn’t like it, so he held back the urge.

“Did you have a good day sunshine?” Jinwoo asked when he pulled back. He already knew what Myungjun was going to say because he’d had shapeshifting and herbology before combat training last lesson. He was going to talk excitedly about everything he’d learnt for the next five minutes and Jinwoo was going to listen patiently because he loved the sound of Myungjuns voice, and he loved watching the way his expressive eyes lit up whenever he mentioned his plants.

“It was alright I guess, pretty boring without you there.” Myungjun said instead, leaning towards him flirtatiously. Okay that’s not what I was expecting, Jinwoo thought, but he accepted it anyway because he’d also been bored without Myungjun as well.

“I missed you too cutie.” Jinwoo said happily, planting a kiss on his nose.

To his surprise Myungjun scowled at him. “I’m trying to flirt with you Jinwoo, don’t call me cute.”

“You like it when I call you cute. It always makes you giggle.” Jinwoo said with a frown. Also, since when did Myungjun start openly admitting he was flirting? Was this a new form of teasing that he’d have to put up with now? He liked it when Myungjun teased him obviously, but lately it was getting unbearably hard to keep himself contained.

“Well don’t call me cute today Jinwoo. I’m not trying to be cute; I’m trying to seduce you, so get this off.” Myungjun said impatiently, tugging at Jinwoos shirt.

Jinwoo blinked. Did Myungjun just say what he thought he said? “Seduce? Myungjun do you even know what that means?” He grabbed Myungjuns wrists, stopping him from his insistent tugging. “Junnie that doesn’t mean what you think it does.”

“Of course it means what I think it does. I want you to get your clothes off and stop talking.” Myungjuns lips crashed against his own and he kissed back hesitantly. His thoughts were running wild. How did Myungjun know what it meant? Who had told his cute innocent boyfriend such a corrupting word? He was definitely going to kill whoever had. Was this really happening though? Right in the middle of the combat centre? He realised that was why Myungjun had locked the doors and blushed.

He felt Myungjuns lips leave his own and opened his eyes to see Myungjun taking off his shirt slowly with a smirk on his face. Jinwoo reflexively closed his eyes again. He knew Myungjun never wanted him to watch when he got undressed.

“Jinwoo why are your eyes closed?” His boyfriend asked, voice laced with confusion.

“I always close them. Just like you ask.” Jinwoo said. He opened his eyes slightly when he heard Myungjun scoff.

“Wow what a prude.” Myungjun muttered under his breath.

Jinwoo opened his eyes all the way, keeping them trained on Myungjuns face and frowned. “You’re not a prude Myungjun. I know you’re self-conscious and I don’t mind. I’d rather you weren’t obviously but-” He was cut off short as Myungjun pulled him in for another kiss.

“Get your shirt off Jinwoo, I won’t ask again.” Jinwoo did as he was told. He’d never deny Myungjun anything. He watched as Myungjuns eyes drank in the sight of his body hungrily and flushed. He couldn’t help the way his eyes flickered down to Myungjuns own. It looked a lot more solid then he was expecting, and he stopped, confused, at Myungjuns stomach. He was sure Myungjun had a soft tummy, he’d just hugged him from behind the other day and tickled it playfully, so he knew he did. So why was his stomach now toned? He wasn’t complaining, he’d accept Myungjun in any condition, toned or not but he felt a twinge of sadness that his cute tummy was gone. Whenever he’d daydreamed about this moment it was always looking down to see how soft and plush his body looked.

“Why are you frowning?” Myungjun asked him cautiously. Jinwoo quickly got rid of the expression and smiled at him instead. He didn’t want Myungjun to think he didn’t like what he saw because he still did obviously. He just knew it would be a huge blow to Myungjuns confidence if he thought otherwise. “It doesn’t matter anyway, just kiss me.” His boyfriend said quickly.

Jinwoo made a noise of surprise in the back of his throat when Myungjun pressed their bodies together, completely ignoring how sweaty he was. Jinwoo quickly melted into the kiss as Myungjuns hands roamed his body, kneading and scratching in all the right places. He let his hands do the same and felt Myungjun moan into his mouth. It was positively sinful.

Not as sinful as the next words that left his boyfriends lips, however. “Jinwoo I want you.” He rolled his hips roughly against Jinwoos own, sending shockwaves of pleasure through Jinwoos body and making him lightheaded. Jinwoo cursed and felt his legs go weak. He couldn’t believe this was happening.

Myungjun whined desperately, pushing him up against the wall and grinding against him, making him see stars, until Jinwoo reached out his hands shakily to grab his hips and stop him. “Junnie stop, we can’t do this here. I don’t even think you know what you’re doing. You’ve never given me any indication that you wanted to do this before and you’re rushing into it now.”

“I know what I want Jinwoo. We have to do it here; we don’t have time.” Myungjun was looking between him and the door with wild eyes.

“What do you mean we- _oh bloody hell_.” Jinwoo moaned weakly as Myungjuns hand slipped past the waistband of his shorts. His touch was hot against his skin and he teased the waistband of Jinwoos underwear playfully.

“Jinwoo you can’t tell me you don’t want this. You’ve probably lain awake at night, touching yourself as you think about all the things you want to do to me. I know I have.” Myungjun whispered his filthy confession into Jinwoos ear, making him groan. Of course he’d thought about Myungjun in that way, beautiful tan skin spread out bare beneath him, Jinwoos name tumbling from his pretty lips as he lathered Myungjuns body in attention and affection. He was only human for crying out loud, but to hear Myungjun say it, his pure innocent boyfriend, made him shiver uncontrollably and he felt Myungjun sigh happily against his neck. “That’s right Jinnie, I know you want this too.”

_Jinnie?_

Myungjuns hand slipped past the waistband of his underwear and they both jumped in shock when the door was quite literally kicked in, metal screeching loudly.

He looked over Myungjuns shoulder at the door to see…Myungjun? “Get away from my boyfriend you _BITCH_ ” The Myungjun at the door shrieked, storming towards them looking thunderous with Camellia in tow. He was shedding dark red petals behind him and Jinwoos stomach sank. He put the pieces together and ripped Hyejins hand out of his shorts, pushing her away like he’d been burnt. Shame and disgust coiled hot inside of him, and he watched frozen as Myungjun approached them looking murderous. He said something in a language that Jinwoo didn’t understand and Camellia released a thick pollen that swept over Hyejin, engulfing her completely.

“I hope this hurts.” Myungjun spat as she bent over backwards at an unnatural angle and started to scream. Jinwoo snapped out of his trance and looked over at his boyfriend’s face. Myungjun was staring down at Hyejin, looking terrifyingly beautiful as his petals swirled chaotically around him. Jinwoo knew that look in his eyes. Myungjun had looked like that last year, when he had nearly strangled Jinwoo to death and when he had brutally killed Hyejin right in front of him and Jinwoo realised with a sinking feeling that the boy in front of him now, was no longer his boyfriend. He’d no longer recognise him.

“Junnie.” He said cautiously. He needed to stop Myungjun one way or another. Whatever he was doing to Hyejin sounded _agonizing_ as she writhed around on the floor, tears streaming down her face. Part of him was satisfied she was in pain after trying to use him, but the more level headed part reminded him she couldn't be revived out here if Myungjun accidently killed her and he didn't want him to carry that guilt. He knew Myungjun wouldn't be able to handle it. He knew all too well the guilt of murdering another person. “Junnie, it’s me. Its Jinwoo. You’re safe, we’re not here to hurt you. You need to calm down okay?” He took a tentative step forwards and watched as Myungjun raised one hand towards him, not even looking his way. Camellias roots shot out to greet him and pinned him against the wall with an unnatural strength. He tried to struggle free, but he was trapped. “Junnie it’s me, please listen to me.”

Myungjun turned to look at him slowly, tears welling up in his eyes. “I know it’s you JinJin. That’s why this hurts so much.” Jinwoos heart broke as he watched a terrible sob be wrenched out of Myungjuns body, making him stumble. Jinwoo was glad Camellia was there to catch him in his place. She held Myungjun up with her big waxy leaves and he cried openly against her as the pollen faded. Hyejin quietened down, slowly shifting back to her normal appearance and covered in a sheen of sweat. The only noise that could be heard in the room now, were Myungjuns pained sobs and Hyejins shallow breathing, both of which worried Jinwoo immensely.

Jinwoo couldn’t even begin to imagine how his boyfriend must be feeling right now. He felt ashamed and disgusted with himself to even think that Myungjun would approach him in such a manner. He should have known it wasn’t him. Jinwoo thought about how he would feel if he caught Myungjun in such a state, pressed up against the wall with someone’s hand down _his_ shorts and felt anger and jealousy burn bright inside of him. It was quickly replaced with an immense sadness as he realised Myungjun would never allow himself to be in such a position in the first place. Even if someone shapeshifted to look like him, Myungjun would know it wasn’t him, Jinwoo was sure of that.

Jinwoos eyes snapped down towards Hyejin as she pushed herself shakily to her feet, birthmark glowing. She’s going to kill him, Jinwoo thought as dread pooled in his gut and images of Myungjuns burnt body flashed in his mind, I need to stop her. He hadn’t been able to protect Myungjun from getting burnt from the demon blood, but he could sure as hell try to protect him from getting burnt by her fire. Myungjun was too busy crying to notice what was going on and Jinwoo watched Hyejins flames erupt across her hands, looking towards Myungjun with murderous intent in her eyes. Jinwoo struggled against Camellias roots and growled in frustration. There was only one way to break free.

I’m sorry, he thought before erupting into flames.

Camellia made a high-pitched tinkling noise that caused Myungjun to look at her in shock. She disappeared into a puff of dark red petals as her roots were burned away and Jinwoo lunged at Hyejin, pulling her up against his chest and keeping her hands away from his boyfriend. He knew that even though she couldn’t direct her magic at Myungjun this way, she could still combust and cause the same amount of damage.

“GET AWAY FROM US MYUNGJUN.” Jinwoo shouted at him, desperate to get him out of harms reach. He watched as Myungjun looked between them, betrayal and pain crossing his face, before turning on his heel and running out of the room, pure black petals falling behind him. Black…like my fire before, Jinwoo thought. His heart broke again.

_What have I done?_

“I’ll make you pay for this.” He hissed down at the girl in his arms. His anger rippled across his skin and they both exploded at the same time, vivid green and purple flames mixing together in a deadly inferno that filled the room and blew out all the windows, glass shattering noisily around them.

**Myungjun ~Half an hour earlier~**

Myungjun woke up groggily, head pounding as he tried to open his eyes. He tried to pull his head up and groaned at the sharp pain it sent through his temples.

“You’re finally awake.” Hyejins voice shocked him out of his groggy state and he looked up quickly to see her sitting on a battered desk, swinging her legs. He tried to get up but found he couldn’t move.

He struggled against the ropes binding him to the chair and growled angrily. “What the hell are you doing? Let me go you psycho!”

“Now now Myungjun, that’s no way to speak to a lady is it?” She asked, scolding him lightly. “You should be nicer to me in your current…condition.”

Myungjun struggled harder against the ropes, feeling the way they scraped against his skin painfully. “Seriously Hyejin, let me _go_! Why are you doing this to me?”

Hyejin clapped excitedly and jumped off the desk to crouch down in front of him. Myungjun saw the glint of the dagger in her hands and tensed. “That’s such a good question Myungjun, well done. I did want to get straight to the point anyway. I’m here to collect my revenge!” She said it cheerfully and Myungjun thought that was even more terrifying.

“You’re going to stab me?” He asked, fear crawling over his skin. “You’ll kill me Hyejin, this isn’t a joke!”

“Well you stabbed me didn’t you? This is only fair.” Her grin was predatory as she twirled the dagger around a few times before bringing it down hard and fast. Myungjun screamed but didn’t feel any pain as it thudded into the wooden arm of the chair, right between his fingers. Hyejin laughed and wrenched it free. “You scream like a girl Myungjun, how embarrassing.”

Myungjun felt close to passing out from how _terrified_ he was but tried to calm down, ignoring the way his heart was hammering away at his ribcage. “Hyejin don’t, I can’t be revived out here!”

“Pity.” She said, no hint of it in her voice whatsoever. “I remember you saying something to me in the battledome Myungjun. Something along the lines of ‘try me, I’ll kill you for real this time’, you said that right?”

Myungjun realised with a sinking feeling that he had. “That wasn’t me Hyejin you have to believe me. I’d snapped, I wasn’t myself, I nearly killed Jinwoo too!”

Hyejin paused at this and looked up at him with interest. “You nearly killed your own boyfriend? Wow, sounds like you’re the real psycho here.” Myungjun felt sick realising she actually sounded _impressed_. “Fine, I won’t kill you.” He watched as Hyejin stood back up. “But you’re going to wish I did when this night is over.”

Myungjun watched, frozen, as she started to shift. She grew taller, her hair shortened in length and her body began to fill out. It felt like all he did was blink, and then Hyejin was gone and he was staring at himself.

What. The. Hell.

“What are you doing?” He asked angrily, struggling against the ropes again. He could feel them tearing at his skin, but the pain only served to keep his mind sharp through the utter panic building in his chest.

“I’ve been so excited to share my _real_ plan with you!” Hyejin said in his own voice. It was creepy to say the least. “I’ve been watching Jinwoo for a long time now. Ever since I started to help him with his magic, ever since I gave him those _private_ lessons.” The way she said it made Myungjun even angrier. “He’s a real catch Myungjun. So handsome and kind and that body of his is to die for. But I know he loves you, it’s so disgustingly obvious. So, I’ve sat back and waited, searching for a way to have him all to myself and then the opportunity suddenly presented itself. Shapeshifting lessons! I was overjoyed. I knew he’d never accept me the way I looked before, so even though it makes me SICK to have to look like _you_ of all people, I decided this was the only way.”

Myungjun bristled and thrashed against his bindings. “You’re insane! He’d never fall for this, he KNOWS me. He’d know you’re a fake. If you even lay one hand on him, I swear to the deity I’ll-”

Hyejin lunged at him, all happiness wiped from her, or his, face as she pressed the dagger against his throat. “You’ll what Myungjun? I dare you to say it. I _dare_ you. I’ll gut you right here and now and bury your body so far down no-one will ever find you. They wouldn’t look anyway because you won’t be missing will you? You’ll be right here.” She gestured to herself and laughed manically, a loud, evil sound that chilled Myungjun to the bone. He gulped, feeling the cold metal of the dagger press further into his skin and she pulled away grinning when it was clear he wasn’t going to speak. “No wonder Jinwoo likes you so much, you listen to commands so well. Tell me pretty boy, what has your boyfriend made you do to him? I need the details.”

“Nothing.” Myungjun denied hotly, thinking about the way Jinwoo once told him to touch his chest and how he’d asked Myungjun to take his top off for him, at the start of their third year, before Myungjun had seen all of his bruising and wounds. Jinwoo had called him a good boy for removing his shirt and he flushed at the memories, making Hyejin laugh.

“You’re blushing Myungjun. I bet it was good. I must admit, I’m surprised. I was sure you were still a virgin. Jinwoo sure treats you like one. I did want to take your first time with him, but I guess I’ll just have to settle for less.”

Virgin? First time? What the hell was Hyejin talking about. “What are you going to do to him?” He thought about her hugging him, about her _kissing_ him and tears burned the corners of his eyes. He couldn’t let her do that.

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m going off to seduce your boyfriend and you’re going to sit here like a good little boy and let me. Who knows, maybe you’ll even hear him moaning your name from all the way over here. I promise I’ll make him feel good for you. Bye now.”

Myungjun watched her, or himself, walk out of the door, slamming it shut and felt nothing but confusion and panic and _anger_. She’d said too many words he didn’t understand, but he understood one thing. He knew _why_ Jinwoo would moan. He did it sometimes when they kissed and to hear Hyejin say she would elicit those sounds from him made Myungjun furious. He couldn’t let her kiss his boyfriend. No way in hell.

He took some deep breaths to calm himself and finally started to think properly about how to get out. He looked down at the ropes and frowned. Aren’t ropes made of plant fibres? He thought to himself, hope igniting in his chest. It was soon diminished as he realised he couldn’t quite reach the ones at his wrists, the angle was too awkward. My vines, he thought next, angling his fingers over the arms of the chair and closing his eyes. He focused on moving his magic down to his palms and…nothing. He tried again. Nothing.

His magic was gone.

“No…No this can’t be happening.” The panic hit him like a stone wall, and he screamed, tugging at the ropes and bursting into angry tears. Suddenly he was eight years old again, being forced to take his ‘special medicine’ and having his magic ripped away. “No, no, NO! It’s mine! You can’t take it away from me PLEASE!” He shouted into the empty room and got nothing but mournful echoes in return. I’m never going to get out, I’m going to be stuck here and she’s going to kiss him and touch him with her filthy hands. Myungjuns thoughts were running wild. What if Jinwoo hugged her back? Kissed her back? Took his _shirt_ off? It was too much to think about and he curled over sobbing uncontrollably. He let his emotions take control, not worried about losing it because he didn’t have magic anymore to cause any real damage.

That’s when he felt it. A tiny spark in his right palm. He sat back up straight, blinking the tears away and turned his wrist around, ignoring the burning pain of the ropes tearing his skin and opened up his hand to see one singular petal. Crushed but alive. _Camellia_. My emotions, he thought, they’re pushing through the suppression.

So, he let himself get angry, angrier than he’d ever been in his life and forced all his energy into the petal. Camellia landed on the floor with a tinkle and turned her flowery head to look at him. She no longer had bright red petals, they were a dark, blood red, an angry red that resonated deep within Myungjuns soul. “Get me out of here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I...have nothing to say.
> 
> ...I did hwasa so dirty though, I'm so sorry mamamoo stans. I needed a villain and I always thought she'd make a good one ;-;


	89. Chapter 89

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER WARNINGS:  
> Brief mentions of suic*dal thoughts. (So brief I promise.)  
> Language (Still one word)
> 
> Myungjun POV only this chapter. The Jinwoo POVs will be back though.

Myungjun didn’t waste any time as he approached the combat centres doors. He tried the handle, but it was locked. So, he stepped back and booted it with all his might. The doors caved in with a screech of metal and his heart broke at the sight in front of him. Jinwoo was definitely shirtless, pressed up against the wall, with his head thrown back and his chest heaving. The noises he was making stabbed cruelly at Myungjuns heart. Hyejin was pressed up against him in a similar state of undress, lips on his boyfriends’ neck and one hand down his boyfriends’ shorts. Myungjun couldn’t even think about why her hand would be there and instead watched the way they both looked around in shock.

“Get away from my boyfriend you _BITCH_.” He shrieked, intent on stopping her in any way possible. He saw the way Jinwoos face changed and was briefly relieved to see him push her away. When she turned to look at Myungjun with a smirk he lost it.

“Camellia, pain.” Was all he said, and he watched the pollen engulf Hyejin completely. “I hope this hurts.” She screamed and screamed and screamed, bending over backwards before falling to the floor and Myungjun watched it all, drinking in the sight of her writhing body.

“Junnie.” He heard his boyfriends cautious voice and tried to block him out. He couldn’t even look at Jinwoo right now. The pain of it all was too much. Jinwoo hadn’t recognised that it wasn’t him. His own boyfriend. Looking down at Hyejin now, Myungjun could see the obvious differences in their appearance. Especially his torso. Myungjun wasn’t that built, didn’t have a stomach that toned, and his trident scar was missing. Yet Jinwoo still kissed and touched her anyway. Maybe that’s what he likes, Myungjun thought sadly, maybe he wanted me to look like that after all. He wouldn’t have fallen for it otherwise. The shame he felt for his actual body rolled in and made a lump form in his throat.

“Junnie, it’s me. Its Jinwoo. You’re safe, we’re not here to hurt you. You need to calm down okay?” Jinwoos soothing words _always_ calmed Myungjun down. But not today. He saw him moving out of the corner of his eye and lifted his hand towards him. He didn’t even need to tell Camellia what to do. Jinwoo was pinned against the wall, out of his sight. He stared down at Hyejin as he heard Jinwoo struggle. “Junnie it’s me, please listen to me.”

Oh. Jinwoo thought he’d snapped. That he didn’t recognise him anymore. He hadn’t slipped into his other mindset in a long time but part of him wished he had right now. It would have made things a whole lot easier. Myungjun turned to look at him slowly, tears welling up in his eyes. “I know it’s you JinJin. That’s why this hurts so much.” Finally looking at his boyfriend again, looking at his handsome face etched in fear towards _him_ , made Myungjun break. He stumbled as he cried, a sob that was pulled from deep within his chest and he felt Camellias leaves catch him. I can’t do this, he thought pulling the pollen away, I can’t look at him right now, not when he looks so scared, not when I’ve hurt Hyejin again. He knew she deserved it for touching his boyfriend in that way, but he also knew he deserved the revenge as well. He’d slaughtered her in the battledome, viciously and without mercy so he only had himself to blame.

Suddenly, Camellia was screaming, and he felt the leaves disappear. He looked towards her puff of petals in shock and managed to catch himself from falling.

“GET AWAY FROM US MYUNGJUN.”

Myungjun looked up to see his boyfriend glaring at him angrily and hugging a half-naked Hyejin to his bare chest. She had shifted back to her normal appearance and was cuddled up in his arms.

Myungjun felt sick.

He felt sick and betrayed and so so sad. Jinwoo had made his choice. It was clear to see. He’d obviously preferred Hyejins version of himself and was even willing to touch her when she was back to normal.

His heart shattered into a million pieces and all he could think about was getting away from them. Away from the _pain_. So, he did what he was best at. He ran. Straight out of the combat centre and away from the boy he thought he’d spend forever with.

*

Myungjun burst through the door to his room, sobbing loudly and waking everyone up.

“Junnie?” Youngjaes panicked voice cut through the dark and suddenly light was flooding the room. “GUYS WAKE UP!”

Myungjun felt arms around him a second later and cried impossibly harder at the warmth that radiated from Youngjaes body.

“What’s going on?” Namjoon asked quickly, rushing out of bed, pulling a very sleepy looking Seokjin with him and putting on his glasses. “Hyung? Hyung what’s wrong?”

Myungjun couldn’t speak. He could barely breathe. He choked out some jumbled words and let himself be led to his bed.

“Junnie you need to calm down honey okay?” Seokjins soothing voice washed over him and he felt another warm body press up against his own. “Namjoon go and get us some hot drinks.” He heard him mutter and the door to the room opened and closed. Myungjun felt Seokjins hand in his hair a second later, scratching his scalp comfortingly and he buried his face further into Youngjaes chest.

Everything was falling apart. Jinwoo didn’t want him anymore. Hyejin had stolen him and it made him realise how little Jinwoo must have cared about him in the first place. The worst thing was, he was _sure_ Jinwoo loved him. He was _sure_ Jinwoo cared about him. They’d spoken often enough about staying together, about getting _married_.

The little voice in the back of his mind reminded him that Jinwoo had never actually said those three words to him, _I love you_ , and now he knew why. He cried harder at the revelation and heard Seokjin curse.

“Junnie please calm down. The treehouse is suffering.”

Myungjun could hear the way it groaned beneath them as his magic warped it and tried to calm down. He couldn’t hurt the poor tree, no matter how upset he was. He’d already hurt Hyejin today and he didn’t want to be a bad person. When he pulled away from Youngjae, still shaking and crying silent tears, he looked around them to see pure black petals covering the floor and his bed. Black. He wasn’t entirely surprised. It did feel like a part of himself had died tonight.

“That’s right Junnie. Deep breathes.” Myungjun followed Youngjaes example until he was breathing normally again. “Can you tell us what happened? Why your petals are this way? Something bad must have happened. Oh bloody hell, is it Jinwoo? Did you hurt him again? Is he…” The unspoken word hung in between them and Myungjun panicked, not wanting them to think he was a murderer. He knew he wouldn’t be able to speak without having another breakdown, so he grabbed each of their hands instead and showed them. Showed them with his mind what had happened. From Hyejin approaching him with a glass of water, to being tied up in the storage room listening to her taunting words, to booting down the combat centre doors and seeing Jinwoo pick her instead.

Both boys gasped when it was over and hurried to comfort him when he burst into tears again.

“What the hell does he think he’s playing at?” Youngjae asked angrily. “Also, when I see that skank, I’m going to knock her out and tie _her_ to a chair! Who does she think she is, laying her hands on you and threatening you like that?”

“That’s enough Youngjae.” Seokjin said firmly but not unkindly. “He doesn’t need a play by play of the events, he was already there.”

The door to the room opened and closed again and Myungjun looked over to see Namjoon carrying a tray of steaming mugs and wading through the black sea of petals on the floor. He briefly wondered how Namjoon, of all people, had managed to get a tray up the ladder without spilling anything but pushed the thought aside as a cup was thrust towards him. He took it gratefully, hot drinks always made him feel better. He sipped on it and relaxed slightly, tasting the chocolate before it disappeared down his throat.

“So what happened Hyung?” Namjoon asked cautiously, adding his weight to Myungjuns bed.

“Can I show him?” Seokjin asked quietly and Myungjun nodded. Not wanting to do it himself. After a few seconds, Namjoon sighed unhappily and reached over Seokjin to pat Myungjuns knee.

They sat in silence for a long time, sipping their drinks and watching the time tick by on the clock. It was past two in the morning when Myungjun finally spoke. “He doesn’t want me anymore.” It was the first coherent thing he’d said since entering the room and his voice felt hoarse. “Why doesn’t he want me anymore? Did he get bored of me? Have I been too forward with him lately?” Thoughts of pushing the marriage jokes on Jinwoo and teasing him so often made his stomach churn uncomfortably. Maybe he’d scared Jinwoo away.

“This is NOT your fault Myungjun.” Seokjin said firmly, absolute certainty in his voice. “You did nothing wrong and if I ever hear you blaming yourself, I’ll be terribly angry. I think the best thing we can do now, is take care of your wrists because they’re in pretty bad shape and then get some sleep and think about what to do when we wake up in the morning with clearer minds.”

“I don’t want to wake up.” Myungjun said quietly, sadness eating away at his heart. He frowned down at the bloodied skin that was torn by the ropes. “It hurts. My heart hurts so much; I don’t want to feel anything anymore.”

“Don’t say that Hyung.” Youngjae said, voice cracking. Myungjun looked up to see him crying and immediately felt guilty.

“I’m sorry JaeJae. I didn’t mean it.” He said, reaching up to wipe the younger boys tears away. A part of him definitely meant it, especially when he noticed the ring on his finger, but he didn’t want to see his friends sad. He took the ring off and tossed it onto his bedside cabinet, where it clinked noisily on the wooden surface, before turning back to Youngjae. “Let’s just listen to Seokjin-hyung and go to sleep…Can you sleep with me?”

“We’ll do one better.” Seokjin said resolutely, grabbing Namjoons hand before standing up. “We’ll drag all the mattresses onto the floor and sleep together yeah?” Myungjun nodded and was told to sit back and relax as the others got to work. His mattress went last, and he helped move it, grateful for something to do that distracted his mind. Seokjin took him into the bathroom after that, to clean and bandage his wrists using the medical supplies in Myungjuns yellow pouch.

Soon enough, they were all snuggled up on their extra-large bed, Myungjun in the middle of Seokjin and Youngjae, with Namjoon beside his boyfriend. He listened to them all drop off to sleep one by one before sneaking out. He didn’t think he could sleep even if he tried; his mind was whirring, and his heart was aching. It felt suffocating being inside, he just needed to get _out_. He spotted the tray of cups and picked it up, intent on having an excuse to leave if one of them woke up and noticed him missing. He’d just say he’d returned it to the kitchens for them.

He realised when he got to the ladder that he didn’t know how to get it down but saw the way the ground was disturbed at the base of the ladder and quickly figured out how Namjoon had done it. He aimed a hand towards the forest floor and pulled his vines towards himself. He placed the tray on them carefully and sent it back down to the floor, trying not to make too much noise. The cups clinked quietly when they reached the bottom and Myungjun quickly raced down the ladder to retrieve them.

He walked through the forest, trying to be as quiet as possible but stopped dead when he noticed a figure pacing the treeline. He knew who it was without needing to see his face but Jinwoo walked past one of the lanterns and it lit up his features anyway. He looked sad and angry and had obviously been crying too and Myungjun felt his heart clench painfully. How was he supposed to get to the kitchens without Jinwoo seeing him?

A hand on his elbow made him shriek and he was glad Jinwoo couldn’t hear anything, he just continued his pacing as Myungjun turned to see who had caught him. His stomach sunk when he saw it was Grove.

Grove looked between them both and sighed. “Myungjun you need to stop sneaking out to meet him. I know you don’t return here some nights and I’m not stupid. I’ve tried to avoid giving you detention, but I have to give you one tonight, you understand that right?”

“I’m not sneaking out to meet him.” Myungjun said, feeling the tears coming back. “I’m taking this tray to the kitchens. You can give me detention if you want but please help me.”

Grove looked thrown but nodded anyway. “Okay if you’re not sneaking out to meet him, then what is he doing here? What requires my help?”

Myungjun held out his hand, holding the tray shakily with the other and gestured for Grove to take it. “I’d rather show you; I can’t talk about it.”

After Grove had seen, he sighed and rubbed a hand over his tired face. “I see. I’ll send Jinwoo back to bed.”

Myungjun thanked him and watched as Jinwoo jumped in surprise at Groves sudden appearance.

“Jinwoo you’re not supposed to be here. It’s nearly three in the morning and you have classes tomorrow. Go to sleep.”

“I _can’t_.” Jinwoo replied, sounding desperate. “I need to see him. I need to see Myungjun. He’s upset because of me and I need to fix it.”

“I know.” Grove said firmly. “But you need to leave for now. Talk to him tomorrow if you must.”

Jinwoo hesitated. “Myungjuns here isn’t he? He’s listening.” Myungjun froze as Jinwoos unseeing eyes swept over him. “Junnie please, I know you’re there. Come out and talk to me. Let me fix this.”

Myungjun squeezed his eyes shut and tried to block out his voice. It was so tempting. _So_ tempting to walk out there and let him talk his way out of it, but he had to be strong. Jinwoo being here and talking about fixing things meant he felt guilty and probably regretted choosing Hyejin. But he’d made his choice and Myungjun wasn’t ready to be second best. He heard Grove use his leader voice and opened his eyes to see Jinwoo scowl.

“Myungjun I’ll wait for you at our secret place okay? I’ll wait all night for you if I have too.” Jinwoo turned on his heel and disappeared into the darkness, leaving Grove to sigh irritably behind him.

*

Myungjun pushed open the door to the kitchens with his hip. There was no chance he was going to the pond tonight. He was just going to get another hot drink and go back to bed before his friends noticed he was missing.

The kitchen was quiet and only lit with a few lanterns that hung from the walls. Myungjun placed the tray down on the side and got to work filling the sink to wash everything up. The water was warm and soothed him slightly. Warm…warm like Jinwoo. The thought of him made him choke up and he ripped his hands out of the water. One of the cups clattered noisily to the floor and he chucked it back into the sink before rushing to the door. He was going to go to the pond. He didn’t care if it made him an idiot. He just needed Jinwoo to hug him again, to tell him that everything would be okay, to tell him it had all been a big misunderstanding, to tell him-

“What the hell is going on out here? It’s too early to be making so much noise.” Myungjun spun around with his hand on the door handle to see the silver haired, blue eyed boy staring at him from a doorway he hadn’t noticed before. He looked tired and had clearly been sleeping as his hair was haphazard and all he was wearing was a large grey shirt that reached his knees and a tatty pair of socks. Recognition crossed his face and he stepped out of the doorway, closing the door behind him. “It’s you, lemon boy. What are you doing in here?”

“I’m sorry.” Myungjun squeaked, scrubbing at his eyes. “I just wanted to return some things and make a drink; I’m not feeling so good.”

The older boy looked at the mess by the sink and sighed. “Making a drink doesn’t have to involve this much mess OR noise. Take a seat.”

Myungjun quickly pulled his hand off the door handle, scolding himself for his moment of weakness and nearly running back into Jinwoos traitorous arms. He sat down on one of the stools at the table the boy was pointing to and watched him get to work.

In less than a minute, Myungjun had a steaming cup of tea in front of him and he sipped it to taste a hint of lemon. “Thanks.” He mumbled, staring down at the dark water. “I’m sorry for making a mess.”

“Its fine.” The boy said, pulling up a stool of his own and sitting across from Myungjun. “I was anticipating cleaning up a mess in the morning anyway. I’d made hot chocolate for a boy earlier and he didn’t look like the type who would clean up after himself.”

Myungjun realised he was talking about Namjoon and rushed to explain. “That was my friend, he got that hot chocolate for me. It was nice so…thanks again.”

“If I’d known it was for you, I would have made you another cupcake to go with it. You look like you could use it.”

Myungjun laughed weakly and rubbed his stray tears away. “Probably. I didn’t expect you to make me that cupcake last time.”

“Did you like it?” The boy asked, leaning forwards on his elbows.

Myungjun looked up from his drink to give him an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I didn’t get to try it, my boyf-…Jinwoo ate it.” He bit down hard on his lip to stop the sob trying to escape. Jinwoo wasn’t his boyfriend anymore. He needed to stop saying that now.

The boy frowned and sat back in his seat. “Did something happen between you two? Actually, don’t answer that, you already look like you’re going to cry again and I’m weak to tears.”

Myungjun laughed weakly again, taking another sip of his drink to steady himself. “I’ll try not to cry then. You’ve been so nice to me, it’s the least I can do.” He was surprised at himself for being able to joke around still but was happy to hear the bright laughter from the boy in front of him.

“I mean you can cry if you want, I have plenty of tissues, but you look better when you’re happy. It’s quite scary seeing you upset you know. You’re always happy when I see you out there.” He said, gesturing to the kitchen door leading to the hall.

Myungjun sighed and drained the rest of his cup before standing up. “You’ll have to get used to it. I won’t be happy ever again.” He walked to the sink to put his cup in to soak and jumped when he turned around to see the boy standing close behind him.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” He took a quick step back and gave Myungjun a small smile. “You’re always welcome in here…If it gets too much to be out there.”

Myungjun nodded and gave him a small smile back. “Well I guess I’ll see you later then.” He stepped around the taller boy and opened the kitchen door.

“Goodnight lemon boy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :(


	90. Chapter 90

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No chapter warnings today!

Myungjun woke up the next morning feeling warm and safe. He smiled, cuddling up to the body next to him and breathed in the scent of Jinwoos skin. Except whoever it was he was cuddling, didn’t smell like Jinwoo at all. He opened his eyes feeling confused but relaxed when he saw it was Youngjae. He jolted in surprise a second later when an arm wrapped around him from behind and he looked back to see Seokjin sleeping peacefully.

_Why is…oh._

Memories of yesterday’s events came flooding back to him and he choked on a sob, burying his face in Youngjaes shoulder.

“Oh Junnie.” Seokjins sleepy, sympathetic voice came from behind him and he felt the older boy move across the mattress to hug him better. “Have you been awake long?”

“No.” Myungjun sniffled out. “What’s the time?”

He heard Seokjin turn to look at the clock on the wall behind them. “We’ve got about an hour and a half until first lesson. We should get up. Go and get a warm bath running Junnie. I’d do it for you, but I can’t let go of any of you and I’d rather handle the task of waking up these two heavy sleepers.”

Myungjun climbed shakily to his feet and stepped over Youngjae to get to the bathroom. He poured some rose scented bubbles under the warm running water and sat down with his back against the wall, hugging his knees to his chest. He didn’t know how he was going to survive the day. Jinwoo would no doubt try to speak to him, and he wasn’t ready for that yet. Yesterday almost didn’t feel real at all, it was just absurd. Why would Jinwoo, his sweet, good, kind boyfriend choose Hyejin over him?

_I must have messed up really bad. Maybe Jinwoo watching me hurt Hyejin made him change his mind about me._

A few minutes later, Seokjin poked his head inside the bathroom and sighed softly. “Junnie get up off the floor honey. You need to get in the bath for me. I don’t want you to get your bandages wet, so I’ll come in and wash your hair when you’re covered by the bubbles okay?”

Myungjun nodded weakly. The need to be looked after was almost unbearable today and he couldn’t find it within himself to be self-conscious right now. He shedded his clothes and climbed into the bath before calling quietly for Seokjin.

“Joons gunna sit behind me to keep me connected to his magic whilst I wash your hair okay? He won’t look.” Seokjin explained, kneeling down beside the bath and grabbing the bottle of shampoo. Myungjun didn’t care anyway. Namjoon had seen him walking around in his underwear some mornings, this was hardly any different.

_Maybe if I’d had that same mindset with Jinwoo, he wouldn’t have gotten bored of me._

Myungjun tried not to cry as Seokjin washed his hair, and tried to focus on his Hyungs warm voice, but a few stray tears escaped anyway and travelled down to mingle with the bathwater.

When Seokjin was done he grabbed a towel and helped Myungjun from the bath when it was wrapped around his waist. “Do you want Joon to dry your hair?” Seokjin asked kindly. “He’s really good at it, he dries my hair all the time.” Myungjun nodded and sat down on the edge of the tub. Namjoon grabbed another towel and started to rub it over Myungjuns hair, taking his time until it soaked up most of the water. Myungjun thanked him quietly when he was done and left to find some clothes.

_If Jinwoo was here, he would have dried my hair in a couple of seconds with his magic._

Youngjae was already sitting on his bed, silently offering him some of his own clothes and Myungjun realised why. Most of the clothes in Myungjuns drawers were Jinwoos. He took Youngjaes clothes and put them on, smelling the flowery clean scent and gave him a small smile.

“Thanks JaeJae. I just need to brush my teeth now. Can you come down to breakfast with me after?”

“Sure Hyung. We’ve still got over half an hour till class, so there’s no rush. It’s herbology first too.”

Myungjun sighed in relief and went to join Seokjin and Namjoon at the bathroom sink. They all brushed their teeth in silence and Myungjun looked up at his messy hair.

_If Jinwoo was here, he’d brush my hair and ask to brush my teeth too, just to hear me giggle again._

*

“Jinwoo you need to seriously _back off_.” Youngjae said angrily at the magic border. “Junnie needs to get some food and he won’t come out with you hanging around. Haven’t you done enough? Will you make him go to class hungry too?” Myungjun watched from just inside the treeline as emotions warred on Jinwoos face.

“I need to speak to him Youngjae. I’ve been up all night waiting for him. I’ll make everything right again and Junnie can come down to breakfast with _me._ ”

Youngjae grabbed Jinwoo by the collar of his shirt and clenched it tight. “Don’t call him that. You’re not allowed to call him Junnie anymore. Not after what you’ve done.”

“I know what I’ve done that’s why-”

“That’s why you should get lost and run back to your girlfriend.” Youngjae seethed. Myungjun shifted uncomfortably behind Seokjin and Namjoon, who were watching the exchange behind the border too. He didn’t want a fight to break out because of him. Especially because he knew who’d win.

“She’s not-”

“You kissed her didn’t you? Junnie showed me, so don’t even think about denying it.”

Jinwoo pushed Youngjae off of himself with a scowl. “Yeah I kissed her. I kissed her and I touched her and I _enjoyed_ it. Do you-” Youngjae tackled him to the ground before he could continue and Myungjun burst into tears. Jinwoo had just confirmed one of his biggest fears. He’d ENJOYED it.

Myungjun pushed past Seokjin and Namjoon, who were standing there stunned by Jinwoos confession, and burst out of the trees. “STOP IT!” Youngjae looked up in surprise and Myungjun watched horrified as Jinwoo flipped Youngjae over onto the grass and punched him in the face. “GET OFF OF HIM!” Myungjun screamed, grabbing Jinwoo by the arms and pulling him away. Jinwoo was boiling hot. Myungjun quickly let him go before rushing over to crouch in front of Youngjae protectively. “Get away from us Jinwoo.” Myungjun croaked out, tears still streaming down his face. “You’ve hurt us enough.” He turned away to inspect the damage to Youngjaes face and heard Seokjin speak up behind him.

“Jinwoo leave. I was willing to speak to you today and give you the benefit of the doubt about all of this because I truly believe you love Myungjun, but you’ve made it clear how you feel. Myungjun didn’t need to hear what you just said but you said it anyway, knowing damn well he could hear. If you came to apologise to him, you’ve gone the wrong way about it.”

Myungjun helped Youngjae sit up and quickly fused the cut to his lip, hearing Jinwoos heavy breathing behind them.

“Leave Jinwoo. I won’t ask again. I’ll tornado your ass out of here if I have too.” Seokjins voice carried his warning well and Myungjun quickly stood up to face them.

“Don’t worry Hyung. We’re leaving. He can stay.” Myungjun ignored the pleading look in Jinwoos eyes and grabbed Youngjaes hand to lead him towards the herbology clearing. It was too late to get breakfast now and he didn’t think he’d be able to eat anyway.

*

Myungjun sat down at their usual table for lunch after making sure Jinwoo was no-where to be seen. Seokjin sat in Jinwoos usual seat and put some food onto Myungjuns plate for him. “Eat something Junnie. You need the strength.”

Myungjun nibbled a piece of chicken before feeling his stomach turn and pushing it away. He really couldn’t handle food right now. He just wanted to talk about anything that could distract him. “Hyung?” Seokjin hummed to let him know he was listening. “I’ve been meaning to ask, how comes you’re still here? At the academy I mean. You’re a year above us but this is our third year. Didn’t you have your last year…well, last year?”

Seokjin sighed and passed him a cup of water. “I did something ridiculously stupid to be held back.”

“For Namjoon?” Myungjun guessed, sipping his water which he found easier to stomach.

Seokjin nodded and looked across the table at his boyfriend. Namjoon was reading a book and trying to eat at the same time. He spilt food down his top and groaned and Seokjin smiled at him softly. “Love makes you do stupid things Junnie. I wanted to spend his last year with him, so I failed all my exams. Zephyr called me in and read my thoughts straight away. She knew why I’d done it and I got a terrible scolding, but luckily enough she’s a hopeless romantic too. She agreed to let me redo the year. I nearly messed everything up for him, but it would be a lie to say I wouldn’t do it all again.”

Myungjun could _feel_ the love radiating off of Seokjin as he watched Namjoon whine over his ruined shirt and it made his heart ache even more. He wanted Jinwoo to look at him like that.

_No you idiot. You want Jinwoo to leave you alone. He made it clear he enjoyed kissing and touching Hyejin. It’s over._

Myungjun pushed the little voice in his head away and blinked back the angry tears in his eyes. “Jinwoo can go kiss her until his lips fall off for all I care.” Myungjun muttered under his breath. Seokjin asked him what he’d said and Myungjun quickly denied saying anything. It was clear he wasn’t going to be able to eat, so he stood up to leave instead.

“I’m going to class early. I have shapeshifting next and I want to get there before Hyejin does, so I can talk to my teacher about keeping us separated.” Myungjun explained when Seokjin looked up at him questioningly.

Seokjins head snapped towards the door and he groaned unhappily. “You don’t need to worry. Hyejins here and she’s occupied.”

Myungjun turned to see Hyejin talking happily to Jinwoo as they made their way towards an empty table. Myungjun felt jealousy and anger ignite inside of him and shrugged off Seokjins hand that had reached out to grab his arm. “I’m not going over there Hyung.” Myungjun reassured him. “It’s not my business.”

“Do you want me to walk you down to shapeshifting?” Seokjin offered.

Myungjun shook his head and expended some of his magic. He summoned Camellia and she landed on the floor with a tinkle before unfurling her pitch-black petals. “Camellia will keep them away from me. See you later.”

*

Hyejin was kept far away from Myungjun during shapeshifting and he avoided looking at her for the entirety of the lesson. He knew that all it would take was one smirk from her and he’d dive across the classroom to wipe it clean off her face. Myungjun knew how she must be feeling. Smug, victorious, proud. Whereas he just felt tired, defeated and heartbroken. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to make it to his last lesson today. His emotions were hanging on by a fine thread already. He just wanted to sleep. At least then he’d be unaware of the pain for a while.

Miss Hwang dismissed the class and Myungjun quickly packed his bag before making his way to the door. Hyejin pushed past him and exclaimed in joy.

“Jinnie you came to pick me up from class! How sweet.”

Myungjun kept his head down and felt Camellia shield him protectively. He heard Jinwoo call his name and he set off running, not wanting to hear his voice. Jinwoo had rarely ever picked _him_ up from class before. Only when Myungjun specifically asked. Otherwise they’d just meet up in the hall or in the library.

_It’s because he cares more about her. She also could have just asked him like I had to before. Meaning he’s already willing to do what she wants._

Myungjun ran all the way back to his treehouse and Camellia followed him up the ladder without being asked. He climbed into bed and felt her settle over him protectively, her roots cocooning him in as he cried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We all need a friend like Youngjae who'll stand up for us when we're too upset or scared to do it ourselves uwu  
> Also, Jinwoos really not helping himself *Sigh*


	91. Chapter 91

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No chapter warnings today!
> 
> Jinwoo AND Myungjun POVs~

**Jinwoo**

Jinwoos first mistake was thinking Myungjun would actually turn up at the pond to see him. He’d waited all night, looking up hopefully every time he heard a noise, only to be disappointed when it never resulted in Myungjun appearing. He knew Myungjun was there watching him as he spoke to Grove, he’d felt the tingle on his skin, so it hurt more when the sun rose through the trees and he was still alone.

Jinwoos second mistake was letting Youngjae cut him off from speaking so many times. He regretted nothing more than the last sentence.

 _“Yeah I kissed her. I kissed her and I touched her and I_ enjoyed _it. Do you-”_

He’d been planning to say ‘Do you want to know why? Because I thought she was my BOYFRIEND’, but Youngjae cut him off by tackling him to the ground and he was too winded to fix his mistake in time. He knew how it had sounded to Myungjun and his heart broke seeing the tears on Myungjuns already swollen face. He could see he’d been crying a lot already and it filled him with self-loathing to know he’d made his boyfriend feel that way.

Jinwoos third mistake was trying to ignore Hyejin as she hounded him for days afterwards. Trying to sit with him at mealtimes, exclaiming how sweet he was for picking her up after class when all he’d been trying to do was catch Myungjun and talk to him, when she’d walk with him through the halls and he’d spot Myungjun running in the opposite direction to get away from them. He thought maybe ignoring her would make her go away but it just served to make her more persistent. He wanted to tell on her. To get her into trouble. But what could he say? Oh hi Blaze, sorry to disturb you but could you give Hyejin detention for ruining my relationship? Even _he_ knew how ridiculous that would sound.

However, Jinwoo knew his biggest mistake of all, was not fighting for his spot on their usual dungeon run team. He should have put his foot down and refused to be kicked out. He should have convinced them that they needed him and his strength. Because now he found himself in the worse possible situation.

“Are you sure there’s no other team?” Jinwoo asked Blaze, not caring about how desperate he sounded. “I can’t be with them. Anybody else but them.”

Blaze sighed and showed Jinwoo the scroll of teams for the exams. The only team who had a free spot was Hyejins and he knew this would be something else Myungjun would never forgive him for. “I’m sorry Jinwoo but it’s all I can do on such short notice. I can’t swap the teams around the night before. Not even for you. I’m sure the girls would appreciate a helping hand.”

*

That’s how Jinwoo found himself standing in front of the dungeon doors, watching Myungjun and his old team get geared up and ready to fight. Myungjuns eyes briefly met his own before he turned away to let Rocky help attach the quiver for his arrows. Jinwoos team was next and when the doors opened, he had to step inside, and he didn’t miss the way Myungjun looked towards him at the last second with even more betrayal and sadness etched onto his face.

Jinwoo let the anger towards himself and his situation fuel him. He stormed through the first floor roasting all of the rats and not caring about the screams of the girls behind him. He took the boss down almost instantly and moved onto the next floor. He kept going, floors passing by in a blur. He fought with his fire where he could, and with his metal daggers where he couldn’t.

He walked onto the tenth floor when he felt a hand on his arm. He turned with a snarl to see a timid looking girl shy away from him.

“Jinwoo I need to boost you. You’re slowing down.” The girl said quietly. She seemed nice, maybe Jinwoo would have liked her in any other situation but right now he didn’t feel like making friends. He just held out his hand and she shakily deposited a bright green herb onto it.

_-“JinJin look!” Myungjun said excitedly thrusting a handful of herbs at him. “I found lots of dark green ones in the storage shed this time! They’re the best because they’re more potent. These bright green ones are rubbish but I took some just in case we run out.”-_

The memory made Jinwoo growl down in frustration at the herb in his hand. “You call yourself a healer?” He asked the girl angrily. “You picked the wrong one!”

Hyejin stepped between them and shooed the girl away. “Now now Jinnie play nice. It’s not her fault she’s a ditz. What’s wrong with it?”

“It’s too new. It’s not strong enough. It won’t boost me properly.”

“Well just take a handful then Jinnie. That should work right?”

Jinwoo scoffed and chucked the herb into his mouth to chew, feeling a trickle of his magical energy come back. “You’re even more of a ditz then her. It doesn’t work like that. Also, stop calling me Jinnie or I’ll incapacitate your stupid ass right here and now. I’m not in the mood.”

Jinwoo turned back around and made his way across the dry cracked land. Volcanoes of all different sizes covered the landscape as far as he could see, and the sky above was blood red in colour. He already knew what was on this floor. In the last dungeon run examination, Myungjun had fallen at the troll boss because of his busted lung and Jinwoo had led the rest of their team to this floor next. Where they’d all fallen almost immediately.

A shriek in the air made him look up and he dived to the side as the dragon descended upon them, scorching the land with its fiery breath.

“MOVE!” Jinwoo commanded, watching the girls scatter. Hyejin took the dragon down with her fire and Jinwoo looked up to see more swooping in from above. Jinwoo couldn’t be burnt by fire usually, but the dragon fire on this floor had wiped him out last time. It was completely unexpected and made him feel vulnerable around heat for the first time. Hyejin didn’t seem to understand the danger she was in and rushed around laughing as she took them down. A part of Jinwoo didn’t want to warn her. He wanted to watch her get wiped out. It would be so satisfying to watch. Unfortunately, he knew he’d get further and get a better exam result with her alive. So, when the next dragon swept down when her back was turned, he raced forwards and yanked her to safety.

“Stay out of their fire you moron.” He hissed at her before letting her arm go and pulling the daggers free from the sheaths on his thighs. He twirled them between his fingers and scanned the sky, waiting for the next dragon to attack. When it did, he launched his dagger with months of trained skill and precision behind him and watched, satisfied, as it lodged itself in the creature’s skull. The dragon fell from the sky with a dying screech and when It landed, Jinwoo rushed forwards to yank his dagger free.

Jinwoo raced between the volcanoes, throwing his daggers, retrieving his daggers, throwing his daggers, retrieving his daggers. It was a simple process that allowed his brain to shut down. All he had to focus on, was taking more of the dragons down. He didn’t need to think of anything else, or more specifically, anyone else. He groaned in relief when the walls suddenly rumbled to life around him and he immediately located and stormed towards the corridor to the boss room.

“JINWOO STOP!” He paused at Hyejins shout and turned to see her racing over alone.

“Where are the others?” He asked, noticing their absence.

“Gone.” She said with a shrug. “We didn’t need them anyway, we’re strong enough by ourselves.”

Jinwoo closed his eyes and willed himself not to snap. “You’re a nasty person you know that right? They’re your team members and you treat them like crap.” He opened his eyes to glare at her angrily and saw her looking uneasy for once. “Of course we needed them! Now we don’t have a healer. Which means we’re going to run out of magical energy soon enough. Even if we don’t use our magic, we’ll tire our bodies eventually! I literally can’t believe I was stuck with YOU of all people. You’ve ruined my relationship, and now you’ve ruined my exams! Get out of my sight Hyejin.”

“Jinwoo please-”

“NO!” Jinwoo shoved her away as she reached out to grab his arm. “I’m SICK of looking at your face! Why are you doing this to me?”

Tears welled up in Hyejins eyes and it made Jinwoo feel uncomfortable. He’d never seen her cry before. She was always confident and cocky. “I love you Jinwoo.”

Jinwoo scoffed. “You don’t do stuff like this to the people you love Hyejin. I’m _miserable_ because of you.” He couldn’t even believe she’d had the audacity to say that to him in the first place. “I don’t care how you feel, I’m GAY. Do you understand? I don’t like girls and even if I did, I _certainly_ wouldn’t like someone as twisted as you.”

There. That was a look he’d expect more from her. She blinked her tears away and glared at him angrily. “You shouldn’t have said that Jinwoo. I’ll make you pay for rejecting me.” He watched her storm off into the boss room, wondering how much more damage she could possibly cause.

*

**Myungjun**

Myungjun watched the dragon boss fall on the tenth floor before dropping to his knees feeling exhausted. He felt hands on his shoulders a second later and saw Rocky looking at him worriedly.

“What herb do you need?” Rocky asked, opening the pouch on Myungjuns chest and pulling out a few different ones. Myungjun took the one he needed and popped it into his mouth, feeling the magical energy flood back into him. He climbed to his feet and brushed past the others to reach the dragon. He needed to retrieve all his arrows before moving on. Two in its left wing, three in its right, three in its chest and finally the killing arrow, lodged straight in its eye. Myungjun pulled it out and gagged at the squelch.

“Hyung?” He turned to see Moonbin watching him timidly. “Can you boost us now? We’ve been getting pretty tired.” Myungjun softened when he looked around at his friend’s tired faces and cursed himself for not paying close enough attention to them. He’d let the anger of seeing Jinwoo step into the dungeons with Hyejin fuel him and became blinded to everything around him. He didn’t even remember getting through the majority of the previous floors.

“Sure Bin. Here, take these to the others. I’m sorry for not realising. I’ll pay more attention okay?”

Moonbin took the herbs and gave him a small smile. “Okay Hyung. We’ll be ready to go soon.”

Myungjun watched him walk away and saw the others sitting together looking exhausted. Sanha had his head in his hand’s whilst Rocky rubbed his back and Myungjun had to look away when Moonbin bent down to give Dongmin a kiss. He felt incredibly guilty for neglecting them all and forced Jinwoo out of his mind to focus on being more helpful.

When everyone was boosted and ready to go, Myungjun led the way and froze as they entered the eleventh floor. No. It couldn’t be. He heard Sanha gasp in horror as they looked across the thick, grey, unnatural fog that was blanketing the floor. They were inside a giant cavern with one big hole in the centre of the ceiling that flooded it with light. Directly under the hole in the ceiling, in the brightest ring of light, a shape began to form.

Myungjun quickly turned back to his team. “Demons. Don’t let the blood touch you. They have wings but they don’t fly. Fog is water right? Bin try to absorb as much of it as you can. If there’s no fog they can’t form.”

“It’s coming Hyung!” Sanha shrieked, pointing behind him.

“Dongmin.” Myungjun turned to him, trying to get a clear plan in place before that creature closed the distance. “See if you can freeze the fog.”

“Hyung!”

“Sanha and Rocky, you’re our support. Push them away with your wind if they get too close Sanha. Keep the Demons off him Rocky.”

“HYUNG WATCH OUT!”

Myungjun spun at the last second, hearing the clicking teeth behind him and forced his vines through the floor. The demon clawed at his face and he leaned back, narrowly avoiding getting shredded and forced the vine-encased demon back across the cavern and away from them all. He squeezed and the demon exploded, its black goo sizzling noisily as it splashed over the floor.

“GO!” Myungjun commanded as more shapes formed in the fog. Everyone took off running and Myungjun pulled the bow off of his back before loosing arrow after arrow at the demons as they attacked. One demon launched at Moonbin, who was busy trying to absorb the fog and Myungjuns arrow thumped straight into its chest where it fell with a dying shriek.

Myungjun turned to see a demon descend on Rocky from behind. Rocky Jr was garbling angrily at it and throwing little pebbles that bounced off the demon’s body doing no damage at all. Sanha turned at the noise to see it approaching and blasted it backwards through the air. Myungjuns arrow caught it mid-flight and it fell to the floor, not to move again.

Memories of Myungjuns battle with the demons before assaulted him and his heart began to thump wildly with fear. It didn’t help at all when saw his burn every time he lifted his bow. We’re fine, Myungjun thought, if we die, we get revived. As long as the blood didn’t touch them, they’d be fine.

Moonbin was absorbing the fog well but Myungjun watched confused as water started to trickle out of his mouth. The water level in his body must be overflowing, Myungjun thought worriedly. He hoped it wouldn’t end up incapacitating him. Dongmin was skirting around him, blasting demons with his ice to keep them off of his boyfriend whilst he worked and Myungjun suddenly realised how terribly alone he was here. Sanha and Rocky had each other’s backs and Moonbin and Dongmin were working together well.

Yet he was alone. Fighting by himself, feeling nothing but utter terror. Jinwoo wasn’t here to protect him. Jinwoo had apologised for not being there when Myungjun was burnt before and he wasn’t here to help now either. He felt his eyes brimming with tears and tried to blink them away as he loosed arrows messily around the cavern. The majority of them landed in their targets but some flew past uselessly. He reached to grab another one but found his quiver empty.

“No.” He whispered in disbelief as he looked down. He’d run out too early. He rushed forwards, looking for his arrows and wrenching them free where he could.

“HYUNG WATCH OUT!” Myungjun turned at Rockys shout to see a demon right behind him. He knew he couldn’t nock an arrow in time.

_-“JinJin I HATE these daggers. I’m never going to use them anyway so what’s the point?”_

_“They’re not a main weapon usually Myungjun. I only used them as a main weapon in the battledome because I thought I’d be quicker without a pole and could rely more on my magic. Usually these are secondary weapons, to use if you lose your other one or find yourself in a situation where daggers are better. You NEED to learn how to use them. Hurry up and fix yourself and your shirt, I’ll be back in a few minutes with some water.”-_

Myungjun gasped at the memory. Now was the perfect time to use them. He reached down only to realise he had none. He remembered why. He’d seen the thigh sheathes this morning but the memories of Jinwoo helping to put them on him were too much and he’d pushed them away without a second thought. Now he’d pay for that.

The demon raked its claws down his chest, cutting straight through layers of his flesh and ripping his herb pouch to pieces. He fell backwards with a scream and landed heavily on the floor, fear flooding through him as the demon bent down towards him, clicking menacingly. He looked at the black pits of its eyes and its shiny sharp teeth and out of sheer panic, tore his vines through the floor, wrapping them around the demon and squeezing. Its blood exploded around him and splattered up the side of his face.

The pain was excruciating.

The thought of his face now being permanently disfigured was worse.

The bloodcurdling scream he let out shocked even himself. He rubbed at his sizzling skin and burned his hands in the process. He was still screaming uncontrollably when his vines went wild, shooting out in all directions. Myungjun heard dying shrieks from the demons in the cavern and shouts of pain from his friends.

“HYUNG CALM DOWN!”

Myungjun was surprised he could still hear over the ringing in his ears. However, his cheek was on fire and he couldn’t think of much else.

“YOU’RE KILLING HIM!” Sanhas terrified shriek pulled him to his feet and he looked over at the younger boy to see Rocky standing protectively in front of him, five of Myungjuns vines speared through his body. Rocky Jr was garbling mournfully, trying to pull the vine out of Rockys shoulder as he coughed up blood.

Myungjun stood there, shocked senseless at the scene in front of him.

“HYUNG PLEASE!” Sanha was crying now, trying to yank them free too and the tears on his face made Myungjun raise a shaky hand to reign his vines in. Rocky fell forwards with a grunt and rolled over onto his back groaning in pain.

Dongmin and Moonbin raced past to check on him but Myungjun just stood there. He couldn’t believe what he had just done. He couldn’t believe what had just happened to him. He walked shakily to the wall and sat down against it, hearing his name being called but not being able to do anything about it.

He just sat there, looking down at the black charred skin of his hands. My face is like this too, he thought to himself. He felt detached from his emotions as he looked down at the damaged skin.

_Jinwoo will definitely stay away from me now._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Whispers* Socky.
> 
> Someone cry with me over poor Myungjun :(


	92. Chapter 92

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER WARNING:  
> References to Eating Disorders.
> 
> Myungjun AND Jinwoo POVS~
> 
> Early upload today because I have exams to study for, enjoy!

**Myungjun**

“What?” Myungjun asked weakly, not daring to believe what he had just heard. He was sitting on one of the sterile white beds in the infirmary, covered in bandages. He could see Rocky sleeping on the bed on the other side of the room and Moonbin and Dongmin were cuddled up on another, sleeping just as peacefully. Sanha was sitting on the end of Myungjuns bed with his mouth wide open in shock.

The nurse sighed before telling him again. “They weren’t real demons. I can get rid of your burns just fine Myungjun. Please just sit still and stop panicking.”

Myungjun hadn’t woken up that long ago. But when he had, he’d seen the bandages on his hands and felt the ones covering his face and lost it again. The nurse had rushed over to try and calm him down before revealing the good news.

“You can get rid of them? You can make my face okay again?” Myungjun asked, tears springing to his eyes.

The nurse nodded and started to unwrap him. Myungjun locked eyes with Sanha who was smiling brightly his way. Sanhas smile was wiped off his lips when the bandages fell away to reveal the damage to Myungjuns face.

“Ew Hyung, you look disgusting.”

Myungjun laughed, despite his situation, despite everything he was going through, he laughed, giddy with relief. “Thanks Sanha, that’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”

“You’re welcome!” Sanha said cheekily, looking down in his lap where Myungjun knew Rocky Jr was curled up sleeping. “When do you think they’ll wake up?”

“Hopefully within the next hour.” The nurse answered him. “There’s still other students doing their exams, so I’m sure I’ll be needing the beds.”

Myungjun swallowed his pride down and asked the question he was hating himself for even thinking. “How was Jinwoo?”

The nurse, oblivious to Myungjuns situation, answered him readily as she fixed his face. “Jinwoo came out drained with a sprained ankle. I tried to fix it, but he wouldn’t let me. I know you’re the only one who’d be able to talk some sense into him, so please send him back to me and tell him to stop being so stubborn. He won’t be able to teach your combat class properly with that injury.”

Myungjun locked eyes with Sanha, who was watching him sadly, and didn’t bother to answer her.

*

Myungjun was just leaving the infirmary an hour later with Rocky and Sanha, after being discharged, when the door was suddenly flung open making them all jump. Myungjun tensed when he saw Jinwoos worried expression and his breath caught in his throat when Jinwoo limped over to him, eyes roaming his face.

“Junnie are you okay? I just heard…I-” Myungjun brushed past him with the others in tow and he heard Sanha apologise quietly behind him. He wouldn’t be angry at Sanha for talking to Jinwoo, his friends were Jinwoos friends too, but he didn’t think anyone should be apologising to Jinwoo at all right now.

“Junnie wait! Tell me you’re okay before you go.” Jinwoos pleading voice behind him made his heart ache and he paused, debating on whether or not to actually tell him.

“Oh hello Jinwoo. I’m glad Myungjun talked some sense into you. Let me look at that ankle.” Myungjun was glad to hear the nurse make the decision for him and he swept quickly out of the room, hearing Jinwoos protests.

Myungjun walked down to the hall, not bothering to listen in on Rockys and Sanhas hushed conversation behind him and he sat down at the table, eyeing the food floating past with disdain. He hadn’t been able to enjoy eating for the past week and only ever came down to the hall to make an appearance so that his friends wouldn’t worry about him. He poured a glass of water and drank that instead as the table slowly filled up.

“Hey Junnie, how’d the exam go?” Hyungwon asked, slipping into the seat beside him. He tried to put food on Myungjuns plate but Myungjun just pushed it away. “Please eat Junnie.”

“I already ate before you got here.” Myungjun could tell that Hyungwon didn’t believe him but luckily Hyungwon didn’t push. “Dungeons were fine. I’m going to go now ‘wonnie, see you tomorrow.” Myungjun got up to leave, after feeling satisfied that he’d shown his face for long enough and weaved his way through the tables of chattering students.

“Lemon boy!”

Myungjun looked over at the kitchen door to see the chef waving him over. He sighed, wanting to be alone more than anything but made his way over anyway, where he was ushered inside. He followed the older boy to the table and took a seat. A little plate and a cup of hot tea were thrust towards him.

“I made you another cupcake.” The boy said, his piercing blue eyes taking in Myungjuns appearance. “You look a whole lot worse than when I saw you last week. You’re not eating.”

Myungjun stared down at the cupcake feeling sick. “I’m sorry. I really can’t eat it.”

“Because your boyfriend dumped you?” He was blunt and it was oddly refreshing. “You can’t let that stop you from eating. Just try it at least.”

Myungjun groaned unhappily but pulled some of the fluffy cake off and put it in his mouth. He knew better than to turn down something offered to him, especially when he’d taken his time to make it. It melted against his tongue and the sugar instantly made him feel better. “Lemons.”

“You like lemons.”

Myungjun nodded and ate a bit more before picking up his tea and trying some of that too. “More lemons.”

The boy smiled at him. “Tell me what else you like, so I can offer you something different next time.”

“What’s your name?” Myungjun asked instead. Everything he liked had something to do with Jinwoo and he couldn’t think about him right now. He didn’t want to cry in front of this boy again.

“Grey. What’s your name lemon boy?”

Myungjun snorted in amusement and looked up into his blue eyes. “Your name is Grey? That sounds more like a nickname to me.”

Grey sat back in his chair and laughed. “It really is my name. I got named after my hair.”

Myungjun looked up at his shaggy hair and narrowed his eyes. “Your hair is silver, not grey.”

“My hair was darker when I was younger.” Grey shrugged. “Stop talking about my hair and answer my question. I gave you my name and its only polite to tell me yours.”

“Blue.”

“What?”

Myungjun pointed to his own hair. “I was named after my hair too.”

Grey looked at a loss for words before laughing again. “I see you with different hair all the time. You can’t fool me.”

“Damn.” Myungjun muttered, pretending to be disappointed before looking up to smile at him. The first genuine smile he’d given all week. “My names Myungjun. It’s nothing fancy like _Grey_ but-”

“I like it.” Grey said, grinning back at him. They sat in comfortable silence for a minute before he spoke again, more softly this time. “Eat your cupcake Myungjun. Wash it down with the tea if you have to. Don’t let him destroy you, it’s not worth it.”

Myungjuns heart clenched painfully again and he quickly sipped his tea.

“Stay as long as you want. Just finish that before you leave.” Grey left the table to carry on with his duties and Myungjun stared at the cupcake, wondering if he’d ever be able to eat properly again.

*

“When I said stay as long as you want, I didn’t think you’d stay all afternoon.”

Myungjun looked up with an apologetic smile and pushed his empty plate away. “Sorry, it took a lot longer than I thought to eat. Thankyou for making it for me. I’m sure it was delicious; I just can’t really taste much right now.”

Grey took the plate and cup away with a smile. “Don’t apologise it’s fine. At least you ate something. Dinners been and gone, so I’ve got nothing to do out here. Do you want some company?”

Myungjun wanted to be alone more than anything so he quickly shook his head before standing up. “I’m going to go. Thanks again, really. I needed to eat something; I’ve been struggling during lessons this week because I’ve had no energy.”

“Come back tomorrow then.”

Myungjun walked to the door without looking back and stepped outside. He felt Greys hand on his arm a second later and squealed in surprise when he was pulled in for a hug. “Grey what-”

“Shh. He’s here waiting for you. I’ve surprised him enough to give you time to get away. I know a jealous guy when I see it, he’ll come to me first. Go.”

Myungjun didn’t need to ask who he was talking about and quickly pulled back to summon Camellia. She landed with a tinkle and shielded him as he rushed from the hall.

*

**Jinwoo ~Earlier that day~**

Jinwoos head snapped up at the sound of his name being called. He was sitting in the library, waiting to hear any news about how Myungjun had done in the dungeons. He’d asked Blaze to inform him when he heard anything.

Blaze walked up to him now, carrying a bundle of books. “Myungjun is currently being treated in the infirmary. His whole team is out.”

“How bad is it?” Jinwoo asked, body tense. He knew he’d be okay obviously but the idea of him being in any sort of pain always upset him. He saw the way Blaze hesitated and sat up straight. “Tell me everything. I can handle it.”

Blaze set his books down before talking. “He has major scarring to his face and hands and lacerations to his chest. The report said he was incapacitated by organ failure and loss of blood. I watched the replay before coming to see you, he lost control after being coated in the demon blood and killed Park Minhyuk.”

Jinwoo groaned and hid his face in his hands. Myungjun was going to hate himself for hurting Rocky. He froze when the rest of Blazes words sunk in. Major scarring? Demon blood? Jinwoo sprung to his feet, ignoring the pain it sent through his sprained ankle. “Demon blood burns? To his _face_?”

Blaze nodded and opened his mouth to speak but Jinwoo didn’t want to hear any more. He raced from the library, as fast as he could with his limp, to find his boyfriend. He couldn’t think about anything other than Myungjun being burned and blackened and in terrible pain.

Myungjun would need his reassurance. He’d need to be told that no matter what happened to his face or his body, he’d still be handsome in Jinwoos eyes. He saw the way Myungjun looked down at his arm sometimes, eyes taking in the demon burns he already had. Jinwoo knew he hated them. He knew that Myungjun thought they made him ugly. Myungjun rarely wore anything with short sleeves anymore and if he did, he always looked uncomfortable.

On multiple occasions, Jinwoo had lain in bed with him, kissing all the burns and telling him how beautiful he still was, whilst Myungjun cried silently in his arms as his insecurities took over. The thought of Myungjun being scarred further broke his heart.

He reached the infirmary doors and rushed inside.

His heart broke again when Myungjun brushed past him, not even looking his way. His face looked normal though which was a relief, but he knew the wounds wouldn’t just be skin deep. Myungjun had killed his friend and his mental health was more important to Jinwoo than their argument.

“Junnie wait! Tell me you’re okay before you go.” Hope filled his chest when Myungjun stopped. And then the nurse interrupted and Myungjun was gone.

“Oh hello Jinwoo. I’m glad Myungjun talked some sense into you. Let me look at that ankle.” She grabbed Jinwoos arm and led him to the bed. He struggled, telling her he didn’t need help, that he didn’t WANT help, but she didn’t listen.

However, he thanked her when she was done and he had to admit to himself that it was nice to be able to walk properly again. It just meant he’d be able to run after Myungjun faster.

*

Jinwoo spent the whole afternoon looking for Myungjun. He tried looking in all of the places he knew Myungjun frequented, but he was nowhere to be found. He’d spotted Namjoon and asked if he was in his room but Namjoon told him that he hadn’t seen him since lunch.

Jinwoo was losing his mind. Where had he disappeared too? He had to admit defeat after searching the grounds for the third time and went to get a late dinner. The sun had set and there was no point searching in the dark.

He was halfway through his dinner when he looked up at the kitchen door opening. His spoon stopped halfway to his mouth when he saw Myungjun step out. He was in there this whole time? A boy with silver hair stepped out after him and locked eyes with Jinwoo before pulling his boyfriend in for a hug.

It clicked in Jinwoos mind who he was. He was the hot, mysterious stranger Youngjae spoke of, who had made Myungjun that cake. And he was hugging his boyfriend. He felt the jealously flare up inside of him and slammed his spoon down on the table. He heard the boy muttering something in Myungjuns ear and then Myungjun was taking off, hiding behind Camellia as he left.

Jinwoo stormed straight over to the boy and pushed him forcefully up against the wall. “Who the hell are you? Don’t TOUCH him.”

The boy’s face was clear of emotion, he didn’t look intimidated at all. “I’m the only person that’s managed to get Myungjun to eat. You should be thanking me instead of laying your hands on me. I suggest you remove them.”

Jinwoo faltered. “What do you mean? Myungjuns not been eating?” The revelation shouldn’t have shocked him. Whenever Myungjun was in a bad mood he wouldn’t eat.

Jinwoo thought back to when Myungjun had been traumatised by the dungeons after seeing his mother killed in his illusion. He hadn’t eaten then, and it had broken Jinwoos heart to see how much weight he’d lost and how withdrawn he’d become. Jinwoo had dedicated all their mealtimes ever since, to making sure Myungjun ate more than enough and to hear he wasn’t eating again was too much to bear.

Myungjun was always happiest when he was eating. Jinwoo was always happiest watching him eat. He loved seeing his boyfriend’s cute cheeks full of food as he laughed and pouted and told terrible jokes that had them all groaning. His heart ached to see that again.

The last straw for Jinwoo was thinking about his cute tummy and how it would disappear if he didn’t fix things between them.

“He ate when he was with you?” The boy nodded. Jinwoo worried his lip between his teeth and let his hands fall to his sides. He didn’t want to be happy that Myungjun had only been able to eat in the presence of someone else, ESPECIALLY when that someone else was hugging him. “That doesn’t give you the right to touch him though.”

“It’s none of your concern. You broke up with him so he can hug whoever he wants.”

Jinwoo was bewildered. He broke up with Myungjun? When? “Did he say that to you? Is that what he thinks?”

The boy nodded and stepped towards the kitchen door. “I’ve offered Myungjun refuge in my kitchen. He’ll eat when he’s with me, I’ll make sure of it. I suggest you let him come back to me for that very reason. Whatever you’ve done to him, you either fix it or leave him alone.” The kitchen door was shut before Jinwoo could reply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Myungjun is unscarred!!! Woooo (I couldn't be cruel enough to leave them on his beautiful face. I'm evil but I'm not THAT evil)
> 
> We also have a name for the chef at last, Grey, how shockingly original...-.- lol
> 
> Also, Jinwoo still consistently calling Myungjun his boyfriend and being stubborn in the idea that they're still together makes this so much sadder to me. DON'T GIVE UP JINWOO ;-;


	93. Chapter 93

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No chapter warnings.
> 
> Myungjun POV only.

Myungjun woke up on a Tuesday morning and groaned, wanting nothing more than to just go back to sleep. He had two lessons with Jinwoo today. He’d been avoiding him for so long. The pain of looking at his handsome face was too much, especially when he knew Hyejin woke up to it every morning. He’d heard the rumours a couple of weeks ago, of how Jinwoo saved Hyejin in the dungeons. He’d pulled her to safety and asked her to be his girlfriend. When Myungjun had first heard it, he’d snorted in disbelief. However, as the days passed by, he saw more and more of them together and the possibility of that happening didn’t seem so farfetched after all.

Myungjun forced himself out of bed to get washed and dressed. His body was aching and weak, but he ignored it as he pulled on his shirt. Why are my clothes getting bigger? Myungjun thought, looking down at the baggy top with a frown. For a heart stopping moment, he wondered if he’d accidently put on one of Jinwoos, before shaking his head at the impossibility and pushing him back out of his mind.

It was impossible because he’d packed all of Jinwoos stuff away in a box under his bed. He knew he should just get rid of it, but a part of him just couldn’t. Everything Jinwoo had ever given him was in there. Jinwoos clothes, his glass flower, his ring, his two necklaces, his teddy bear, the drawing Jinwoo had done of their hallows eve costumes and the drawing of themselves that Myungjun had purchased in Voredan. It was all under there, shoved out of sight so he didn’t need to see it.

He made his way to the hall to make his regular appearance for his friends. Namjoon and Youngjae were already there. Myungjun had made a habit of sleeping in late and they’d eventually stopped waiting for him. He said hello to his friends and patted Rocky Jrs head before disappearing into the kitchens.

“Right on time Myungjun.” Grey said with a smile, sliding a cup of tea across the table to him when he was seated.

Myungjun sipped it and hummed happily. “Mint?”

“Do you like it? I ordered it in specially to give you something else to try.” Grey grabbed his own cup and sat down opposite him.

Myungjun nodded and sipped some more. “What am I eating today?”

Grey snapped his fingers and a plate landed in front of Myungjun with a thump. He looked down to see another cupcake, decorated with a smiley face made of blueberries.

“You know I can make you something else? You’ve eaten nothing but cupcakes for the last few weeks, that can’t be healthy.” Myungjun heard the familiar concern underlying Greys words and like usual, ignored it.

“I like your cupcakes that’s why.” Myungjun replied, pouting up at him. “Will you not make them for me anymore?”

Grey sighed and plucked one of the blueberries off the top. “I’ll make you as many cupcakes as you like. As long as you eat them.” He popped the blueberry into Myungjuns mouth and sat back in his chair to drink his tea. “I just think you should eat more fruit at least. That’s why I’ve been covering your cupcakes in them recently. What if I made you a salad for dinner today, would you eat that?”

“Probably not.” Myungjun replied honestly, tearing off some of the cupcake and eating it. “I don’t think I’ll have much of an appetite later. I have communications and combat training with Jinwoo today. I’ve been able to avoid him during communications, I paired up with Jimin instead, but it’s harder to avoid him during combat training. Rockys been helpful. He keeps Jinwoo away, but he always chases after me when the lessons over. Camellias the only thing that’s been keeping him away. Her black petals are awfully scary, especially when she puffs little clouds of pollen at him when he tries to get too close.”

“Maybe you should hear him out.”

“No. He chose her over me Grey. He told Youngjae he enjoyed kissing and touching her. He chose to join her team for the dungeon run. He asked her to be his girlfriend, if the rumours are true. I see them together all the time, walking the corridors, sitting together at lunch. I even saw them by the lake together the other week. He’s just trying to talk to me because he feels sorry for me. I see it in his eyes. If I hear him out, like you think I should, it will only make me feel worse. I’m _trying_ to get past this. I’m trying to focus on my lessons instead.” He didn’t realise he was crying until Grey leaned over to wipe the tears off his face and his caring action made Myungjun crumble with a sob. “I _love_ him Grey. I love him more than I’ve ever loved anyone before, and more then I’ll love anyone ever again and he’s left me. We were going to stay together forever, and I ruined it. I ruined it all. I don’t know how exactly, but I know I have. He either got bored of me or I scared him away. They’re the only two things I can think of.”

Grey sighed unhappily when Myungjun was finished. “You’ll never know unless you speak to him. Don’t you want answers? You deserve to know _why_ at least. Why he’s done this to you. I can even talk to him for you if you want?”

Myungjun shook his head and hiccupped though his sobs, scrubbing his eyes dry. “I do want answers, but I’m scared to hear them. I don’t want to hear how he doesn’t like me anymore. It’s not something I’d be able to handle. I just want things to go back to normal. I want him to hug me again, and smile at me again, brush my hair in the morning and bundle me up in clothes when it gets cold. Why can’t I have that again? What did I do to deserve this? I’ve been good. I do all my homework and try to be nice to everyone. I was never mean to Jinwoo and cuddled him whenever he asked.”

“It’s not you Myungjun.” Grey said firmly, reaching across the table to hold his hand. “I hate seeing you beat yourself up over this. Please speak to him today. You’re trying to get past this but you _can’t_. Not without uncovering the truth. Even if it breaks your heart, at least you’ll have the chance to put it back together again. At this point you’re hovering; you don’t know whether your heart will be broken or not so you can’t move on. Tell me you’ll talk to him. Today.”

Myungjun knew he was right. He knew it deep down. He couldn’t help the tiny shred of hope he was clinging to either, that this was all just a big misunderstanding. So he stopped his tears, shoved the rest of the cupcake in his mouth and gave Grey a resolute nod. Grey sighed in relief and finally smiled again.

“No matter what happens today Myungjun, you’ll always have me to rely on okay?”

“Thankyou.”

“Thank me when you’ve finished talking to him.”

*

Jimin sat across from Myungjun, holding the white herb between them. “Who’s going to dreamland today?”

“You can.” Myungjun decided after a few seconds. “I took that last time.”

They’d moved on to dream-walking in communications. In theory, they’d be able to enter the dreams of others to communicate with them in their unconscious state. In practice, Myungjun had failed every single time. He watched as Jimin chewed the herb and slumped back into his seat, fast asleep. Myungjun knew he only had ten minutes, so he got to work straight away.

He took Jimin’s hand and focused on establishing a link. It was more difficult with Jimin sleeping but he felt the flicker in his mind after a few minutes and focused on it with all his might. Someone in the classroom coughed and the weak link broke, making him groan in annoyance. That was the first time he’d ever felt a link whilst Jimin was sleeping and now it was ruined. Think positive, he scolded himself, at least you managed it in the first place.

Now he knew exactly what he was looking for, he managed to feel the flicker three more times before Jimin woke. It was more progress than he’d made in any of his lessons recently and he felt proud of himself.

“You’re smiling.” Jimin said, eyebrows raised in surprise. “I haven’t seen you smile like that in a while. How far did you get?”

“I felt the connection!” Myungjun whispered. “You have to reach really far for it. Do you want to try?” Jimin nodded excitedly and shook another white herb out of the jar. He handed it to Myungjun and Myungjun chewed it, feeling the tiredness settle in his limbs. “Good luck.” He mumbled before falling asleep.

~

_Myungjun woke up with a happy whine, feeling Jinwoos hand running through his hair. He giggled as Jinwoo kissed his cheeks and opened his eyes to see his boyfriend staring down at him fondly._

_“Good morning sunshine. Did you sleep well?” Jinwoo brushed the hair away from his face and kissed his forehead, nuzzling it gently with his nose._

_“Mmm I had a weird dream.” Myungjun said, struggling to remember exactly what had happened._

_Jinwoo pulled back to look down at him. “Good weird or bad weird?” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and Myungjun snorted, pushing him away._

_“Don’t be so disgusting Park Jinwoo.”_

_Jinwoo just rolled his eyes. “It’s my job to have inappropriate thoughts Junnie. You said so yourself.”_

_Myungjun looked up at him feeling confused. “I did? When did I say that?”_

_“Before we broke up.” Jinwoo climbed off of him and Myungjun reached out to grab him, not understanding his words and not liking them one bit. Jinwoo shrugged his hand off and got off the bed._

_Myungjun scrambled to sit up, pushing the covers off of himself. “What do you mean JinJin? We never broke up.”_

_Jinwoo turned back to look at him. Myungjun was startled to see pure anger and hatred burning in his eyes. “Yes we did. You were a terrible boyfriend Myungjun. Too clingy, too bossy and you treated me like a slave. How many times did I run around after you? You never did anything for me in return.”_

_“Jinwoo why are you saying these things to me?” Myungjun felt the tears welling up in his eyes. “I thought you loved me?”_

_Jinwoo scoffed down at him and crossed his arms. “How could I love someone like you? You’re lazy, you tell stupid jokes that no-one finds funny, your laugh is loud and obnoxious and you’re a cry baby.” He looked at Myungjuns trembling lip and laughed, loud and cruel. “You’re_ weak _. I can’t have someone weak as my boyfriend. I’d rather have someone strong. Like Hyejin. She’s strong and pretty too. Prettier than_ you _. She has a nice body, I should know, I’ve seen it. Why have I never seen yours Myungjun?”_

_Myungjun backed away as Jinwoo climbed back onto the bed. A predatory glint in his eyes. “J..Jinwoo no.”_

_“Why don’t you show me what’s under that shirt of yours?” Jinwoo asked, gripping the hem of it tightly. “You’ve never shown me before. Is it because you’re_ ashamed _Myungjun? Is it that repulsive? I bet it is. I bet I’m going to be_ disgusted _when I see what’s under there.”_

_Myungjun struggled against him, trying to get him off, panic welling up inside of him. “Jinwoo stop! Please let me go, you’re scaring me!”_

_Jinwoo let go, only to grab his collar a second later. With a grunt he tore Myungjuns top straight down the middle, exposing him completely. Myungjun looked down to see his chest black and charred. “You’re repulsive Myungjun. This is why I hate you. You’d be better off dead.”_

_Jinwoo burst into flames and Myungjun felt the heat as it melted his skin straight off the bone._

~

“…UNG WAKE UP! HYUNG!” Myungjun was ripped back to consciousness, screaming and clawing at his burning skin. He tipped his chair backwards in his struggle to get away from the fire and his head hit the wooden floor with a loud crack.

“Myungjun!” Myungjun looked up to see Jinwoo rushing over and he screamed louder, trying to scramble away across the floor.

“GET AWAY FROM ME! DON’T TOUCH ME!”

Jinwoo stopped in his movements to reach out and he let his hand fall back down to his side. “Myungjun you’re safe here. It was just a bad dream. You’re hurt, you need to see the nurse. Please Junnie calm down.”

Myungjun finally felt the throbbing in his head and collapsed in a heap with a groan. He heard Mr Seos voice somewhere above him but couldn’t make out what he was saying. A few seconds later and he felt hands pulling him up to his feet. The pain tore through his skull and everything went fuzzy around the edges.

*

Myungjun walked out of the infirmary an hour later feeling a whole lot better. The throbbing in his head was gone and he’d come out just in time for combat training. He raced there now, not wanting to be late and stepped out of the academy doors to see it pouring with rain outside.

He groaned when he realised class would be inside today. The only reason he was willing to go to combat training was because he wanted to use his bow, but he wouldn’t be able to in this weather. The rain was coming down hard, making it difficult to see and Myungjun squeaked in fear when lighting flashed in the sky, followed by a loud peal of thunder.

Myungjun raced off in the direction of the combat centre and slipped inside, willing his beating heart to stop trying to break free from his ribcage. He shook the rain out of his hair and looked around to see everyone practicing with the shuriken’s. The sound of metal thumping into wood and bouncing off the walls filled his ears and he scanned the room to find Jinwoo. He wanted to stay as far away from him as possible. He’d just have to tell Grey he couldn’t speak to him today. He spotted Jinwoo teaching at the other end of the hall and he couldn’t help the chill of fear that went through him as their eyes met. The dream he’d had was traumatising. He knew it wasn’t really Jinwoo, he’d like to think Jinwoo would never treat him like that, but it had scared him none the less.

Jinwoo took a step in his direction and Myungjun sighed in relief when Rocky stepped in front of him, blocking his path. Rocky said something to him and Jinwoo frowned before going back to teaching. Myungjun gave Rocky a small smile and nodded his head when Rocky mouthed his question across the combat centre, asking him if he was okay.

Myungjun found the box of shuriken’s and picked up a couple before going to find a belt to hold them in. Rocky came up to help him put it on and asked again if he was okay.

“I’m fine Rocky. Thankyou. When are we moving on from these anyway? I like them but I’m not very good at using them. Last time I trained with them I only hit half of my targets.” Myungjun frowned at the memory as he slipped them safely inside the hidden compartment of his belt.

Rocky smiled and patted his back. “We’ll move on when everyone’s got the hang of them. We can’t just skip over your flaws Hyung, you won’t do well in the exam otherwise. I’ll help you today okay? They’re really very easy to use when you get the hang of them. It’s all in the wrist.” He mimed throwing them, exaggerating his wrist movements and making silly sound effects until Myungjun laughed.

“Okay. Teach me oh wise one.”

*

Myungjun opened the combat centres doors at the end of the lesson and groaned in annoyance upon seeing that the rain hadn’t let up at all. It was still pouring just as heavily, and the rush of water was loud in his ears. He debated whether to step outside or just wait for Rocky and hope that the rain had ceased by the time he was ready to leave too.

His decision was made for him when he heard Jinwoo calling his name, like he did at the end of every combat training lesson, and he propelled himself into the freezing water. He tried to expend some of his petals, but his body was weak and the only ones that released were pummelled to the ground by the heavy onslaught of rain and flushed away before he could grab them.

“Myungjun please wait.” Jinwoos warm voice made Myungjun hesitate. Then he realised what he was doing, how vulnerable he was without Camellia, and he charged off towards the forest. Jinwoo must have realised Camellia wasn’t there to shield him, because unlike all the other times he’d ran after him before, he didn’t give up. “Myungjun talk to me!”

Myungjun whimpered unhappily as Jinwoos warm hand closed around the top of him arm, pulling him back. Jinwoo came around in front of him, radiating warmth that combated the cold rain and Myungjun broke. He broke at the familiar feeling flooding his body. He’d been so cold, so so cold even in the sun, and now it wasn’t so unbearable anymore. He trembled under Jinwoos sad gaze and was glad it was raining so heavily. He didn’t want Jinwoo to see his tears.

“Can we talk? Please? I’m not trying to hurt you Myungjun. I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

Despite the warmth Myungjun was feeling at being close to Jinwoo again, it didn’t make him forget everything Jinwoo had done. He wrenched his arm out of Jinwoos grip and scowled angrily at him. “You want to know if I’m _okay_? Of course I’m not! You won’t leave me alone! Stop chasing after me. I’m trying to move on but you’re holding me back Jinwoo.”

 _-You’re trying to get past this but you_ can’t _. Not without uncovering the truth. Even if it breaks your heart, at least you’ll have the chance to put it back together again. At this point you’re hovering; you don’t know whether your heart will be broken or not so you can’t move on.-_

Myungjun groaned as Greys wise words rung around in his head, memories of his conversation earlier that day, and he decided to just do it. To get it over and done with, no matter how much it would hurt.

So, before Jinwoo could reply, Myungjun asked the question he’d been avoiding for so long. “Why? Why did you do this to me Jinwoo?” Myungjuns voice cracked and he rubbed the fresh tears and rain from his eyes. A loud peal of thunder rumbled up above them and Myungjun shrieked, stumbling backwards. Jinwoo reached out to grab him, looking so so sad, but he quickly pulled his hand away. Myungjun caught his footing and didn’t fall.

“Myungjun I’m _sorry_.” Jinwoos voice cracked too and it broke Myungjuns heart all over again. He hated seeing Jinwoo cry. It was the worst possible thing. Myungjun stepped forwards, intent on maybe wiping a few of Jinwoos tears away but he seemed to have given Jinwoo the wrong idea. Jinwoos eyes filled with hope and he pulled him in for a hug.

Myungjun felt a few seconds of warmth before the panic took over. Jinwoo touching him again, after so long of being apart, was too much to handle. His dream of Jinwoo grabbing and assaulting him came flooding back, along with the memories of him holding Hyejin like this on the night Myungjuns happiness was ripped away and Myungjun screamed. He pushed Jinwoo off with all his might and tore off across the grounds. Wanting nothing more than to get away from the boy who ripped out his heart and stomped on the pieces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing Myungjuns dream was depressing
> 
> But Jinwoo, you were so damn close...


	94. Chapter 94

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER WARNING:  
> Mentions of Self Harm.
> 
> Jinwoo POV only.
> 
> The start of this chapter is set BEFORE the last chapter but the events all line up so it makes sense.

Jinwoo watched Myungjun go into the kitchens every single day after his talk with Grey about Myungjun not eating. Myungjun visited him every mealtime and always left looking a little happier than before. Jinwoo tried not to let it affect him. But the jealousy always rose inside of him anyway.

He was sitting at his usual table now, far away from the one he _wanted_ to be sitting at, where the friends he’d grown to love were sitting and laughing without him. His head snapped up at the sound of the kitchen door opening and Myungjun and the silver haired boy stepped out. The boy said something that made Myungjun laugh and Jinwoos heart clenched painfully at the sound. He hadn’t heard Myungjun laugh in weeks. It was like music to his ears and soothed him immensely. What didn’t soothe him, however, was seeing Myungjun hesitate before leaning forwards and giving the blue-eyed boy a hug. It was brief but it was enough to make Jinwoo melt his spoon out of anger. He looked down at the molten metal and wiped it off of his hand with a napkin and an annoyed sigh. When he looked up again, Myungjun was gone.

He’d watched Myungjun for weeks and not once had he hugged him. That guy hadn’t even hugged Myungjun again after the time Jinwoo confronted him and Jinwoo had been relieved. Myungjun hugging him first made Jinwoo feel incredibly uneasy and it seemed to have stunned the chef too because he stood dumbly at the door, eyes wide as he stared after Myungjuns retreating back. He turned away and his eyes met Jinwoos and Jinwoo was even more angry to see him looking at him with pity. He didn’t need his pity. He needed his boyfriend.

Jinwoo was startled out of his thoughts when a tray was slammed down on the table in front of him and he looked up to see Seokjin glaring his way. “Jinwoo we need to talk.”

Jinwoo gestured for him to take a seat, just happy in the knowledge that _someone_ was willing to talk to him, even if his tone of voice didn’t sound too good and he took a quick sip of his water before Seokjin spoke.

“Hyejins telling everyone you heroically saved her in the dungeons from being killed by a dragon and that you asked her there and then to be your girlfriend.”

Jinwoo spat out his water across the table and Seokjin smacked him on the back a few times as he choked. “What?”

Seokjin peered at his face before sighing in relief. “I didn’t think it was true either. However, it doesn’t matter what I think. It matters what Myungjun will think. He’s in a terrible state already Jinwoo. He hasn’t been eating, no matter how hard we try and Namjoon told me he hasn’t returned to the room some nights.”

“He’s not been back to his room?” Jinwoos eyes instantly snapped to the kitchen door and he gripped the edge of the table tight to stop his magic exploding. There’s no way. There’s no way Myungjun would actually stay the night with that boy. Yet Myungjun hugging him had said otherwise.

Seokjin carried on, ignoring his angry state. “Hyejin is down by the lake. I suggest you go and speak to her and stop this ridiculous rumour before it reaches Myungjuns ears. He’ll be devastated Jinwoo.”

Jinwoo was fighting the waves of magic under his skin as he stood up, pushing his chair backwards noisily. “I’ll go and speak to Hyejin _after_ I speak to the guy who’s trying to steal my boyfriend.”

Seokjin tried to protest but Jinwoo brushed him off, storming over to the kitchens and pushing the door open with enough force to have it slam against the wall. The kitchen was alive with noise as the food was being prepared and the chef turned away from the sink looking startled.

He immediately frowned and pulled his hands out of the water to grab a towel. “Can I help you Jinwoo?”

“Has Myungjun been sleeping with you?” Jinwoo asked lowly, jaw clenched.

“ _What_?”

Jinwoo growled angrily. “Has Myungjun been sleeping with you? Here. In the same bed.”

The boy’s face relaxed slightly and he sighed. “Why are you asking?”

“What do you mean why am I asking? That’s my boyfriend you’re taking advantage of!” Jinwoo felt his fire spreading across his hands as he stepped forwards. “He’s vulnerable right now, he’s not thinking straight and you’re using him!”

The boy in front of him remained impassive. “You’re the one that’s not thinking straight. Do you really know him at all? Why would he sleep here? He only comes here during mealtimes and I send him away every time. You should know, you’ve been stalking him for long enough.”

Jinwoo flushed and pulled his fire back in. “I’m not _stalking_ him. I’m making sure he’s okay.”

“Instead of watching from afar and ‘making sure he’s okay’, maybe you should actually fix things with him.”

“I’m trying!” Jinwoo exclaimed. “I can’t get near him because of that _stupid_ flower. She’s feral when it comes to protecting him. If I even step one foot towards him she’s turning her head my way, ruffling her black petals. It’s her warning towards me. At first, I tried to ignore her, I tried to step around her, but she covered me in those awful spores, and I was stunned. I couldn’t move, all I could do was watch Myungjun run away from me again.”

The boy sighed and leaned up against the sink, seemingly lost in thought. “Jinwoo the minute you see Myungjun alone, approach him. Even if he summons Camellia keep trying. He can’t keep it up forever, his magical energy is decreasing by the day because all he’ll eat is my stupid cupcakes. There will come a time when he can’t summon her, and when that happens, I swear to the deity you better seize that opportunity and make things right.” Jinwoo was confused. Why was this boy trying to help him? They locked eyes and the boy took in his confused expression with another sigh. “Myungjun is the only friend I have here, the only person who’s been interested in me enough to want to get to know me. I just want him to be happy and its clear he’s only truly happy when he’s with you. He shone like the sun around you and now he’s burned out, exhausted and miserable. Fix this Jinwoo. You’re the only one who can. Fix it before it’s too late.”

*

Jinwoo found Hyejin talking to a group of her friends near the lake, laughing and flipping her hair and not caring in the slightest how many lives she was ruining. She looked up when he approached and smiled in that sickly sweet way that made Jinwoo want to throttle her.

“Hello Jinnie. You just can’t stay away from me can you?” Her friends giggled and Jinwoo stopped in front of them, fists clenched.

“Why are you telling everyone that I’m your boyfriend?”

Hyejin sighed happily and sat up straighter. “I told you that you’d regret rejecting me Jinnie. Personally, I’m over you now. I’m not even really doing this to hurt you, despite you being so mean to me in the dungeons. I only care about getting back at your sorry excuse of a boyfriend. You saw how he killed me in the battledome. I couldn’t let him get away with that now could I?”

Jinwoos blood was boiling. “You’re doing this because he beat you in a fight? The whole point of us being in the battledome was defeating each other! I swear to the deity Hyejin you better leave Myungjun alone and stop this ridiculous rumour.”

“Or what? You’ll scowl at me?” Hyejin laughed and her friends chuckled nervously around her. She stopped laughing when Jinwoo stepped forwards, grabbing her by the collar of her shirt and yanking her to her feet.

“I’ll do more than that. Don’t push me Hyejin. I’ll go to Blaze and get you kicked out quicker than you can blink. Then when you’ve left, I’ll hunt you down and finish what my _sorry excuse of a boyfriend_ started.” He saw the fear flicker behind her eyes and smirked. “Shut this rumour down. If I find out its reached Myungjuns ears I’ll be back.” He shoved her away and watched as she crumpled to the floor. Her friends rushed forwards to make sure she was okay and Jinwoo turned to see Myungjun hurrying up the academy steps.

*

Myungjuns scream tore Jinwoo out of his concentrated state. He was trying to dream-walk in his partners mind when the bloodcurdling noise ripped him back. He turned quickly to see Myungjun clawing at his skin drawing blood and sobbing out incoherent words. When the chair toppled over, and Jinwoo heard the sickening crunch of his head, he sprung up to check on him. Pure worry writhed inside of him as he rushed over. He saw the utter terror in Myungjuns eyes, and his breath caught in his throat when Myungjun scrambled away from him, hair matted with blood.

“GET AWAY FROM ME! DON’T TOUCH ME!”

Jinwoo stopped in his movements to reach out, feeling the sadness wash over him and he let his hand fall back down to his side. “Myungjun you’re safe here. It was just a bad dream. You’re hurt, you need to see the nurse. Please Junnie calm down.”

He saw Myungjuns expression twist into one of pain before he collapsed on the floor groaning and whimpering.

“Take him to the nurse.” Mr Seo instructed, looking directly at Jinwoo.

Jinwoo stumbled back shaking his head. He couldn’t touch Myungjun, not when he looked so scared of him. He felt a small pair of hands on his back and was pushed back towards Myungjuns curled up body.

“Take him Hyung.” Jimins worried voice came from behind him. “He needs you.”

Jinwoo hesitated. Would Myungjun hate him even more if he helped? He pushed that thought away, it was selfish to think about how he himself would feel when Myungjun was the one who was hurt. Jinwoo gathered all of his courage and pulled Myungjun to his feet. He picked him up and cuddled him close to his chest, relief and love crashing over him in waves as the familiar scent of his boyfriend’s skin washed over him. It was so overwhelming his legs nearly gave out, but he took a shaky step forwards and kept going.

Myungjun was mumbling in his arms and whimpering every so often. He seemed out of it but gripped tightly at Jinwoos shirt as the tears fell down his face. How many more times is my heart going to break? Jinwoo thought weakly as he looked down at him. He desperately wanted to kiss the tears off of Myungjuns face but held back the urge.

“JinJin.” Jinwoo froze in the middle of the corridor and looked down at Myungjuns face. His eyes were closed but Jinwoo had definitely just heard his nickname. He hadn’t heard it in weeks, and it made his heart flutter. “JinJin no.” Jinwoo bit down hard on his lip to stop the strangled sob that was suddenly trying to escape. Whatever Myungjun was thinking about didn’t sound good. “Scared…hurts.” Myungjun buried his face in Jinwoos top and Jinwoo hugged him tight, trying to tell him with his mind that he was here, that he’d protect him, that he’d never hurt him.

He took off running towards the infirmary but gasped in shock when images flooded his mind. Images of him and Myungjun cuddling on the bed, Jinwoo telling him they’d broken up, Myungjun trying to stop him from leaving and Jinwoo assaulting him with nasty words and tearing his shirt off. When his mind was clear again, he stumbled and hit the wall.

“I didn’t do that.” He whispered in disbelief. “I didn’t do that. I never would.”

“Jinwoo?” He turned at the sound of Hyungwons voice and saw Hyungwon looking down at Myungjun with wide eyes. “Jinwoo what’s going on?”

“Take him.” Jinwoo said shakily. “Take him to the infirmary. He’s hurt. Oh bloody hell TAKE HIM!”

Hyungwon rushed forwards looking shocked and Jinwoo deposited Myungjun gently in his arms before rushing through the corridors to find the nearest toilet. The images played over and over in his mind. He’d called Myungjun repulsive. He’d told him he hated him. Told him he was better off dead and then burnt him alive. He fell to his knees in front of the toilet and threw up over and over again, body spasming from the effort.

That’s what Myungjun dreamt of, he thought weakly when he was done, that’s why he looked so scared of me.

He buried his face in his hands and started to cry.

*

Jinwoo was out on the grounds, standing under the pouring rain as he watched his boyfriend break down in front of him.

“Why? Why did you do this to me Jinwoo?” Myungjuns voice cracked and he rubbed at his already swollen eyes. A loud peal of thunder rumbled up above them and Myungjun shrieked, stumbling backwards. Jinwoo panicked reaching out to grab him before realising he shouldn’t and quickly pulled his hand away. To his relief, Myungjun caught his footing and didn’t fall.

“Myungjun I’m _sorry_.” Jinwoos voice cracked too and his heart broke at the thought of everything he’d done. Everything he’d put Myungjun through. This was the first time they’d spoken in weeks and Myungjuns bright happy voice was replaced with sadness and anger and _pain_. That’s all Jinwoo could see when he looked at him. His face was gaunt with it and his eyes displayed it clear for everyone to see. I’m going to fix this, Jinwoo thought determinedly, now’s my chance.

Then he faltered. Myungjun was leaning towards him, with something other than fear and pain in his eyes, something Jinwoo used to see all the time before this nightmare began and he felt hope well up inside of him when he realised Myungjun still _cared_.

So he hugged him.

He radiated pure happiness as Myungjun hugged him back. We’re going to be okay, he thought weakly.

Then Myungjun screamed.

Jinwoo stumbled back as Myungjun pushed him, feeling shock and confusion as he looked down at Myungjuns face. He looked terrified and before Jinwoo could open his mouth to speak, Myungjun was gone.

“NO!” He shouted angrily, another peal of thunder drowning out his voice. “I WAS SO CLOSE!” He screamed in frustration, cursing the deity above for toying with his fate and had the overwhelming urge to just _break_ something.

He tore back across the grounds to the combat centre, ignoring Rockys confused shouts and launched himself at his favourite wooden dummy. The one he hadn’t been able to look at since the night he’d kissed Hyejin. He felt anger towards it and lashed out. His knuckles crunched sickeningly but he didn’t care. He welcomed the pain. He was feeling numb from shock, numb from being so close to Myungjun and having his chance ripped away yet again. He just needed to _feel_ again. He lashed out repeatedly, watching with sick satisfaction as his blood smeared all over the damaged wood until hands pulled him away.

“GET OFF!” He yelled, spinning to glare at Rocky who visibly backed down. “Let me do this Rocky.” His voice cracked again, and he turned back around. When he tried to raise his fists, they wouldn’t move. He looked down to see that Rocky had a gentle hold on his wrists from behind.

“Hyung please.” His voice was soft and Jinwoo heard Rocky Jr garble sadly. “Please don’t hurt yourself. You’ll be okay, Myungjun-hyung will be okay, everything will be okay.”

Rocky held him as he cried and shushed him gently. Jinwoo never cried in front of anyone but Myungjun. Right now though, he’d make the exception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The angst tag was definitely needed.
> 
> The only comfort I can give you all is the fact that there's only a few chapters of this left~
> 
> Also, I've been struggling to sleep for the past couple of months and I write some of the stupidest shit at night. Chapter 108 is the most crackhead thing I've ever written and I've been crying with laughter ever since I re-read it this morning. JESUS CHRIST I need help


	95. Chapter 95

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No chapter warnings.
> 
> Jinwoo POV only~

Jinwoo woke up on Myungjuns birthday with a good feeling in his gut. Today was going to be the day he won Myungjun back. He didn’t know how exactly, but he could feel it. He got up and raced to the bathroom to brush his teeth and comb his hair into something more acceptable to society. He raced back out to pull on some clothes. Even going as far as to put on a top Myungjun had given him all those months ago. He shrugged a jumper over it to hide the evidence, he didn’t want to make Myungjun uncomfortable, and raced to the hall to eat.

He watched as Myungjun disappeared into the kitchens and hurried to sit alone at his normal table in the corner. He ate excitedly, barely tasting anything at all and waited, albeit impatiently, for Myungjun to leave. He just needed to see his face before he went to class. He didn’t need to talk to him, not yet anyway.

Myungjun left sometime later, smiling at the silver haired boy behind him and Jinwoo was surprised to see Myungjun go back to sit with their friends. He usually left the hall straight after, but it seemed today was different.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEMON BOY!”

Myungjun turned to wave and laugh at the chef before sitting down and cuddling up to Hyungwon who handed him something Jinwoo couldn’t see. Jinwoo decided he didn’t need to see anymore anyway and dashed from the room to get to class, hoping that the day would go by fast.

*

Jinwoo clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention and shivered inside happily when they all complied. He loved being a teacher. He loved the thrill of watching his students’ progress and learn new things. It had been hard at the beginning. No-one had taken him and Rocky seriously, but over time they’d gained their trust and their respect. His students could see that they knew what they were doing. Jinwoo and Rocky showed off their skills a lot just to remind them and that’s what they planned to do now.

He cleared his throat to speak and smiled at the eager faces around him. “You’ve all done so well over the past couple of months and you should be proud of yourselves. Everyone has managed to master the use of the shuriken’s and now it’s time to move on.”

A buzz of noise filled the room and Jinwoo nodded to Rocky to signal for him to take over. Rocky was already hiding the next weapon and when he revealed them, seemingly out of nowhere, the excited buzz grew louder.

“You mastered throwing the shuriken’s, now you’ll master throwing actual knives. Shuriken’s have bladed edges on all sides so it’s easier to land a hit. However, knives aren’t as easy. You can throw them like this…” Rocky threw the knife at one of the dummies where it bounced off uselessly as the handle hit the wood. “Or, you can throw them like _this_.” Rocky threw a second one where it thudded straight into the dummies head, burrowing deep. Rocky bowed graciously when people clapped and Jinwoo was happy to see Myungjun looking interested too. Their eyes met briefly and Myungjun quickly looked away, biting his lip nervously. Jinwoo thought he was adorable.

After a few seconds, Jinwoo realised the room was quiet and everyone was looking at him. He coughed awkwardly, realising Rocky had wanted him to continue with the speech. He’d been too distracted staring at Myungjun, and he hoped people hadn’t noticed.

“So…throwing knives. Yes, that’s what we’re doing.” He groaned internally at how awkward he sounded. “We’ll show you the proper techniques first and then I would like each of you to collect a knife and practice on one of the dummies. Now watch carefully…”

*

Myungjun, very predictably, left the combat centre swiftly when the lesson was over. This time Jinwoo didn’t chase after him. Something in his gut held him back and he trusted his instincts. Jinwoo helped Rocky to clean up the large room instead. They picked up all the stray knives, swept the floor to remove any splinters that had fallen from the wooden dummies, and made notes on the ones that needed to be mended.

“So, who’s going to write the lesson report this time Hyung? Do you want me to do it?”

Jinwoo looked up to smile at Rocky and shrugged. “I can do it if you want. I don’t have a lesson after dinner today. So, I could do it then.” He laughed when Rocky sighed in relief.

“Thanks Hyung. I’m sorry that you do it so often, I just don’t like Mr Bang. He’s really intimidating.”

Jinwoo thought about the head of the Academy, the man who ran it all. He could understand what Rocky was saying. Mr Bang _was_ pretty intimidating when he was sitting behind his big mahogany desk, in his sharp crisp suit, reading their carefully thought out lesson plans and critically judging the results of those plans. He expected perfection and luckily enough, Jinwoos and Rockys classes were living up to his expectations. Their students were making excellent progress and he was always proud to hand over his report saying how fast they were learning under their guidance.

“No problem. I’ll write the report and take it up to him. You don’t have to come with me if you don’t want to.” Jinwoo said kindly, sweeping the last of the splinters into a pile. When Rocky didn’t reply, Jinwoo looked up to see him shuffling his feet nervously. “What’s wrong?”

“You do know it’s Myungjun-hyungs birthday today right?” When Jinwoo nodded Rocky relaxed. “Are you giving him a gift?”

Jinwoo smiled as he put the broom back into storage and turned back to look at the younger boy. “I’m going to give him the best gift of all. The truth. I have a good feeling about today. He’s going to listen to me and we’re going to work things out.”

Rocky didn’t look so sure. “How are you going to make him listen to you? He always runs away.”

“I don’t know.” Jinwoo shrugged. “All I know is that he’s too weak to summon Camellia anymore so I can approach him at least. I pushed things too far last time when I hugged him. I won’t try that again; I’ll keep my distance and convince him to look at all of my memories. He’ll see the truth, and then everything will be okay.”

Rocky sighed and picked up Rocky Jr who was trying to play in the pile of splinters. “Good luck with that Hyung. I really hope you two sort things out. Myungjuns not looking so good and we’re all worried about him.”

“I’ll fix things. I’ll make him better again.” Jinwoo promised. “I’ll make him happy again.”

*

Jinwoo left Mr Bangs office feeling even better. He’d been praised highly after revealing his students were already moving onto the throwing knives, which didn’t actually need to be started for at least another week. He walked down a few flights of stairs before stepping outside of the academy’s main doors. It was dark, night had fallen already, and his instincts were telling him that it was time to find Myungjun.

Jinwoo looked up at the stars and prayed to the deity to give him a sign. Any indication of where Myungjun could be. His eyes snapped down to the floor in shock when a bundle of vines broke through the dirt. _Myungjun_.

He bent down quickly to pick up the parchment and opened it to see a beautiful sketch of their pond. He was running before he’d even processed it. Myungjun was at the pond. Myungjun had sent him the picture because he wanted him to find him. Myungjun was going to listen to him and everything was going to be okay.

Jinwoo blinked back the happy tears as he dashed across the grounds and into the forest, he followed the familiar path, one he hadn’t used in a long time, and stopped in front of the hedgerow. He took a deep shaky breath to calm himself and dropped to his knees to crawl beneath the leaves.

When he got to the other side, he looked up to see pitch black petals. “Camellia?” How was she here? Myungjun was too weak wasn’t he? A bad feeling settled in his gut and a second later he was engulfed in a cloud of yellow pollen.

Camellia disappeared and was replaced by Myungjun. “Jinwoo can you understand me?”

Jinwoo nodded, too shocked to speak. She must be making me hallucinate, he thought as he stared up at the visage of his boyfriend.

Camellia sighed in relief. “Jinwoo we don’t have a lot of time. I sent you that drawing hoping you would come. I can’t leave his side to get anyone else. He’s sick, so very sick. He hasn’t been eating properly, he rarely sleeps, he spends most of his nights out here in the cold. I’m draining him further as we speak but I need you to _understand_. I’m an extension of him, this is his way of asking you to help, whether he wants to admit it or not. His body is failing him, and you need to get him to the nurse as soon as possible. I can’t stay any longer. Please help him.”

The panic had been building as Camellia spoke, but when she disappeared in a puff of petals, to reveal his actual boyfriend, the panic hit its peak. “MYUNGJUN!” He scrambled to his feet and ran over to the crumpled heap on the flat rocks by the pond. Myungjuns design portfolio was open and scattered across the floor with his drawing tools littered between the sheets. Jinwoo pushed it all aside to roll Myungjun over onto his back and gasped in horror.

Myungjun looked terrible. Jinwoo hadn’t realised just how bad he’d gotten. He’d always been too caught up in his own emotions and too focused on fixing things between them to actually _look_. He looked now though, taking in all of the gut-wrenching details.

Myungjuns skin was pale, paler than Jinwoo had ever seen it before. He had dark circles under his eyes that stood out shockingly on his pallid complexion. His face was drawn and thin, his cute rosy cheeks nowhere to be seen. Jinwoo took in his appearance feeling sick. He’d done this to him. The smattering of acne across his face and his limp greasy hair told Jinwoo he hadn’t been looking after himself either. How can he when he spends all of his time down here in the cold? Jinwoo focused on radiating his body heat and reached out a shaky hand to touch Myungjuns face. He was freezing.

Jinwoo gathered Myungjun up in his arms and lifted him up. He was startled to feel how light Myungjun was now. Myungjun whimpered quietly and Jinwoo stared down at him, watching him take weak, shaky breaths that sounded painful and strained.

Jinwoo moved to leave but hesitated, looking down at Myungjuns stuff. “I’ll come back for it.” He promised him. “I’ll come back for your stuff after I get you to the infirmary. Just hang on for me Myungjun.”

*

Jinwoo burst through the infirmary doors and watched as the nurse turned around startled. “Please help him.” Jinwoo said weakly, tears spilling from his eyes. “He’s sick.”

The nurse rushed over, and her eyes widened in shock when she looked down at him. “Get him on the bed.”

Jinwoo stepped over to the nearest one and put Myungjun down carefully, sweeping the hair out of his eyes. The nurse bustled around him, checking his temperature, feeling his pulse and waving her hands over his body as her birthmark glowed. Her eyes were screwed shut in concentration as she worked and Jinwoo tensed when her eyes snapped open to look at him.

“He’s extremely malnourished and the magical energy he possesses is life-threateningly low. If he’d been left like this for another day, he wouldn’t have made it.”

Jinwoo sat down hard on the bed beside Myungjuns. Myungjun would have died. _Died_. And it would have been all his fault. He let out a strangled sob and clutched his chest with shaky hands. He’d failed again. Failed in protecting Myungjun like he always promised he would. His cute, beautiful, innocent boyfriend was lying in the infirmary, close to death, because he’d neglected him. He’d been told plenty of times how bad of a state Myungjun was in and he’d brushed them all aside thinking he’d be okay once they’d spoken.

“Jinwoo?” Jinwoo looked up to see the nurse looking at him. “Please do me a favour.” Jinwoo quickly nodded and scrubbed his tears away. He wanted to help in any way possible. “Get a pen and some parchment and send a note to Grove. He needs to be here as Myungjuns leader. Go now, Myungjun needs his magic.”

Jinwoo raced into her office and sifted through the parchment on her desk until he found a clean sheet. He grabbed a pen and quickly scribbled a note telling Grove about Myungjuns condition. He held it up in the air, flicked his wrist and engulfed the note in flames, thinking only of the earthen leader. When he stepped back out of her office, he was startled to see Grove already there, clutching his singed parchment.

The nurse was speaking quickly to him and Grove was staring down at Myungjun with a frown. “…needs magic. This hasn’t happened over night. His bodies been deteriorating for weeks, maybe months. He’s been in a lot of pain but I’m guessing he’s been covering it up. I can heal the damage to his organs, but his heart is weak. I’ll leave you too it.” The nurse stepped away from the bed and swept through a different door in the infirmary.

Jinwoo watched as Grove placed his hands over Myungjuns chest and his birthmark began to glow. Grove seemed to be in pain and after a few minutes of silence his hands began to shake. The nurse came back into the room with a bowl of water and some fresh clothes and quickly put it all on the bedside table before pulling Grove away and helping him slump down into a chair.

“You didn’t need to give him that much.” She scolded. Grove just groaned and placed his head in his hands.

“He’s my responsibility.” Grove said weakly. “No student will die on my watch.”

The nurse tutted unhappily before going back to her bowl of water. Jinwoo saw his opportunity to help and hurried over to take the wet cloth from her hands. “Let me do it.”

The nurse seemed to think about it before nodding and letting him take over. Jinwoo sat on the edge of the bed and cleaned Myungjuns face gently and meticulously, wiping away the sweat and the oil and the tears. Myungjun stirred but didn’t wake. After a while, the nurse shooed him away so she could change Myungjuns clothes and Jinwoo went to sit beside Grove as the curtain was pulled around Myungjuns bed.

“Jinwoo you understand the gravity of this situation don’t you?” Jinwoo turned to look at Grove who still had his head in his hands. “Myungjun showed me his memory of you and Ahn Hyejin half-naked. I don’t know what happened and I’d like to think you had your reasons, but it’s put Myungjuns life in danger now. Tell the nurse I’m letting you stay here overnight to wait for Myungjun to wake up. You need to talk to him once and for all. I need to go and rest now, so I’d like for you to keep some parchment beside you, to inform me when you’ve finished talking to him.” Jinwoo quietly agreed that he would, and he watched Grove shuffle out of the room.

The nurse pulled Myungjuns curtains back to reveal him looking clean and comfortable and Jinwoo rushed straight over, dragging his chair, so he could wait for him to wake up. “How long?”

“He’ll be awake in a few hours. I’m going to put him on a drip that will replenish his body with nutrients to speed up the healing process. I heard Grove giving you permission to stay overnight so I’ll set you up a proper bed.”

“No need.” Jinwoo said quickly. “I won’t sleep. I’ll sit right here.”

The nurse just sighed. “As you wish. You need to call me when he wakes up. He’s going to be in some pain, and I need to take it away before you talk to him.”

Jinwoo nodded and reached over to hold Myungjuns frail hand. “You’ll be okay sunshine. Just wake up soon for me okay?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter started off so happy and hopeful wow


	96. Chapter 96

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER WARNING:  
> Major Character Death  
> Lets get fricking sad 
> 
> Jinwoo AND Myungjun POVs  
> (Our last Jinwoo POV ;-; )

**Jinwoo**

Jinwoo was startled out of his sleep when Myungjun started to cough weakly. He quickly sat up straight and felt Myungjuns hand slip from his own. Myungjun coughed some more before groaning and looking around. His eyes eventually landed on Jinwoo and he looked confused.

“Jinwoo? Why am I here? Why are you here?” His voice was weak and soft and it made Jinwoo want to protect him even more. Jinwoo was glad Myungjun had asked him questions. He wouldn’t know how to start otherwise.

“You got sick Myungjun. Really really sick. Why didn’t you tell anyone how you felt?”

Myungjun looked uncomfortable and he tried to sit up, wincing at the drip in his arm. Jinwoo quickly got up to help him but stopped when Myungjun flinched. “Please don’t touch me Jinwoo.”

Jinwoos heart clenched painfully at the request but he backed off and went to get the nurse. She’d asked him to get her when Myungjun woke up so she could take away his pain. Maybe Myungjun would be more willing to talk when he felt better. She came out straight away to check on him, giving Jinwoo time to think.

He didn’t even know where to begin in explaining the truth to Myungjun. He had no real plan. All he knew was that he wanted to show Myungjun his memories but Myungjun didn’t even want to touch him. He couldn’t show him without some kind of contact. How was he supposed to do this?

The nurse left soon after and Jinwoo took a deep shaky breath before going to sit back in the chair beside Myungjuns bed. Myungjun looked a lot better sat up with no pain, but he was watching Jinwoo with wary eyes.

Jinwoo decided to start with the here and now. “Myungjun we really do need to talk. You’re in the infirmary now because of our argument. You nearly _died_ ” Jinwoo barely caught Myungjuns next words but when he did, they made his blood run cold.

“I wish I had. I wouldn’t have to feel this pain anymore then.” Myungjun sounded sad but he didn’t cry.

The thought of Myungjun truly thinking that was too much to bear. “Myungjun don’t say that!”

Myungjuns eyes snapped up to look at him and Jinwoo saw the anger in them. “I’m allowed to say what I want. Don’t pretend to care about me Jinwoo.”

Jinwoos own anger bristled without his consent. “Pretend? When have I ever pretended about anything when it came to you?” Jinwoo found himself getting up and moving to sit on the edge of Myungjuns bed. Myungjun pressed himself back into the pillows with wide eyes. “My concern for you comes from the bottom of my heart Myungjun because I lo-”

“NO!” Myungjuns shout made Jinwoo jump, but what startled him the most was Myungjuns hand clamped over his mouth, cutting his confession short. “Don’t you DARE say it Jinwoo. Not like this. Not when you have a girlfriend. Not when I know you’re only saying it out of pity.”

Myungjuns words mixed with his tears pushed Jinwoo to act. He couldn’t have Myungjun thinking and believing those things. He’d got it all wrong and Jinwoo knew there was only one way to prove that. He surged forwards, Myungjun hand still clamped over his mouth. Myungjuns lips parted, probably to scream, so Jinwoo silenced him too. He looked at the fear in Myungjuns eyes before pressing their foreheads together. Myungjun tried to struggle but he was too weak and Jinwoo did what he should have done a long time ago. He showed Myungjun the truth.

Jinwoo showed him everything. Him grabbing Hyejin to his chest so she wouldn’t burn Myungjun alive, him getting cut off short in his sentence by Youngjae and what he’d actually MEANT to say, him being followed around by Hyejin and constantly telling her to leave him alone, him saving Hyejin in the dungeons only to get a better exam score and then rejecting her confession, him carrying Myungjun through the halls after he hit his head in communications, Seokjin approaching him to tell him of the girlfriend rumour and him approaching and threatening Hyejin to shut it down. He showed him as much as possible.

And then he showed him more. He showed him his first ever memories of Myungjun that he had and every memory since. Even all the trivial things. Like watching Myungjun eat or sleep or giggle. He let the love he felt for him flood through his thoughts, hoping Myungjun would understand how he felt. He knew this was his last chance and he wanted to get it right. NEEDED to. He laid his whole soul out, every single memory, every single thought, no matter how embarrassing. This wasn’t the time to be embarrassed. This was the time to win his boyfriend back.

When he pulled away, Myungjun was staring at him with a frown, not saying a word. “Junnie say something.” Myungjun just stared. “PLEASE Myungjun. Was that not enough? I showed you the truth. I showed you _everything_. Don’t you forgive me now?” Myungjun didn’t answer him and he began to feel nervous. Maybe Myungjun just needed time to think. He’d shown him a lot and he knew how easily Myungjun got overwhelmed.

“Myungjun I’ll give you some time and space to think about what I showed you. I’m going back to the pond to get your sketchbook. I’ll be back soon okay?” Myungjun nodded stiffly and Jinwoo left with hope in his heart.

*

Getting to the pond was simple enough and Jinwoo scrambled to collect all the parchment and pens. Some pieces of parchment had been blown into the water by the gentle breeze and he jumped in without a second thought to get them too. The pond was deeper than he’d expected but he could swim. It was times like this where he was extra happy to be a fire user. He knew the water must have been freezing at this time of year, but he didn’t feel it and he was quick to dry when he climbed out. He tried to steam the paper dry too and froze as he laid eyes on one of the sketches.

Jinwoo rushed over to Myungjuns sketchbook and opened it up. He’d drawn some pictures of the pond and of Camellia but the further Jinwoo got the more his heart swelled. Myungjun had sketched pictures of _him_. The first few sketches had obviously been from Myungjuns memory, times long past. Sketches of Jinwoo from when they first met. Then the drawings changed. They were more recent. Jinwoo sleeping in the library surrounded by books. Jinwoo sitting by himself on the table in the corner of the hall. Jinwoo sitting by the lake alone. Myungjun had been watching him. Just like he’d been watching Myungjun. Some of the pictures were smudged with tears and some of them had been scribbled over but all Jinwoo could see was himself. There were so many of them.

_He still loves me._

Jinwoo had never run so fast in his life. He knew for certain that Myungjun was going to forgive him and he grinned widely as he raced past a few stray students who were walking the halls. He didn’t care how crazy he looked. He only cared about seeing Myungjun smile again, hugging him again, kissing him again.

He approached the infirmary door and was confused to see it locked. He jiggled the handle a few times before knocking. After a few seconds the door opened to reveal Grove, looking even sleepier than before. Why was Grove here? Jinwoo hadn’t sent him the note yet. Which meant…

“What’s happened?” Jinwoo asked, heart picking up speed. “What’s happened to Myungjun?”

“Did you speak to him?” Grove asked firmly instead. “Did you tell him the truth?” When Jinwoo nodded Grove sighed, rubbing his tired eyes. “That explains it.”

“Explains what? Grove what happened?”

“Myungjuns showing signs of slipping into shock. He’s- Jinwoo stop.”

Jinwoo pushed past Grove to see his boyfriend with his own eyes. Myungjun was sitting up in the middle of the bed, eyes still staring into nothing. The nurse was sitting next to him, wiping the corners of his mouth and when Jinwoo stepped closer he could smell the tangy scent of Myungjuns sick. He ignored Groves protests behind him and rushed to climb onto the bed to sit in front of him. He realised Myungjun was crying and reached forwards with a shaky hand to wipe the tears away. Myungjun had told him before how to deal with someone who had gone into shock, so he put theory into practice.

“Sunshine? It’s JinJin. I’m here. I saw your sketches you know. The ones you drew of me. I love them, they’re really good. I’m so proud of you for drawing so well but then again I’m always proud of you aren’t I?” The tears were falling faster down Myungjuns face now and Jinwoo cooed sadly. “It’s okay sunshine. Me and you, we’re going to be okay aren’t we? You just need to come back to me Junnie. Focus on my voice hmm? I’ve missed you so much.” Jinwoo leaned forwards and kissed the tears off of Myungjuns face. Just like he always used to do. Hoping that something familiar and caring would pull Myungjun back. He leaned back slightly, lips millimetres from Myungjuns own and he saw the way Myungjuns eyes finally focused on his. Myungjun let out a soft breath that ghosted over Jinwoos lips before his eyes fluttered shut and he slumped back against the pillows.

The nurse rushed to check on him and Jinwoo froze. Why did she look so worried? Why was she checking his pulse? Why was she doing that to his chest?

“Grove get him out of here.” The nurse sounded calm, but her actions seemed desperate. She was pumping Myungjuns chest and all Jinwoo could think about was how frail he was and how she’d end up hurting him if she continued.

He went to reach forwards, to pull her hands away but found himself being pulled away instead. “Jinwoo we need to leave. You shouldn’t see this.”

Shouldn’t see what?

“Myungjun BREATHE.” The nurse was still pumping his chest and Grove was dragging him backwards with more force. Myungjun wasn’t breathing? No. No that wasn’t true. He’d _felt_ Myungjuns breath on his lips. Yet when he looked closer, Myungjun was lying awfully still.

The realisation hit him hard.

Myungjun was dead. Jinwoo had killed him. Just like his parents.

**Myungjun**

Myungjun felt the exact moment his heart stopped. It was strange. He’d felt so overwhelmed with emotion. Jinwoo had shown him the truth, proven to him that it really was all just a big misunderstanding, proving to him that he still loved him. Then Jinwoo was in front of him and pressing soft kisses on his cheeks and calling him sunshine and feeding into his need for praise. His lips were so close. Myungjun could finally smell the scent of his skin again. His favourite smell in the entire world. His heart felt like it was going to explode.

Then it just stopped.

He stood by the bed watching as Jinwoo was pulled away, screaming hysterically and crying and he moved forwards to comfort him, to tell him that everything was okay but found he couldn’t speak. He turned to see what Jinwoo was looking at instead and saw himself. Except it didn’t really look like himself. He was thin and frail and looked like death. Am I dead?

He wasn’t scared. He didn’t really feel much of anything, but he did watch with mild interest as a mark on the back of the nurse’s neck began to glow. He’d never noticed it there before but then again; he didn’t exactly make it a habit to stare at the backs of people’s necks either.

The nurse looked directly at him. Not his lifeless body on the bed, but up at him standing by it. Can she see me?<

“Myungjun I’m not letting you die today.” She was definitely talking to him. “Take your hand Myungjun.” She lifted his lifeless arm towards him and Myungjun hesitated. Something was calling him. He didn’t know what, but he had the sudden urge to _leave_. “Myungjun take your hand! Don’t you dare leave us!”

Her tone of voice made Myungjun move. He grabbed his hand, holding it tight and the nurse clasped them both between her own as she began to chant. It sounded strange to Myungjuns ears but what was stranger was the way he seemed to melt back into his body. It only began to hurt towards the end and then the pain was so intense everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I just make Jinwoo accidently kill the love of his life, on said love of his life's sixteenth birthday? Yes, yes I did.
> 
> YOU CAN'T HATE ME MORE THAN I HATE MYSELF OKAY  
> I HAD TO INTRODUCE RESURRECTION MAGIC SOMEHOW- Nothing more impactful then killing off the main character to do so


	97. Chapter 97

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER WARNING:  
> Mentions of attempted su*cide

Myungjun was watching Grove quietly. He had woken up a few minutes ago to see the man sitting in a chair beside his bed, fast asleep, with his head lulling against his chest. The curtains around Myungjuns bed were drawn and he heard movement outside, but he didn’t make it known that he was awake. He was struggling to come to terms with the fact that he’d died and was suddenly alive again. He hadn’t been scared at the time, but he felt scared now when he thought about his mother and his friends and Jinwoo. He saw how Jinwoo had reacted to his death and that image was burned into his mind. He’d nearly put everyone else through that awful grief too because he’d made the biggest mistake of his life.

He’d pushed Jinwoo away for weeks and ignored all of his attempts to explain and fix things. None of this would have happened if Myungjun had just _listened_. He should have known Jinwoo would never hurt him, he should have believed in the love Jinwoo felt for him and he shouldn’t have let his insecurities take over.

Thinking back to the dream he’d had during communications had opened his eyes. Every hateful word Jinwoo had said to him were Myungjuns deepest thoughts and it was hard admitting that to himself.

_You were a terrible boyfriend Myungjun. Too clingy, too bossy and you treated me like a slave. How many times did I run around after you? You never did anything for me in return._

Myungjun knew Jinwoo did too much for him when they were together. Bringing him food, brushing his hair, brushing his teeth, giving him massages when he was stressed, bundling him up in clothes when it was cold, helping him with his homework if he got stuck. Jinwoo did _so much_ and never asked for anything in return. So Myungjun never offered. He felt sick with guilt realising it.

_How could I love someone like you? You’re lazy, you tell stupid jokes that no-one finds funny, your laugh is loud and obnoxious and you’re a crybaby. You’re weak. I can’t have someone weak as my boyfriend. I’d rather have someone strong. Like Hyejin. She’s strong and pretty too. Prettier than you. She has a nice body, I should know, I’ve seen it. Why have I never seen yours Myungjun?_

Myungjun knew he was weak. In more ways than one. He didn’t have the physical strength Jinwoo possesses and never would. He didn’t have a good strength of mind either. His father had been right, he _did_ let his emotions get the better of him and he’d _died_ because of it. He’d killed Rocky in the dungeons because of it. He’d pushed Jinwoo away because of it. And he was a crybaby because of it. Always crying over the simplest things whether he was happy or scared or sad. He shed too many tears and he was embarrassed by it.

 _Why don’t you show me what’s under that shirt of yours? You’ve never shown me before. Is it because you’re_ ashamed _Myungjun? Is it that repulsive? I bet it is. I bet I’m going to be_ disgusted _when I see what’s under there._

Myungjuns body was what he was most insecure about. He knew it was ridiculous, Jinwoo had doted over plenty of it before. Jinwoo loved his tummy, loved his thighs, loved touching his arms yet Myungjun was still too scared to remove his clothes. The fear of Jinwoo changing his mind and hating what he saw was too overwhelming. Yet he knew that thought was unfounded. Jinwoo had shown him all of his memories. _All of them_. And not once had he ever found Myungjun disgusting or revolting. Myungjun had felt the pure love and desire Jinwoo felt for him along with his memories and it only served to make Myungjun feel like a complete idiot.

The curtains being pulled back around Myungjuns bed made him jump and he looked over to see a woman he’d never seen before. She was wearing healers’ robes and came straight over to check on him.

“Hello Myungjun. I’m the temporary nurse who’ll be looking after you for the next few days. How are you feeling?” She was kind and had a nice smile that instantly put Myungjun at ease.

“I feel fine. A bit uneasy and weak but I’m not in any physical pain.” Myungjun explained. Grove stirred in his chair and looked up at him sleepily. “Where’s the other nurse? Why are you here?”

The woman was fussing over the drip in his arm as she spoke. “She’s sleeping. She’ll be out of it for a few days. Resurrection magic is a form of light magic so there’s always a price. Bringing people back carries the heaviest price of all. She used some of her own life force to bring you back.”

Myungjun was stunned and he felt new guilt wash over him. “Why?” He asked in a hushed whisper. “Why would she shorten her life for me?”

“The exact reason I pumped so much of my magic into you Myungjun.” Grove was fully awake now and leaning back in his chair. “You’re a student here at our school. You’re our responsibility and we would do whatever it takes to ensure your safety. So, you must look after yourself from now on. Not just for yourself but for us too. It’s not easy what we did for you and it will take a long time to recover from this but neither of us regret it.”

Myungjun held back his tears, refusing to be a crybaby any longer and smiled shakily at his leader instead. “Thankyou Grove. I really mean it. You’ve only ever been so incredibly patient with me even though I’m difficult and cause lots of trouble. I’ll try to be better from now on and I’ll definitely look after myself.”

Grove smiled back at him and stood up to stretch. “Good. I’m glad to hear it. It will keep my paperwork down to a minimum. Your student file is packed already Myungjun.” Myungjun laughed and quickly apologised. “I’ll come and visit you later on tonight. I’ll bring homework from the lessons you miss so you don’t fall behind. Just focus on getting better Myungjun. I don’t want you to be in here for too long.”

Myungjun saluted dutifully and lay back down against the pillows to get some rest. He wanted to get out of here as soon as possible too.

*

“Can you open the curtains around my bed all the way?” Myungjun asked the nurse later that afternoon. “It’s boring not being able to see what’s going on.”

The nurse hesitated before sighing and fulfilling his request. Myungjun looked around to see some of the beds occupied. One student had her foot propped up on some pillows as she flicked through a textbook looking bored. Another student was holding an icepack to his nose and wincing every time it moved. Myungjun turned to see another student scratching at his skin, that looked terribly inflamed and itchy. His eyes stopped however, at the bed next to his own that had its curtains drawn, hiding its occupant from prying eyes. Something about it made Myungjun feel uneasy and the feeling grew when Blaze came out rubbing his tired face.

“Blaze?”

Blaze looked over at him and gave him a strained smile. “Hello Myungjun. How are you feeling?”

“Who’s in there?” Myungjun asked instead. He knew deep down, and he could see that Blaze knew it as well.

“He’s sleeping.”

Myungjun tried to get off the bed but Blaze rushed forwards to stop him. “Myungjun you need to rest too. He’s fine, just drained.”

“What happened to him?” Myungjun asked quietly. “Is it because he saw me die?”

Blaze nodded sadly and sat down on the edge of Myungjuns bed. “I wouldn’t usually disclose information like this, but I think you need to hear it, to understand how Jinwoo feels so you’ll consider making amends with him and save us any further trouble.” Myungjun didn’t bother telling him that he was already planning to do so and just listened. “He watched you die, and Grove had to get him away. He was inconsolable and Grove had to box him in with his vines because his fire was out of control. Grove ended up getting burned in the process and it made Jinwoo worse. He blamed himself for killing you and it brought up the memories of his parents. He lost his will to live. He was convinced that you were his only family and to see you gone as well…” Blaze sighed unhappily. “He drained himself, combusting repeatedly and understanding fully the consequences of his actions.”

“He tried to kill himself?” Myungjun asked, letting the tears go this time. “Why would he do that? That’s stupid!” Myungjun knew full well why he would do it and it made his heart clench painfully.

“He believes he only exists for you Myungjun. He believes he has no one else. That he has no other purpose. It’s a terrible mindset to have and I’ll be talking to him about the possibility of getting help when he’s awake. I know you’re aware that we offered him therapy before, to help deal with the death of his parents, and were turned down, but we truly believe he needs it now. This is why I’m telling you this. You’ll be the only person who can convince him. You yourself understand the importance of getting help.” Myungjun nodded and stared down at his hands. “Jinwoo will be awake in a few days time. Please talk to him and sort things out, whether you stay together or not.”

Blaze left Myungjun to his thoughts as he stared at the curtains drawn around Jinwoos bed feeling terribly sad.

_Oh JinJin…what have we done?_

*

“Myungjun how many times do I have to tell you to stay in bed?”

Myungjun looked up from the chair he was sitting in beside Jinwoos bed and frowned. “If you opened his curtains I wouldn’t need to come and sit in here. I just want to make sure he’s okay.”

“He’s FINE Myungjun.” The nurse said exasperated.

“If he was _fine_ he would have woken up by now!” Myungjun threw back. They’d had this argument so often over the past week it was grating on his nerves. He was only supposed to be in the infirmary himself for a few days, but constantly ripping his drip out and shuffling over to sit beside Jinwoo wasn’t helping him get any better. He didn’t care anyway. It just meant he could stay here and watch over Jinwoo for longer.

“Myungjun he’ll wake when he’s ready too.” The nurse explained for the hundredth time. “Look at him properly, you can see he’s getting better.”

Myungjun could see. Jinwoo no longer looked deathly pale and there was warmth coming back to his skin. When Myungjun had first touched his hand and felt how cold it was he’d panicked. Jinwoo wasn’t meant to be cold. Jinwoo was meant to be hot like fire. The nurse had comforted him by telling him that it was only because his magical energy was low, but the more it came back, the warmer he would become.

Myungjun took his hand now to feel it again. The warmth was definitely there. “JinJin please wake up soon.”

*

Myungjun woke up on the day of Jinwoos sixteenth birthday with a good feeling in his gut. Jinwoo was going to wake up today. He didn’t know how he knew; he just knew. He quickly ripped his drip out again and climbed out of bed, ignoring the nurses groan of annoyance from the other side of the room.

He expected Jinwoo to wake later that day. What he didn’t expect, was for Jinwoo to _already_ be awake, but that seemed to be the case when he slipped inside the curtains. Myungjun froze as their eyes met and Jinwoos widened comically large.

“Myungjun?”

Myungjun couldn’t move, he couldn’t speak. Jinwoo was awake, Jinwoo was _okay_.

“Is that really you?” Jinwoo asked. He looked just as stunned. “Please say something I think I’m dreaming.”

Myungjun breathed out shakily and made his way over to sit in the chair beside Jinwoos bed. “It’s me JinJin.” He said it softly, watching as Jinwoos face changed.

Then Jinwoo burst into tears.

Myungjun rushed out of his seat to sit on the edge of his bed instead, wanting nothing more than to comfort him but hesitated and held back from touching him. Jinwoo buried his face in his hands and cried for a long time whilst Myungjun watched him nervously. He didn’t know how to act around Jinwoo anymore. He didn’t know where the boundaries were now. So, he sat there picking at his nails instead, until Jinwoos sobs started to quieten down.

“Junnie you’re alive.” Jinwoo croaked out, rubbing the last of his tears away and putting his hands back down into his lap. Myungjun looked up at his swollen face and his heart ached. Jinwoo still looked so incredibly handsome and he couldn’t believe he was finally sitting in front of him again. “Junnie I can’t believe you’re alive. I saw you _die_ , I felt your last _breath_. You were _dead_.”

“You nearly died too.” Myungjun said quietly. “Why did you do it JinJin? Why did you try to kill yourself because of me? Do you know how that makes me feel?” The guilt had been eating him alive for days and felt unbearable now.

“There’s no reason for me to live without you.”

Jinwoo said it with such calm certainty in his voice it made Myungjun sick. “Don’t say that. That’s not true Jinwoo. You can’t live just for me. You have to live for yourself too, otherwise you’re not really living at all.”

Jinwoo didn’t answer him, he just leaned back against the pillows and closed his eyes. “I’m so tired. Can we talk about this another time?”

Myungjun wanted to argue some more, to make Jinwoo _see_ how bad it was for him to think that way, but Jinwoo did look exhausted still and he didn’t want to push him. So Myungjun held his tongue and they sat there in silence. It wasn’t a comfortable silence, but it wasn’t entirely uncomfortable either.

Myungjun peeked up at Jinwoo, to see he still had his eyes closed, and let his own roam across Jinwoos face. He had a healthy glow to his cheeks now and when Jinwoo shifted into a more comfortable position, Myungjun could see the scar he’d left on his eyebrow. He’d done that to him nearly two years ago now and the realisation of how much time they’d spent together made his heart clench painfully.

“I can feel you staring at me Myungjun.”

Myungjun quickly looked away and mumbled an apology, feeling embarrassed at being caught. The silence fell over them again and Myungjun felt the need to fill it. “I thought you got bored of me. I thought I’d scared you away.” He didn’t know why he’d filled the silence with _that_ of all things but he knew it was something he needed to get off of his chest eventually. “I feel like an idiot now.”

“You are.” Jinwoo still had his eyes closed but he was frowning now. “It’s impossible for me to get bored of you and there’s nothing you could ever do that would scare me away. If you’d scared me away, I wouldn’t have kept chasing after you, would I?” Myungjun had to agree, feeling even more idiotic, and Jinwoo sighed. “How long have I been here anyway?”

“Ten days.”

Jinwoo opened his eyes in surprise. “It’s my birthday?” When Myungjun nodded, a smile tugged at Jinwoos lips. It was such a familiar expression it made Myungjuns heart stutter in his chest. “Where’s my present?”

Myungjun shifted uncomfortably on the bed. He didn’t have anything to give to Jinwoo. “You didn’t get me a present for my birthday either.” Myungjun mumbled defensively.

“I did.” Myungjun looked up to see Jinwoo grinning at him. “I gave you the truth. I might have killed you in the process but at least _I_ didn’t forget the importance of a gift.”

For the first time in what felt like forever, Myungjun laughed, loud and bright. He laughed until his stomach ached, and only stopped when he could hardly breathe. “You’re awful Park Jinwoo.”

“You’re laughing again. Best present ever.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This whole mess between them managed to highlight a lot of flaws with them as people and the flaws of their relationship. I put them through a lot but it can only make them stronger as people, and make their relationship stronger too.  
> I NEVER do anything angsty without a good reason, whether its character development or plot development.
> 
> Now let's all cheer at the fact its OVER, jesuuuuuuus I got SO depressed writing some of those chapters honestly. If I made you depressed in any way I'M SO SORRY. My upcoming chapters will make up for it I hope uwu


	98. Chapter 98

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this, mayhaps, a triple update? Yes.  
> Why? I got bribed with pretty pictures of MJ and some cute Myungjin content.  
> I'm a weak WEAK woman  
> Especially for those two

The first of April brought with it the height of spring. Myungjun climbed down the ladder of his treehouse and sighed happily when he reached the bottom. Flowers of all shades of the rainbow littered the forest floor and he tried extra hard not to step on any of them as he made his way to the magic border. He was so engrossed in playing with the butterflies that were flying around him, that he didn’t see the person directly in his path.

Luckily, that person had seen Myungjun coming, and reached out to stop him. “Junnie you’re going to get hurt if you don’t pay attention.” The hands quickly left his shoulders and Myungjun looked round to see he had crossed the border already. Jinwoo had stepped back and was watching him with an amused expression on his face.

When Myungjun saw the butterfly’s take-off he sighed. “They’re so pretty JinJin. I love the springtime. It’s my absolute favourite.”

Jinwoo gestured for them to start walking and fell into step beside Myungjun. “What about the winter? You love the snow too. AND the hot chocolate.”

Thoughts of the warm chocolatey liquid made Myungjun groan happily. “I really do love hot chocolate you’re right. Let’s go get some.”

Jinwoo laughed and walked with him to the hall, a careful distance between them. They sat down with the others and Myungjun quickly said hello to them all before pulling his timetable out of his pocket. He had practical skills first and rushed to get some breakfast, not wanting to be late. After learning how to grow tree’s, they’d moved on to manipulating those trees for combat purposes. Myungjun had successfully knocked a wooden dummy across the room with one of his tree branches last lesson and couldn’t wait to try again today. When he felt like he’d eaten enough, he told Namjoon and Youngjae to wait for him whilst he disappeared into the kitchens.

Grey looked over at him with a smile and closed the door to the cupboard he was currently looking in. “Hey Junebug. Do you need something?”

Myungjun pouted and made his way over to sit on the counter top across from him. “Why do you always think I need something? Can’t I come in here just to see you?”

Grey laughed and made his way over to stand in front of him with his arms crossed. “What flavour this time?” He asked, not convinced in the slightest.

“Lemon!” Myungjun said brightly, bouncing up and down on the counter in excitement. “I _love_ lemon.”

“Of course you do. I haven’t been calling you lemon boy for nothing you know.” Grey rolled his eyes and grabbed Myungjuns hand to help him down. “You shall find your cupcake at your seat when you come down for dinner tonight little prince.”

Myungjun squealed happily and hugged him tight. “You’re the best.”

When Myungjun reached the kitchen door Grey called out to him. “Hey! Aren’t you even going to ask how I am?”

Myungjun turned back to grin at him cheekily. “Nah. I’m only in here for your cupcakes.” He dodged the sponge aimed his way and ran out giggling.

*

The wooden dummy flew across the classroom where it crashed against the wall and broke apart noisily. Ms Yoon stepped over to it and put it back together again with her magic. “Congratulations Myungjun. I think we can agree you’ve mastered the spell now.”

Myungjun aimed his hands towards his tree and made the branches dance in victory. Ms Yoon just chuckled and dismissed the class.

Myungjun felt a pair of arms wrap around him from behind and looked back to see Jimin clinging to him. “Hyung I’m so happy that you’re happy again.” The younger boy whined, burying his head in between Myungjuns shoulder blades.

“I know you are Jiminie.” Myungjun replied amused. “You’ve been telling me that every single time you see me. Aren’t you bored of it yet?” He felt Jimin shake his head and grinned. “Come on cutie, let’s go down to lunch.”

Jimin let go and clung to Myungjuns arm as they left. “How are things with you and Jinwoo-hyung? Are you back together?”

“According to him we never broke up.” Myungjun said with a small smile on his face. “We never said those words to each other, so I guess that’s true. BUT.” He sighed quietly before speaking. “Things are different between us now. It’s like we’ve gone back to square one. I haven’t even held hands with him yet. It’s like there’s an invisible barrier between us and both of us are too scared to cross it.”

“I’d be surprised if you went straight back to normal Hyung.” Jimin said thoughtfully as they were swept along by the sea of students who were also making their way to the hall for some much-needed food. “You both went through a lot, physically and mentally. You believed all those terrible things about Jinwoo for a long time and it will be hard to forget. You know none of it was true though right?”

“Of course.” Myungjun answered quickly. “I’ve seen all of his memories; I know exactly what happened, so I don’t blame him for anything. I want to blame myself instead, but I learnt in therapy with Bora that holding onto guilt will only make things worse. I just wish it had never happened.”

Jimin pulled him to a stop, ignoring the grumbles of the people who were forced to step around them. “You might wish it had never happened but I’m sure you both learnt a lot from it. Even if it just showed you how much you hate being apart. You just need to focus on being happy now and helping Jinwoo-hyung through his therapy. I saw him leave Boras office last night and he seemed upset. Maybe you should talk to him about it?”

Myungjun sighed. “Therapy isn’t something I can help him with Jiminie. He needs to do it by himself. If he wants to talk to me about it, he can, but he needs to approach me first, I won’t push him for answers. Thankyou for telling me though. I did expect him to be upset but he’s been really good at hiding his emotions lately, so I almost believed he was okay. I’ll think of a way to cheer him up. But first, let’s go get some lunch. I’m _starving_ ”

*

Myungjun sat down next to Jinwoo for communications and placed the jar of white herbs on the table. “Do you want to practice first?”

Jinwoo contemplated it for a few seconds before nodding. “Dream-walking’s been getting easier for me lately. I’m sure this time around I’ll get the hang of it. So please dream of something nice.”

Myungjun laughed and shook one of the herbs out onto his palm. “I’ll try. See you there JinJin.” He popped the herb into his mouth and chewed. A warm, cosy tiredness settled into his muscles and bones and the last thing he saw before falling asleep was Jinwoos soft smile.

~

_Myungjun tried to open his eyes and groaned. His eyelids felt heavy and there was a dull throb in his temples. Am I hungover?_

_  
“Myungjun wake up. I’m bored of watching you sleep.” Hyejins voice forced Myungjuns eyes open and he lifted his head to see her crouched in front of him. “Finally. Took you long enough.”_

_“Wha’s goin’ on?” Myungjun slurred. His tongue felt dry and heavy in his mouth and he was finding it hard to open. “Wha’ have you done to me?”_

_Hyejin sat back on the floor, flipping her shuriken into the air and catching it. “I drugged you isn’t it obvious? You shouldn’t have drunk that water Myungjun. It was laced with the drugs I bought from the apothecary’s in Voredan. I shook the paper bag at you from across the street and you didn’t suspect a thing. It was_ thrilling _.”_

_Myungjun groaned and tried to move but he was stuck. He looked down at his arms with a frown. Why were his vines trapping him? He tried to pull them back in, but it wasn’t working._

_“Don’t bother. I took your magic too.” Hyejin explained sounding bored. She just shrugged when Myungjun asked why. “Because I wanted to? I don’t really like you Myungjun.”_

_Myungjun knew he should be scared, scared of her for taking his magic, scared of her for tying him to a chair, scared of her for flipping that shuriken into the air right in front of him. But he didn’t feel fear._

_“Can you let me go?” He asked instead, frowning down at her from his seat on the chair. “I want to get out of here.”_

_Hyejin seemed lost in thought and she didn’t speak for a while. “You have to get out yourself. They’re your vines Myungjun.”_

_“How am I supposed to do that?”_

_Hyejin sighed and stood up. “I don’t know, and I don’t care. I only came here to kill you.” She took a couple of steps back, putting distance between them before giving him a slow predatory smile. “This might hurt a bit. Try not to scream.”_

_The shuriken thudded into Myungjun shoulder and he looked down curiously. It didn’t hurt at all. The next shuriken landed in his chest and he watched blood blossom on his shirt. Why wasn’t it hurting?_

_“Why aren’t you screaming?”_

_Myungjun looked up at Hyejins scowl and grinned. “You can’t hurt me because I’m already dead.” He looked past her shoulder in surprise to see Jinwoo standing in the doorway, taking in the scene with wide eyes. “You’ll be dead now too. Bye bye.”_

_Jinwoo stepped up behind her and snapped her neck with a loud crack, watching her crumple to the floor at his feet with a satisfied look on his face. “I’ve always wanted to do that.” He said happily. He looked up at Myungjun and sighed, walking over to wrench the vines free. “I told you to dream of something nice sunshine. This isn’t nice.”_

_“I’m dreaming?”_

_“Of course. I’d never let Hyejin do this to you in real life.” Jinwoo said helping him to his feet and pulling the metal from his skin._

_Myungjun gently removed Jinwoos hands and frowned at him. “She did though. She drugged me and tied me to a chair. Then she threatened me with a dagger and took my magic away. Didn’t she tell you Jinwoo? Isn’t she your girlfriend?”_

_Jinwoo was frozen, staring at him with wide eyes. “Is that true? No, he must have made that up for his dream too.” Jinwoo muttered to himself. “Junnie I’m going to wake you up now okay?”_

_Myungjun watched confused as he disappeared._

~

“…jun. Myungjun wake up.” Myungjun opened his eyes and blinked a few times as he tried to adjust to the light in the room. “Myungjun do you remember your dream?”

Jinwoo was in front of him, clutching the tops of his arms and peering worriedly into his face. Myungjun shrugged his hands off, blushing lightly at the close proximity and nodded his head. He remembered it all. He knew what Jinwoo was going to asked so he decided to just cut to the chase.

“Yes, Hyejin did those things to me. Why do you think it took me so long to get down to the combat centre to stop her? Why do you think I was so angry? Look at my wrists Jinwoo.” Myungjun pulled the sleeves of his shirt up. He hadn’t been to the nurse after Seokjin had cleaned and bandaged them, so the ropes had left behind scars. “Why do you think it hurt me so much to see you with her after everything she’d done to me?”

Jinwoo slumped back down into his seat, looking like the air had been knocked out of him. “I didn’t know.” He whispered. “I didn’t KNOW!” His voice rose and he slammed his fist down on the table making Myungjun jump. “Show me. Show me what she did.” When Myungjun hesitated Jinwoo leaned towards him. “Please Myungjun I need to see.”

Myungjun whined unhappily but reached out for his hand anyway. The feeling of Jinwoos skin on his, sent fire through his nerves, and he struggled to concentrate. “Hold on.” He muttered, feeling embarrassed. You’re just holding hands Myungjun stop freaking out, he thought to himself angrily. He took a deep breath before sorting through his memories. The process of looking and finding the things he wanted to remember had become so much more efficient after taking communications and learning how to manipulate minds. He knew how to manipulate his own, to find or supress the memories he did and didn’t want.

That’s how he’d tortured himself whilst he and Jinwoo had been apart. He’d lay in bed at night, replaying all of the memories he had with Jinwoo in his head like some sort of sick show or theatre play that was intent solely on destroying him and making him hurt. He’d left the room many nights because of it. He couldn’t stand being inside and suffocating, so, he’d made a habit of going to sit by the pond with his sketchbook to sketch the memories instead. That’s how he’d been able to draw so many sketches of Jinwoo from when they’d first met; it was easy when he could see everything clearly in his mind.

Finding the Hyejin memory was a bit trickier. It was one he had tried to supress, but he pulled it back into existence and thrust it into Jinwoos mind. The grip on Myungjuns hand tightened as the memory played on and by the end of it Jinwoo was boiling.

“I’m going to kill her.” He seethed. “I can’t believe…I didn’t…” He growled angrily in frustration and pulled his hand away. Myungjun felt his heart lurch at the loss of contact but he managed to supress the urge to whimper. “I’ll be back soon.”

Jinwoo stood up quickly to leave and Myungjun reached out to grab him, before stopping at the invisible barrier he’d told Jimin about. However, the thought of Jinwoo going on a rampage and probably doing something stupid enough to get kicked out made him push through it. His fingers wrapped around Jinwoos wrist and he pulled him to a stop. Jinwoo froze in his movements to leave before looking down in surprise.

Feeling nervous, Myungjun cleared his throat and held on a bit tighter. “Don’t go JinJin. Don’t do whatever it is you’re thinking of doing. She’s not worth it.”

When their eyes met, Myungjuns heart fluttered at the soft gaze Jinwoos held. “I’m not going to hurt her sunshine. I’m going to Blaze. I couldn’t get her kicked out just because she ruined our relationship and followed me around like some lovesick dog, but I _can_ get her kicked out for tying you up and abusing you like that. I want to put an end to this nightmare, to put EVERYTHING behind us so that we can heal and move on properly.”

Myungjun hummed happily as Jinwoo gently pulled his fingers from his wrist to hold his hand instead. “Okay JinJin. Let’s go do this together though okay? We’ll do everything together from now on.”

“Always and forever Junnie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UPDATED AGES:
> 
> Myungjun&Jinwoo: 16 (SCREAMS)  
> Dongmin&Moonbin: 15  
> Rocky: 14  
> Sanha: 13
> 
> Sanha has been an actual CHILD this whole fic and he's now finally a teenager holy frickfrack he's so grown up now I can't-  
> Also, Myungjin are at that age...you know what I mean *Wink Wink*


	99. Chapter 99

COMPETITION NOTICE: THE ACADEMYS BEST FIGHTER. 3RD YEAR STUDENTS ONLY (SEE OTHER NOTICES FOR 1ST AND 2ND YEAR STUDENTS)

MONDAY THE 13TH OF APRIL-WEDNESDAY THE 15TH OF APRIL, CLASSES WILL BE CANCELLED AS THE COMPETITON TO FIND THE ACADEMIES BEST FIGHTER WILL BE HELD. THERE WILL BE THREE CATEGORIES.

1\. SINGLES MATCH 1v1, NO WEAPONS, NO MAGIC (MONDAY 13TH APRIL)  
2\. PAIRS MATCH 2v2, WEAPONS ALLOWED, NO MAGIC (TUESDAY 14TH APRIL)  
3\. GROUP MATCH 5 PER TEAM BATTLE ROYALE, WEAPONS ALLOWED, MAGIC ALLOWED (WEDNESDAY 15TH APRIL)<

EVERYONE IS REQUIRED TO FIGHT IN AT LEAST ONE OF THESE CATEGORIES. THE TITLE OF BEST FIGHTER WILL BE ADDED TO YOUR ACADEMIC RECORD IF YOU WIN FIRST PLACE.

THE WINNERS OF EACH ROUND (SINGLES AND PAIRS MATCH) WILL PROGRESS TO THE NEXT UNTIL THE FINAL MATCH. THESE WILL BE ALL-DAY EVENTS AND WILL NOT BE EASY. THE COMBAT CENTRE AND THE BATTLEDOME WILL BE OPEN 24/7 UNTIL THEN FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO PRACTICE.

OFFICIAL GUILD MEMBERS AND MEMBERS OF THE KINGS COURT WILL BE IN ATTENDANCE, SO IT WILL BE A GOOD CHANCE TO MAKE A NAME FOR YOURSELF. EVEN IF YOU DO NOT WIN, THEY MAY SEE SOMETHING IN YOU THAT THEY SPECIFICALLY NEED.

YOU MUST SUBMIT YOUR TEAM OF CHOICE BY TOMORROW. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN TEAMS BEING MADE FOR YOU.

GOOD LUCK!

Myungjun quickly scanned the notice, making sure there were no new surprises to the competition, like the battledome surprise last year, before turning around to find his boyfriend. Jinwoo was standing nearby, talking to some of the students in Myungjuns combat class who were probably looking for some advice.

Myungjun walked over to get his bow out of storage, intent on practicing a bit more until Jinwoo was finished, when he was interrupted by the sudden appearance of two girls, who he immediately recognised to be Hyejins friends. He tensed and threw a quick look over his shoulder at Jinwoo who unfortunately had his back to him.

“We’re not here to cause trouble.” One of the girls said quietly. “We’re here to apologise.”

Myungjun frowned at them and crossed his arms. “Why are you only coming to me now? Scared because your ringleader got expelled? If you’re only apologising because you’re worried that I’ll tell on you for what you did to me, don’t bother. I’m not interested in you both at all.”

The other girl spoke up next. “We’re not apologising because of that…well maybe a little.” Her friend nudged her looking annoyed and she coughed awkwardly before carrying on. “We really do feel bad for what we did to you. We shouldn’t have laughed with her when she was cruel to you.”

“Or called you names.”

“Or stole your bag that time.”

“Or burnt all of your homework.”

“Or poured our lunch on you.”

Myungjun groaned holding up his hands to silence them. “I don’t need reminding thanks. Look, I get it that Hyejin was cold, cruel and calculating and you were probably too scared to stand up to her, but you shouldn’t let people make you do bad things like that. You played just as much of a part in my misery as she did, and I’ve been so angry at all of you for it. But I don’t want to hold grudges. I already agreed with Jinwoo that we’d put everything behind us, so I’ll accept your apologies. Just don’t be nasty to other people in the future because they may not be as forgiving as I apparently am.”

He said goodbye to them before jumping in surprise as Jinwoo stepped out from behind him.

“How long have you been there?” Myungjun asked feeling self-conscious. He hoped he hadn’t sounded too harsh on those girls.

Jinwoo just smiled and patted Myungjuns head. “A few minutes. You did good Junnie I’m proud of you for sorting things out like that.” He laughed at Myungjuns little whine of happiness and removed his hand from his head, to use it in pointing at the door to the storage room. “Do you want me to get your bow?”

Myungjun nearly said yes before stopping himself. He wasn’t going to let Jinwoo run around after him anymore. So, he shook his head and told him he’d get it himself. Jinwoos eyebrows raised in question but he didn’t say anything and Myungjun rushed through the door to get it. He pulled it off the hook on the wall and grabbed a quiver full of arrows. He paused on his way out before rushing back to retrieve a bow and some arrows for Jinwoo too.

“Why are you giving me these?” Jinwoo asked looking down at the weapon in his hands. “Do you want to practice together?”

“Let’s have a competition JinJin. Whoever hits the most targets wins.”

Jinwoo grinned, the competitiveness already shining in his eyes. “What’s the prize?”

Myungjun thought about it. “Hmm a request? The winner gets to request something from the loser, and they HAVE to do it.”

“Oh I’m SO going to win now.” Jinwoo said, already racing from the room.

*

Jinwoo cheered triumphantly when his last arrow struck the straw dummy straight in the chest. Myungjun groaned and dropped his bow to the side in defeat. He’d lost by one point. How unlucky.

Jinwoo danced over to him looking way too happy with himself and dumped his bow down beside Myungjuns. “I win.”

“Barely.” Myungjun grumbled sulkily, staring at the floor behind Jinwoos legs. Jinwoos fingers snapping under his nose made him look up. “What?”

“My prize.” Jinwoo said sounding overly sweet. “Please.”

Myungjun rolled his eyes before sighing loudly. “Fine. What do you want?”

Myungjun froze as Jinwoos eyes flickered down to his lips and his breath caught in his throat when Jinwoos stepped forwards. They were standing so close and Myungjun could feel the heat radiating from his skin. All he could smell was campfires and spice and his heart picked up speed. He’s going to kiss me, he thought as he felt his legs go weak, he’s going to kiss me again for the first time in _months_. The idea made his head spin and he felt the world tip on its axis. Jinwoo gave a shout of surprise before grabbing him and holding him upright. Having Jinwoos arms around him wasn’t helping either and Myungjun had to close his eyes for a second.

“Junnie? Junnie what’s wrong?” Jinwoos panicked voice made him open them again and he looked up at him feeling a blush of embarrassment take over his face.

“I’m sorry.” Myungjun squeaked, pulling away from him. “I just went a bit lightheaded. I must not have eaten enough for breakfast.” That wasn’t necessarily a lie, but it was still far from the truth. He _hadn’t_ eaten enough for breakfast, he still couldn’t stomach too much yet, but he knew the real reason for his near fall was the idea of Jinwoos lips on his again. It had been too long. He’d forgotten how it was. His memories could only show him them kissing, it couldn’t bring the feeling back. So the idea of feeling Jinwoo so close again was nerve-wracking. He wanted to kiss him again, to be that comfortable with him again, but he needed to build up the courage first.

“Do you want to go and get some more food before the lesson starts then?” Jinwoo asked, peering at his face with concern in his eyes. “I can ask Rocky to hold down the fort here whilst we get you something?”

Myungjun hastily shook his head and offered him a weak smile. “I’ll be fine.” He didn’t want Jinwoo to miss the start of their class for him. When Jinwoo bent down to pick up their bows Myungjun stopped him doing that too. “I’ll take them.” He said quickly.

Jinwoo sighed and gently moved Myungjun aside to pick them up himself. “Let me do it Junnie. You went dizzy just a second ago. Let me look after you.” When he saw Myungjun biting his lip worriedly he frowned. “What’s wrong? Don’t you want me to look after you?”

Myungjun debated on what to say to him before deciding to just tell him the truth. “You do too much for me JinJin. You always did too much before and I don’t want you to think I’m using you.”

The noise of disbelief that came out of Jinwoos mouth made Myungjun look up at him. “Using me? Junnie I’m your _boyfriend_ , I’m _supposed_ to do things for you. Is this why you’ve been rejecting all my offers of help recently?” When Myungjun nodded he sighed. “I love doing all the little things for you to make your life a bit easier. You’re so busy everyday with all of your classes and homework Junnie. I just want to do what I can for you. It makes me HAPPY. So please let me and stop rejecting me, that just makes me feel like you can’t rely on me and I hate it.”

“I’m sorry.” Myungjun said quietly. “I didn’t think of it that way. I’m just scared you’ll get annoyed at me if you have to keep running around after me. Especially because I hardly ever offer to help you in return.”

“I don’t NEED anything in return Myungjun…Well, actually, I do need something.” Myungjun listened eagerly, desperate to find out what he could do to repay Jinwoos kindness. “I need you to unpack that box of my stuff that’s under your bed.”

Myungjuns eyes widened in surprise. How did he know he’d packed his stuff away? “JinJin how-”

“I told you that Youngjae was the biggest gossiper of us all.” Jinwoo said grinning at him. “Unpack my stuff, put your ring and one of the necklaces back on and then I expect you to come down to breakfast tomorrow in one of my shirts. Can you do that for me sunshine?”

Myungjun giggled at the nickname and nodded dutifully. “I’d love to.”

“Good. Now let’s go to class before I have to put us _both_ in detention for being late.”

*

Myungjun was walking through the greenhouses, on his way to tend to his plants, when he decided to summon Camellia. She landed on the grass with a tinkle and Myungjun sighed when he saw that her petals were still black. He’d expected at least a little bit of her usual red colouring to have come back after fixing things with Jinwoo.

“Am I ugly like this?” Camellia asked him, fluttering her petals. “Is that why you’re frowning and sighing at me?”

“You could never be ugly Camellia.” Myungjun reassured her. “You’re still the prettiest flower companion here.” He grinned when her windchime-like laughter breezed through the air. “Camellia I never thanked you.” He stopped to turn to her when he reached the door to his greenhouse. “I never thanked you for sending one of my sketches to Jinwoo when I’d collapsed. You saved my life.”

“Myungjun I’m an extension of yourself. You saved your own life.”

Myungjun shook his head, refusing to believe it. “You’re not just an extension of me. You have your own thoughts, your own personality. You might rely on my magic to stay alive but you’re still your own entity. I grew you from the ground to begin with. You’re made from this land too. I’d COLLAPSED, I was unconscious. I couldn’t have summoned you. You did it yourself. You’re my closest friend and I refuse to believe that you’re nothing more than a flowery visage of myself. Much like I refuse to believe that Rocky Jr is just a fake copy of Rocky. He’s his own entity too.”

Myungjun gave her one last smile before opening the door and stepping inside. His medicinal plants had grown a lot over the past couple of months and he’d taken to putting the herbs he harvested in their own separate boxes that he stored in the wooden cupboard at the side of his greenhouse. His yellow herb pouch had been shredded by the demon in the last dungeon run, so he couldn’t put the herbs in there now. Even if he still had it, it wouldn’t have been big enough to fit the sheer amount he was harvesting anyway. He made a mental note to make a bigger replacement before the battledome.

Myungjun had already signed himself up for the singles match of the academy’s best fighter competition this year. He hadn’t done it last year because of his fear of overdoing it after just finishing therapy. But he wanted to do it this year in a hope of impressing the spectators enough to leave a good impression of himself. He still wasn’t sure what he wanted to do when he left the academy, but he wanted to leave as many doors open as possible. He wanted to fight in the doubles and the battledome as well, but first he’d need to find someone to pair with and then make another team of five.

“I’ll think of something.” He mumbled to himself as he got to work on his plants. “I’ve got lots of friends I can ask.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I first introduced the battledome in chapter 57...42 CHAPTERS AGO. One year of Myungjuns life has spanned 42 chapters literally wtf. It might seem hard to believe but the academy wasn't supposed to be this long or detailed. I started this fic with the intention of writing more of what happened AFTER the academy...
> 
> Also Myungjun nearly passing out at the thought of Jinwoo kissing him is so uwu Precious baby bean. 
> 
> If you think about it properly, the tension between them must be unbearable. They were so close and intimate before but now they're hesitant and unsure but CLEARLY want to kiss and touch each other again. *Sigh*  
> Just give in to your desires and kiss dammit *Aggressive mothering*


	100. Love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 100...;-; I feel emo.  
> As expected of such a big number, this is a special chapter.
> 
> CHAPTER WARNING:  
> Fluff. Just pure fluffy fluff.

Myungjun woke to the sound of birds chirping outside his window and when he got up to look, he was ecstatic to see that a mother bird had decided to nest right outside. I really hope she ends up having babies, Myungjun squealed internally at the thought. He _adored_ baby animals. Birds especially. He looked down at the two stuffed bird toys on his pillow with a smile before remembering the conversation he’d had with Jinwoo the previous day.

Myungjun leaned over the edge of his bed and reached around blindly underneath it until he pulled out the box of things he’d been given by Jinwoo. He didn’t know why he hadn’t already unpacked it, but he was just happy in the knowledge that he hadn’t made the mistake of throwing it all away. He would have been dreadfully sad now if he had.

He opened the lid and stared down at everything with a smile before pulling out the things he needed. The box was mainly full of the clothes he’d ‘borrowed’ from Jinwoo, so he found the specific top he wanted first. It was plain black but ridiculously oversized and exceptionally soft and comfy. He burrowed his face into the material with a happy squeal. He couldn’t wait to wear Jinwoos clothes again.

He quickly pulled his pyjama top off to replace it and when the black, soft material brushed over his skin he shivered in pure delight. He searched around next in the box for his pink, heart-shaped, gemstone necklace that Jinwoo had given him when asking him to be his boyfriend nearly two years ago now. He located it near the bottom of the box and quickly tied it around his neck until it was sitting comfortably at the base of his throat. He hadn’t worn this specific necklace in over half a year, and it felt nice to have the familiar weight there.

Finding his ring took longer as it was so small and there were too many clothing folds it could have slipped into. He eventually just tipped the whole box out onto his bed to find it and when he did, he slipped it onto his finger straight away, grinning extra wide.

“Hyung you look crazy.”

Myungjun jumped at the sound of Youngjaes voice and looked over to grin at him instead. “I’m crazily _in love_ Youngjae. I’m allowed to look like this.”

Youngjae snorted in amusement before sitting up in his bed with a groan, his covers piling at his waist. “Have you told Jinwoo that though?”

“Of course not.” Myungjun said, a light blush dusting his cheeks. “I can’t just tell him that, it’s too embarrassing. I’m sure he knows anyway.”

“Has Jinwoo ever told _you_ that he loves you?” Youngjae asked curiously, pushing the covers off of himself to swing his legs off the edge of his bed.

“He tried once.” Myungjun said frowning at the memory. “After he’d taken me to the infirmary when I’d collapsed at the pond. He tried to tell me, and I stopped him. I thought he was with Hyejin at that point and I thought he was only saying it to me because he felt bad for me. I’m glad I stopped him. Jinwoos romantic, he would have regretted it if he’d said it in that situation.”

Youngjae agreed before pushing himself off the bed and going to get changed. “I’m sure he’ll tell you in some sickeningly sweet way that will have you swooning Hyung. Maybe you should at least try hugging him first though. There’s so much tension between you two, we can all feel it. Why are you being such chickens? We all thought you’d be making out between the shelves of the library or groping each other under the table by now.” Youngjae laughed and dodged the pair of socks thrown his way.

“Don’t be crude!” Myungjun scolded him, blushing fiercely. “I can’t just _hug_ him again. My skin felt like it was on fire when he held my hand and I nearly passed out when he stepped in front of me. How am I supposed to hug him again without dying?”

Youngjae threw the socks back at him and tutted. “Man up Hyung. You used to be such a confident tease and now look at you. I’m disappointed. We won’t have anything to gossip about now.”

“I should have known that was the only reason you were willing to be my friend.”

Youngjae grinned and claimed the bathroom first. Myungjun focused on cleaning up the mess he’d created on his bed whilst he waited to brush his teeth. He found the teddy bear Jinwoo made him and placed it proudly on his pillow. It still looked terrible and he still adored it. After that, he folded all of Jinwoos clothes and put them back where they belonged; in his dresser, before putting his glass flower back on the window ledge and slipping Jinwoos drawing and their self-portrait back into his design portfolio. He remembered Jinwoo telling him that he’d seen all the sketches of himself in Myungjuns sketchbook and he felt mildly embarrassed when he looked at them now.

Jinwoo wasn’t supposed to see how he’d been watching him when they were apart. He hadn’t _meant_ to watch him either. He knew he was just torturing himself, but he was weak for Jinwoo, no matter how hard he’d tried to deny it at the time. Sketching Jinwoo had always calmed his mind, even if it was hard to look at them when they were done.

Myungjun got up to find some shorts to wear with his oversized black top and realised when he’d put them on, that they were completely covered by Jinwoos shirt, and it made him giggle. He felt extra small and cute and rushed to look in the mirror when Youngjae stepped out of the bathroom looking cleaner than before. I need to do something with my hair, Myungjun thought as he ran his hands through the blue locks, I haven’t changed it in a long time. He thought about a hair colour to match his outfit realising he had two options. Black to match the shirt and the hidden shorts, or pink to match the heart at his neck. He thought about it long and hard before groaning at the fact he couldn’t make his mind up.

Myungjun poked his head around the door to see if Youngjae was still in the room. He spotted him putting on his shoes and quickly asked for his advice.

“Why not both?” Youngjae asked. “Can you do that?”

“I’ve never tried.” Myungjun admitted. “Should I try now?”

“Will your hair fall out if it goes wrong?”

Myungjun snorted and shook his head. “Of course not. So black with pink highlights? Or pink with black highlights?”

“Black with pink. I’m going to breakfast now.”

Myungjun said goodbye before turning back to the mirror to attempt his transformation.

*

Myungjun slipped into the seat beside Jinwoos tingling with excitement. Jinwoo was too busy talking to Rocky and eating his breakfast to notice Myungjuns new appearance. He waited impatiently for him to finish and sighed when he realised the other two were discussing lesson plans. They’ll be doing that for ages, Myungjun sulked. He just wanted Jinwoo to compliment him. He’d tried really hard on his hair and was proud of the results.

He received a compliment elsewhere though. “Wow Junnie you look great today. I love your hair.” Myungjun looked across the table and smiled at Hyungwon. He could always count on his best friend to make him feel better. “Are you wearing eyeliner?”

Myungjun supressed the urge to smile when he saw Jinwoos head snap around to look at him from the corner of his eye and he nodded in Hyungwons direction. “A little. Does it look okay?”

Hyungwons eyes flickered to Jinwoo and he grinned. “I think you broke your boyfriend.”

Myungjun quickly turned to look at Jinwoo and stifled a giggle. He was staring at him with wide eyes, lips slightly parted and Myungjun saw the blush on his face as Jinwoos eyes travelled down to his seemingly bare legs.

“You’re wearing my shirt? Like I asked?” Myungjun nodded, amused at his hushed tone of voice. “Are you wearing anything underneath it?”

Now it was Myungjuns turn to blush. He shrieked and hit Jinwoos arm. “Of course I am JinJin! I can’t believe you’d even ask me that! I just wanted you to compliment me but got your dirty thoughts instead. I’m going to class.” Myungjun quickly got up and left, ignoring the fact he hadn’t eaten breakfast.

He’d tried to dress cute but failed to realise Jinwoos mind would be in the gutter. That’s the last time I try this then, Myungjun thought to himself with a pout.

He squealed in surprise when he was dragged into an empty classroom a second later. The door was shut behind them with a snap and Myungjun watched his boyfriend take two big steps backwards, putting distance between them.

“JinJin what are you doing?”

Jinwoo was looking him up and down slowly, taking everything in. “Junnie…you look great. You look incredible. You look…wow.” His voice was strained, and his eyes finally stopped at Myungjuns face. “I’m sorry I didn’t compliment you, you just caught me off guard in there. I didn’t expect you to look like…well, _this_.” He gestured lamely to Myungjuns outfit and Myungjun smiled shyly in return. “You look so cute swallowed up by my shirt and my necklace looks pretty around your throat. I haven’t seen you wear it in a while.”

Myungjun reached up to touch it, feeling the smooth surface of the stone beneath his fingertips. “I missed it.”

“Your hair is pretty too. I didn’t know you could do that to it.”

Myungjun reached up higher to play with his hair instead. “Neither did I. I tried for the first time this morning.”

“Can I touch it?” Jinwoo asked quietly. “I really want to.”

Myungjun nodded, suddenly feeling shy again as Jinwoo closed the distance, so he quickly looked down at his feet instead. Jinwoos hands were in his hair a second later and he shivered happily at the feeling. His hands were warm and gentle as he played with the black and pink strands.

“Sunshine?” Myungjun looked up at hearing his favourite nickname and tensed upon seeing Jinwoo so close. Jinwoos eyes flickered down to his lips and he groaned softly. “I really want to kiss you.” Myungjun flushed from head to toe and all of his nerves ignited as Jinwoo leaned closer. “Can I?” Jinwoos warm breath was caressing his lips and before Myungjun could stop himself, he closed the distance to kiss Jinwoo first.

The second their lips touched the unbearable tension that had been building between them snapped. Myungjuns back hit the door and suddenly Jinwoo was _everywhere_. Myungjun felt every inch of his body as Jinwoo pressed up against him and feeling it again was overwhelming. Jinwoos body was so _strong_ , so _lean_ , so _muscular_ , the thought alone was enough to make his knees weak. He quickly wrapped his arms around Jinwoos neck, desperate to hold himself up and stay on his feet. If he passed out now, he was going to be furious with himself.

Then Jinwoos tongue was in his mouth and Jinwoos hands were exploring his body and Myungjun forgot about being nervous and shy. He wanted this, _needed_ this and cursed himself for taking so long to realise it. Jinwoo was hardly kissing him anymore, too busy panting into his mouth as his hands did all of the work. Myungjun could feel Jinwoos hands shaking and realised he was just as overwhelmed as he was himself. It filled his heart with even more love for him and he was hit with the strong urge to just make Jinwoo _happy_. Myungjun moved down to kiss his neck, trying to remember the way Jinwoo liked it and shivered happily when Jinwoo started to moan. It was deep and low in his throat and the sound of it made Myungjuns skin tingle.

Jinwoos hands trailed everywhere. Over his shoulders, down his back, up his sides, across his chest. Even though Myungjuns top was in the way, his skin was on _fire_. He licked and sucked at Jinwoos collarbones, feeling the way Jinwoo melted against him. We’re being too loud, Myungjun thought, if anyone walks past the door, they’ll hear us. He failed to care anymore when Jinwoos hands moved down to grab and squeeze his hips. Myungjun whimpered against his neck and heard Jinwoo curse above him. Jinwoos hands travelled back up, gliding over his neck to grab his face and pull him away.

“Junnie lets go to my room.” His voice was strained, and he wore an expression of pain.

“JinJin we _can’t_ , we’ll be late for class.” Myungjun didn’t really want to go to class but he knew they should.

Jinwoo groaned unhappily and kissed him again. “Please.” He muttered against Myungjuns lips. “Please I don’t care about class. I just need you sunshine. I need you so bad.”

Was Jinwoo actually begging him? Was he actually asking for something for once? Myungjuns mind was already made up. He could do this one thing for Jinwoo as Jinwoo did so much for him.

He pulled Jinwoo away with a hand in his hair and smiled shyly. “Let’s go.”

*

Myungjun didn’t remember the journey to Jinwoos bedroom at all but suddenly the door was being slammed shut behind them and he was being lifted into the air with a squeal.

“Mmm you sounded so pretty back there.” Jinwoo growled, carrying Myungjun over to the bed and putting him down gently against the pillows. “I want to hear those noises all the time.”

Myungjun giggled and pulled Jinwoo down to kiss him. “You’ll have to help me with that then JinJin.”

Jinwoo smirked and squeezed his hips making Myungjun whimper again. “Gladly. We’re in my room now so you don’t have to hold back.” Jinwoo settled his weight on top of him before moving down to kiss his neck. He pulled back quickly with an unhappy whine and tugged lightly at Myungjuns necklace. “It’s in the way.” Myungjun hastily untied it and let Jinwoo place it on his bedside cabinet.

Jinwoo didn’t move back down to kiss him straight away like Myungjun expected. Instead, he sat up properly on Myungjuns thighs and started to lift his shirt up, teasingly slow, revealing more and more of his beautiful tan skin in a way that had Myungjuns mouth watering. Jinwoo smirked at the look on his face before removing his shirt completely and tossing it to the side. “Do you want to touch?” Myungjun nodded quickly and Jinwoo laughed, leaning forwards to place his hands on either side of Myungjuns head to hold himself up. “Touch me Junnie.”

Myungjun whined happily at the feeling of Jinwoos warm skin under his fingertips again. He let his fingers travel across it, slowly tracing all the dips in his muscles before moving back up to his chest to trace all of his old scars there. Jinwoo was moving down to kiss him again but froze, biting his lip to stifle a moan. Myungjun blushed upon realising he’d accidently brushed over one of Jinwoos nipples but quickly frowned at Jinwoos mouth. He reached up and dragged Jinwoos lip from his teeth with the pad of his thumb.

“You’re not supposed to hold back either.” He said quietly. Myungjun brushed his thumb over Jinwoos nipple again experimentally and was mesmerized by the noise he made. It ignited all of his nerves and the feeling only grew as Jinwoo opened his eyes to look down at him, desire burning bright within them. It was a look that Myungjun knew was reflected in his own.

“Junnie I want to touch you too.”

Myungjun flushed at the thought and had to gather all of his courage for what he was about to do next. I’m really doing this, he thought to himself weakly as he pushed Jinwoo back up to sit on his thighs, I can’t believe I’m doing this. Jinwoo seemed confused at first but his eyes widened in shock when Myungjun sat up after him, clutching the hem of his top.

Jinwoos hands were grabbing his wrists a second later. “Junnie you don’t have to take it off if you don’t want to. I can just touch you under your shirt.”

“I want to JinJin.”

Myungjun did want to. He finally wanted to stop being afraid and self-conscious of his body. He wanted Jinwoo to see what was _really_ underneath. Not the fake copy Hyejin had shown him but the real thing. He was trying to get past his insecurities, _all of them_ , and he needed to start somewhere.

Jinwoo looked more nervous than Myungjun felt and it made him want to giggle. “Are you…are you sure sunshine?” Jinwoo stuttered. Myungjun nodded and Jinwoo breathed out shakily before letting his wrists go. “Can I take it off?” he asked quietly. “Please I want to take it off.” Myungjun nodded again, weak to Jinwoos pleading voice and lifted up his arms.

Jinwoo did it slowly, letting his fingers glide over his skin until Myungjun was breathing heavily and unable to form a single coherent thought. Jinwoo pulled his top all the way off before dropping it over the side of the bed and pushing Myungjun back down onto the mattress. Jinwoo cursed quietly as he looked down at him, eyes drinking in the sight below him. He stopped at Myungjuns stomach and made a strangled noise in the back of his throat.

“Junnie you look…” Myungjun watched as Jinwoo struggled to find the words. He bit his lip and clutched the bedsheets below him nervously as he waited. He didn’t know what Jinwoo was going to say and he suddenly had the urge to cover back up. Not only was his stomach untoned, but he still had the horrible trident scar that stood out shockingly against his skin. He moved to put his hands over his stomach but Jinwoo snapped out of his trance and pulled them away. His eyes moved back up to Myungjuns face and he looked at his lips before groaning. “I was going to say you look just as soft and cute as I had imagined but you just look sexy biting your lip undressed like this.”

“Sexy? JinJin what does-”

Myungjuns question was answered quickly before he could even speak it into existent. “Attractive. So so attractive. Attractive in a way that makes me want to touch you more.”

Jinwoo leaned back down to kiss him, more desperately this time, and Myungjun went dizzy at the feel of Jinwoos hot chest pressed up against his own. I did it, he thought, I actually did it and he _liked_ what he saw. Happy tears burned behind his eyelids as relief crashed over him in waves. He kissed Jinwoo back feeling just as desperate now and wrapped his legs around Jinwoos waist. He half expected Jinwoo to tell him to remove them, like he used to before, but he didn’t. He just grabbed one of Myungjuns thighs and massaged it as he leaned down to trail kisses and love bites over Myungjuns neck.

Myungjun allowed himself to be swept away in all of the different feelings and sensations Jinwoo was providing him and at Jinwoos request, didn’t hold back from letting him hear exactly how good he was making him feel. His petals were openly falling down above them now, and he could feel Jinwoos magic thrumming underneath his skin. He’d never felt this good, this _euphoric_ and he never wanted it to end.

*

Myungjun woke up to the sound of Jinwoo chuckling quietly. He was draped over Jinwoos unclothed chest and when he looked up sleepily, he realised what was so funny. He quickly reached up to wipe the drool off of his cheek and off of Jinwoos chest with a muttered apology.

“Its fine sunshine. Drool on me all you want.” Jinwoo said, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Did you have a nice nap?”

Myungjun hummed happily and buried his face in Jinwoos neck, breathing in the heady scent of his skin. “The best…we’ve missed all of our classes now, haven’t we?”

“Afraid so.” Jinwoo said sounding positively cheerful. “It was worth it though.” Myungjun felt Jinwoos hands trailing delicately over his bare back and he grinned into Jinwoos neck. They’d never been this _close_ before and it made his heart swell. His heart felt ready to burst from how much he loved Jinwoo and he knew he had to tell him. He easily established the link with Jinwoos mind and cuddled closer to him, afraid to look.

*JinJin?*

Jinwoo hummed in acknowledgment above him to let him know he was listening.

*I love you*

He giggled at the way Jinwoo froze but gasped a second later as the pure love and adoration Jinwoo felt for him flooded back through their link. He felt it spread through every inch of his body, lighting up every dark place inside of him and he was certain that if he looked, he’d see it spilling out of his pores.

“I love you too sunshine.” Jinwoo whispered into his hair. “More than anything.”

If they both cried tears of joy, no one else needed to know.

*

Myungjun and Jinwoo snuck through the corridors of the fire users housing to get a late dinner. Myungjuns stomach grumbled loudly and they both erupted into a fit of giggles.

“Junnie shhh!” Jinwoo hissed, struggling to keep quiet himself. “The plan is NOT to get caught.”

“You’re being just as loud!” Myungjun hissed back hysterically. Jinwoo went to open his mouth in protest but was cut off by his stomach grumbling loudly too. Myungjun couldn’t help the shriek of laughter he let out and they collapsed against the nearest wall clutching their stomachs from the strain.

When Myungjun opened his eyes and rubbed the tears from them, he froze. Blaze was walking towards them and he didn’t look happy. Myungjun quickly jabbed Jinwoo in the ribs to stop him laughing and they both watched with sinking stomachs at their approaching detention.

“Blaze I-” Jinwoo stopped talking when Blaze walked straight past them.

“Go before I change my mind.” Blaze said firmly, shaking his head and muttering to himself.

Jinwoo looked at Myungjun with wide eyes before dragging him away, rushing through the corridors. “He let us go? Just like that?”

“He’s probably just relieved to see us happy again.” Myungjun said feeling just as stunned. “Let’s not get caught anymore though JinJin. I doubt he’d be so lenient with us next time.”

*

Myungjun watched from his seat on the bench as Jinwoo wrapped his knuckles for him. They’d eaten a big dinner, courtesy of Grey, and had decided to actually do something productive with the last few hours of the day that they had left. Myungjun needed to practice hand to hand combat again for the singles match being held in a few days time and was feeling pretty nervous. He’d been practicing so much with his bow that he was worried he’d forgotten everything.

“You’ll be fine.” Jinwoo reassured him, kissing the back of his hand and gently removing the ring on his finger. “We can practice here as long as you need tonight. Then we’ll practice every night till the competition AND the morning before if we have too.”

Myungjun smiled weakly at him and watched as Jinwoo wrapped his own knuckles next. Myungjun would have offered to do it for him but Jinwoo always did it so quickly that there would be no point. Jinwoo set his ring down on the bench beside Myungjuns and pulled him to his feet.

They stepped up onto the nearest mat and bowed respectfully towards each other before getting into position. “Junnie I don’t mean to bring up bad memories but the last time we did this properly you tried to strangle me to death. If you feel yourself getting angry and close to slipping, you need to say something. Do you want a safe word you can say instead?”

Myungjun grimaced and quickly nodded. “Camellia. That’s my safe word. She stopped me from hurting you in the battledome so she can stop me now as well.”

Jinwoo gave him a soft smile and beckoned for him to attack. “Show me what you remember sunshine. Take it slow for now.”

Myungjun took a deep breath before stepping forwards and aiming a light jab at Jinwoos chest. Jinwoo knocked his arm aside easily enough and sent back one of his own. Myungjun dodged instead of blocking it and spun away, bringing his leg up on the last turn and aiming for Jinwoos ribs. Jinwoo grabbed his leg right before the impact and held it in place.

“Nice try. You dodge really well still and you’re quick to react and counter.” He let Myungjuns leg go and stepped back. “Keep your thumbs untucked though Junnie.”

Myungjun quickly untucked them from his fists. “Sorry I forgot.”

“Its fine. Again.”

Myungjun felt more confident this time and lunged at him. He felt the usual adrenaline rush when he landed a few hits and gritted his teeth through the pain as Jinwoo landed some of his own. Myungjun breathed heavily through one to his shoulder, that had been particularly hard, and reached out to grab Jinwoos raised forearms. They grappled for dominance, a fight Myungjun knew he wouldn’t win, so he decided to distract him instead.

“Maybe we should do this shirtless.”

Jinwoo choked on his spit and Myungjun grinned evilly as he swept him off his feet. They landed with a thump on the mat and Jinwoo looked up at him, face forming into a scowl. “Stop playing dirty Myungjun, that’s not fair.”

“I had to win somehow.” Myungjun explained with a bright smile.

Jinwoo sighed and pushed Myungjun off before climbing to his feet and helping Myungjun up next. “Just because you finally took your shirt off in front of me, doesn’t mean you can tease me with it all the time now. I barely managed to contain myself back there.”

“You didn’t contain yourself at all.” Myungjun said deadpan, lifting up his shirt to reveal the dark purple marks all over his chest and stomach.

Jinwoo quickly covered his eyes and stepped away. “Myungjun I swear to the deity pull your damn top down and cover yourself up. I can’t concentrate with you like that.” Myungjun giggled and lowered it, only to flash his tummy a second later when Jinwoo opened his eyes. Myungjun shrieked and ran as Jinwoo dived for him. “I warned you Myungjun! Come here and face the wrath of my tickles!”

Oh well, we can always be more productive tomorrow, Myungjun thought to himself as Jinwoos arms wrapped around him from behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It only took 100 chapters and nearly 3 years for Myungjun to remove his top in front of Jinwoo and exchange 'I love you's...so innocent it hurts my heart.
> 
> Also, it was a given that Jinwoo would cover the cute tummy he's been dying to see in love bites. It had to happen okay?


	101. A New Herb Pouch.

“Good morning handsome.”

Myungjun slipped into the seat beside Jinwoos and leaned over to rest his head on Jinwoos shoulder. “Hey JinJin.” He clutched at Jinwoos arm and whined loudly. “I’m hungry.”

Jinwoos spoon stopped halfway to his mouth and he sighed before putting it into Myungjuns instead. “Let me get you some food then Sunshine. Sit up for me so I can move.” Myungjun shook his head and pointed to Jinwoos plate. “You want to share my food?” When Myungjun nodded he chuckled. “Fine. One mouthful for me.” Jinwoo ate some of his food quickly and swallowed noisily. “And one mouthful for you.” He fed some more to Myungjun and they both looked up when someone cleared their throat. The whole table had gone silent and was watching them.

“You’re both acting completely different today. You couldn’t even sit close to each other yesterday. Something good must have happened.” Hoseok spoke up first and Moonbin snorted beside him.

“Of course something good happened, look at their necks.”

Myungjun squealed and let go of Jinwoo to hide the evidence as his friends laughed at their expense. He was blushing furiously and a quick look at Jinwoos neck confirmed his fears. They’d gotten too carried away.

“So, what happened Hyung?” Moonbin asked, turning to Myungjun. “You’ve been too scared to touch each other but now you’ve both turned up covered in love bites. You didn’t even come to classes yesterday either.” Moonbins evil grin made Myungjun want to throttle him. “Did you two…”

“No.” Jinwoo said firmly. “Don’t you dare finish that question either.”

“Why not?” Youngjae spoke up next, challenging him with a smug look on his face. “Myungjun-hyung will find out about it eventually so why not today? He’s sixteen so he’s old enough to know now.”

Myungjun watched with wide eyes as Jinwoos spoon melted in his hand. He looked up to see Jinwoo glaring at Youngjae angrily, a clear warning in his eyes. Why was Jinwoo so mad? And what did Youngjae and Moonbin mean? He opened his mouth to ask but Hyungwon cleared his throat to speak.

“That’s enough guys. Let’s stay out of their relationship.” He stared pointedly at Youngjae who just sat back in his chair with a shrug. “Junnie have you signed up for the singles match this year?”

Myungjun knew Hyungwon was purposefully changing the topic but didn’t argue it. He just made a mental note to ask Jinwoo about it when they were alone. Right now, he had some things to discuss with his friends anyway. “Yeah I signed up when the notice first came out. I’ve already decided to do all three.”

“You have?” Jinwoo asked surprised. “I didn’t think you’d do all three. You only did one last year.”

“Last year I was too worried about slipping and hurting people, but I feel perfectly fine now. I haven’t snapped since the battledome and I know Camellia will stop me if I do. Which leads me to my-”

“Me.” Jinwoo said quickly. “I’ll be your doubles partner.”

Myungjun looked up at him feeling slightly uncomfortable. “But JinJin you’re a really good fighter and you go really well with Rocky. You two should team up again, you won last year, and you could win again this time. This last year is extra important in terms of impressing the spectators and being scouted.”

“Exactly.” Jinwoo said happily. “I’ll be your partner and we’ll win together. Then we’ll impress everyone so much with our teamwork that they’ll all be begging us to join their guilds. Maybe the officials from the Kings court will ask us to work for him as well and we’ll live in the castle!” Jinwoos childlike excitement made Myungjun smile.

“Are you sure JinJin? I don’t want to hold you back. I haven’t used one of the wooden poles in a long time either.”

“Of course I’m sure. Stop discrediting yourself Junnie, you’re an exceptional fighter too.” Jinwoo smiled at him and held his hand. “Also, the doubles aren’t limited to just the poles this year either. Its open to the use of all weaponry. Every one of them we’ve used so far this year in combat training.”

Myungjuns mouth dropped. “Even the metal ones?” Jinwoo nodded. “But JinJin that’s dangerous! The past two years we just had to get the other person knocked out or pinned to the floor. Using metals weapons can kill!”

Jinwoo gave his hand a squeeze and shushed him. “We’ll get revived Junnie. They’re putting the same special enchants on the arena that’s in the dungeons and the battledome. It’s a fight to the death but we’ll be fine. We’re used to dying now right?” His weak joke carried a darker meaning that made Myungjun shiver. “But I won’t LET us die again Myungjun. We’re going to win this I promise.”

“Good luck with that because WE’RE planning to win too.” Rocky said happily from the other side of the table. He reached to the side to grab Sanhas hand but Sanha pulled away with a scowl.

“I didn’t even agree to be your partner yet.” Sanha said huffily, crossing his arms. “You’ve been mean to me recently so why _should_ I accept?”

“You will.” Rocky threw back. “You’ll accept because no one else wants to be your partner.”

Sanha pushed his half-eaten breakfast away and sat back in his chair to sulk. Myungjun didn’t want another argument to break out so he quickly asked his last question.

“Who wants to join me and JinJin for the battledome?” He was happy to see Hyungwon raise his hand. “You didn’t fight in the battledome last year because you said it cut down on your sleeping time ‘wonnie. Are you sure you want to do it this year?”

Hyungwon laughed and sipped his water. “I’m not doing the singles or doubles this year, so I’ll have plenty of time to sleep. Plus, I really want to see what the battledome is like. Jinwoo you’re a combat teacher, have they told you if anything is different about it this year?”

Myungjun turned to his boyfriend eagerly to listen but was left disappointed as Jinwoo shook his head. “They haven’t told me anything. Most likely because I’ll be competing too. They might have switched the terrain though. So, I was going to suggest that after our last lesson today, we go check it out and map the new dome if it’s different. We just need two more people for our team.”

“I’ll do it again.” Rocky offered. “I liked fighting with you all last time, despite nearly losing my son.” Rocky Jr garbled nonsense to them all and Myungjun was amused to see everyone playing along in pretending to understand him.

“Sanha do you want to join us again?” Jinwoo asked kindly, looking at the younger boy who was still sulking.

Sanha took one look at Rocky and shook his head. “I don’t want to be on the same team as _him_. He’s mean and cocky and thinks I’ll jump at the chance to fight with him but I _won’t_. There’s your answer _Minhyuk_. I WON’T be your partner for the doubles. Find someone else.” Sanha got up to leave after his angry outburst and Rocky watched him go looking stunned.

That was the first time Myungjun had ever heard Sanha use Rockys real name. It was the first time he’d heard _any_ of his friends use his real name and it somehow made Sanhas anger more impactful.

“Go and apologise to him.” Myungjun said with a sigh. “You really are quite mean to him sometimes.”

Rocky blushed and scooped Rocky Jr up before dashing after Sanhas retreating back.

“I’ll be your last member.” Hoseok piped up. “Like Rocky said, I enjoyed fighting together last time. It was eventful that’s for sure.”

Myungjun laughed and got up to leave for class. “That’s settled then. I’ll go sign us all up later and then we’ll meet tonight to map out the battledome.”

*

Myungjun was leaving his advanced healing class when he suddenly remembered he hadn’t replaced his shredded herb pouch. Oh no! He thought feeling panicked, the battledome is in three days and I’ll be busy fighting in the other matches from tomorrow. Myungjun raced down to the hall and barged straight into the kitchens, looking around for Grey.

“What’s wrong?” Greys voice came from behind him making him jump. “Is everything okay?”

Myungjun turned to him and pouted. “I’m in a terrible rush. I can’t eat dinner so I was wondering if I could just have my cupcake instead?”

Grey frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. “You know I can’t do that Junebug. You’re still recovering from not eating for so long and you can’t just skip meals like that. It’ll ruin all the progress you’ve made so far.”

“I really don’t have time.” Myungjun whined. “I only have three hours to make a new herb pouch for the battledome. _Three_. After that I’ll be taking my team to map the new terrain and then spending the evening training with Jinwoo. I won’t be able to do it tomorrow because of the singles matches and the day after it’s the doubles! _Please_ Grey. If you don’t give me it, I won’t be able to eat anything at all. It’s only one meal I’ll be fine.”

Grey groaned in annoyance and gestured to the table. “Sit for a minute then. I’ll put some extra fruit onto it. Are strawberries okay?”

Myungjun nodded eagerly and rushed to sit down, drumming his fingers on the table top impatiently. He couldn’t believe he’d forgotten to make a new pouch. He was a healer for crying out loud he NEEDED it. He shuddered at the idea of entering the battledome with no medical supplies or herbs to help his team and tried not to think about what could have happened had he not remembered.

“Here. Bring the plate back to me when you-”

“No need!” Myungjun said brightly, plucking the cupcake off the plate and shoving it all into his mouth. He waved his goodbye and rushed from the kitchen hearing Greys disbelief behind him. Jinwoo and the others were already seated for dinner so he made his way over to them, trying to chew as quickly as possible so he could speak.

Jinwoo looked up at his approach with a smile. “Hey Sunshine. Did you have a good lesson?”

Myungjun swallowed the rest of his food with great difficulty and grabbed Jinwoos glass of water to take a few gulps to help wash it down. “Class was fine. I need to go to the design room and I’ve already eaten before you ask. See you later, have a good class!”

He was already leaving before Jinwoo could reply and made it to the design room in record time. His teacher from last year, Mr Lee, was inside, writing at his desk and he looked up in surprise at Myungjuns sudden appearance before relaxing into a smile.

“Hello Myungjun. Back again so soon? I feel like I see more of you than my _actual_ students.”

Myungjun gave him a sheepish grin and moved to sit down on one of the tables. “I wish I’d been able to continue design this year, but my timetable is already packed. I’m doing eight classes instead of six so I really couldn’t fit anymore in.”

“That’s quite ambitious. How are your lessons going?”

“Great.” Myungjun said happily. “I fell behind in February, but I’ve been catching up and I’ve completed all of my backdated homework now. Do you mind if I use some materials to make myself a new bag? And some parchment so I can do a quick design?”

Mr Lee smiled and pushed the parchment he was writing on away. “Use whatever you need. Would you like some help?”

*

Myungjun looked around in confusion. “JinJin the battledome is exactly the same as last year.”

“Are you sure?” Hyungwon asked, still looking around himself in awe. “This place is HUGE!” Myungjun nodded and turned to look at Jinwoo who was frowning.

“It really is no different. I thought there’d be some sort of change at least.” Jinwoo sighed before relaxing into a smile. “That’s fine. It just means we won’t have to spend hours mapping again. We can use this time to show Hyungwon around and talk about all of our strategies from last year. Do you want to train a little in here afterwards?”

Everyone murmured their agreements and Hoseok cleared his throat to speak. “Two youngest, go and get our weapons.”

Jinwoo looked around happily before his face fell. Myungjun giggled as the realisation hit Jinwoo that he was one of the youngest here now. “Go on JinJin. I want my bow and some daggers.” Myungjun said being overly sweet. “Please.” Jinwoo just looked resigned to his fate as he left the battledome with Rocky and Myungjun looked around to see Hyungwon and Hoseok staring down at him fondly. “What?”

“We’re just glad your happy Junnie.” Hyungwon answered, opening his arms. “Group hug. Quickly before I change my mind.” Hoseok and Myungjun both squealed happily before rushing to cuddle up to him.

“You’re my bestest friends you know that right?” Myungjun asked quietly, his head resting between their chests. “My first ever friends who showed me what it was like to be loved and cared for.” Myungjun hummed happily as someone’s hand found its way into his hair.

“You’re a sap Junnie.” Hoseok said sniffling.

Hyungwon snorted above them both and squeezed them tighter. “You’re both saps. MY saps. We’ll be friends forever Junnie I promise. Let’s do really well and win this competition so we can all stay together when this year is up.”

Myungjuns heart clenched painfully at the thought of being apart and he didn’t have the heart to tell them that he still didn’t know what he wanted to do. He just pulled back with a strained smile and nodded up at them. “We can do it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Makes me emo to think how MyungWonSeok were the original besties :') Theirs was the first relationship to form and I still love them together, Hyungwon and his two sunshines oof~  
> Makes me want to re-read my fic but I'm too scared to see how bad I was at writing at the beginning xd


	102. Best Fighter Competition- Part 1.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote another two chapters today so you're getting another upload woooooo

Myungjun woke up on the morning of the singles matches and sat up in bed feeling nervous. He’d spent plenty of time down in the combat centre training with Jinwoo, getting his hand to hand combat back up to an acceptable standard but he couldn’t help the way his stomach squirmed at the idea of fighting in front of his father again. He looked over at the clock to see the competition still wouldn’t be starting for a couple of hours and sighed loudly.

Jinwoo stirred beside him, making Myungjun jump, and rolled over to wrap an arm around his waist. “Junnie?”

“Sorry for waking you JinJin.” Myungjun muttered quietly, looking down at his cute sleepy boyfriend who was moving over to rest his head against his stomach. “I forgot you were here.”

Jinwoo chuckled sleepily and nuzzled his face into Myungjuns pyjama top. “I would take offence at that, but I’ll let you off considering this is the first I’m sleeping in your room in months.”

“And it’ll be your last if you two don’t shut up.”

Myungjun giggled at Youngjaes grumpy voice and wriggled back down under the covers to pull it over their heads. Jinwoo whined unhappily next to him and blinked his eyes open to pout at him.

“I was comfy on your tummy.”

Myungjun cooed quietly. Jinwoo was extra adorable in the morning with his ruffled hair and his puffy face. Myungjun leaned forwards to kiss his cheeks and watched as Jinwoos eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled.

“You better not start making out or I’ll set this tree house on fire.” Youngjae warned.

Myungjun stifled another giggle in Jinwoos neck and melted against him as Jinwoos warm hands slipped under his top to rub circles into his shoulder blades. Jinwoo rolled over onto his back, pulling Myungjun on top of him easily enough and peppered kisses all over his face. Myungjun couldn’t hold back the laugh he let out and yelped in surprise as something hit him a second later. He pulled the cover back down to see Youngjae had thrown his pillow at them and was scowling their way.

“What’s going on?” Namjoons head popped out from under his covers and Seokjins soon followed. “Why are you shouting?”

“JaeJaes being mean.” Myungjun pouted. He grinned inside as Seokjin glared over at the younger boy. “He threw his pillow at me.”

“Youngjae don’t throw things at people.” Seokjin scolded him. “It’s not nice.”

“They’re the ones not being nice! They woke me up with all their kissing and giggling!”

Seokjin turned to Myungjun with his eyes narrowed. “Is that true Myungjun?”

Myungjun squeaked in fear at the look on his face and pulled the covers back over them. “JinJin save me.” He whispered, snuggling up against him. “We’ve been caught.”

“Every man for himself.” Jinwoo said cheekily before pulling the covers back down. “It was Myungjun. He won’t stop kissing me.”

“JinJin!” Myungjun shrieked, jabbing him in the sides and feeling him wriggle beneath him. “You traitorous swine!”

Safe to say Myungjun was distracted from his nervousness for a while.

*

Myungjun walked into the arena through the open doors and scanned the seats looking for a good place for him and Jinwoo to sit. His eyes found some of his friends and he smiled before his mouth dropped open in shock. No, it couldn’t be.

“Mother? JinJin look! MOTHER!” Myungjun tore across the arena and up one of the staircases into the stands. His mother stood from her seat with open arms and he flew into them with an excited shriek. “Mother I missed you so much! What are you doing here?”

“I was doing some shopping in the city with Wonho and decided to come see you fight.” She said happily as she pulled away.

“Wonhos here?”

She pointed a few rows up and Myungjun followed her finger to see Wonho standing on the steps talking and laughing with Grey. Myungjun briefly wondered how they knew each other before being gently moved aside by Jinwoo.

“Hello Ms Kim.” He said, bowing politely. “It’s good to see you again.”

“Oh hello Jinwoo dear. You don’t need to be so formal still. Let’s take a seat shall we?”

Jinwoo accepted the invitation and sat down but Myungjun quickly excused himself to dash up the steps. “Wonho!”

Wonho turned to look down at him with a smile. “Hello Myungjun. How have you been?”

“I’ve been okay.” Myungjun said happily. “You went shopping with my mother?”

Wonho laughed and looked over at her. “She said she needed a ‘strapping young lad’ to help carry her bags. I said that because you weren’t there to help, I’d be happy too.” He winked down at Myungjun making him giggle. Wonho could be ridiculously flirty sometimes.

“You two know each other?” Grey asked surprised.

“Neighbours.” They both said at the same time. They grinned at one another and Wonho pulled him in with a heavy arm over his shoulders.

“How do you two know each other?” Myungjun asked, unconsciously leaning into Wonhos warmth. He wasn’t warm like Jinwoo, but it was still nice.

Grey and Wonho exchanged a look and Grey shrugged. “We were in the same year here. Tried dating over the summer we did the intensive weapons training course but decided it wasn’t really for us.”

Myungjun just stared between them in shock. He couldn’t imagine them as a couple. “You did the same course as Jinwoo too?” he asked instead, looking at Grey. “If you’re so good with weapons, why are you a chef?”

Grey laughed and his eyes flickered down the stands. “That’s a story for another time. Right now, Jinwoo is looking at Wonho like he wants to rip his arm off. You better let go Hyung, Jinwoos the jealous type.”

Wonho just snorted and gave Myungjuns shoulders a squeeze before releasing him. “Don’t worry Myungjun. I’m not interested in you. Don’t get me wrong, you’re cute and all but you’re not really my type.” He laughed as Myungjun hit him and pretended to be in pain. “Ouch Myungjun. Maybe if you continue with that, I might fall for you.”

“You’re awful.” Myungjun said shaking his head with a forced sigh. “I’m going now. Wait, Grey are you watching the match too?”

Grey nodded and smiled down at him. “I’ll cheer you on. Good luck out there.”

*

“Kim Myungjun.”

“Im Jaebum”

Myungjun dropped a quick kiss onto Jinwoos lips and grinned at his mother before making his way down the stone steps. He walked to the centre of the arena and waited for Jaebum. He’d avoided looking up at the stands of the Kings court and guild officials so he wouldn’t have to see his father, but his eyes moved towards it now as he waited.

He spotted his father easily enough but the man sitting _next to_ his father caught him completely off guard. “What the heck is the King doing here?” Myungjun squeaked quietly to himself. Leo’s eyes met his and he gave him a little wave before turning back to his conversation with his father. How did his father know the _King_?

Jaebum cleared his throat loudly and Myungjun quickly turned to focus on him instead. “Myungjun the horns already blared. I didn’t want to attack you when you were distracted.”

Myungjun looked at him in surprise. Jaebum was too nice and for his chivalry alone, deserved to win. But Myungjun couldn’t let him. Not with his father watching. Not with the KING watching. His mother, Wonho, Grey, Jinwoo. There were too many people watching and he couldn’t make a fool out of himself.

“Sorry.” Myungjun quietly apologised before kicking him straight in the stomach.

Jaebum stumbled backwards as he gasped for air and Myungjun didn’t miss the hurt that flashed in his eyes. He couldn’t allow himself to feel bad. They clashed in the middle, flesh hitting flesh, bone hitting bone as the crowd around them roared in excitement. Myungjun could hear his friends chanting his name in the stands and it filled him with energy and pride.

Myungjun dodged the next punch to his face and spun away, remembering how he’d practiced with Jinwoo the other night in the combat centre. He lifted his leg up at the last turn and unlike Jinwoo, Jaebum couldn’t block it in time. His foot connected with Jaebums ribs and sent him sprawling. Myungjun seized his opportunity and dived on top of him to pin him to the floor.

“You’ve surprised me.” Jaebum gasped out, winching at the pain in his ribs. “You’re always so nice in class.”

Myungjun laughed and pulled him to his feet when the horn blared again. “I am nice I’m just competitive too.” He apologised quickly before rushing back over to the steps. Jinwoo was waiting for him at the bottom and swept him off his feet.

“My boyfriend is the best fighter to ever exist!” Jinwoo exclaimed with a big grin on his face. “You did so well sunshine.”

Myungjun giggled and snuggled up to him. “You’re acting like I won the whole competition Jinwoo. This is only the third round.”

“And I’ll continue to congratulate you like this with every round you win.” Jinwoo said happily, putting him down to check him over. “Are you hurt anywhere? We can go out to the medical tent before your next fight.”

“Park Jinwoo.”

“Park Jimin.”

Jinwoo sighed and stepped away. “Or not. Gotta go Junnie. If you’re hurt, go to the medical tent. If you’re not, cheer extra loud for me okay?” Myungjun watched him leave before jogging up the steps to sit beside his mother. He was aching a bit but would never miss the opportunity to see his boyfriend fight.

*

Myungjun watched as the list of competitors grew smaller and smaller at every round. His eyes kept wandering over to his father and Leo, watching them as they laughed and joked and praised the students below them.

“Junnie?”

“Hmm?” Myungjun tore his eyes away to look at his mother.

She smiled at him and patted his knee gently. “I asked what you were staring at?”

Myungjun sighed. There was no point in lying to her. “Father is over there. So is the King.”

Her hand froze on his knee and she looked where Myungjun was pointing. “Has he come to all of these competitions?” Myungjun nodded without needing to ask who she was referring to. “Has he ever spoken to you?” Myungjun nodded again, more hesitantly this time. “What did he say?”

“Well…the first time he caught me and Jinwoo umm…kissing, please stop looking at me like that, anyway, he told me that he had come to see me fight but he’d leave disappointed because I ‘clearly didn’t inherit his fighting ability’.” His mother snorted but gestured for him to continue talking. “He said I was ruled by my emotions like…like you. I saw him again after the battledome last year and lost my temper at him and he ended up saving one of our friends because of it.”

“He saved one of your friends?”

“Yeah Rocky Jr. He’d gotten swept away in some lava and Rocky needed his original rock to revive him. Father took Jinwoo and they searched all day until late at night. He told me he’d only indulge me with his help that once.”

“So he chose fire magic did he?” His mother was muttering more to herself at this point and Myungjun looked at her confused.

“Chose? You can’t choose your magic. You’re born with it.”

“He wasn’t.” Myungjuns mother said, eyes trailing back over to his father. “He wasn’t magical at all. He used to be just like me. But temptation and loyalty took him away. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some words that need to be exchanged with my ex-husband.”

“Mother you can’t people are still fighting.” The horn conveniently went off as the girls fight beneath them concluded.

“I can go now. Stay here Myungjun. I’d like to speak to him alone.”

Myungjun stopped in his movements to get up and pouted. As far as he was aware, his parents hadn’t spoken once since he was a baby. He was dying to know what words they would exchange but had to watch instead as his mother swept across the arena and over to his father and the King. He did, however, feel a sense of satisfaction at the look of surprise on his fathers face at her approach. She gestured to the doors and they disappeared through them together a few minutes later. Myungjun wanted to follow them but was stopped by the next pairing.

“Park Minhyuk.”

“Yoon Sanha.”

This should be good. Myungjun gripped Jinwoos hand tightly out of excitement and watched intently as Rocky and Sanha bowed to each other. Sanha still looked angry so Myungjun was guessing Rocky hadn’t done a good enough job of apologising. Not that he was the least bit surprised by that revelation.

The horn blared and Sanha moved first. The whole arena fell silent as Sanha slapped Rocky across the face with a loud crack. Rocky stood there unblinking before raising his hand to touch his red cheek. Myungjun couldn’t hear the words they exchanged but Sanha was trembling and Rocky wasn’t making any moves to retaliate. It was tense to say the least and Myungjun bit his lip worriedly as he watched them.

Zephyr shouted something unintelligible across the arena and they both started fighting. Myungjun could tell straight away that Rocky was holding back and letting himself take all of Sanhas hits. He could hear Sanha now, shouting at Rocky to fight back properly but Rocky looked too dazed. Myungjun wasn’t sure if he was dazed from the slap or something else but gasped a second later as Sanha punched Rocky in the face and sent him to the floor. The younger boy walked over to Rocky looking furious and sat down on his stomach, winding him further, to pin him down. The look they shared was so intense it made Myungjun want to look away, but the spell was broken when the horn blared deeming Sanha the winner.

Myungjun couldn’t believe it. Sanha. Their baby. Had beaten Rocky. The combat teacher. He exchanged a stunned look with Jinwoo before racing down the steps to get to the younger boys. Sanha swept past him without looking back but Rocky stumbled straight into Myungjuns open arms and leaned against him.

“I guess I deserved that.” He said chuckling weakly. “Can you take me to the medical tent Hyung? I think he broke my nose.”

Myungjun looked down at Rockys nose to see it was definitely broken and sighed. “I thought you apologised to him?” He juggled Rocky in his arms until he could bear his weight better and started leading him out of the arena. “I thought you’d be friends by now.”

“I’m not very good at apologies.” Rocky said quietly. “I’m not very good at making friends either. He hates me and I don’t know how to fix it. I don’t even know why I’m mean to him half the time.”

“Maybe you should try speaking to him again, when he’s calmed down of course. You just have to be honest with yourself and your feelings Rocky. We all know you don’t hate him, and we all know that Sanha doesn’t really hate you either.”

Rocky was quiet as he led him into the medical tent and only spoke again to thank him when Myungjun turned to leave. Myungjun stepped outside and paused at the sound of voices. His parents. He crept around the side of the tent to listen better.

“…it going?” His mother sounded angry. “Was it worth leaving Myungjun for? Leaving _me_ for?”

His father didn’t miss a beat. Didn’t even need to think about it. “Yes. It’s everything I ever wanted. Everything you always held me back from. I loved you and I loved Myungjun more than anything but don’t forget that you had the chance to come with me. You had the choice to keep us together as a family, yet you chose not to.”

“How could I bring up my son in an environment like that? It was too dangerous, and you knew it! You would have risked our lives just so you could play the hero and make your friends happy.”

“What happens when he leaves?” His father asked, lowering his voice so Myungjun had to move a bit closer to hear. “They love each other and Jinwoo has already told me what he wants. I know he’s told you too. Do you really think Myungjun will want that as well? Will you really be able to let him go like you did to me?”

“It’s his choice.” His mother snapped back.

Myungjun stepped out from behind the tent feeling confused and angry. “What are you talking about?” They both looked around in shock and he turned to his mother first. “We could have stayed together as a family? Why is he saying that?” He wanted the answers, but he needed to ask all the questions first, so he turned next to his father. “What has Jinwoo said to you? What has Jinwoo said to both of you?”

His mother cleared her throat nervously. “Junnie I don’t think now is the best time-”

“Stop brushing it off!” Myungjun growled taking a step towards them with his fists clenched. “You both always brush everything off and never explain ANYTHING to me. Do you know what that’s done to me? DO YOU?” He couldn’t control his temper. Years of uncertainty and confusion came pouring out of him. His father shielded his mother from view, and it made Myungjun angrier. “I’ve turned into a monster because of you. I lose my temper and kill people because of you. I nearly strangled Jinwoo to death because of you. I had therapy because of how messed up you both made me and found out my dear old father is my psycho trigger.” He could hear his mother crying but couldn’t stop. “Stop crying mother. You say to him that you couldn’t bring me up in a dangerous environment, but it was dangerous where we were anyway wasn’t it? Did you know about where I grew up?” He asked that directly to his father who didn’t speak. “I grew up in a town where magic users were HATED. I lived my whole life in fear of being found out and what did she do to me? She took my magic.” He saw the way his fathers’ eyes widened slightly and smirked. “You didn’t know. How funny. You ran away from us to get magic and it cost me my magic in return.”

“Junnie stop!” His mother stepped out from behind his father and glared at him angrily. “You know I only did it to keep you safe!”

Myungjun laughed hysterically. He couldn’t believe she still thought that. “I got beaten so badly I nearly died when I was thirteen. Bet you didn’t know that either did you _father_? I went back there every summer and had to put up with it. The prejudice and the hatred. Oh. Did mother tell you about the demon attack there? You say I’m _weak_ but I saved a whole town didn’t I mother? I saved a guild leaders life. Someone like you father. I SAVED him and he’s alive because of me. Am I still weak to you now?” His father stood there with his eyes narrowed so Myungjun yanked his sleeve up to reveal his blackened skin. The look on his father’s face was priceless. “I’ll have this forever now. A reminder of how strong I grew up without YOU there to guide and protect me. You didn’t protect me from that demon, and you didn’t protect me from mother when she gave me those pills. Oh, do you want to know the best bit?”

His father finally spoke. “Myungjun please-”

“I can’t stop now! We’re just getting to the fun part.” Myungjun said grinning manically. He was losing it, he could feel it, but he needed them to see. To see how much they’d destroyed him. “My magic was taken away again not that long ago. By a _girl_. I slaughtered her in the battledome because I’d snapped. I thought of you father and lost my mind. She got me back by taking my magic, drugging and tying me to a chair and then stealing my boyfriend. Look. I have the scars. Wow you both look shocked but we’re STILL not at the best bit. I messed up, I messed up so bad with Jinwoo that I died. What, don’t believe me? Go and ask Grove. I felt my heart stop and watched my boyfriend grieve for me. It was awful. He was so so sad. But I didn’t feel anything. I didn’t CARE that I’d died. I’m still not entirely sure that I care now. But do you care? Do either of you care that the son you messed up died because of you? If I hadn’t killed Hyejin this wouldn’t have happened. And I wouldn’t have killed Hyejin if I hadn’t snapped at the thought of you. And I wouldn’t have snapped at the thought of you IF YOU’D BOTH JUST TOLD ME THE TRUTH!”

“MYUNGJUN!”

Myungjun spun around to see Jinwoo watching him looking shocked. That pushed Myungjun to turn on him too. “What about you huh? What have you been talking to my parents about behind my back? They were arguing because of you you know. You told them what you wanted to do when you left the academy, but you never thought to tell me? Why am I the last to know? I TOLD you that you shouldn’t keep secrets from me. Yet you’ve done it again anyway haven’t you? ANSWER ME.”

Jinwoo flinched but took a step towards him. “Junnie please. I’ll talk to you. I’ll explain everything but you need to calm down. Your magic is getting out of control.”

Myungjun could _feel_ his magic going wild. His petals littered the floor around him, and his vines were rumbling under the surface, waiting for that one hint of danger for him to release them. His petals came with strong emotions, but his vines came when he sensed danger. He was feeling it now, sandwiched between two fire users.

“Jinwoo I suggest you back up and give me some space.” Myungjun warned him lowly. He felt his vines calm slightly when Jinwoo listened to him. He turned back to his parents to see them eyeing him warily. “I need answers. I need to know EXACTLY what happened between you two or I NEVER want to see either of you again.” He ignored his mothers’ protests and looked straight up at his father instead. “At the end of the year, when you come to scout out students, I want you to find me and mother and we’re all going to have a nice little chat. I’m done talking now. If I stay here any longer, one of us is going to get hurt.”

He turned on his heel and walked away, feeling his heart pounding in his chest and his magic thrumming under his skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rocky: Not being honest with his feelings  
> Myungjun: Being brutally honest with his feelings


	103. Best Fighter Competition-Part 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting this before going into my quantum physics exam that I've done basically 0 revision for yeeeeeeeeeee

Myungjun stood in front of the weapons racks on the day of the doubles weighing his options. He couldn’t take his bow. They’d be fighting close quarters so it would be pointless. He didn’t want to use a wooden pole because he hadn’t used one of them for a long time. He didn’t feel confident enough to use just the daggers alone like Jinwoo was gearing himself up with. He sighed before reaching for a pair of metal dual swords instead. He’d been so focused on training his hand to hand combat that he hadn’t had time to train with the swords again. He hadn’t used them since last year, so he wasn’t feeling particularly confident today.

Yesterday had been enough of a disaster. He’d gone back into the arena so enraged at his parents that he’d fought his way to the finals using his anger alone, before falling at the last round to Jinwoo. He’d gotten too distracted and his boyfriend wanted that title more than him anyway. He wasn’t mad at him for knocking him down. But he was mad at himself for not trying harder and using his brain more. Yet again he’d let his emotions get the better of him. In front of the King no less.

“Junnie, do you need help putting your belt on?” Myungjun nodded to Jinwoo and let him take over.

“I’m sorry.” Myungjun said quietly. Jinwoo stopped halfway through wrapping the belt around his waist and looked up at him questioningly. “I’m sorry for speaking to you that way yesterday. I was just so _angry_ at my parents. But I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.” Jinwoo sighed and continued to put his belt on. He only spoke when he was done and Myungjuns swords were settled in their sheathes.

“You don’t need to apologise. You were right. I did speak to your parents about what I wanted to do when we leave the academy. They asked and I didn’t want to lie. I would have told you, but the conversation never came up between us and honestly, I was worried about what you’d say. I love you Myungjun and I want to stay together when we leave but I’m scared we don’t want the same thing.”

Myungjun looked up into Jinwoos eyes and was suddenly transported back through his memories to the first time he ever saw him. _Sad eyes_. He’d called him that a lot before he was told his name. _Jinwoo with the sad eyes_. They looked sad now. So so sad.

“What _do_ you want JinJin?” Myungjun asked quietly. “What do you want to do when we leave?”

Jinwoo looked away and sighed. “I want to fight. I want adventure. All I’ve known my whole life is the academy and the academy guesthouse.” He looked back at Myungjun with eagerness and excitement shining in his eyes, replacing the terrible sadness. “I want to go out and explore Aredrinnor, explore what’s _beyond_ Aredrinnor. I want to cross the seas and explore all the lands beyond it. I want to fight alongside others to earn a living and protect those I care about. I want to join a guild Junnie. I want to join a guild and I want you to come with me.”

Myungjun was stunned. All the words he was going to say died on his tongue. He thought of his mother and how he’d have to leave her behind. He thought of the first ever guild job he’d gone on and how he’d nearly died and was bearing the scars to prove it. He thought about how he’d _actually_ died and the look of pure grief on Jinwoos face. Joining a guild meant facing death and uncertainty every single day. Could he really do that?

Jinwoo saw him hesitate and the excitement and eagerness were instantly washed away. “I know it’s not what you want Junnie. I know you want to do something safe. Like becoming a florist or herbologist or becoming a doctor to help people that way. You’d be excellent at whatever you chose to do. But I can’t help what I want either. This is what I’m good at. It’s what I’ve always been good at. I can’t…I can’t be tied down to one place any longer. It’s driving me insane. You understand right? You understand what I’m trying to say?”

Myungjun fought the tears he wanted to shed and nodded slowly. “You’re going to go whether I come with you or not.”

Jinwoo looked at him with a watery smile and leaned in to kiss him. “I love you so much sunshine. I promise I’ll always protect you. I know I haven’t done the best job of that so far but I’m learning from my mistakes. I WILL protect you and look after you and make sure you’re always happy. All you have to do is say yes. Say you’ll come with me. I know it’s a lot to ask so I’ll let you think about it. I’m sorry Junnie. I’m sorry for forcing this choice on you. It’s cruel, I know it’s cruel. But I’ve known for a long time what I wanted. You told me I had to start living for myself too, or I’m not living at all. This is how I’ll live for myself, chasing the dreams I have.” He stepped away from Myungjun and scrubbed at his eyes. “Let’s go win this title. I’ll prove to you today how capable I am of protecting you. Then maybe you’ll consider joining me.”

*

Myungjun stepped out into the arena for the final round. All they had to do, to win the title, was beat Hoseok and his partner Mark. Both of them the combat teachers for the other combat class. We’re doomed, Myungjun thought to himself as he watched Hoseok twirl his wooden pole in between his hands expertly. He looked down at his own swords and groaned. He hadn’t completely forgotten how to wield them properly, but he knew he was nowhere near as good as before.

The only reason they’d gotten this far into the competition, was by Jinwoo keeping his promise. He kept Myungjun safe, he didn’t let him die and he’d suffered so many injuries already because of it. Myungjun looked over at his boyfriend now. He’d already discarded his ruined shirt four rounds ago and his torso was covered in fresh scars. He’d refused proper healing, only focused on getting back into the arena to watch and gauge all the fighters they’d be facing. Figuring out their strengths and weaknesses so he knew where to strike.

Every single one of his scars and bruises was one Myungjun should have received himself but Jinwoo always shielded him in time to take the hit. It tore away at Myungjuns soul to see Jinwoo stabbed and pummelled and sliced because of him. He knew the only reason Jinwoo was able to take it all was because he was stubborn in trying to prove his point. He was trying to prove that he’d protect him. Protect him enough that he’d want to go with him when the year was up.

“JinJin?” Jinwoo looked over at him looking tired and strained. Myungjun knew he was making the right decision. “I’ll come with you. I’ll join a guild with you. You’ll keep me safe, and I’ll keep you safe too.”

The horn blared straight after and to prove his point, Myungjun stepped in front of his stunned boyfriend and took the lightning hit from Hoseoks pole. It cracked against his arm and he felt something snap. Hoseoks eyes widened in shock and Myungjun wasted no time in using his good arm to swing his remaining sword and gut him.

“Sorry Seokkie-hyung.” Myungjun gasped out through the pain of his broken bone. He watched Hoseok topple forwards and sink through the floor and didn’t feel any regret when Mark raced forwards to slit his throat open. Myungjun raised a shaky hand to stem the blood flow at his neck as he fell to his knees.

He looked up into the crowd where he locked eyes with his father. His father remained expressionless, but Leo was gaping at Myungjun beside him. He started whispering furiously in his father’s ear, but his father was ignoring him. He’s brave ignoring the King, Myungjun thought absentmindedly.

He heard a body hit the floor a second later and Jinwoo appeared in front of him, looking close to tears as he pulled him into his lap.

“I hate watching you die Junnie. I hate it so much. You shouldn’t have surprised me like that. I would have protected you.” Myungjun tried to laugh but choked on the blood instead. Jinwoo had protected him enough already and he was happy to die for him. Jinwoo quickly wiped the blood from the corners of Myungjuns mouth and leaned down to kiss him. “I’ll see you soon sunshine. I’ll be right by your side when you wake up. Go to sleep now okay? We won Junnie. We won because of you. I’m so proud of you and I’m so happy you said yes.”

*

Myungjun raised his cup along with the rest of his friends as they cheered his and Jinwoos success in the storage room. It was a tradition that he was sad would be coming to an end after tomorrow night. He loved cramping in this room with his friends to drink contraband moonshine and party until the most ungodly hours of the morning.

However, there was one noticeable absence. Sanha. Myungjun had seen him on his way out of the infirmary with Jinwoo and invited him down to the storage room, but upon finding out that Rocky would be there, Sanha had refused. Myungjun had gone straight to Rocky afterwards, to ask why they weren’t talking yet, only to get the answer that Rocky was ‘working on it’. Myungjun had resigned himself to the fact that they’d probably never make amends and he drank a bit more than necessary to curb the worry he felt for the two younger boys.

“Myungjun slow down. There won’t be any left for us at this rate.” Myungjun apologised to Hoseok and handed him the bottle so he could refill his glass. If anyone else had said that to him right now he would have ignored them, but he did still feel guilty for killing Hoseok today, so he gave the bottle up readily.

“Are you okay?” Jinwoo muttered in his ear when everyone had gone back to talking and laughing amongst themselves. “Why are you drinking so much?”

Myungjun sighed and leaned up against him. They’d gotten to the storage room too late and all the seats were taken so they’d had to lean up against the wall instead. “I’m just worried about Rocky and Sanha. I don’t like seeing them fight. It’s never been this bad before. They used to bicker and pick little fights, but this is different. Sanhas different too. He seems more…aggressive? He even ignored Rocky Jr the other day and he NEVER does that. I just want to help but I don’t know how.”

Jinwoo hummed thoughtfully above him. “Do you think we should talk to Sanha tomorrow after the battledome? We can ask if he’s feeling okay and why he’s been getting so angry all the time. We both know Rocky’s still struggling to speak to him so maybe we can speed up the process.”

Myungjun pulled back to look at Jinwoo with wide eyes. This was new. “Wow JinJin. Usually if I ask how I can help our friends you just tell me to stay out of it. What’s different this time?”

“He’s our baby brother now Junnie. Your mother basically adopted him remember? And because you’re my _husband_ , that makes him my little brother too.” Jinwoo grinned at him and showed off his ring. “We always help family.”

Myungjun giggled and leaned forwards to kiss him. It started off innocently enough but Myungjun soon found himself melting against his boyfriend in the best way possible. Jinwoos tongue found its way into his mouth and he licked it gently making Jinwoo groan.

“Bloody hell hyungs can you do that somewhere else?”

Myungjun giggled again and looked back at Moonbin who was sitting on Dongmins lap looking disgusted. His eyes wandered past them to see Seokjin and Namjoon off in their own little world too. “Maybe you should look behind you Bin. Your other Hyungs are doing a whole lot worse.”

Moonbin looked behind himself and shrieked before getting off Dongmins lap and pulling him to the door. “That’s it. We’re leaving!” No-one bothered to say goodbye so Moonbin left looking moodier than ever. Myungjun did feel a bit bad but the hot hand creeping up his top distracted him.

“JinJin what are you doing?” Myungjun squealed. Jinwoos hand brushed over his trident scar making him shiver. It still felt sensitive, even after all this time.

Jinwoo smirked at him and licked his lips slowly. Myungjun didn’t really hear what he said after that but let himself be led out of the room, with the image of Jinwoos wet lips burned into his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “You’re going to go whether I come with you or not.”  
> ^That physically pains me to re-read
> 
>  
> 
> Get excited we're going back into the battledome next chapter!!Eeeeeeeeek


	104. Into The Battledome...Again-Part 1.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally re-reading my fic again and adding titles to all my chapters as I go along uwu  
> I'll also be adding titles to all of the chapters I post from now on yeee

The horn blared above them to signal the start of the competition and Jinwoo groaned unhappily. “How are we this unlucky?”

They’d been placed in the lake terrain of the battledome to begin with and were standing on a little island surrounded by the dark, cold water, that stretched as far as the eye could see in every direction. Myungjun knew he and Rocky were the liabilities. He couldn’t grow his vines or summon Camellia here and Rocky had no ground to manipulate. Jinwoo had gained enough strength with his fire magic to be able to use it underwater but it was still weak. This was the worst possible terrain they could have been put in. It was made worse when he remembered it was six teams per terrain and he looked around to spot any others nearby.

His heart lept into his throat when he saw a team in the distance, already making their way across the water towards them. “Guys, we have to move.” Myungjun said, pointing to the other team. “They’ll be here in a few minutes, quicker if they have bows. How are we going to get across? How are _they_ getting across? Surely, they can’t be a team of five water users. No team could be that stupid.”

“I know how.” Hyungwon said, squinting into the distance. “Stand back.” He looked down at the tiny island they were cramped together on and snorted. “Okay never mind. Jinwoo keep your heat in.” Myungjun was confused at his command but gasped in excitement a second later as Hyungwon aimed his hands towards the water and started to freeze an icy path in front of them. “Careful, it might be slippery.”

They made their way across the ice, single file, as Hyungwon worked his magic and Myungjun kept throwing anxious glances over his shoulder at the other team. They were approaching fast, much faster than they themselves were moving and he knew this would result in a very wet fight. He was looking down at his feet to make sure he didn’t slip when a scream made him look back again.

“SIRENS!” The scream carried across the lake and Myungjun watched horrified as a boy was dragged into the water by a clawed hand that had grabbed his ankle over the side of the ice.

Myungjun heard Jinwoo curse in front of him and he clutched the back of Jinwoos shirt in fear. “This is how the battledomes different this year. It’s not a different terrain.” Jinwoo said faintly. “They’ve dumped us all in with magical creatures. Its not just a fight against each other anymore, it’s a fight against them too. Hyungwon move faster, there could be sirens beneath us as well. We’re ruining their habitat with your ice so they must be angry.”

Hyungwon worked quickly after that, until they were all jogging over his icy path and on more than one occasion, Myungjun nearly slipped into the cold dark depths. He saw another team to the left of them and went to warn the others of their presence but didn’t need to in the end. The biggest creature Myungjun had ever seen rose out of the water beneath them and swallowed them whole. It looked like some type of fish and it was GIGANTIC. It fell back into the water slowly, taking its time because of it giant size and the resulting wave it created made its way rapidly towards them. Myungjun knew, even from a distance, that the wave was over three times the size of them and would sweep them away.

“I got this!” Hoseok called out from in front of Jinwoo. “Everybody stop moving.” They all stopped, watching the giant wave come towards them and Hoseok turned to stand facing it with his hands outstretched. Myungjun watched as his birthmark began to shine a bright blue and his eyes widened in awe as Hoseok parted the water in front of them. They weren’t swept away but the ice broke behind Myungjun and he lost his footing. The icy cold water hit his back and he only just managed to keep a grip on his quiver full of arrows so he wouldn’t lose them.

He opened his eyes under the water and saw a hand reaching through the surface for him. He grabbed for it but felt Jinwoos fingers slip through his own as he was pulled down by a clawed hand. He kicked out, desperately trying to get the siren off of him but it was no use.

 _I’m going to die, and we’ve only just begun_.

The water surged above, and he looked up to see Hoseok swimming towards him. The siren was ripped away by his whirlpool a second later and Myungjun allowed Hoseok to pull him back up to the surface. He broke through with a pained gasp for air and felt hands under his arms pulling him up onto the ice. Hyungwon had made a bigger patch of it to stand on and Myungjun lay on his back, panting, with his bow digging into his shoulder blades uncomfortably. The water had been _freezing_.

“JinJin.” Myungjun said weakly, his teeth chattering. “Cold.”

Jinwoo crouched over him looking worried and rubbed his hands up and down Myungjuns arms. “Sunshine I can’t heat you up right now or we’ll fall in again. Can you stand?”

Myungjun nodded jerkily a few times and moved to sit up. When he looked down at his leg, he could see his trouser leg was torn and bloodied from the siren’s claws. He cut the material away at the knee and winced at the deep gashes to his skin. They’d only been here ten minutes and he’d already sustained an injury. At least we weren’t swallowed whole and wiped out like the others, he thought with a shiver. He quickly looked at the back of his hand to see the number of teams left and his eyes widened in shock.

 **26**.

Ten teams in ten minutes. The battledome was unforgiving this year. He wondered what monsters would be in the other terrains and whined quietly in fear. He unzipped the bright green herb bag on his chest and groaned when he realised it wasn’t waterproof. His last yellow pouch had been waterproofed in Voredan last year, but he’d only made this one a few days ago. He fused the gashes shut with his magic instead and made a mental note to ask Jinwoo to dry everything off when they got off the ice.

*

Crossing the lake took an incredibly long time but luckily enough they had no other dramatic episodes. Myungjun was still stunned at the sheer size of that giant fish-like creature and knew he wouldn’t be able to forget it anytime soon.

They came out into a forest and Myungjun instantly missed Sanhas presence. If he was here, they could use his super hearing to detect the nearby teams and any other lurking monsters.

“Keep your eyes and ears open.” Jinwoo advised quietly. “We don’t know what’s out there.”

Rocky Jr garbled from his position on Rockys shoulder and Rocky gasped in excitement. “Hyungs I have something that can help!” They turned to watch as Rocky got down on one knee to place his palms flat on the ground. He closed his eyes and tilted his head from side to side slowly. “Vibrations coming from the left. I can’t tell if its from humans or not but there’s definitely a few different sources. There’s nothing to the right, or in front of us.” He opened his eyes and stood back up, grinning at the stunned looks on their faces. “I forgot I learnt how to do that. I’ll leave the decision making to you.”

Jinwoo snapped out of it first and gave Rocky a pat on the back. “Nice job. I personally think we should go towards the vibrations. This is our last battledome and we want to show off as many of our skills as possible. If we get there and its monsters instead, we’ll quickly identify them and discuss all their strengths and weaknesses before we attack, which means we need to sneak up on them. With that being said, I think we should put it to a vote. Who wants to follow my plan?” Everyone raised their hand and Jinwoo smiled brightly. “Good. Let’s go. Remember, _be quiet_.”

They crept through the forest being as silent as possible and Myungjun felt the familiar excitement and adrenaline kick in. If I get this excited for fighting, maybe it won’t be so bad joining a guild with Jinwoo after all, Myungjun thought to himself as they got closer.

Hyungwon suddenly cursed loudly and Myungjun spun around to see an arrow sticking out of his shoulder “GET DOWN.” Another arrow grazed Hyungwons cheek as he dropped to the floor and Myungjun ran to grab him under the arms and dragged him behind the nearest tree. He watched Jinwoo dash off towards the source of the attack with Hoseok and Rocky close behind and Myungjun focused on helping Hyungwon instead.

“Get it out.” Hyungwon hissed from his position against the tree trunk. “Rip it out Myungjun, don’t bother getting me a herb we don’t have time.”

Myungjun summoned all his strength and yanked it free, wincing at the scream Hyungwon gave in return. Myungjun cut his shirt away and placed his hands over the wound to seal it shut. When it was done Hyungwon stood up gritting his teeth and moved his arm experimentally.

“Crap that hurts like hell, but I can use it. Let’s go pay those assholes a visit.” He pulled his wooden pole off his back and Myungjun followed behind him as they made their way towards the noise. They came out into a clearing in the trees to see the most ferocious battle Myungjun had ever witnessed.

Rocky ripped the forest floor in half and Myungjun watched as two students fell down into the abyss. Jinwoo was struggling with another one and they were both close to tipping over too. Myungjun tore his vines through the ground and wrapped them around Jinwoos waist as they both fell over the edge. He pulled Jinwoo back up to safety, who gave him a relieved smile, and he let his vines go as another student dived for Jinwoos back, sword raised. Jinwoos the main target, Myungjun thought panicked as an arrow thudded into the ground right behind his boyfriend’s shoe. Hoseoks pole cracked over the head of the student behind Jinwoo and Myungjun pulled his bow free to find the archer hidden in the trees.

Hyungwon covered the tear in the forest floor with a layer of ice and Myungjun ran onto it with his bow raised, searching, searching, searching. Another arrow hit the ice beside him, and it shattered. Myungjun screamed as he fell, and a hand grabbed him on the way down. He looked up to see Jinwoo struggling to hold him.

“Junnie vines.” Jinwoo commanded, cutting through the haze of panic in Myungjuns mind at his near death. An arrow thudded straight into their entwined hands, pinning them to the side of the dirt cliff and it took all of Myungjun willpower not to scream at the pain. He quickly slipped his bow back over himself and used his good hand to create a ladder of vines that he grabbed hold of tightly.

“Rip the arrow free.” Myungjun gasped. “Quickly.”

Jinwoo grabbed onto it and tugged. They both grunted in pain and Myungjun hauled himself back up.

“I’ll kill him.” Jinwoo growled angrily, looking towards the trees. “Bridge Junnie.”

Myungjun created him one and watched as Jinwoo sped across it, pulling his daggers free and launching them into the trees. A body fell and hit the ground with a thump and Jinwoo yanked his weapons free before the offending archer was sucked away.

All Myungjun could feel was the pain in his hand and he knew he wouldn’t be able to wield his bow properly until it was fixed. He looked around to see Rocky spinning gracefully on the spot. “What the hell is he doing?” Myungjun muttered to himself watching the strange display. His mouth dropped open in shock as Rocky started to sink into the ground where he disappeared. He reappeared a few seconds later, behind an enemy on the other side of the clearing, who was bearing down hard on Hoseok, and Rocky snapped his neck with a manic grin.

Myungjun didn’t have time to watch anymore as a girl appeared above him holding her sword to his throat. “You shouldn’t have let your guard down.” She said happily.

“Neither should you.” Jinwoo called out to her from the other side of Myungjuns bridge. “Get the hell away from my boyfriend.” He launched one of his daggers and it lodged straight into her skull. Myungjun wanted to gag as her lifeless body fell on top of him and he pushed her away before getting to his feet.

Jinwoo ran over the bridge and pulled Myungjun into a hug. “Are you okay sunshine?”

Myungjun nodded into his shoulder with a sigh of relief and looked around. He saw Hyungwon beat down the last enemy and collapse to the floor holding his shoulder.

“Let’s get everyone into the trees JinJin. We all need healing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course I had to turn Rockys signature dance move into a spell. Its not a Rocky choreo if he doesn't do a couple spins xD Graceful as a ballerina that one~


	105. Into The Battledome...Again-Part 2.

Myungjun found the biggest tree and created a ladder for them all to climb up after they were healed. He wanted to get them off the floor whilst they planned. He manipulated the branches to create a stable flooring and was the first to sit down onto it. The others soon followed and sat down with groans of exhaustion. Myungjun reached down into his pouch to find energy revive herbs before remembering everything was still wet.

“JinJin can you dry the stuff in here for me? Be careful not to burn anything.” He unclipped the bag from his chest and handed it to him.

“So, what now?” Rocky asked, looking between them all. “I felt the ground before we climbed up the ladder and there were no vibrations around us anymore.”

“How far can you sense them?” Myungjun asked, accepting his dry bag from Jinwoo. “Thanks JinJin.”

“About half a mile right now. So around ten minutes in each direction.”

Jinwoo hummed thoughtfully and accepted the herb Myungjun offered him. “Do you guys want to try something different? We’ve shown off enough skills now I think. So maybe we should focus on taking down as many people as we can. Which means…”

“No.” Hyungwon interrupted him after looking at his grin. “We’re not splitting up Jinwoo. That’s a disaster waiting to happen. Most people travel in teams, we’ll be outnumbered.”

“Most people are probably dead.” Jinwoo pointed out, holding up his hand for everyone to see the number printed boldly on the back. **10**. “We still have ages until the end of the competition. If we don’t split up, we’ll struggle to find the others. This place is massive, we NEED to cover more ground if we want to win.”

Hoseok groaned unhappily as he popped his herb into his mouth. Myungjun could physically see the way he perked up with energy. “He’s right. Who’s going with who then?”

“We’ll split into two teams.” Jinwoo explained. Myungjun realised he must have planned this all out beforehand. “We have three out of the four combat teachers here, so I want two to go with Myungjun.”

“What, why?” Myungjun asked, feeling slightly insulted. “Are you saying I can’t look after myself?”

Jinwoo smiled softly at him and grabbed his hand. “I’m not saying that at all. I KNOW you can look after yourself. I just think if there’s two of our best fighters with you, you’ll be able to keep them alive long enough for us to win. You’re a healer after all.”

“Good save Hyung.” Rocky muttered beside him.

Myungjun just rolled his eyes and pulled his hand away. “Okay so I’m guessing you want to be one of those who comes with me?”

To his surprise Jinwoo shook his head. “I’m the leader Myungjun. I put the safety of my team members before my own. I know I make a big deal out of protecting you, but I have to learn to trust that others will do it for me too. That’s why I’m sending Hoseok and Rocky with you.”

“We’ll look after you Junnie.” Hoseok said brightly. His smile faltered when Myungjun glared at him. “What I _meant_ to say, is that me and Rocky will be extremely grateful to have your healing expertise.”

Myungjun finally cracked a smile and nodded. “Okay. Let’s pick a point on the map to meet up in let’s say…an hour? We’ll have covered the majority of this terrain by then. We can keep in touch by sending notes. I kept a bundle of parchment and some pens in my pouch in case we needed to map the terrain before. I’m glad I kept them in there.” He distributed the writing tools and accepted the praise Jinwoo gave him happily. “If there’s any trouble, send an SOS with a rough estimate of where you are circled on your maps. Send the map and the note together so we can find each other.”

They quickly descended the tree and Jinwoo pulled Myungjun aside to say goodbye. “Junnie stay safe okay? Do whatever you have to do to get back to me. Also, look after the kids.” Myungjun kissed him with a giggle and stepped away.

“Seokkie-hyung is older than me you know.”

“I said what I said.” Jinwoo replied with a shrug. “See you soon handsome.”

Myungjun watched as his boyfriend jogged away with Hyungwon through the trees and couldn’t help the way his heart longed to go with them.

“Let’s go Hyung.” Rocky said cheerfully. “I sensed vibrations in the direction we’re heading so this should be fun.”

*

The hour was nearly up and all they’d been able to find was a few of the forest’s monsters. One of them had made Myungjun laugh. It had the body of a large bear but the head of an owl which took its menacing nature away. He’d soon stopped laughing when the owl opened its beak to reveal rows of sharp teeth. It took a long time to take down as it was covered in thick layers of fur and fat, but they’d managed eventually.

Myungjun looked up now, at the big clock in the sky, to see that they only had ten minutes left until they needed to meet with the others. So far, they’d had no SOS notes which Myungjun was grateful for. He knew he’d be terribly panicked if they’d received one. They crept through the trees before coming across another one of the owlbears.

“Should we creep around it?” Rocky asked quietly. “It will take us longer than ten minutes to take it down.”

Myungjun nodded and gestured to the floor. “Any more vibrations?”

The second Rockys hands touched the floor he spun around. “Behind us, a quarter of a mile away. Approaching rapidly. They must have an air user who heard us talking. A ground user wouldn’t have sensed anything because we’re not moving. What should we do?”

“Uhhhh guys. We alerted the…bear.” Hoseok added weakly as the creature roared behind them, making them all jump.

“I got this.” Rocky said quickly. “Hyungs go hold that team off. I can use my magic here properly without accidently swallowing you into the ground too. I’ll send the SOS to Jinwoo. Go!”

Myungjun gave Rocky one last desperate look before rushing off in the direction he was pointing. A tiny part of him wanted to just run away from both enemies, but he knew how bad that would look to the people watching them.

“There’s no point being quiet now.” Hoseok said, jogging beside him. “I’m going to flood the place when we get there Junnie. Get your bow out and pick off the swimmers.”

Myungjun nodded dutifully and pulled his bow off his back before nocking an arrow. He saw the movement through the trees up ahead and came to a stop to aim it. Hoseok raced forwards a few more steps before creating a giant wave of water and forcing it their way. A bright blue bolt hit the wall of water, freezing it instantly and it smashed to pieces as a body with bright pink hair charged through it.

“Moonbin?” Myungjun muttered in disbelief. He hesitated to loose his arrow and was glad he did because Moonbin stopped in surprise too.

“Hyungs?” Moonbin asked confused before smiling. “You’re still here!” When he looked around his face fell. “Where’s the others?”

Dongmin came up behind him and frowned. “Were they taken out?”

Myungjun lowered his bow, feeling relieved and walked over to them with Hoseok. “No, we split up. Where’s the rest of your team?”

“Oh, we split up too.” Moonbin explained looking around.

Something felt off to Myungjun and he went to open his mouth, to voice his concerns, before a hand was clamped over it from behind, pulling him away from Hoseok. He felt a cold metal blade pressed against his neck and struggled against the taller body. He’d recognise the smell of his skin anywhere and realised that’s what had been off. Their air user hadn’t been with them. Sanha.

Hoseok made a noise of surprise before pulling his pole off his back, getting into a defensive position and looking between them all in disbelief. “You tricked us?”

Moonbin grinned and shrugged. “You’re both too trusting.”

Myungjuns head was spinning. They’d been careless and would die now because of it, at the hands of their friends no less.

But the one thing that threw him the most was how _tall_ Sanha was now. The back of Myungjuns head was pressed up firmly against Sanhas chest and he could feel his rapid heartbeat beneath it. Had he not been paying enough attention to Sanha lately to notice him growing? Or did people rapidly grow in height overnight? He tuned out his thoughts to listen to Hoseoks panicked speech.

“…let you go in the last battledome! We saw Dongmin get punched by that boy in the desert and saw the way you both took him down afterwards and we chose to go around you and let you go! Don’t betray us like this.”

Dongmin looked uncomfortable as he tapped Moonbin on the shoulder. “That did happen Binnie remember? That boy broke my nose. They’re telling the truth. Let’s let them go just this once.” Dongmin looked up at Hoseok and cleared his throat nervously. “Once we let you go, we’re even okay? If we cross paths again we can fight. Agreed?”

“NO!” Myungjun jumped in surprise at Sanhas angry shout above him and felt the metal push further into his skin. “They’re on the same team as Rocky. We CAN’T let them go. Rocky CAN’T win. I won’t allow it.”

“Sanha what the hell are you doing?” Moonbin hissed. “Let him go.” Myungjun felt the metal break through skin and whimpered at the pain. He could feel Sanha trembling behind him and his heart went out to the younger boy. Sanha had never killed anyone before. He killed monsters just fine but always left killing people to the others. He was too kind-hearted. Myungjun knew something was wrong with Sanha, he’d changed so much recently, and he was beginning to think it wasn’t all because of Rocky anymore. If he killed Myungjun, he’d regret it. Myungjun looked towards Hoseok, begging him with his eyes to stop him.

“Sanha?” Sanha spun around, dragging Myungjun round with him and they both stared with wide eyes at Rocky who was approaching them. “Sanha don’t do this. It’s me you want isn’t it?” Myungjun felt the grip on his mouth loosen slightly and nearly groaned in relief. He didn’t struggle or try to run away. He knew Sanha wouldn’t hurt him now. “Sanha I know you’re angry at me. You’re not angry at Hyung, so let him go and I’ll let you kill me instead.”

“You won’t!” Sanha said angrily, retightening his grip and pressing the dagger further into Myungjuns neck. Okay _now_ Myungjun was scared. “I’ll let him go and you’ll kill me anyway. You’re HORRIBLE to me Rocky. I don’t trust you one bit.”

“Think about it Sanha.” Rocky said desperately, taking a tiny step forward. “Think about what happened during the singles match. I let you hit me, didn’t I? I let you take all your anger out on me back there and told you to hit me until you felt better again. So I _will_ let you kill me if that’s what you need. I know I’m mean to you sometimes and I don’t have any excuses for that. I don’t know why I’m mean to you, or at least I didn’t know why until Myungjun-hyung spoke to me. He told me to be honest with my feelings and I want to be honest now.” Rocky Jr poked his head out from the chest pocket of Rockys shirt and garbled quietly at Sanha. Myungjun felt his grip relax again but didn’t allow himself to be relieved this time. The dagger was still pressed into his skin so he couldn’t move to safety. He was still in danger.

“What are you talking about?” Sanha mumbled. “Tell me the truth for once Rocky. I’m sick of you treating me this way. I know you don’t like me but-”

“I like you.” Rocky said quietly. “I do like you Sanha and I want to be friends with you. I thought I hated you, but I don’t. Rocky Jr kept telling me I didn’t hate you, but I never believed him.” Rocky Jr wiggled out of Rockys top now and Rocky put him on the floor where he ran over to stop at Sanhas feet blinking up at him. After a few tense seconds, Sanha let go of Myungjun completely and gently moved him aside to bend down and pick up Rocky Jr instead.

Myungjun moved away to give them some space and watched with a small smile as Sanha pouted down at the little rock, who was garbling cutely in his hands. “Why is your father so useless?”

“Hey!” Rocky laughed, stepping over to them. He stopped in front of Sanha and looked up at him with a frown. “Why are you so tall now?” Sanha shrugged and put Rocky Jr on Rockys shoulder again. “So…can we be friends now?” Rocky asked shyly when he realised the shrug was the only answer he’d get. “I’m not good at making friends but-”

“Yes.” Sanha said quickly before looking away with a blush. “Let’s be friends.”

Myungjun went to cheer but looked down in shock at the searing pain tearing through his stomach. A sword tip, covered in blood, was poking out of his skin and he cried out in pain when it twisted inside of him. The joy he felt for seeing the younger boys make amends was replaced by the confusion and pure agony of the blade slicing through his gut from behind.

“Sorry Hyung, but Sanha let you go, making us even. You understand right?” Moonbin ripped the sword free and Myungjuns legs buckled under him as the blood poured out of his wound in a hot, red river.

“NO!” Hoseok raced over and dropped down in front of him. “Junnie? Junnie heal yourself!”

A loud smack rang through the forest and Myungjun turned shakily to see Dongmin trembling in front of Moonbin with his hand raised. “Binnie what the HELL! We let them go! Why did you do that?”

Moonbin was looking at him with wide eyes as the blood dripped down his chin. “You hit me?”

“You deserve more than that you absolute JERK!” Dongmin raged, pushing him away. “That was cruel Moonbin. We don’t win by betraying our friends trust. I thought you were better than that.” Dongmin stormed off through the trees and Moonbin set off after him shouting apologies.

Myungjun felt the edges of his vision going black and turned to look at Hoseok again. “Seokkie, it hurts.” He looked down at the blood that was drenching his clothes and pooling onto the forest floor beneath him. He almost wanted to laugh. He’d done something similar to Hyejin during the last battledome and now he could feel her pain too. It was _excruciating_. He could hear Hoseoks voice, telling him to heal himself, but he knew that even if he healed the wounds externally, he wouldn’t be able to heal the internal ones.

He let himself fall back onto the grass and looked up at the trees. He could see the bright blue sky peeking through the leaves and it made him smile. _So pretty_. He wished Jinwoo was here. Jinwoo always made death easier. He wanted to apologise too, for leaving them all behind.

“Sunshine?” Myungjun turned his head to the side to see Jinwoo racing over to him. He got the SOS, Myungjun realised, he came to help me die. Myungjun decided at that moment, that when he died for real in the future, he wanted Jinwoo to be by his side to ease the way. He watched as Jinwoo fretted above him, pulling things out of the pouch on his chest and trying to put pressure on his wound. “What happened to him? Who did this to him? I’ll kill them, I’ll kill all of them.”

Myungjun wanted to tell him not to bother. That it was okay. That he wasn’t angry at Moonbin. Moonbin just wanted to win and he was sure all of them could understand that. Also, there’s nothing Jinwoo could do that would hurt Moonbin more than the smack he got from his boyfriend. Myungjun just hoped their relationship wouldn’t end because of him.

“JinJin?”

Jinwoo appeared above his face looking worried and angry. “What is it sunshine? Can you tell me how to help you?”

Myungjun struggled to smile and slowly shook his head, using the last of his energy to talk. “It’s okay JinJin. Make sure to win for us. I’m sorry I died. I’m sorry I can’t heal you. Take my pouch before I go, please.”

“Junnie you’re not dead yet. I can _help_ you. Please just tell me what you need, tell me what I need to do. Junnie I-”

Myungjun let his eyes flutter shut as death claimed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *screams* SOCKYYYYYYYYY


	106. Anything You Want.

When Myungjun woke up in the infirmary, he was greeted by Rocky who told him that the competition was still ongoing.

“Why are you here?” Myungjun asked confused. “Did you get killed too? How are you awake before me?”

Rocky sighed and pointed over to a different bed where Myungjun saw Sanha sleeping peacefully. “Jinwoo-hyung went on a rampage after you died and saw Sanha with us. He put the pieces together about what happened and threatened to kill him if he didn’t tell him where Moonbin had gone. I knew Hyung wouldn’t really kill Sanha, but I tried to stop him anyway and he knocked me out. I only had to get my nose fixed so that’s why I’m up earlier.”

“Jinwoo knocked you out?” Myungjun sighed at Rockys nod and gave him an apologetic smile. “Sorry Rocky. Jinwoo gets extra sensitive when I die now after what happened before. You know he’s probably stewing in regret right now. Please don’t be mad at him.”

To Myungjuns relief, Rocky just laughed it off. “Yeah I know. I’m not mad. I shouldn’t have approached Hyung when he was that angry. Everyone knows how temperamental fire magic makes a person and like you said, he’ll regret it anyway without me there to help our team win. I just wonder what happened to Sanha afterwards.”

Myungjun watched as Rocky Jr garbled up at Rocky, pointing over to the sleeping boy. “I’m glad you two are friends now. You should have been friends a long time ago.”

Rocky hummed in agreement before getting off Myungjuns bed and making his way over to Sanhas. He placed Rocky Jr down on the bed and pulled the covers further over Sanhas chest to keep him warm. “Wake up soon you oversized baby. Rocky Jr misses you.”

*

Myungjun was pacing the combat centre, watching the clock tick down the last minutes of the competition. Jinwoo, Hoseok and Hyungwon were still in there with two other teams and Myungjun had been told by one of the mute combat teachers that the arena was shrinking in size to push them closer together so they wouldn’t go over the allotted time limit.

“Is there any way I can watch them in there?” Myungjun stopped his pacing to ask. “How are the spectators watching them?” The male combat teacher held out a blue crystal block to Myungjun and mimed closing his eyes. Myungjun took it, feeling the hum of magical energy that it radiated and shut his eyes. He didn’t see anything at first, but the images slowly materialized into existence behind his eyelids. He couldn’t make out much except fire. Lots and lots of vivid green fire. _Jinwoo_. He focused his mind on Jinwoo only and the images changed. He looked around to see he was standing beside him.

A cannon of water hit Jinwoo with enough force to knock a normal person backwards. Jinwoo, however, was anything _but_ normal at this particular moment. He was furious and bloodthirsty, and his enemy was the main target of that anger. Jinwoo held his ground with pain written all over his face. He pushed forwards, fighting against the onslaught of water and Myungjun saw the fear in Moonbins eyes. Moonbin was saying something that Myungjun couldn’t hear and he saw the way Jinwoos face changed into a predatory smirk. The water steamed away and Jinwoo erupted into flames.

Myungjun quickly opened his eyes again. He really didn’t want to see Jinwoo kill Moonbin. He handed the crystal block back and thanked the teacher before going to take a seat on the bench. The combat centre was packed with people waiting to see who would stumble out of the door as the victors and Myungjun hoped it would be his team. He’d already won a title this year, but it wouldn’t hurt to get another one. Myungjun also wanted to win so Jinwoo would feel a bit happier when it was all over.

“Two teams left!” Someone shrieked from the other side of the room and Myungjun sent a quick prayer up to the deity. He stared at the number on the back of his hand for what felt like a lifetime before it ticked down to one and disappeared. He got up and rushed to the door leading to the battledome. He had to wait for what felt like _another_ lifetime before the door opened to reveal his tired looking friends.

“JINJIN!” Jinwoo looked up at his voice and smiled, bright and wide. “You did it!”

“ _We_ did it you little brat.” Hyungwon said, stepping inside with a tired smile. “You can thank us later. Jinwoo owes you an apology anyway.”

Myungjun looked back to Jinwoo confused and watched his boyfriend shuffle on his feet looking guilty. He pulled something out from behind his back and Myungjun whined quietly when he saw his destroyed herb bag. It wasn’t fireproofed either. He should have asked Jinwoo to give it to one of the others.

“I’m sorry Junnie.” Jinwoo said quietly as Hyungwon and Hoseok left them too it. Myungjun could hear them being congratulated by the others in the combat centre behind him. “I forgot I had it on me. I didn’t mean to ruin it. I’ll make you a new one I promise.”

Jinwoo wasn’t looking at him, he was looking down at his feet with a sad pout on his face and it made Myungjun cave instantly. He sighed loudly and tilted Jinwoos face up to look at him. “It’s fine JinJin. That one wasn’t very good anyway because I’d rushed to make it. I can always make a new one, so don’t be sad okay? You’re supposed to be happy. We won, didn’t we?”

Jinwoo beamed at him before pulling Myungjun in for a cuddle and snuggling up into his neck. “I’m so happy you’re not mad at me Junnie.” His voice came out muffled and tickled Myungjuns skin.

“Oh I am.” Myungjun said sternly, feeling Jinwoo freeze against him. “Would you like to explain to me what happened to Rocky in there?”

Jinwoo suddenly groaned in pain and pulled away clutching his chest. “Junnie I think I’m dying. I need to go see the nurse. I’ll speak to you later okay?” He quickly took off, running away and pushing through the crowd.

“PARK JINWOO GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!”

*

Myungjun watched Jinwoo approach the table cautiously at dinner and frowned at him as he sat down. Jinwoo avoided making eye contact with him and leaned over to tap Rockys hand instead.

“Rocky?”

Rocky looked up from his food in surprise but quickly settled into a smile. “Yeah Hyung?”

“I’m sorry.” Jinwoo said awkwardly. “I shouldn’t have hit you. It was an awful thing to do and I do feel really bad about it. It did backfire on me anyway. I’ve given everyone such a bad impression of myself now, but it was my own fault.”

The smile never left Rockys face and he just shook his head. “It’s fine Hyung. I accept your apology. You’ll be fine as well. You’ve achieved so much here; they won’t write you off as a bad person just because you lost your temper after seeing Myungjun-hyung die.”

Jinwoo visibly relaxed. “I hope not. Also, you’re awfully happy today. I know we won and all but…you look TOO happy.”

Rocky blushed and forced the smile off his face. “It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing!” Sanha said from beside him looking offended. “We’re friends now so you should be happy.”

Myungjun laughed at Sanhas sassiness and Rockys resulting pout and put some food onto Jinwoos plate for him. “I’m proud of you for apologising JinJin. You still need to apologise to me though, for running away from me like that. I looked around for you for ages, where did you go?”

Jinwoo shovelled food into his mouth and chewed slowly. After a ridiculously long time of waiting for an answer Jinwoo finally gave him one. “I can’t tell you.”

Myungjun groaned in irritation and sat back in his seat. “You made me wait all that time, just for you to _not_ tell me? You’re so annoying sometimes Jinwoo.”

Jinwoo put his cutlery down and leaned over to whisper in Myungjuns ear. “Sleep over tonight and I’ll make it up to you.” He nipped at his earlobe, making Myungjun squeal, and leaned back with a satisfied smirk on his face. “We’re meeting everyone in the storage room again for our final night of celebrations. Whether you leave with me or not at the end of the night is your choice, but I recommend that you do.”

*

“You made the right choice.” Jinwoo said breathlessly, pulling Myungjun into his room and shutting the door. Myungjun hadn’t been able to say no after the teasing his boyfriend had done during the party. Getting too close but never touching, whispering in Myungjuns ear that if he wanted to be touched, he needed to follow him back to his room. It was torture.

However, Myungjun was instantly distracted from his neediness by the new edition to Jinwoos furniture. “JinJin?” Jinwoo made a noise of acknowledgment as he trailed kisses across Myungjuns jaw and down his neck, his hands playing with the hem of Myungjuns top. “You got a desk for your room?” Jinwoo hummed into his skin, only focused on getting Myungjun closer with the arm around his waist. “Why?” Jinwoo groaned and pulled back.

“Myungjun do we have to talk about my stupid desk right now? I got it so I could do my homework properly instead of trying to do it on my bed. Is that a good enough answer? Can you _please_ just kiss me now?”

Myungjun giggled at his impatient behaviour and leaned forwards to peck him gently, teasingly. Jinwoo growled low in his throat and Myungjun shivered at the noise. “Don’t be a tease Myungjun. I might not be able to control myself tonight.” Jinwoo started to pull him to the bed before freezing. Myungjun didn’t like the sly smirk forming on his boyfriend’s face. Not at all.

Jinwoo changed course and sat down in his chair, pulling Myungjun forwards with a hand in the waistband of his shorts. Myungjun landed heavily in his lap, straddling Jinwoos thighs and flushed at the memory it brought up. Jinwoo looked at his blush and chuckled.

“You did this to me once remember? Pulling me down onto your lap. Except I distinctly remember being shirtless at the time.” Jinwoo let his hands drop down to Myungjuns thighs and squeezed them roughly. “Take your shirt off Junnie.” Myungjun whimpered quietly, watching the way his boyfriends’ eyes darkened at the sound. “I said take it off.” Myungjun hesitantly pulled it up, Jinwoos eyes on every inch of his exposed skin as it rose, until it was off completely and dropped on the floor. “Good boy Junnie...wow you’re so beautiful. Do you want to take mine off too?”

Jinwoos top hit the floor a second later and Myungjun was quickly pulled in for a kiss. He briefly tasted the moonshine in Jinwoos mouth before the hot hands on his body made his brain short circuit. He couldn’t think of much else except how _good_ it felt to have Jinwoo caress and explore his skin after hours of his awful teasing. Myungjun tightened his hold on Jinwoos shoulders as his boyfriends’ hands moved up to his chest. Jinwoo was muttering words against his lips but he was struggling to concentrate on them. The hands stopped their movements and Myungjun whined irritably at the loss.

“Junnie listen to me.” Myungjun pulled away with a pout to see Jinwoo holding back a smile, his eyes hooded and dark. “I asked you if you were okay? You’re breathing awfully fast.”

“JinJin I’m _fine_. More than fine I’m-” Myungjun moaned embarrassingly loud as Jinwoos fingers brushed over the most sensitive parts of his chest and his body jolted in Jinwoos lap without his permission.

Jinwoo groaned just as loud in return and dropped his hands down to grip painfully hard at Myungjuns hips. “Bloody hell Junnie don’t do that.”

“I didn’t mean to! You’re the one who touched me when I was trying to talk to you!” He couldn’t believe he’d just moaned that loud. He wanted to curl up into a ball and die from the embarrassment. Jinwoos fingers dug harder into his hips. “Ow JinJin that hurts.” Myungjun tried to wriggle out of his grip but stopped dead at the sound Jinwoo made. Somewhere between a whimper and a sob.

“Junnie stop moving.” Jinwoo whispered after a few seconds. “Please stop moving. I can’t control…just please sit still for a minute.”

Myungjun couldn’t help the worry he felt when Jinwoo lifted his head to look at him. Something was wrong, Myungjun could just tell. “What is it JinJin? Are you okay? Am I crushing you? Do you want me to get off?”

Jinwoo shook his head and breathed out heavily. “Let’s just move to the bed. You sitting on my lap was a bad idea.” In one swift movement, Myungjun was lifted into the air. He wrapped his arms around Jinwoos neck and let him carry him to the bed.

When Myungjun was settled against the pillows, he stopped Jinwoo from leaning down to kiss him and scanned his face worriedly instead. “JinJin please tell me what’s wrong. Why was it a bad idea for me to sit on your lap? I liked it. Didn’t you like it?”

“It’s not that I didn’t like it.” Jinwoo said suddenly sounding awkward. “It’s that I liked it too much.”

Myungjun was confused. “If you liked it as well then why did we move? How can you like something ‘too much’?” Myungjuns uneasiness only grew as Jinwoo started to bite his lip nervously. “JinJin you can talk to me. You can tell me anything you know that right? Whatever it is I’ll listen. I don’t want you to be so nervous around me it doesn’t feel right.”

“Junnie…” Myungjun watched Jinwoo struggle for his words and waited patiently for him to find them. “What if I told you I could make you feel…even better?”

“What?”

Jinwoo groaned and let his head drop down onto Myungjuns shoulder. “I changed my mind. I can’t talk to you about this.”

Myungjuns curiosity was already sparked and he was nothing but stubborn when he wanted to know something. “You can. What do you mean ‘even better’? I don’t think that’s possible JinJin.”

“What if it was?” Jinwoo asked quietly, not lifting his head. Myungjun could almost believe he was hiding. “Would you let me try at least?”

“Look at me.” Jinwoo pulled back to look at him and Myungjun saw a vulnerability in Jinwoos eyes that he’d never seen before. “Why are you so nervous? Are you afraid I’ll say no?” Jinwoo nodded slowly and Myungjun sighed. His boyfriend was so clueless sometimes. “JinJin I spent so long saying no to you. It took me literal years to take my shirt off in front of you, even though you constantly reassured me that I’d be fine and part of me, a big part in fact, regrets not listening to you sooner. So, if there’s something else you want, just tell me what it is. I trust you. I’m just sorry for not completely trusting you before and letting my insecurities get in the way.”

“Anything I want?” Jinwoo asked, looking at Myungjun cautiously. Myungjun nodded. “Are you sure? You have to be sure Myungjun. You know I’d never do anything to hurt you, or embarrass you, or make you feel bad in any type of way, right?”

Myungjun smiled up at him and reached out to stroke Jinwoos warm cheek. “I’m one hundred percent sure and I trust you with my life.”

The look of pure relief and joy on Jinwoos face made Myungjuns heart skip a beat. He was so handsome, cute and irresistible, all at the same time.

“Okay Junnie. Can we just cuddle for now though? I’m pretty sure I drank too much, and I don’t want to do anything with you like this. So…cuddle? Please.”

“Anything you want JinJin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Myungjun sweetie...do you know what you've just offered to your boyfriend? /.\


	107. The Monstertrap.

Myungjun walked down into the herbology clearing with Namjoon and Youngjae after lunch on a bright and sunny Wednesday. The nature around them was lush and green and flourishing and Myungjun was in the best of moods. His mood only heightened when he saw his class gathering around on the moss-covered boulders to listen to Ms Jung talk. Not much had happened in herbology this year, Myungjun spent most of the lessons down in his greenhouse looking after his medicinal herbs but it looked like today they would be moving on and he was _excited_.

Like usual, Youngjae sat down first and pulled Myungjun down to sit between his legs so Youngjae could cuddle him from behind. Myungjun liked Youngjaes cuddles. Namjoon sat on the grass by Myungjuns feet with his back against the boulder and they all looked up when Ms Yoon, their practical skills teacher, appeared. Ms Jung and Ms Yoon exchanged a few quiet words before calling for everyone’s attention.

“Hello everybody. I’m sure you’re all wondering why I’m here.” Ms Yoon began, looking around at their curious faces with a smile. “Our lessons will be merging together from now on as we tackle the last few spells you will be learning this year. They will include growing a new type of plant for combat purposes, like the flowers you have learnt to grow for incapacitating and poisoning enemies, and a very important and useful spell on hastily reviving withered plant life from the brink of death. Your exams at the end of this year will merge too and we will be taking you on a trip off the academy grounds to do that exam.” Myungjuns whole body was tingling from excitement at the thought.

Ms Jung reappeared beside Ms Yoon with a new plant that was flourishing in a brown clay pot. “This is a plant that goes by the name of _Dionaea muscipula_ , or the Venus Flytrap. At this size and particular shape, it does what its name states; traps fly’s.”

On closer inspection, Myungjun decided it was kind of cute.

Ms Yoon held out her hands, aiming them towards an empty piece of ground in the clearing and it started to rumble ominously. The dirt broke apart and the scariest looking plant Myungjun had ever seen broke free from the soil and grew to twice Ms Yoons height. The grip Youngjae had around Myungjuns waist tightened and Myungjun squeaked in fear when it _roared_. Flowers aren’t supposed to roar, Myungjun thought weakly.

“As you can see,” Ms Yoon begun, looking undisturbed. “This is a bigger, deadlier version of the Dionaea muscipula and it traps more than just fly’s. Can somebody tell me the differences in their appearance? Besides the obvious size change.”

“It has actual teeth.” Jimin said excitedly, leaning forwards on his boulder to get a closer look. “The flytrap has little feelers or hairs that trigger when to close but I’m guessing this one doesn’t need those.”

“Very good Jimin.” Ms Jung praised him kindly. “This plant doesn’t need its own system of finding food in such a way because it’s the job of the one who summons it. YOU will be the one to find it something to digest, and by something, I mean whoever or whatever you are fighting against. This is the plant you will be learning to grow for combat purposes. However, it won’t be that simple.” Myungjun groaned internally, he could already guess where this was going. “This plant very much has a mind of its own. It may listen to you and attack who or what you command it to, but it is volatile at best. This is why we saved this particular spell till your last year. It is dangerous and any misuse can result in you yourself getting hurt. It’s rarely happened in this academy before, but some students have been careless enough to lose a limb or two. Fortunately for us all, we have one of the best healers in the land as our school nurse and she can regrow your limbs if they _are_ lost, but it is a very painful, very long process, so I hope you will all try to avoid finding yourselves in such a situation.”

Ms Yoon took over the speech when Ms Jung left to put the Venus flytrap away. “You will start by attempting to summon a smaller version of the monstertrap and then we will move on to manipulating it when everyone has succeeded in the spell. You need to work alone for this one and spread out throughout the clearing. Try not to stand too close to one another.”

*

“It _roared_ JinJin. It was terrifying.”

Jinwoo laughed at Myungjuns pout and fed him the last strawberry from his bowl before leaning forwards to kiss the sweetness away. “Were you scared?” Myungjun nodded quickly and snuggled up to him. “Should I go beat it up for you? Will that make you feel better?” Myungjun snorted in amusement and didn’t bother to answer. He honestly didn’t know who would win in a fight between Jinwoo and that awful monstertrap. He couldn’t even believe this is what he’d be learning to do over the next month.

“What class do you have next JinJin?”

Jinwoo suddenly gasped in excitement and gently moved Myungjun away before reaching down to pull a scroll of parchment from his bag. “I got this last lesson. I was going to show it to you the minute I saw you, but your cute pout distracted me. Here, read it.”

Myungjun took the scroll and unrolled it quickly to read what had gotten his boyfriend so excited.

IMPORTANT NOTICE- 3RD YEAR STUDENTS ONLY  
PARK JINWOO- FIRE ELEMENTAL

I AM DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE THE BEGINNING OF YOUR MAGMA MANIPULATION LESSONS. ALL 3RD YEAR FIRE AND GROUND ELEMENTAL STUDENTS MUST PARTICIPATE IN THIS SPECIAL CLASS, THAT WILL BE HELD THREE TIMES A WEEK FROM NOW UNTIL THE END OF THE YEAR. YOU WILL FIND YOUR NEW TIMETABLE ATTACHED TO THIS SCROLL.  
CLASSES WILL BE TAKING PLACE UNDERNEATH THE ACADEMY, IN THE MAGMA CHAMBER BELOW THE FIRE USERS ACCOMMODATION. GROUND MANIPULATION STUDENTS ARE ADVISED TO TAKE EXTRA CAUTION DURING THIS LESSON AND BECAUSE OF THE DANGER TO LIFE THIS CLASS POSSESSES, ANY BEHAVIOUR SHORT OF EXEMPLARY WILL RESULT IN YOUR IMMEDIATE DISMISSAL.  
YOU CAN ACCESS THE CORRIDOR TO THE MAGMA CHAMBER FROM OUTSIDE THE ACADEMY. IF YOU NEED DIRECTIONS, DO NOT FAIL TO ASK. YOUR FIRST CLASS IS TODAY AT 5PM. DO NOT BE LATE.

SIGNED  
BLAZE AND GROVE  
FIRE AND EARTH ELEMENTAL LEADERS

“So it’s true!” Myungjun exclaimed, fully understanding Jinwoos excitement now. “When I went to your room for the first time, I said it was really hot down there and you told me about the rumour of magma underneath the academy! Wow I can’t believe you’re actually doing this.”

Jinwoo took the scroll back looking cheerful. “It’s for ground users too so I’ll be working with Rocky. They’re right though. It is really dangerous for them, I can swim through lava but Rocky can’t, so we’ll need to be careful.”

“First Sanhas flying lessons, now yours and Rockys magma manipulation lessons. I’m jealous.”

“You have herbology remember. That’s your special lesson, and you’ve been doing that the whole three years we’ve been here.” Jinwoo pointed out.

“Oh yeah.” The realisation made the jealousy disappear and Myungjun grinned at Jinwoos eye roll.

Jinwoo sighed and took a sip of his water. “What class do you have next?”

“Shapeshifting.” Myungjun said happily. “Oh, that’s another special class for me isn’t it? How lucky.”

“Show off. What are you doing in shapeshifting now?”

Myungjun listed off the things he’d learnt so far. Changing the length and colour of his hair, manipulating his height, changing his facial features, changing his gender and finally enhancing his body for combat.

“Wait, back up.” Jinwoo said with a confused frown. “You can change your height? Since when?”

Myungjun opened his mouth to remind Jinwoo he’d already shown him before the realisation hit him that he actually hadn’t. He’d been meaning to the night he’d met Jinwoo in the library, when they were practicing their hallucination spell for communications, but he never got round to it because they’d both been too sad about the idea of Jinwoo not coming home with Myungjun after the year was up. Myungjun felt a fresh wave of excitement at the thought of showing Jinwoo the spell now.

“I learnt it a while ago, but I forgot to show you. It was the first spell I learnt before everyone else in my class! Do you want to see?” Jinwoo nodded eagerly so Myungjun focused on stretching his bones and making himself taller. He hadn’t practiced this often, so it still drained some of his magical energy and he opened his eyes to look down at Jinwoos shocked face. “I can make myself smaller too.” Myungjun shrunk in his chair until he was looking up at Jinwoo instead and was startled to hear Jinwoo _squeal_.

“Junnie you’re so _cute_ like this! No wait, that’s not enough, you’re _adorable_.” Myungjun giggled when Jinwoo squished his cheeks and didn’t protest when Jinwoo pulled him into his lap to cuddle him. “You’re so tiny. I don’t think my heart can take it. Please go back to normal before I combust.” He gave Myungjun one final squeeze before letting go. Myungjun didn’t make any moves to get up and just let himself grow on Jinwoos lap.

“You’re lucky I didn’t pout at you when I was that small, you would have had a heart attack.” Myungjun teased him lightly.

“I can’t deny that. Now get your cute butt to class Junnie. I’ll be going straight to my room after magma manipulation so I can shower. So I’ll see you tomorrow okay?”

Myungjun nodded happily and gave him a quick kiss before rushing off to shapeshifting.

*

Myungjun tossed and turned in bed that night, unable to sleep and unable to pinpoint why. He’d had a good day and done lots of work, making lots of progress in shapeshifting and using a lot of magical energy for it. So he knew he _should_ be tired. Yet something was keeping him awake.

He squinted to look at the clock in the darkness and saw he’d been unable to sleep for an hour now. He groaned quietly and got up to get dressed and grab his sketchbook. I’ll just go to the pond, Myungjun decided as he slipped outside, closing the door quietly behind himself so he wouldn’t wake the others. He’d spent plenty of sleepless nights out there already, but at least this time the night air was warm.

He crept through the forest trying to be as quiet as possible and followed the familiar path to the hedgerow. He’d gotten so used to making this journey that he didn’t even need to really look at where he was going. He dropped to his knees and crawled under the leaves before freezing at a noise he wasn’t so familiar with. Someone was crying, and he knew that someone had to be Jinwoo.

Myungjun didn’t know what to do. Should he stay and try to comfort him? Or leave and pretend he didn’t hear anything? Jinwoo being here this late at night meant he wanted to be alone and Myungjun wasn’t sure if he’d be happy to see him or not. After a minute of agonizing over his options he decided to just speak to him. If Jinwoo didn’t want him there he could always just ask him to leave. He crawled the rest of the way and looked over to see him sitting by the water with his knees pulled up to his chest. The moonlight made his tears sparkle and Myungjuns heart ached at the sight.

Jinwoo looked up in surprise when Myungjun approached and quickly turned away to scrub at his face. When he looked back around, he appeared almost normal. “Hey sunshine, why are you still up?”

Myungjun laid his sketchbook and drawing tools to the side before going to sit next to him. “I couldn’t sleep. I had this uneasy feeling in my tummy and now I know why. What’s wrong JinJin?”

“Nothing’s wrong Junnie.”

“Stop lying to me.”

“I’m not.”

Myungjun sighed and grabbed Jinwoos hand to play with the ring on his finger. “If you don’t want to tell me then I won’t push. But sometimes it’s good to talk and get things off your chest. Who better to tell than your husband?”

Jinwoo laughed thickly and wiped away the stray tears that were falling. “I never used to cry this much and now I cry all the time. Marriage has changed me.” Myungjun made a noise of offense at that. “I’m joking. I’ve just had a bad afternoon that’s all.”

“Didn’t magma manipulation go well?”

“It’s not that.” Jinwoo answered quietly. “I had…therapy afterwards.”

That explained it. Myungjun shuffled around until he was sitting in front of Jinwoo and leaned over to rest his chin on Jinwoos raised knees. Their faces were so close. Myungjun could feel Jinwoos warm breath. “Do you want to talk about it? Or do you want a distraction?”

“It depends on what distraction you’re offering me.” Jinwoo muttered, eyes trailing down to Myungjuns lips.

Myungjun smiled at him before pulling away and grabbing his sketchbook. “You have two choices. Watch me sketch the pond or let me sketch you.”

“I thought you were going to kiss me.” Jinwoo whined with a frown.

Myungjun giggled and picked up one of his pencils. “I’ll kiss you if you let me sketch you. You look really handsome in the moonlight.”

“I know how I can look even more handsome.” Myungjun looked up to see the subtle smirk on Jinwoos face and blushed as he pulled his top off. Jinwoo discarded it and got into a more comfortable position that displayed his body perfectly. “Better?”

Myungjun nodded, unable to verbally reply, and got to work drawing the chiselled, tan statue in front of him. This was the best type of torture and Myungjun was proud of himself for getting as far as he did, which wasn’t very far in all honestly, before shoving his sketchbook away and pouncing on his gorgeous boyfriend.

Jinwoo chuckled against his lips and tugged lightly at Myungjuns hair. “I wondered how long you’d last.”

“Shut up and kiss me Park Jinwoo.”

“That’s _Kim_ Jinwoo to you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't blame Jinwoo for wanting to combust when he see's small Myungjun. He'd be so cute with his rosy cheeks and pouty lips and big sparkly eyes omg I'm w-h-i-p-p-e-d


	108. The Sleepover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER WARNING:  
> Mentions of sex. (Nothing explicit just some very confused boys)
> 
> Its here. The cursed chapter I wrote whilst being shockingly sleep deprived.  
> I was going to scrap this chapter and start again...but if I had to read it then so do you.
> 
> We're all in this together wonderful humans.

Mr Choi ushered everyone inside the classroom before closing the door behind them with a snap. “Good afternoon everyone. I hope you’ve all had a good week. Today we’ll be moving on from fusing the different kinds of breaks and fractures a bone can undergo. We only have two more spells to learn this year and they’re more for vanity purposes than anything else. I will finally be teaching you how to take away minor scars and bruises. Taking away larger ones is something you would learn outside of the academy I’m afraid. We simply do not have enough time left. You’re two months away from your final exams and I’m sure these two spells will keep us busy until then.” Myungjun exchanged excited looks with Jaebum and Namjoon as Mr Choi spoke. “I can assume all of you have collected plenty of scars and bruises over your time here at the academy. When learning to fuse the bones, we used monster bones provided to us by the Voredan guilds, but with removing bruises and scars you will practice on each other. So, I would like you all to get into pairs.”

Myungjun instantly gravitated towards Namjoon. “Let’s work together. Do you have any fresh bruises or scars?”

“Silly question to be asking _me_ isn’t it Hyung?” Namjoon asked with a chuckle. He rolled his sleeve up and showed Myungjun his bruised elbow. “I smacked it against my bedside table this morning, it really hurt. I have some scars on my back too. I won’t tell you how I got them but they’re there to use.”

Mr Choi clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention. “You’ve all found a pair? Good. As capable young adults, I will leave the choice to you on what spell you would like to learn first. I’ll have a show of hands. Who wants to do scars? Wow, ok, scars it is then.” The majority of the class had put their hands up, including Myungjun. He had his own personal reason for wanting scars first. “To put scar removal into perspective, the best thing I can compare it to is peeling off a sticker or removing a plaster. An odd comparison to imagine I’m sure, but you’ll see what I mean when we get started. You learnt how to fuse different sized open wounds at a cellular level, and you’ll use a similar technique but to peel those cells away. Has anybody here had scars removed before?”

Myungjun was startled to see that he was the only one with his hand raised. Mr Choi gestured for him to speak and Myungjun cleared his throat nervously before doing so. “I had burn scars on my hand removed and a large scar from daggers removed on my chest.”

“Oh excellent. How did it feel to have them removed?”

Myungjun tried to think but drew up blank. “I couldn’t tell you. Both times my mind was quite…preoccupied.” The first time, Myungjun had been too worried about Jinwoo finding out he had burnt him and the second time, Myungjun had been freaking out about Jinwoo staring at his bare back.

“That’s fine. All you’d expect to feel is a slight tingle on the skin as your scar is taken away. The person removing the scar feels the same. Myungjun do you remember the cost for using this light magic?”

Myungjun nodded eagerly and leaned forwards on the table to answer. “The person removing the scar gets a replica of it on their body, that can last anywhere between a few days and a week.”

Mr Choi gave him a smile before turning to the rest of the class. “Exactly. All light magic comes with a price. Now then, with everything we have discussed, I would like for you to locate a small scar on your partners body and get to work. As an incentive, I’ll give a prize to the first student who succeeds in their scar removal. I will personally remove a scar of your choice from your body, no matter how big or small.”

Myungjun squealed excitedly and tugged at the hem of Namjoons shirt. “Hurry Joonie, I want to win!”

Namjoon laughed and pulled it up over his head. “Better get to it then Hyung. Lots of people want to win apparently.”

*

Myungjun walked into his room feeling blissfully happy after spending the rest of the afternoon with Namjoon and their boyfriends. The weather was nice, so they’d sat by the lake talking and having fun until the sun set. Myungjun was in the middle of fondly remembering how Seokjin had pushed Namjoon into the water when Youngjae interrupted his thoughts with a cough.

“Hey Hyung. Where’s Joon?”

Myungjun looked over to see Youngjae doing his homework at his desk. “He went to sleep in Seokjins room. He said its better there.”

Youngjae snorted and went back to his work. “Of course it is, Seokjins another privileged air user with a fancy room in the sky. I bet that’s the real reason he failed all his exams; he just didn’t want to leave his extra-large bed behind.”

Myungjun giggled and went to throw his arms around Youngjaes shoulders from behind. “JaeJae lets have a sleepover.”

“We literally sleep in the same room.”

Myungjun huffed and stood back up straight. “I know but we never do _fun_ sleepover things.”

“What did you have in mind?” Youngjae asked with a sigh as he pushed his work away. “Pillow fights? Painting each other’s nails? Braiding each other’s hair? Swapping secrets about the boys we like?”

“Wow I was just going to suggest the pillow fight, but your ideas are so much better!” Myungjun said feeling excited. He’d never painted his nails before but now he really wanted to try. Maybe yellow, he loved yellow. Or green.

Youngjae turned to look at him with his mouth open. “Hyung I was joking. That’s what girls do at sleepovers.”

“So?” Myungjun asked with a pout. “I wear eyeliner sometimes even though I got told that’s what girls wore AND Jinwoo made us wear dresses for Halloween, -”

“Surcoats.” Youngjae corrected him.

“-so why can’t we paint our nails?” Myungjun continued, completely ignoring his unhelpful comment. “I can grow my hair out too and I _love_ having it brushed and played with. Please JaeJae? Pleeeease. I’ll even tell you my latest JinJin gossip?”

“Deal” Youngjae said eagerly. Myungjun knew he’d accept with that offer and grinned, pulling Youngjae to his feet. “Wait here a second Junnie. I’ll go to the treehouse next door and ask if they have anything for our nails.”

Myungjun squealed excitedly and rushed to get into his pyjamas. He struggled with which ones to put on for this special occasion and just decided that one of Jinwoos oversized shirts would do. He went to sit on his bed, petting his stuffed toys until Youngjae came back holding a white box.

“The girls next door had too many colours to choose from so I just took them all. They asked if I was painting my girlfriends’ nails and I was too embarrassed to say no, so now you’re my temporary girlfriend Junnie.” Youngjae cackled at the indignant noise Myungjun made and came over to sit beside him. “Pick a colour. I don’t think I’ll do a good job of painting your nails, but we can try.”

Myungjun had never seen so many colours before. The little glass bottles clinked as he looked through them and he ended up with a handful he couldn’t choose from. “JaeJae help me. I think this is the hardest decision I’ve ever made in my life. There’s this yellow one that looks like the flowers at the bottom of our treehouse, or this green one with _sparkles_. Wouldn’t that look pretty in the sun? Or this blue one. I like this too. Or-”

“Let’s just use them all. We’ll be here all night otherwise.” Youngjae said exasperated. “One nail each colour okay? Then you don’t have to make the ‘hardest’ decision of your life.” Myungjun handed over the ones that he wanted, ignoring the sarcasm in his friend’s voice, and watched Youngjae get to work. “So, spill the gossip Junnie.”

Myungjun hummed thoughtfully, wondering where to begin. “Do you remember the night of the battledome party? When me and JinJin left early?” Youngjae nodded but didn’t look up, too busy focusing on the task at hand. “Well JinJin was acting really weird. I was sitting on his lap and we were kissing, and it was _amazing_ but then I moved because of…something, and then he started making these noises and telling me that sitting on his lap was a bad idea.”

Youngjae snorted in amusement and quickly apologised when he painted over Myungjuns skin. “Oh this should be good. Jinwoo drank didn’t he? I can already see where this is going.”

“What does- Never mind. Anyway, I thought something was wrong with him, so I asked, and he said that he liked it ‘too much’. What does that even mean? Surely if he liked it, he would have let me stay on his lap?”

“I bet he liked it.” Youngjae muttered under his breath as he changed bottles. He looked up at Myungjuns confused expression and sighed. “Just carry on. What happened next?”

“Well he was acting even weirder when we moved to his bed. He was saying he could make me feel ‘even better’, but when I asked what it meant he was too nervous to tell me. So I had to reassure him that I trusted him and that we could do whatever he wanted-”

“You said WHAT? Youngjae asked looking shocked. He was frozen in his movements to grab Myungjuns other hand after finishing the first set of nails. “What did Jinwoo say? What did Jinwoo _do_?”

Myungjun was beginning to feel even more confused with his reaction. What was so wrong with what he’d said? He _did_ trust Jinwoo and Jinwoo had already promised he wouldn’t do anything to make Myungjun upset in any way. “He didn’t do anything, he just asked to cuddle.”

“He chickened out?” Youngjae cackled gleefully. “Oh I’m soooo going to use that against him one day. Junnie you don’t realise how funny this is. He’s been hinting things to you for the longest time and when you finally offer yourself up on a platter he chickens out.”

“Offer myself…JaeJae what the hell are you going on about?”

Youngjae eventually stopped laughing and painted the last of Myungjuns nails. “Junnie I think it’s time we had _the talk_. Your boyfriend isn’t going to do it any time soon and you don’t want to stay confused forever do you?” Myungjun quickly shook his head, eager to finally get some answers. “Well I suppose we should start at the basics…”

*

“…and that, my sweet, innocent, pretty hyung, is how babies are made.” Youngjae explained as he finished tying the buns at the top of Myungjuns head. He shuffled back on the bed to admire his work but faltered at the look on Myungjuns face. “Junnie why are you crying?”

“Am I pregnant?” Myungjun whispered, feeling panicked at how he’d explain this to his mother.

Youngjae froze before shrieking out a laugh and falling back against Myungjuns pillows clutching his stomach. “Are you…are you…oh Junnie that’s the funniest thing I’ve ever _heard_.”

The bedroom door opened and Namjoon came in with a scowl, that disappeared immediately at the sight in front of him. “Umm what’s happening in here?”

Youngjae quickly sat up to answer before Myungjun could. “I gave Junnie a makeover, doesn’t he look pretty? I did a good job. ANYWAY, he asked for advice about Jinwoo and now he thinks he’s pregnant.” Namjoon just stared. His lip quirked up at the corner and Myungjun whined feeling irritated.

“Guys this isn’t funny! Do you know how many times I’ve kissed him? I’m surprised I haven’t had a thousand babies by now.”

“Youngjae what sort of _advice_ have you been giving him? Hyung you can’t get pregnant from kissing.”

“You can’t?” Myungjun asked feeling relief bubble up in his stomach. It was quickly replaced by anger and he leaned over to smack Youngjaes leg. “Why would you tell me that? You’re an idiot.” Youngjae was cackling evilly and he quickly grabbed the white box of nail polish and dashed out of the room to return it. “Joonie? If you can’t get pregnant by kissing, how DO you get pregnant?”

Namjoon groaned and fell face first onto his bed. “I’m going to kill Youngjae.” He rolled over onto his back and sat up. “Junnie I don’t want to have this conversation with you, but I know there’s books on that sort of stuff in the library if you really want to know. Look in the sexual health section, it’s at the back.”

Myungjun looked up at the clock to see that it was past midnight and sighed before getting up to put some shorts on under Jinwoos top. “I really wish Youngjae hadn’t teased me. Now I’m DYING to know. I’ll be back soon.”

“Wait, you’re going out like that?” Namjoon asked looking him up and down. “I mean you look cute, but people might stare at you.”

Myungjun shrugged and slipped his shoes on. “It’s late, there won’t be many people up at this time.” He quickly went to look at himself in the mirror and squealed happily at the result. He’d have to ask Youngjae to do this to his hair more often.

*

Myungjun was hiding away at the back of the library, surrounded by books when two of his friends stumbled upon him.

“Hyung? What are you doing up this late?”

Myungjun quickly shut the book he was reading with a blush. The embarrassment of being caught reading something like that made him defensive. “I could ask you the same thing.”

Rocky and Sanha shuffled nervously in front of him. “We weren’t tired.” Sanha mumbled, looking down at his books. “What’s this?” He picked one up before Myungjun could grab it and flicked through the pages. “What’s sex?”

“I don’t know.” Myungjun said feeling stressed. “Youngjae wound me up earlier and I’ve been in here for over an hour, but nothing makes _sense_.”

Rocky sat down next to him and picked up another book. “Did you read this one?” Myungjun shook his head, he hadn’t gotten that far yet. “We’ll help you. Sit down Sanha.”

Sanha sat down next to him and let Rocky Jr crawl into his lap. The little rock garbled quietly before settling down and falling asleep.

With the three of them working together, it only took another half an hour for Myungjun to feel a little less confused and a lot more relieved. He quickly shut the book he’d just read with a snap. “So, sex happens between a man and a woman who love each other? And the woman gets pregnant but not the man? Thank the deity.”

Sanha was looking thoroughly confused. “But what happens if two women love each other? Do they both get pregnant? Wait, it only said between a man and a woman. Does that mean two women or two men who love each other _can’t_ have sex?”

“I don’t know. I still don’t understand what sex _is_.” Myungjun said, getting up to stretch his aching legs with a groan. “But it’s nearly two, we should go to sleep. I only wanted to make sure I wasn’t pregnant.” Sanha and Rocky nodded like it was the most normal thing in the world and helped to put the books back on the shelves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I CANT BELIEVE MYUNGJUN READ THOSE BOOKS WITH SANHA AND ROCKY OF ALL PEOPLE IM SCREAMING.
> 
> Okay I'm calm again.  
> The fact that Rocky and Sanha didn't even comment on his painted nails or his little space buns kills me.  
> (I saw ONE picture of MJ with his nails painted and knew I needed to add it in somehow.)
> 
> Moral of the story: Don't ever ask Youngjae for advice.


	109. A Sad Goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER WARNINGS:  
> Language (One word)  
> Mentions of sex (Still some confused boys)
> 
> READ THE NOTES AT THE END WHEN YOU'VE FINISHED THIS CHAPTER.

“Hyung I’ve shown you a hundred times, just twist the band around your hair like this and it will hold.” Youngjae tied Myungjuns hair up again and stepped away. “Let’s go to breakfast now I’m hungry.”

“But I want the little buns you did last night.” Myungjun pouted into the mirror. “Please JaeJae. I want to show Jinwoo and you OWE me anyway for telling me that stupid lie.”

Youngjae groaned and made quick work of sorting out Myungjuns hair. “I already apologised for telling you that Hyung. There, is that better?”

Myungjun inspected the new green buns on the top of his head and grinned. “ _Perfect_. Next time don’t lie to me you meanie. I know you were just making fun of me and it wasn’t nice.” Myungjun quickly cheered up when Youngjae offered to carry his bag and they raced down to the academy to eat.

Myungjun ignored the stares he got as he entered the hall and slipped into his usual seat to wait for Jinwoo to arrive. He loved seeing the way Jinwoos eyes lit up whenever he tried something new with his appearance. He was looking forward to it more because he hadn’t tried anything new in a while. He ate some food whilst he waited and showed the rest of his friends his nails. Youngjae had done a terrible job but he loved them all the same.

“SAY THAT AGAIN I DARE YOU.”

Myungjun turned around startled at the sound of Jinwoos raised voice. Jinwoo was trembling with rage in front of three boys who were smirking at him. Myungjun froze as they looked his way.

“What are you gunna do about it?” One of the boys said with a laugh as he looked back at Jinwoo. “You know we’re right. He can’t go around looking like that. He’s not a girl.”

Myungjun flushed and stood up with his fists clenched.

“Junnie don’t.” Youngjaes hand was on his arm but he brushed it off. “Jinwoo can handle it himself.” He heard more of his friends trying to protest but made his way through the tables anyway.

“Oh look. Here he comes.” A blonde-haired boy sneered.

Jinwoo turned back to look at Myungjun. “Junnie go sit back down.” Myungjun shook his head and carried on walking, past Jinwoo and straight up to the boys making his boyfriend angry. He was _sick_ of people bullying him. He was _sick_ of Jinwoo having to defend him all the time. He’d wear what he wanted, whenever he wanted.

“Got a problem?” Myungjun asked calmly, stopping in front of the boy in the middle. “Say it to me instead of saying it behind my back.” The whole hall had gone quiet and Myungjun heard a door open and close from somewhere behind him.

“You’re a guy aren’t you?” The boy asked looking down at him with disgust etched on his face. “You sure don’t act like it. You really think it’s okay to walk around looking like that? There are names for people like you. _Freaks._ ”

Myungjun heard the roar of pure fury from Jinwoo behind him but the person who pushed past Myungjun was taller.

Grey grabbed the boy by the collar of his shirt and headbutted him straight in the nose. Myungjun heard the crunch and was pulled away by Jinwoo who jumped into the fight a second later. Myungjun groaned in irritation, this wasn’t supposed to happen again.

“GREY!” Myungjun spun around at the sound of Zephyrs voice to see her walking through the hall doors looking livid. She flicked her wrist and all five boys were lifted into the air and separated. Grey and Jinwoo looked like wild animals trying to fight against her magic to get back to the others. “You.” She pointed directly at Myungjun. “Come with us.” He followed behind her with a pout, dragging his feet along the floor, as the five boys behind him struggled angrily in the air.

*

Myungjun watched teary eyed from one of the tables in the empty hall as Grey exited the kitchens with his bags. He went straight over to him, with Jinwoo close behind, and stood up on his tiptoes to wrap his arms around Greys neck.

“Don’t cry Junebug.” Grey said softly, dropping his bags to hug Myungjun back. “I knew the consequences. I just couldn’t let them speak to you like that. You’ve been through so much already and you don’t deserve their hateful words. You’re not a freak. You’re brave and brilliant and you shine brighter than the rest that’s all.”

“I don’t want you to leave.” Myungjun choked out, squeezing him tighter. “This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have dressed like this, or worn my hair this way, or painted my nails. They’re right, I’m not a girl. I’m-”

Grey pushed him away gently to look down at him with a frown. “This isn’t your fault. Not at all. You can dress and style yourself how you want. It’s your life, it’s your body, don’t let scumbags like them take that away from you. I think you look great, really great and I’m sure Jinwoo does too. I have to go Junebug, but we’ll see each other again one day, I know we will. So don’t cry for me okay? You know I’m weak to tears.”

Myungjun laughed shakily and let Grey wipe his cheeks dry. “Who’s going to make me cupcakes now? Who’s going to call me Junebug and slip extra marshmallows into my hot chocolate when he thinks I’m not looking?”

Grey grinned and reached down to pick up his bags. “I hope no one else does those things for you. They’re the signs of our friendship. They’re special and don’t you forget it. I’m going now and I don’t want you to see me out, Its already hard enough. Send me a note every once in a while, so I know you haven’t forgotten about me.”

“Only if you do the same.” Myungjun said with a pout. “Where will you go?”

“You already know I did the intensive weapons training course over the last summer I was a student here. It’s about time I put those fighting skills to use don’t you think?” Grey leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. “Be good little prince. Look after your boyfriend, he needs it more than me.”

When Grey was gone, Myungjun turned around to see Jinwoo watching him sadly. Jinwoo looked down at Myungjuns trembling lip and opened his arms with a sigh. “Come here sunshine. He’ll be okay.” Myungjun let himself be cuddled and cried quietly against him. He hated goodbyes.

*

Myungjun looked around the table in surprise at the chaos his question had caused. Jinwoo was blushing the deepest shade of crimson he’d ever seen and was choking on his food, Youngjae and Moonbin were howling with laughter and the rest of his friends were either blushing too or groaning into their hands. Rocky and Sanha looked just as perplexed as Myungjun felt at their reaction. Myungjun just wanted to know what sex was, why were his friends being so dramatic?

“Myungjun you can’t just ask a question like that so bluntly, ESPECIALLY over dinner.” Hyungwon said after he’d pulled his hands away from his face. “You nearly killed your boyfriend.”

Myungjun quickly smacked Jinwoo on the back a few times to dislodge his food. “I only asked because me, Rocky and Sanha couldn’t find anything detailed in the books we were reading last night.”

“I’m sorry, did you just say you, Rocky and _Sanha_? Who the hell told you to read something like that anyway?” Hoseok asked incredulous. “You’re all babies!”

“Hey, I’m not a baby!” said Myungjun defensively. “and Namjoon told me to because YOUNGJAE told me I could get pregnant by kissing JinJin.” Myungjun smacked Jinwoo on the back with a sigh as he choked again. Youngjae and Moonbin were laughing harder than before but Moonbin soon quietened down when Dongmin glared at him.

Jinwoo eventually stopped choking and threw his spoon at Youngjae angrily. “YOU ASSHOLE. Why would you tell him something like that? Now he’s got all these weird ideas in his head!”

Youngjae rubbed his temple with a wince. “That hurt you jerk. I was just hurrying up the process of Hyung finally understanding life. He’s confused and asked for my advice. I purposefully gave him the wrong advice knowing you’d HAVE to explain it to him. See, I didn’t take away your chance to explain, I just gave you a _reason_ too.”

Jinwoo groaned loudly and let his head fall down onto the table with a thump. “I can’t believe you’ve done this to me.”

Myungjun opened his mouth to ask if his question would be answered or not but felt a fluttering above his head. He looked up to see a note and plucked it out of the air.

**3rd cupboard from the kitchen doors, bottom shelf**

Myungjun stared at the weird instructions before he realised what it meant and jumped up with a squeal of excitement. “Be right back!” Myungjun raced into the kitchens, question long forgotten, and quickly apologised to the new chef before finding the cupboard and wrenching it open. He pulled the box out and opened up the lid.

**Junebug, share these with your friends. My last gift to you. Keep eating and stay healthy. I told the new chef to keep her hands off the lemon tea. That’s for you lemon boy. I’ll miss you**

Grey signed off the note with a doodle of Myungjun with a lemon head and it made him giggle. He looked down into the box to see a neat stack of cupcakes and whined happily at the smell.

Myungjun placed the box in the middle of the table when he was back in his seat and looked around at his friends with a smile. “Cupcake anyone?”

*

Mr Seo sat at his desk looking tired and sipping at his cup of black coffee. The strong scent of it drifted through the room as Myungjun waited for Jinwoo to wake up. He’d just been dream-walking in Jinwoos mind, and they’d spent the time playing in the snow and building more snow children. Jinwoos dreams were always so cute and Myungjun loved going into them. As Jinwoo opened his eyes, the last student in the room to do so, Mr Seo put his coffee down with a relieved sigh.

“Congratulations everyone. You’ve mastered the spell a few days before the deadline. I was afraid we wouldn’t make it in time, but yet again, you’ve exceeded my expectations. We have two more things to learn before your exams. The first, sensing another person’s magical energy. It’s a colourful aura that surrounds each and every one of you and is simple enough to see when you know what you’re looking for. We’ll only be spending one lesson on it before moving on. The second spell is more difficult but requires the use of the first one. You’ll be learning how to read minds, without the need for physical touch, from short distances. You can do this by expanding your auras until they touch the aura of the person you wish to communicate with. It’s the end of the lesson now, so we’ll get started on it next time. Class dismissed.”

Myungjun stood up and pulled Jinwoo to his feet, who was still feeling the effects of his herb. “Let’s go get you some food sleepyhead.” said Myungjun, kissing Jinwoos cheek and guiding him out of the room. He stopped on the way past Mr Seos desk to smile at his teacher. “Cheer up Sir. Not long left now.”

Mr Seo chuckled tiredly and pushed his cup of coffee away. “Have a good day Myungjun. Excellent work today.”

Myungjun accepted his praise happily enough and carried on out of the classroom and down the corridors, hearing Jinwoo grumble cutely behind him. Everyone was tired now. Tired and stressed and feeling the pressure of these last weeks until the exams. He expected their final year to be hard. But not _this_ hard.

Myungjun pulled out Jinwoos chair and pushed him down into it before filling Jinwoos plate up with food and telling his adorable boyfriend to open his mouth.

“Junnie I can feed myself.” Jinwoo mumbled, blushing lightly. “Give me the spoon.”

Myungjun shook his head stubbornly and pressed the metal against his lips. “Open wide JinJin or it will spill everywhere.” Jinwoo reluctantly let it happen, grumbling all the while but Myungjun knew he secretly liked it. He was tough on the outside but a little bundle of fluff on the inside and Myungjun wouldn’t have him any other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grey :( A true friend.
> 
> I have an announcement...as you can all tell, I've been building up to something. First with 'anything you want' and now Myungjuns curiosity with sex (even though no one will tell the poor boy what it actually is >.<)
> 
> So as you've probably guessed the next chapter will be smut. Actual smut and I've never been more embarrassed in my entire life.   
> I wrote it the day before I posted Myungjuns death and resurrection and it literally took all day because I had to keep closing my laptop out of sheer embarrassment -.-  
> Its nothing terribly explicit but it's still my first time writing something like this so please don't hate me lmao
> 
> Okay bye~  
> ( Have a good day xd )


	110. Stress Relief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER WARNINGS:  
> Smut, but like the soft kind, as non-explicit as I could make it but still...Smut.

The next few weeks passed by Myungjun in a blur of classes, revising for those classes and stressing over said revision. He hadn’t destressed in the longest time and was desperate for something to take his mind off of things, even for just an hour.

He’d just finished a practical skills lesson and was still shivering in fear at the way his monstertrap had nearly de-handed him when he’d gotten too close. He couldn’t imagine himself using it in the future and decided to just use his trees for combat if he needed the help. The trees were much nicer and didn’t roar in his face at least.

When Myungjun left the herbology clearing he was surprised to see Jinwoo waiting for him. He hadn’t asked Jinwoo to pick him up, but he was there anyway, waiting with a patient, happy smile as Myungjun approached.

“I’m guessing you’re not sleeping in our room tonight?” Youngjae called out.

“He’s not.” Jinwoo called back and grinned at the confused look on Myungjuns face. “Hey sunshine. We’re going to take a well-deserved break tonight.”

Myungjun whined unhappily as he cuddled up to his boyfriend. “JinJin I _can’t_ take a break. I have so much homework to do. It’s alright for you, you have hardly any classes but I’m _drowning_ in them.”

“Exactly.” Jinwoo said brightly, pressing a kiss to Myungjuns forehead. “You’re drowning and I’m here to save you. One night won’t ruin your routine. In fact, it will help you. Being so high tension all the time is just making you cranky and I don’t like seeing you this way. You’ve been frowning so much lately; you’ll give yourself wrinkles before you’re even old enough to have them.”

Myungjun snorted and pulled away from him. “Well how are we going to ‘de-stress’ then JinJin?”

Jinwoo grinned at him before looking around to make sure no one was within hearing distance. “We’re going out.”

“Out where?”

“The city.”

Myungjuns mouth dropped open in shock. “JinJin we can’t! We’ll get into trouble. We can’t just sneak out like that!”

Jinwoo just looked amused at his reaction. “Since when have I gotten caught or gotten into trouble for sneaking out? You know I do it a lot. I know all the best routes out of here Junnie. We’ll be _fine_.”

Myungjun groaned and snuggled back into Jinwoos neck. “You’re not going to take no for an answer are you?”

“Nope.” Jinwoo said happily. “Come on. I’ll give you a piggyback to my room. We need to get you changed into something dark and I know all the clothes you own are too bright and colourful.” Myungjun didn’t bother telling him that he had plenty of Jinwoos old dark clothes in his own room and let himself be carried instead.

*

Myungjun looked down at the top Jinwoo had given him and rolled his eyes. “JinJin I’m not putting this on. You’re just going to drool over my arms the whole time.”

Jinwoo pouted at him and made the cutest noise of appeal Myungjun had ever heard. “Please Junnie. You’ll look so handsome. You’ve worn plenty of my tops before but never this specific one. I’ve _always_ wanted to see you in it. Please please please?”

Myungjun gave in with an annoyed groan as Jinwoo batted his eyelashes at him. “Stop doing that or I’ll punch you.” Myungjun threatened half-heartedly. “Hold my waist so I can change.” Jinwoo squealed excitedly and slipped his hands under Myungjuns top to keep him connected to his magic. Myungjun pulled his top off and replaced it with the one Jinwoo wanted him to wear. He was suspicious the moment it went over his head and flushed when it was on properly. “JinJin its too tight! I can’t wear something like this.” The material clung to him like a second skin and left nothing to the imagination. Not to mention the fact that his arms were completely bare.

Jinwoo was too busy staring at him with his mouth open slightly and Myungjun heard the dry click of his throat when he swallowed. “You’re right. You can’t wear this. Not outside. Ever. In fact, I don’t think we can go out anymore.”

“What? Why?” Myungjun asked with a frown.

He was suddenly pulled forwards with the hands on his waist as Jinwoo crashed their lips together in a messy kiss of teeth and tongue. Myungjun protested weakly, trying to push him off but Jinwoo just pulled him closer and moved his hands up to grab at Myungjuns arms. He squeezed and massaged them until Myungjun melted against him, no longer trying to get away.

When Jinwoo broke their kiss, it was with a pained gasp for air. “Junnie I can’t believe how _good_ you look. Your arms, your chest; they’re so solid and just _beg_ to be touched. But your stomach…” He groaned and moved down to nose at Myungjuns jaw. “So soft and cute. It’s pretty, just like you. You’re so pretty sunshine. You can’t go out in that or other people will see how pretty you are too. You’re mine, all mine, understand?” Myungjun could only nod when Jinwoo pulled back to look at him with his darkened eyes. “Good. Good boy. _My_ good boy.” Myungjun whimpered as Jinwoo moved down to kiss his neck.

“JinJin I thought we were going out?”

“Another time.” Jinwoo mumbled against his neck. “I need to kiss you and touch you right now. No time to go out.” Myungjun giggled as Jinwoos hands slipped back under his top, his fingers trailing delicately over his stomach and tickling his skin. “I love hearing you giggle, have I told you that before?”

“Once or twice.”

Jinwoo chuckled low in his throat before trailing kisses up Myungjuns neck and across his jaw. Their lips came together and Myungjun squeaked into his mouth when Jinwoos hands moved round to his back before dropping below his waist.

“You have a cute butt too, have I told you that before as well?”

Myungjun was blushing furiously as he tried to wriggle out of Jinwoos grip. “JinJin let go!”

Jinwoo ignored him and gave it a squeeze. “I’ve always wanted to feel it. It’s better than I imagined. Very squishy.” He laughed at Myungjuns embarrassed whine and let his hands drop lower to the backs of Myungjuns thighs. “Up.”

Myungjun jumped and wrapped his legs around Jinwoos waist, trip into Voredan long forgotten. He let Jinwoo carry him across the room and leaned in to kiss him again. He could kiss Jinwoo for hours. He tasted exactly how he smelt, smoky and spicy and it made Myungjuns lips tingle. Jinwoo swept all the stuff off his desk and put Myungjun down onto it, deepening their kiss as Myungjun reached for the hem of Jinwoos top and pulled it off.

He could also just stare at Jinwoo all day. Mapping out all of Jinwoos skin and committing it all to memory. Every scar, bruise and freckle. Jinwoo didn’t give him the chance to look for too long this time. He swiftly pulled Myungjuns top off, dropping it beside his own and moved to trail kisses down Myungjuns chest.

Myungjuns mind was going hazy at the feel of Jinwoos warm, wet lips on his skin but the sharp pains of the love bites Jinwoo was leaving over his stomach kept him from floating away. Jinwoo sucked one into the skin just below his belly button then moved down to trail kisses along the sensitive skin just above the waistband of his shorts. Myungjun looked down at his boyfriend and threaded his fingers through his soft hair, feeling something strange settle in his stomach. He tried to ignore it, but it got worse as Jinwoo licked a long line over the kisses he left behind.

Myungjun whimpered and tugged at Jinwoos hair. “JinJin I feel weird.”

Jinwoo quickly pulled away and looked up with eyes full of concern. It changed when he looked closely at Myungjuns expression and he slowly looked back down Myungjuns body with wide eyes, before gripping his thighs tight and audibly swallowing. “Junnie you’re…”

Myungjun looked down too and froze. What was that? Why did his shorts look like that? Whatever it was, it wasn’t normal, so he quickly tried to cover himself with his hands. “Don’t look JinJin! I don’t know what’s happening to me.” He could feel the panic rising in his chest as his thoughts ran wild. Was he sick? His shorts felt uncomfortable and his stomach felt much too warm. His skin felt feverish too and the grip Jinwoo had on his thighs was sending fire through his nerves. “I think I’m dying.” He choked out. “I’m too hot.”

Jinwoo just stared at him and Myungjun couldn’t identify the emotion on his face. “Junnie you’re not dying.” He said it with such certainty it made Myungjun breathe out briefly in relief. However, he still didn’t understand what was happening, so the panic was soon building again, and he felt the first of his petals fall down from above him.

“Well why is it _doing_ that?” he asked, trembling as Jinwoo moved up to cup his face. “It’s never done that before. I must be sick. Really sick. Get away from me Jinwoo or you’ll get sick too.”

Jinwoos lips slowly curled up at the corners and he shook his head, still cupping Myungjuns face, still sending fire through Myungjuns nerves. “If it’s a sickness then I’ve been sick plenty of times before. I’m sick now too apparently.” Myungjun tried to look down at Jinwoos shorts but Jinwoo held his face firmly in place. “Junnie stop panicking. This is NORMAL okay? Your body is supposed to do that. In fact, I’m kind of surprised it hasn’t done it before. Like I said, it’s happened to me plenty of times. _Especially_ around you.”

“It’s…normal? I’m not going to die?” Jinwoo looked at him with an expression that Myungjun could only describe as _fond_. It somehow didn’t seem right in this situation. Jinwoo leaned forwards to kiss him gently on the lips but it just served to make Myungjun hotter. “JinJin don’t, I think I’m going to melt.”

Jinwoo chuckled and pulled back to look at him again. “You’re getting hotter because you like it. Your body is doing that because it liked what I was doing before. It felt nice when I kissed and licked you there didn’t it?”

Myungjun nodded slowly, feeling the panic settle slightly. “Is it going to stop? Will it go back to normal?”

“Eventually.” Jinwoo said quietly. “It will go away if you ignore it, but I don’t think that’s going to be possible right now. We’re…stuck. I can’t stop touching you or we’ll break the connection you have to my magic and you’ll disappear, yet me touching you is the reason this is happening.”

“Isn’t there any other way?” Myungjun asked, voice wobbling. “I don’t want to be like this forever. It _hurts_ JinJin.”

Jinwoo worried his bottom lip in between his teeth. “I’m guessing you don’t want to attempt getting back to your room and waiting for it to go away?”

The thought of anyone spotting Myungjun in this state made him freeze with fear and he quickly shook his head. “JinJin please. Please don’t make me go out there. I can’t, I just can’t. I want to stay in here with you. I can’t let people see me like this. Please don’t make me.”

Jinwoo quickly pulled him into a hug, shushing him gently and running his fingers through his hair in an attempt to calm him. “Shh Junnie. You don’t need to panic. I won’t make you leave if you don’t want to. You can stay here with me, but you’ll have to let me help you okay? You’ll have to let me help you through it or it won’t go away. You trust me don’t you?” Myungjun nodded against his shoulder and Jinwoo hummed happily. “Let’s get into bed then sunshine. Wanna try walking to it?”

Myungjun shouldn’t have said yes, because the second his feet hit the floor his legs gave out. Jinwoo seemed prepared for that outcome anyway and swiftly scooped him up instead. He carried him to the bed and put him down gently against the pillows before climbing onto the bed after him and leaning down to kiss him again, soft and sweet.

“Junnie lift your hips for me.” Myungjun complied without a second thought but tensed as Jinwoos thumbs hooked over the waistband of his shorts. Jinwoo shushed him gently again and leaned down to kiss his cheeks. “It’s okay sunshine. I’m only taking your shorts off, not your underwear. You’ll feel better with them off I promise. They’re uncomfy right?” When Myungjun nodded with a pout, Jinwoo made a noise of sympathy and rubbed soothing circles into his hips. “I’ll do it quick and then we can get under the covers okay? I won’t look.”

Myungjun closed his eyes tight and tried not to think about what was happening. Jinwoo was about to see him in his _underwear_. He said he wouldn’t look, the little voice in Myungjuns head reminded him. Still. He was in Jinwoos bed and something was happening to his body and his boyfriend was currently sliding his shorts down his legs. He wanted to be sick. This isn’t how he’d wanted to spend his day. They were supposed to be destressing but now the stress was worse than ever.

When his shorts were off completely, Jinwoo helped him get under the covers and turned Myungjun on his side so they could face each other. Jinwoo wiped the stray tears away and cooed sadly. “Don’t cry sunshine. You’ve been so brave for me. You don’t have to be scared okay?”

“I’m not scared.” Myungjun mumbled. It was the truth. He didn’t feel scared. How could he when Jinwoo was taking such good care of him, and not laughing at what was happening to him, and making him feel so so safe. “I’m just overwhelmed. I know you said this is happening because my body liked what you were doing, and I know that’s the truth because it _did_ feel good, but I don’t like how it feels now. I’m hot and uncomfortable and it hurts. You said you’d help me but all you’re doing is looking at me with that stupid soft smile. Do something Jinwoo.” He didn’t know why the irritation was rising inside of him but Jinwoo _was_ just smiling at him and he had the sudden urge to wipe it off his face. With his lips or his fist, he didn’t know.

Jinwoo grinned and settled his hand gently on Myungjuns waist. “So you get feisty when you’re turned on, noted.”

“Stop teasing me Park Jinwoo.”

“Kiss me Kim Myungjun. That’s the only way I’ll stop.”

Myungjun closed the distance and pressed their lips together. It wasn’t something they hadn’t already done a thousand times before but the feeling it sent through his body this time made his toes curl. Jinwoos hand travelled over his waist and up his back and it made Myungjun shudder. Jinwoos hands had never felt so good on his skin and he wanted more. More more more.

“JinJin more.”

Myungjun was infuriated to see Jinwoo pull back with a smirk tugging at his lips. “More what Junnie? Hmm? Tell me what you want.”

“Touch me more.”

“Wow I didn’t expect you to be so blunt and answer so quickly. You’re shameless when you’re turned on, also noted.”

“Are you going to touch me or not Jinwoo? I’m starting to think that you can’t help me at all.”

As expected, Jinwoo rose to the bait. Myungjun knew exactly what to say to get his boyfriend riled up and grinned as Jinwoo rolled over on top of him. Myungjun felt the skin of Jinwoos thighs rubbing against his own and the feeling alone was enough to make him whimper. Jinwoos lips were on his a second later, swallowing the sound, and Myungjun felt himself getting impossibly hotter.

“Junnie I’m going to make you feel better now okay? It might feel weird at first, but I promise it’ll start to feel good soon enough.”

Myungjun couldn’t answer, he just whined his reply, needing Jinwoo to do _something_ , _anything_ to stop the fever running through his body and the ache in between his legs. He heard Jinwoo take a shaky breath above him, the warmth of his exhale spreading over his cheek.

And then Jinwoo pressed their bodies together. Hot skin against hot skin.

Myungjun barely registered the fact that Jinwoo had the same problem in his underwear as himself before Jinwoo was rolling his hips against his own. He hissed at the feeling, hands shooting up to grip at Jinwoos shoulders and the moan Jinwoo let out made him choke. Jinwoo rolled his hips again, harder this time, and something inside of Myungjun snapped.

Every shred of embarrassment or insecurity inside of him dissolved and he grabbed Jinwoo around the waist and flipped them over. Jinwoo looked up at him in surprise and opened his mouth to speak but Myungjun silenced him with a messy kiss as he copied Jinwoos actions and rolled his hips downwards. Jinwoo moaned into his mouth, back arcing off the bed and Myungjuns insides burned at the noise. He did it again, and again, and again, setting the pace and pulling more of those delicious sounds out of his boyfriend.

Jinwoo was right. It did feel good. No, Jinwoo was wrong. It didn’t feel good. It felt _incredible_. He’d never felt anything like it in his life. Every nerve, cell and hair on his body was alight with this new feeling and he was finding it hard to breathe.

Myungjun broke their kiss, looking down at his boyfriend. They panted in unison with the grinding of their hips, and he shuddered when his petals hit his back. Every little touch to his skin was agonisingly good and his petals glided over him feeling unbearably soft.

Myungjun wanted to burn the look on Jinwoos face into his mind forever. Lips wet and swollen, pupils blown wide, cheeks a pretty pink and hair artfully tousled. _Sexy_ , Myungjun thought, this is what the word meant.

Jinwoo made a noise of pain before flipping them over again and pulling away. Myungjuns reply was one of pure distress at the loss of friction and he tried to pull Jinwoos hips back down.

“Junnie wait.” Jinwoo gasped out, trembling as the heat rolled off of him. “I can’t…I can’t…” He gritted his teeth and clutched the bed sheets on either side of Myungjuns head. Myungjun knew he was in danger, knew Jinwoos magic was about to explode, but he’d been so _close_. To what exactly, he didn’t know. But he’d been close to something and the loss of it made his stomach lurch. He felt the tears slipping down the sides of his face but couldn’t wipe them away.

After a few seconds Jinwoo opened his eyes and breathed out heavily. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t control it. I had to stop.”

“JinJin it’s even worse than before.” Myungjun choked out. “You can’t stop now. Please I think I’m going to go crazy.”

Jinwoo leaned down to kiss him again and groaned against his lips. “I can’t do that anymore sunshine I’m sorry…but I can do something else.” Jinwoos hand was on him a second later and Myungjun cried out in relief at the feeling. A part of him knew he should be freaking out about it, about Jinwoo touching him down there with his _hand_ , but the majority of his mind didn’t care. He just needed the friction, needed it so badly it was almost too painful.

Jinwoo rubbed him through his underwear as he whispered praises and compliments in his ear, about how well he was doing, how pretty he looked, how pretty he sounded, how good he felt and Myungjun felt himself getting closer to the unknown at a faster pace than before. Jinwoo kissed him but Myungjun couldn’t kiss him back, couldn’t do anything other than whimper and whine and moan as he writhed under his boyfriend’s touch.

“Junnie hold on to me. Hold on to me and let go. I’ve got you. I’ll keep you safe I promise.”

Myungjun wrapped his arms tightly around Jinwoos neck and trembled as the heat pooling in his stomach became too much. He pressed up into Jinwoos hand and fell straight over the edge.

Pure heat ripped through his nerves and he let out a sound, somewhere between a sob and a strangled cry, as his body convulsed through the waves of pleasure crashing over him, threatening to drown him.

He didn’t know how long it lasted, it could have been seconds or it could have been hours, but everything was fading, and he lost his grip on reality for a while.

When the ringing in his ears finally stopped, and the haziness in his brain receded, he opened his eyes his see Jinwoo looking down at him with all the love in the world held in his gaze. He kissed Myungjuns cheeks and wiped the tears from Myungjuns eyes carefully. Like he was afraid he might break.

“Can you hear me now sunshine?”

“Did I fall asleep?” Myungjun croaked out. His throat hurt and he didn’t know why.

Jinwoo chuckled and shook his head. “No, you were just out of it for a minute. I bet you’re sleepy now though, aren’t you?” Myungjun nodded weakly. He wasn’t just sleepy, he was _exhausted_. His eyelids felt heavy and he closed them with a sigh. “Junnie we need to get you cleaned up before you can sleep.” Myungjun whined unhappily. He didn’t need cleaning up.

Then he moved slightly and felt it.

“Ew JinJin I feel icky.”

Jinwoo laughed and kissed him gently. “Of course you do. It’s the price to pay for feeling so good…you do feel good right? It was good for you wasn’t it? Oh bloody hell did I hurt you?”

Despite Myungjuns tiredness he opened his eyes at the sound of Jinwoo beginning to panic and shushed him softly. “You didn’t hurt me. It was incredible JinJin. The best thing I’ve ever felt in my life, and it was even better because _you _made it happen.”__

__Jinwoo whined quietly in relief and kissed him again. “I love you Kim Myungjun. I can’t believe how much I love you. I love everything about you and I’m so happy we did this. I’m so happy I got to make you feel this way.”_ _

__“Thankyou.” Myungjun whispered back, fighting against the tiredness a bit longer. “For being my boyfriend and for making me feel this way. I love you too JinJin, more than anything.”_ _

__Jinwoo chuckled and rubbed their noses together cutely. “Go to sleep sunshine. I’ll take care of you. I’ll make sure you feel less icky for when you wake up.”_ _

__Myungjun was asleep before he could reply._ _

__*_ _

__Myungjun woke up feeling boneless and very _very_ thirsty. He noticed a few things before opening his eyes. One, he was hugging Jinwoos leg and his head was resting on Jinwoos thigh. Two, Jinwoo was reading above him, the pages of his book rustling every so often. And three, he was in different clothes. He’d fallen asleep in his underwear and woken up in a set of Jinwoos pyjamas. Myungjun was mortified at the thought of Jinwoo changing him._ _

__“You’re awake?” Jinwoo asked above him sounding tired. Myungjun heard his book close and was jostled slightly as Jinwoo leaned over to place it on his bedside table. A quick look at the clock told Myungjun he’d been asleep for hours already. He tried to speak, to ask why Jinwoo was still awake but the words died in his throat. Jinwoo wriggled down until they were lying face to face and cupped his cheeks gently. “Sunshine?” Myungjun met his eyes and was startled to see everything going blurry. “Hey.” Jinwoo said softly, voice laced with concern. “What’s wrong handsome? What are these tears for hmm?”_ _

__Myungjun sniffled and shook his head. He didn’t know why he was crying. He was just overwhelmed with emotion and mildly traumatised by making a mess and forcing Jinwoo to clean it up._ _

__Jinwoo sighed and caressed Myungjuns cheeks with his thumbs. “I can read your thoughts Junnie. You didn’t force me to do anything. Even though it happened in _your_ underwear, _I_ made the mess. So it was only fair I cleaned up, right? I wanted to do it. I wanted to look after you, to make sure you felt comfortable for when you woke. I made sure there were lots of bubbles in the bath so I couldn’t see anything. I’ll even show you my memories if you want? So you know I’m not lying.”_ _

__Myungjun quickly shook his head and finally managed to speak. “I trust you JinJin. I’m sorry for crying. It was just…unexpected. I do feel more comfortable now though. So thankyou.” His voice was scratchy and hoarse, and he winched at the pain. “Why does my throat hurt so much?”_ _

__Jinwoo blushed lightly as he spoke. “You were, umm…not very quiet. Earlier. When you…yeah.” Myungjun knew he should have felt embarrassed about that but the way his boyfriend was acting so shy about it just made him smile._ _

__“Why are you still awake?” Myungjun asked instead. “Didn’t you sleep?”_ _

__“I was waiting for you to wake up, so I could make sure you were okay.” Jinwoo said quietly._ _

__Myungjuns heart swelled with love at the thought and he snuggled closer. Jinwoo had seen him in his most vulnerable state and had helped him through it and looked after him with the utmost care afterwards. Even going as far as to keep himself awake despite the late hour. Every time he thought he loved Jinwoo as much as possible, Jinwoo would do something that proved him wrong. He _could___ love Jinwoo more, WOULD love Jinwoo more. More and more and more.

“Let’s not get too comfy though Junnie. You need a drink before you go back to sleep.”

*

Later that night, when Myungjun was tucked up in bed, with Jinwoo snoring on his chest and his thirst thoroughly quenched, he was hit with the realisation that they’d accomplished what they’d set out to do to begin with.

He was no longer stressed. He was relaxed and happy and so so in love. I’ve found my perfect stress reliever, Myungjun thought, looking down at his sleeping boyfriend. It was Jinwoo. It will always be Jinwoo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> /.\


	111. Sanhas Secret.

Myungjun spent the next week feeling blissfully happy. His classes weren’t able to stress him out and he even found himself doing better in them. He’d managed to revive his first plant from the brink of death and his monstertrap had stopped trying to bite his head off whenever he went near it. In advanced healing, he’d been the first to successfully remove a scar and Mr Choi kept his promise and gave him the reward. Myungjun got to choose the scar he wanted Mr Choi to remove and chose the rope burns on his wrists. Now he finally had nothing to remind him of Hyejins abuse.

Communications was going well too. Jinwoos powerful green aura had been easy to spot around him, when Myungjun knew what he was looking for, and they’d successfully exchanged their first thoughts without the need for touch. They still had to sit really close, but it was so exciting to hear Jinwoos voice in his head without holding onto him. Even if Jinwoos thoughts made him blush furiously.

In shapeshifting, he’d managed to turn his body to stone, metal and wood and was only struggling now with turning himself to glass. He wasn’t exactly sure how _glass_ was supposed to help him in combat but he wanted desperately to learn it. Miss Hwang had demonstrated it for them and when she walked into the light, she’d sparkled so prettily that Myungjun had been mesmerized. He wanted Jinwoo to see _him_ like that.

Combat training was the one class he was struggling with most of all. After successfully hitting all of his targets with the throwing knives, he’d been upgraded to using axes. He was more apprehensive to use them because of the giant scar Jinwoo had received from failing to dodge one during his intensive course over the summer. Myungjun remembered seeing it for the first time when he’d taken Jinwoos top off, running over his shoulder and across his collarbones. It was horrifying to look at and he knew Jinwoo got the scar removed in Voredan just so Myungjun himself wouldn’t have to look at it.

So, when Jinwoo first gave him the axes, he’d nearly passed out from the thought of using them. However, like always, Jinwoo knew exactly how to make Myungjun feel better. He stayed by his side the whole lesson, leaving the actual teaching to Rocky for once, and showed him how to hold them safely, block with them safely and throw them safely. Jinwoos axe thudded straight into the dummy’s chest. Myungjuns missed by a long shot. He wasn’t upset at that outcome. He’d made enough progress for the lesson and spent the rest of it hiding away in the storage room, kissing his gorgeous boyfriend until Rocky caught them at the end of the lesson and threatened them both with detention.

Luckily, they were let off the hook after offering to do all the cleaning for Rocky so he could leave early.

*

“One week until our last ever dungeon run.” Hoseok said mournfully. “I remember my first ever attempt. My asshole of a best friend incapacitated me on the first floor. Good times.”

Hyungwon snorted into his drink and didn’t bother to reply.

Myungjun suddenly remembered the conversation he’d had with Wonho over the summer and called for everyone’s attention. Everyone looked up from their food and he blurted everything out in a rush of excitement.

“Wonho told me the last dungeon run of the year is _special_. He said his team reached floor nineteen during the one at the start of the year but at the _end_ of the year, he reached floor forty. FORTY. Can you imagine?” He was happy to see that everyone looked just as shocked as he had been at this new information.

Jinwoo grabbed his hand tight and gave it a squeeze. “Really? Did he say how?”

Myungjun shook his head. “We’ll probably get a notice about it soon though. I wonder if they’re going to give us special herbs that boost our magic and strength or something. That’s the only thing I can think of that would get us that far. I did ask Wonho for fighting tips as well, but we got interrupted by my mother and Sanha.”

“Who’s Wonho?” Rocky asked, looking at Sanha. Sanha blushed a dark red and carried on staring down at his plate. He’s adorable when he’s shy, Myungjun thought.

“Oh, Wonhos our new neighbour.” Myungjun said, completely missing the warning look Sanha was throwing his way. “Someone has a little crush on him.” Myungjun looked pointedly at Sanha but his grin was wiped from his face when he saw the wetness of Sanhas eyes.

“Hyung you said you wouldn’t tell.” Sanha said quietly.

The whole table had gone silent and everyone was staring at the younger boy.

“Sanha you like boys?” Rocky asked with wide eyes. “You didn’t tell me that.”

“You weren’t supposed to know!” Sanha exclaimed pushing his food away. “Myungjun-hyung said he wouldn’t tell. You’re a _liar_ hyung.” Sanha looked up from his plate to glare at Myungjun. Myungjun felt awful. “Now everyone knows and you’re all going to treat me differently.”

Protests erupted around the table and Sanha jumped in surprise.

“Why would we treat you any differently?”

“You’re our friend Sanha.”

“We’re all gay anyway.”

“Excuse me but I’m bisexual.”

“Shut up Mr _Bisexual_ , I was trying to cheer him up.”

Youngjae and Hoseok started to bicker and Myungjun used the distraction to walk around the table to crouch beside Sanhas chair. “Hey.”

Sanha looked down at him with a pout. “What do you want Hyung?”

“Hyung’s sorry.” Myungjun said quietly, reaching out to grab Sanhas hand. “Sorry I blurted out your secret. It wasn’t my place to say and you’ve every right to be angry at me. I just wasn’t thinking. I was too excited about what Wonho had said to me about the dungeons. But look around you. No-ones treating you differently, are they?” In fact, everyone had already gone back to eating and talking amongst themselves. “Like Hoseok said, we’re all gay anyway. Minus Youngjae. But even he still likes boys. Well I STILL don’t know about Hyungwon-hyung but I’m pretty sure he’s more attracted to his bed than actual people.” Myungjun was happy to hear the giggle Sanha let out. “But everyone else is just like you. Wait.” Myungjun turned to look at Rocky who was still staring at Sanha with a dumb look on his face. “What about you?”

Rocky snapped out of it and looked down at Myungjun. “Huh?”

“Do you like boys?”

Rocky looked back up at Sanha before clearing his throat awkwardly and looking away with a shrug. “Haven’t really thought about it.” Rocky Jr garbled something, and Rocky told him to shut up.

Myungjun giggled and turned back to Sanha. “Even _Rocky_ likes boys.”

“I didn’t say that!”

“You didn’t need to Rocky.” Myungjun pointed out without turning back to look at him. “See Sanha? There’s nothing to be afraid of. I’m still sorry for telling them though. Can you forgive me?”

Sanhas lips quirked up at the corners and Myungjun knew he was forgiven. He got up with a squeal to give Sanha a quick hug before going back to sit next to Jinwoo feeling a whole lot better.

“So you like boys too?” Sanha asked Rocky across the table. Myungjun wasn’t going to listen in on their conversation but Moonbin brought attention to it anyway.

“Of course Rocky likes boys. You should have seen the gay panic he went into when we told him to kiss you in the dungeons to break you out of your illusion.”

Rockys ears were bright red and he sunk down in his chair.

“What?” Sanha asked sounding confused. “When?”

“First year.” Moonbin said, grinning evilly at the glare Rocky was giving him. “I kissed Dongmin and broke him out, but Rocky refused to kiss you. I wonder why…”

“Would it have worked?” Sanha asked with wide eyes. “Would it have stopped my illusion too?”

“Definitely.”

Sanha turned to Rocky with a scowl. “You should have kissed me!”

Rocky spluttered in his chair and Myungjun was amused to see Rocky Jr letting out scratchy, gravelly sounds as he laughed at his fathers flustered state. “I couldn’t…I couldn’t just KISS you.”

“Wow you really are hopeless aren’t you?” Sanha asked with a sigh. He quickly jumped up to follow Rocky when he stormed out of the hall.

“Well that was eventful.” Moonbin said happily.

Dongmin sighed beside him. “You’re evil Binnie.”

*

3RD YEAR STUDENTS- END OF YEAR DUNGEON RUN EXAMINATION

AS YOUR FINAL YEAR COMES TO AN END, WE ARE DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE A SPECIAL EVENT THAT WILL BE TAKING PLACE DURING YOUR FINAL DUNGEON RUN EXAMINATION.

YOU WILL NO LONGER BE ENTERING THE DUNGEONS IN TEAMS OF SIX. YOU WILL BE ENTERING THE DUNGEONS TOGETHER AS A WHOLE YEAR. ALL THE TEAMS WILL MERGE TO CREATE ONE BIG TEAM.

THE DUNGEON HAS BEEN MAGICALLY EXPANDED TO ACCOMMODATE THE SHEER SIZE OF THIS NEW TEAM. THE FLOORS WILL BE MORE SPACIOUS AND THE NUMBER OF ENEMIES PER FLOOR WILL INCREASE.

THIS SPECIAL EVENT WILL TEST YOUR TEAMWORK WITH PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF YOUR USUAL GROUPS. IT WILL GIVE YOU A TASTE FOR WHAT IS TO COME IF YOU LEAVE AND DECIDE THAT THE LIFE OF FIGHTING IS FOR YOU.

THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF FLOORS CLEARED DURING THIS EVENT CURRENTLY STANDS AT **48**. A NEW TITLE WILL BE ADDED TO YOUR ACADEMIC REPORT IF YOU CAN BEAT THIS RECORD.

THE DUNGEON EXAM WILL START AT 12PM SHARP THIS SATURDAY AFTERNOON. IT IS ADVISED THAT YOU GATHER AS A COLLECTIVE BEFORE THEN TO MAKES PLANS AND STRATEGIZE.

GOOD LUCK!

*

Myungjun was standing at the front of the crowd. It was Wednesday night and his whole year had gathered in the combat centre to discuss how best to tackle the dungeons. He could feel his shoulders cramping from the sheer amount of stress this was. There were over one hundred students all trying to put their opinions across and failing to listen to one another in return.

Jinwoo came over to him looking just as stressed. “Hard work isn’t it?”

“Do something JinJin. I’m literally going to explode.”

Jinwoo pressed a quick kiss to his forehead. “Okay sunshine. Cover your ears okay?”

Myungjun accepted his weird request and covered his ears as Jinwoo walked through the crowd. He stopped in front of Sanha and said something in his ear. Sanha nodded and said something to Rocky. Rocky covered his ears too and Myungjun realised what was about to happen. Sanha and Jinwoo made their way to stand on one of the benches to see above the crowd and Sanha raised his palms. A high-pitched, shrill noise tore through the air and Myungjun watched as everyone around him jumped in surprise before clutching their ears looking pained. When Sanha closed his palms, the noise cut out and Jinwoo cleared his throat to speak.

“Listen up! We’re not making ANY progress working like this. We’ve been here for half an hour already and nothings come from it. Combat teachers, up here please.” Rocky, Mark and Hoseok pushed through the crowd to stand up on the bench too. “We were taught to lead over the summer so let us use our skills to help you.” Myungjun sighed at the shouted protests he heard around him. Sanha drowned them out by opening his palms a second time and Jinwoo only spoke again when everyone was quiet. “I get it. Some of you are leaders of your own teams and you don’t want to hand that job over to someone else. But this is more important than your stubborn pride surely? If you let us lead, WE WILL beat the record. I know we will. You’ve all been our students for this past year. Don’t you trust us?” Jinwoo looked happy to hear only silence. “Good. Which team has gotten the farthest in the dungeons? Shout out the number of floors you reached.”

Myungjun heard a lot of tens and elevens but one voice stood out amongst the rest.

“Twenty-three.”

The combat centre fell silent as Jimin pushed through the crowd to the front. Myungjun was stunned. Jimin wasn’t a good fighter, everyone knew it, so how had his team gotten that far? That was over double the number of floors Myungjun had been able to clear with his.

“My team made it to twenty-three.” Jimin said again, more boldly this time.

Jinwoo looked down at him with a grin. “Cool. Who’s your leader?”

“TaeTae.”

Taehyung stepped up behind Jimin and wrapped an arm over him, resting his chin on Jimin’s head as he looked up at Jinwoo. “Me. You’re looking for advice on the later floors I assume?” Jinwoo nodded and Taehyung broke out into a boxy grin. “Happy to help. Me and Jiminie will find you after.” He spun Jimin around and led him back through the crowd.

“Let’s meet again tomorrow night.” Jinwoo said, raising his voice again so everyone could hear. “We’ll make plans and do the bulk of the strategizing then. Any objections? No? Last chance. Okay good.” Jinwoo stepped off the bench and the others soon followed. The level of noise crept back up and Myungjun rushed forwards to give his boyfriend a kiss.

“You’re so attractive when you’re in charge.”

Jinwoo chuckled against his lips. “Feel better now?”

Myungjun sighed happily and snuggled into Jinwoos neck. “Much better. I thought I was going to go bald from stress.”

Jinwoo laughed again and pulled away. “Let’s get out of here then handsome. I’ll walk you to your room okay? We have to be quick though because I need to come back to talk to Taehyung.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cant believe someone finally exposed Rocky for refusing to kiss Sanha lmaoooo


	112. Special Dungeon Run-Part 1.

Myungjun stood proudly beside Jinwoo in front of the dungeon doors. He could hear the loud din of chatter behind him, as the clearing was swamped with students, but didn’t turn back to look. He focused solely on spending the last few minutes with his boyfriend before they had to part ways.

Jinwoo planned to be at the front of every battle. He wanted to be the first to strike at the enemies of every floor, like he did every time they’d entered the dungeons before in their smaller group, like the true leader he was.

Myungjun turned to him now and smiled at his tense posture. He ran his thumb gently over the crease in between Jinwoos eyebrows. Jinwoo relaxed slightly with a small huff of air and finally focused on Myungjun properly.

“We’ll be going in any minute now sunshine. Do you remember where you’re supposed to be?”

Myungjun did know, so he nodded. He was to be kept safe in the middle with the seven other healers of their year. They’d been labelled as top priority, the ones who needed the most protection, so that in turn, they could keep everyone else alive too. Myungjun knew how hard this was going to be on him. There were only eight healers and over one hundred students. He’d be healing over ten people a floor if they were all somehow injured. It was going to be an enormous strain. He thought about the number of herbs he’d be ingesting and was glad he hadn’t eaten a heavy lunch.

They needed to take herbs and medical supplies into the dungeons by the bulk load, so Myungjun had suggested they bring everything stacked into crates. The crates would have to be carried because they wouldn’t be able to get a cart down the dungeons stairs whenever they descended to the lower floors. The crates were also labelled as top priority and were being carried at the back.

They’d also had a long debate about how to split everyone else up. Some voted by magic type and some voted by their usual dungeon run teams because they knew how to work better together. Jinwoo had calmed the brewing argument by allowing people to have the freedom of choice, but insisted that all fire users had to move to the front if they wanted to use their magic at any point, it was simply too dangerous to have them combusting all over the place, ESPECIALLY near the crates at the back.

Myungjun knew their plan wasn’t perfect, and it probably had a lot of flaws they hadn’t thought of yet, but they’d only been given a few days to come up with it and it had already been a major pain getting everyone to listen and agree in the first place.

“Let’s beat the record JinJin.” Myungjun said determinedly as the dungeon doors opened with a groan in front of them.

Jinwoo pressed a firm kiss to Myungjuns lips before stepping away. “Go find Joon and Jaebum. I’ll find you after every floor we clear. Stay with the healers and keep the enemies that slip through the front line away from the crates.”

Myungjun laughed and shooed him away. “I know you’ve told me a thousand times. I can do this JinJin.”

Jinwoo called him his good boy before disappearing and Myungjun turned to find his friends with a dopey smile on his lips and a pink blush on his cheeks. He loved it when Jinwoo called him that.

Myungjun located the group of healers easily enough and was only half surprised to see Seokjin standing beside his boyfriend. “Why are you here with the healers Hyung?”

“Someone has to keep my clumsy boyfriend safe, and I decided; that someone would be me.” Seokjin just smiled as Namjoon protested and silenced him with a quick kiss. “You’ll be thanking me later when you’re alive to see us beat the record Joonie.”

Myungjun turned back to see most of the students had already disappeared inside the dungeons now and gestured to the doors. “Let’s go, it’s us next.”

*

Stepping out onto the first floor was awe-inspiring. It still stank of sewerage as the rats hid in the shadows, waiting for the wall to close shut behind the last student before they attacked. But it was also much, MUCH bigger. The notice had mentioned the floors being magically expanded, but Myungjun had failed to comprehend how big it would actually have to be. Looking around now, he could see that every single student could line up single file and they _still_ wouldn’t touch the sides. The only thing in terms of size that he could compare it to was the battledome. Except it was a much smellier, dingier, unsightlier version. The rivers of dirty water ran along the floor producing the vile smell and Myungjun saw a lot of students stepping over them with wrinkled noses.

When the last set of students walked inside, carrying one of the large crates between them, the wall sealed shut and the gargantuan room was filled with the deafening squeaks of their enemies. Myungjun made himself taller so he could see over the heads of the students in front of him and wished he hadn’t. A wall of furry body’s was racing towards them, hundreds of them climbing over one another in their rush to kill, eyes and teeth glinting menacingly. Myungjun spotted Jinwoo straight away. He was hard to miss. He’d finally dyed his hair back to green, purposefully so Myungjun could spot him in the sea of students and enemies alike. He was standing at the front, shouting commands that Myungjun couldn’t hear, but he was startled to see students backing away whilst his boyfriend moved forwards alone.

Myungjun saw him erupt into flames. He walked a few more steps forwards before moving his fire down to his palms and sweeping them in a wide arc in front of him, creating a giant wall of scorching green fire. Myungjun was shocked to feel the heat of it from where he stood and felt sorry for the students in the front. Since when had Jinwoo gotten this powerful? The only other heat he could compare it to, was the old man he’d fought alongside during the summer, and he’d been a fully-grown adult with years of magical experience behind him. Had Jinwoo been hiding his power all this time?

Jinwoo leaned back slightly before _pushing_ the wall of fire towards the encroaching wave of rats. Myungjun quickly shrunk back down to his normal size, not wanting to see the devastation it caused, but heard the awful dying shrieks a few seconds later none the less.

“NOW!” Jinwoos voice rang shockingly loud around the floor and suddenly everyone sprung to life.

Myungjun pulled his bow off his back and scanned the scene in front of him, looking for any enemies that slipped by. He spotted Sanha and Rocky diving into the fight and was astounded to see how well they worked together as actual friends. They flowed together seamlessly, shielding each other’s blind spots and leaving bodies in their wake. Hyungwon and Hoseok were further ahead, working just as well together, spinning their wooden poles around in a blur.

Myungjun spotted a rat creeping up on a girl who was fighting off two others well enough and he aimed his arrow towards it, intent on ending its life before it could end hers. She was an excellent fighter and they’d need her. However, another arrow snuffed it out before Myungjun had the chance to and he loosened the hold on his bow with a pout.

The fight was over in the blink of an eye and Myungjun felt strangely disappointed. He hadn’t done anything to help but tried to squash down the feeling of uselessness as he made his rounds, checking on everyone’s condition and making sure they didn’t need any healing. He fused a couple of minor scratches, but people were otherwise unharmed.

Just like Jinwoo promised, he found Myungjun before they moved on to make sure he was okay. Myungjun just nodded and sent him away so they could continue to the boss room.

People were moving quicker now, pumped full of adrenaline and when they stepped out to face the boss, Myungjun wasn’t at all surprised at the size of the monster. Of course it would have to be bigger, or it would be too easy. It was as big as Myungjuns house and was standing eerily still, waiting for them to make the first move.

“PLANT USERS TO THE FRONT. TRAP ITS LEGS.”

Myungjun rushed forwards eagerly with Namjoon and Jaebum to help the others of their kind…where they were stopped by Jinwoo.

“Guys no, stay in the middle. We can’t afford to put you in danger.”

Myungjun groaned and stepped around him. “JinJin it’s only the first floor. Stop being so overprotective, we’ll be _fine_. We’re only trapping its legs; we don’t even need to go anywhere near it.”

Jinwoo reluctantly gave in with a sigh. “Fine but stay out of reach. If you die Myungjun I’ll personally kill you myself when we get out of here.”

*

Myungjun was getting more and more impatient. They were speeding through the floors despite the increase in enemies. He knew he should be glad. Glad that they were making such good progress. Glad that his boyfriends’ strategies were working. Glad that they were getting closer and closer to beating the record with every floor they cleared.

But Myungjun was getting impatient because he was hardly doing _anything_ to help. The most he’d had to do was distribute some shock curing shots at the end of the fourth floor because apparently a huge number of people were petrified of spiders. That’s the most he’d done, and they were already walking onto the tenth.

Myungjun stepped away from the other healers to find Jinwoo. Other students were still walking out of the corridor and onto the floor, so he knew had time before the wall sealed shut and the enemies attacked. It was hot on the tenth floor, hot and dry and red. The sky was red, the lava that was running in streams down the sides of the volcanos of varying sizes was red, the faces of the students around him were red. It was much too hot.

Jinwoo was standing in front of a crowd of fire users giving advice. “The dragon fire on this floor _will_ wipe you out if you stand in it. I’m sure some of you are aware of this already but those of you who weren’t, stay away from the flames okay? I know we can’t usually be burnt by fire, but I spoke to Taehyung and he said we’ll face dragons again on a later floor, whose fire _can’t_ wipe us out. Which leads me to believe this is a special circumstance for the tenth floor. Good luck guys.”

“JinJin?”

Jinwoo turned to see Myungjun and hurried over to him. “What’s up handsome? Why are you up here?”

Myungjun pouted and played with the fletching on one of his arrows that was nestled in the quiver by his hip. “I feel useless. I’ve hardly helped at all. I know you want to keep me safe because everyone needs my skills, but can’t I fight too? I’m used to fighting as well. I’m not used to hanging back and letting other people do all the work. It feels wrong and it’s making me antsy. Can’t I come fight with you? You said you’d keep me safe, and you DO want to join a guild with me. If we go on guild jobs together, I won’t be able to hang back like I’m doing now. Please JinJin? Please can I fight with you?”

Jinwoo sighed and placed his hands gently on Myungjuns shoulders. “I’m sorry Junnie. I didn’t know you felt this way. I thought you’d appreciate being kept safe and out of harm’s reach. But I should have known my strong, brave boyfriend would want to fight too, right?” He was clearly trying to cheer Myungjun up and it worked. Myungjun giggled and nodded his head. “Okay sunshine. You can fight with me but we’re at the front. It’s really dangerous so if I tell you to do something you have to do it for me. I don’t want to pull rank over you because you’re my equal and always will be, but sometimes I might have to okay?”

“Okay JinJin!” Myungjun replied happily. He didn’t care about having to listen to Jinwoos commands, he was just happy to be fighting at all. He hadn’t been able to fight alongside Jinwoo in the last dungeon run either because of the Hyejin drama so he was extra happy to be doing it now.

A shriek above told them that the last students had entered the floor and Jinwoo instantly switched to leader mode. “Get ready Myungjun.”

Myungjun pulled his bow off his back and looked upwards. There were dark clouds obscuring the red sky and at the first sign of movement Myungjun nocked an arrow and raised his bow, pulling the string taut and waiting, waiting, waiting.

The dragon broke out of the clouds and barrelled down towards them with a screech. Its mouth opened, revealing rows of deadly, sharp teeth and the glow of the bright red fire brewing down its throat and at the last second Myungjun loosed. His arrow hit it straight between the eyes and it fell from the sky, landing with enough force to shake the ground beneath their feet.

“Nice shot.” Jinwoo complimented before turning back to tell the others to spread out. Myungjun followed him when he started leading them towards one of the larger volcanos, grinning at the praise he’d received, and stopped on his way past the crumpled body to pull his arrow free.

Myungjun looked up to see more dark shapes in the clouds and watched confused as the clouds started to fade. His heart seized up in fear at the sight they exposed. The sky was _swarming_ with dragons, Myungjun was guessing hundreds of them were up there. The sight had scared other people as well. Panicked shouts and screams filled the air as the mass of winged beasts rained down from the sky.

“PROTECT THE CRATES.” Seokjin bellowed from somewhere in the sea of students. Myungjun saw giant walls of water rising around the medical supplies that kept the dragon fire at bay.

Myungjun loosed arrow after arrow, tearing through leathery wings and hard skulls alike and sending the dragons to the ground. His monster bone bow was doing its job wonderfully. He knew it was more powerful than the regular wooden ones that some of the other students were wielding, and in turn, it made _him_ feel more powerful.

“Hyungs!” Myungjun turned to see Sanha running towards them.

“Where’s Rocky? Wasn’t he with you?”

Sanha must have seen the worry on Myungjuns face because he was quick to reassure. “He’s fine, we split up. I came to boost Jinwoo-hyungs fire.”

“Good plan Sanha. Go and check on the medical supplies Myungjun and get any of the injured behind that water shield.”

Myungjun accepted his instructions and raced towards the wall of water, scanning the crowd to locate any wounded teammates. He collected a few people on the way and led them through the shield. The water was shockingly cold on this floor of pure heat and felt refreshing. Myungjun spotted Jaebum tending to a girls burns and led the others over to him.

“How’s it going out there?” Jaebum asked when he noticed his presence, he sent the girl on her way and stood up with a groan.

“Chaotic.” Myungjun said with a sigh, He could still hear the screeches of the dragons and the screams of the students from outside the shield. “Think you could heal these guys? I’m supposed to be out there rounding up all the injured.”

Jaebum just nodded and gestured for the others to sit down on the stools he’d made from his vines. “Do something for me in return. Grab a load of the energy revive herbs and give them to the water users creating this shield. They’ve kept it up for a while now they must be tired.”

*

Myungjun was an idiot. Myungjun was the biggest idiot to ever exist. That’s what he told himself as he looked down at the people on the floor who were the size of ants. The griffin he was on tried to buck him off mid-flight and he screamed clutching its feathery neck tighter. He whimpered in fear as the wind rushed through his hair and closed his eyes, so he didn’t have to see how high up he was.

All he’d been meaning to do was distract the griffin from clawing Hyungwon to death and had somehow ended up on its back before it took off into the bright blue sky.

When he could hear people shouting again, he opened his eyes to see the griffin was getting closer to the ground. He would have sighed in relief, but the arrow lodged in the griffin’s chest a second later ripped that relief away.

They fell together with the wind howling in Myungjuns ears and he closed his eyes again and waited for the inevitable impact. Oh well, Myungjun thought half-heartedly, I got halfway to beating the record. It could have been worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoever shot my baby out of the sky better get ready to catch these hands. *Aggressive air punching*


	113. Special Dungeon Run-Part 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its 4am. What is sleep?

The inevitable impact never came.

Myungjun felt a pair of strong arms wrap around his waist as he fell and opened his eyes to see Seokjin grinning down at him. “Hey Junnie. It looked like you could use some help.” Myungjun whined happily and wrapped his arms around Seokjins broad shoulders as the older boy lowered them gently back towards the ground. “Its times like this where I’m happy to be an air user. Flying’s really fun.”

“I hate flying.” Myungjun mumbled making Seokjin laugh. “I hate griffins too. Why did it have to fly off with me on its back?”

Seokjin pulled away when their feet touched solid ground again and shrugged. “No idea but you did look really cool up there…despite screaming like a girl at the top of your lungs the entire time.” Myungjun snorted and looked around to spot a head of green hair. “If you’re looking for Jinwoo, he’s on the other side of the river, screaming at the jackass that shot you down.” Myungjun groaned and set off to find him after thanking Seokjin profusely for saving his life.

The walls rumbled into existence as Myungjun was crossing the river. He spotted Jinwoo rounding all the students up with an irritated scowl and pointing to the newly formed corridor.

“JinJin!”

Jinwoo spun around at the sound of his voice looking shocked. “Sunshine?” Myungjun rushed over to him grinning widely and jumped into his open arms. “What the…I thought you were dead! I saw that _idiot_ take your griffin down!”

Myungjun pulled back to look at him. “Seokjin-hyung flew up to catch me. I thought I was dead too.”

“I’m glad he caught you. BUT,” The scowl was back on Jinwoos face in a flash. “What the _hell_ were you thinking? What possessed you to do something so reckless? I let you break away from the other healers to fight, even though you’re one of the most important people here, and this is what I get as the result?”

Myungjun pouted and wrapped his arms tighter around Jinwoos neck, pulling him closer and giving him his best pleading eyes. “I’m sorry JinJin. I just wanted to save Hyungwon-hyung. I didn’t think it would fly away like that.”

Jinwoo pulled away from him still looking cross. “You’re right. You didn’t think and you nearly died because of it. I’m putting you back in the middle.”

Myungjun felt like he’d been slapped. “What? No! It was _one_ mistake JinJin.”

“Exactly. We can’t afford to make any mistakes now. We’ve lost thirty people already and we’re only halfway to beating the record and the floors will only get harder from here. You’re going back to the middle and that’s final.”

Myungjun growled in frustration and stepped forwards to grab Jinwoo by the collar of his shirt. “You said I was your equal. You can’t do this to me Jinwoo. If you send me back there-”

“You’ll be alive.” Jinwoo interrupted bluntly. He peeled Myungjuns hand off his top and stepped away. “I told you that if you wanted to fight at the front with me, then you’d need to do everything I say. You agreed to that remember. These are your orders; stay in the middle with the other healers, you can still fight any enemies that slip through the frontlines but you’re not to come to the front at all. I’ve asked nicely now Myungjun. Don’t make me ask you a second time.”

*

Myungjun didn’t have time to be angry at Jinwoo. His boyfriend was right about one thing; the floors _were_ getting harder. Myungjun spent most of his time healing the wounded either during or after the battles. He hadn’t even had the chance to take his bow off his back for the past six floors.

After Myungjun and the other healers had boosted everyone in need, they moved on to the thirty-first floor. It was another forest that was dimly lit by the moon above. Myungjun heard a commotion up ahead and decided to finally ignore Jinwoos command and push his way to the front.

A giant grey wolf was standing tall and proud atop a small mountain of boulders and was looking down at Jinwoo.

“Who will it be?” The wolf asked. Myungjun blinked. Did that wolf just…talk?

“I want to do it.” Moonbin said, stepping over to Jinwoo. “I raised a wolf for my assignment. I know how to handle it.”

“What’s going on?” Myungjun finally spoke up, shivering lightly as the wolfs eyes snapped over to meet his own. “Can you repeat what you said?” This reminded Myungjun of the centaur boss on the eighth floor. They’d had to kill him in under three minutes. He wondered if this was similar.

“To pass this floor, one of you must come forth to challenge me in a one on one fight to the death. I cannot be harmed by magic and there is no time limit. If you fail, I will set my children on you and they will tear you to pieces.”

Myungjun heard the low threatening growls around them and turned to see that they were surrounded by more vicious looking wolves, smaller than their mother but no less terrifying.

Jinwoo motioned for Rocky to step forwards and whispered something in his ear. Rocky nodded and disappeared into the crowd of students.

“Like I said, I’ll do it Hyung.” Moonbin repeated.

Jinwoo looked at him with an expression on his face that Myungjun knew meant he was thinking hard. He turned to look back at the rest of their team and raised his voice. “Who else would like to volunteer?” No-one spoke up, seemingly okay with letting Moonbin take over, but Myungjun knew that was probably due to the glare Moonbin was giving everyone whilst Jinwoos back was turned. “That’s settled then. Moonbin our lives are in your hands. Don’t screw this up.”

Moonbin laughed and pulled his dual swords free from the sheathes at his hips. “I’ve got this Hyung.”

*

Moonbin lost.

His throat was ripped out exactly four minutes and nineteen seconds into the fight. Myungjun had counted every tense second and screamed just as loudly as Dongmin when his life was so brutally ended.

Myungjun expected an equally as brutal fight after that conclusion.

The wolf howled for her children and they lunged forwards with snarls, but their paths were cut off by giant walls of fire of all the different colours of the rainbow. The fire users had created a shield around their remaining team members, simultaneously trapping the giant wolf in with them too. That’s what Jinwoo asked Rocky to do, Myungjun realised as he sweated from the pure heat around him, he asked him to alert the fire users to set up a perimeter just in case. This is why Jinwoo was their leader. He always had a backup plan in place.

Myungjun turned his eyes away from the multicoloured wall of flames to locate his boyfriend now. He was facing off with the she-wolf with nothing but his daggers.

 _She can’t be harmed with magic_.

Jinwoo was going to get himself killed.

The wall of flames suddenly moved outwards as the fire students pushed it towards the wolves on the other side, taking out some of them in the process. The immense heat disappeared along with their flames and the shield had given them enough time to prepare for the battle to come.

The remaining wolves leapt into action, bowling over some of the more careless students and howling as they died under the blades of others. Myungjun watched a girl get knocked to the floor and recognised her as one of Hyejins old friends. The wolf clamped its jaw down on her forearm and she screamed in pain. Myungjun was torn between helping her or his boyfriend. He growled in frustration and ran towards Jinwoo. He was their leader. They needed him more.

The giant wolf pounced, swiping its clawed paws that Jinwoo barely dodged. Myungjun pulled his bow off his back and nocked an arrow as Jinwoo dived forwards with his daggers raised. They sunk deep into the wolf’s chest where they stuck fast. Jinwoo tried to rip them free but had to give up and roll to the side as she howled in pain, snapping her teeth his way. Myungjun loosed his arrow still running towards them and it thudded into the muscled thigh of her back leg. She turned on him next with a growl, and Myungjun squeaked in fear as she ran his way with great loping strides.

“MYUNGJUN RUN!”

It was too late.

She crossed the rest of the distance in one giant leap and Myungjun was knocked down and pinned to the floor under her giant paws. He raised his bow just in time and she bit down on that instead of his head. He struggled against her, muscles strained, and choked through the enormous pressure of her body weight settled on his chest. All he could see was fur and teeth and all he could feel was her hot breath rolling over his face.

 _I can’t hold her off much longer_.

Jinwoo appeared beside her looking just as animalistic, and with a roar of fury, he dived forwards and wrapped his arms around her neck from the side, pulling her away with all his strength. She thrashed against his hold and Myungjun took a great gulp of air as her paws left his chest. His bow was ripped out of his hands and she bit down hard, snapping it cleanly in half in her struggle to get out of Jinwoos arms. She managed to pull free just as Myungjun was getting to his feet and clamped her teeth down hard on Jinwoos shoulder. He screamed in agony and the sound tore through Myungjuns heart. Myungjun pulled his own daggers free from the sheathes on his thighs and lunged at her, sinking them straight into her head with a shout of anger. She let go, collapsing to the floor and Jinwoo staggered backwards, blood gushing from his torn shoulder.

Myungjun raced forwards to grab him and half dragged, half carried him to sit down against the small mountain of boulders the she-wolf had originally been standing on to begin with. Jinwoo was letting out a string of pained curses and trying to clutch at his shoulder but Myungjun swatted his hand away and quickly ripped the rest of Jinwoos tank top off.

“Myungjun behind you!” Jinwoo gasped out, looking over his shoulder. Myungjun didn’t bother to look, he just boxed them in with his vines, hearing one of the wolfs children bouncing off of them angrily.

“Jinwoo a little bit of light would be helpful.”

Jinwoo created a ball of fire to help Myungjun see and he got to work on fusing the wounds shut. He had to pull Jinwoo forwards to reach the ones down the back of his shoulder and then got to work on siphoning away the pain. He felt it in his own shoulder and whimpered quietly.

“Junnie stop. I can handle the pain.” Myungjun just shook his head stubbornly and kept going. Jinwoo grabbed hold of his wrists and forced him away. “Stop it. I don’t want you hurting yourself.”

“Stop telling me what to do!” Myungjun raged. “It’s all you’ve done the whole time we’ve been in here. I get it, you’re the leader, but you’re my boyfriend before that or have you forgotten?”

Jinwoos features were lit up by the greenish hue of his little ball of fire that was suspended above them and Myungjun saw his eyes soften. “I’m sorry.” Jinwoos hushed apology quelled Myungjuns anger slightly. “I’m sorry for being so bossy. I’m just stressed and under pressure and I just want to keep you _safe_. You don’t know what it’s like Myungjun. You _died_ in front of me on that infirmary bed and it was all my fault.” His strangled sob came out of nowhere and Myungjun just stared at him in shock for a few seconds before rushing to comfort him.

“Oh no don’t cry JinJin. It’s okay. I’m okay aren’t I? I’m still here, I’m not dead.” He reached up to cup Jinwoos face and looked him straight in the eyes. “It wasn’t your fault either.”

“It _was_.” Jinwoo said sounding desperate as he hiccupped through his tears. “It was all my fault, everything was all my fault, you, my parents, everything.”

Myungjuns heart clenched painfully at his words. “Listen to me Jinwoo. We spoke about your parents before, didn’t we? About how it was out of your control and how they wouldn’t want you to carry that guilt around with you forever. You were a _baby_. A new-born baby with no control over anything. You wouldn’t have been able to control your magic even if you tried, much like how I’m still struggling to control mine now. I killed Rocky in the dungeons because of it. But you, you’ve got such good control now. You’ve come _so far_ and your parents would be so so proud of you I just know it. You need to let go of this guilt JinJin. You NEED to. And you will. Bora is an amazing therapist she’ll help you, but you have to want to help yourself too. Also, my death wasn’t your fault either-”

“It _was _Junnie I-”__

__“It WASN’T.” Myungjun said firmly, tightening his grip on Jinwoos face. “It was MY fault. I was the one who pushed you away for weeks and weeks, never listening to you and running away whenever I saw you. If I’d just _listened_ to you none of it would have ever happened, I wouldn’t have gotten sick and I wouldn’t have died. You tried your best in getting me to talk to you, but it was my choice to push you away.”_ _

__“I should have tried _harder_.” Jinwoo said sniffling. “If I’d tried harder-”_ _

__“I would have pushed you away harder.” Myungjun said bluntly, wiping at Jinwoos tears. “I’m a stubborn brat JinJin you should know this by now.” Jinwoo snorted in amusement and finally smiled again, a small upturning of his lips that made Myungjun weak with relief. “There’s nothing you could have done to change what happened to me. There’s nothing you could have done to change what happened to your parents. What’s done is done. Everything happens for a reason though JinJin. You’re here now, with me, because of what happened to them. You’re stronger now because of it too. And our relationship is stronger now because of what happened between us. You’re becoming the best version of yourself because of your struggles. We’re all proud of you JinJin. Me. Your parents. Our friends. Blaze. Everyone. We’re all proud of you and we all love you for being EXACTLY who you are today.”_ _

__Jinwoos bottom lip was trembling again so Myungjun quickly leaned forwards to kiss him. He tasted salty and snotty and Myungjun still thought it was perfect._ _

__“Thankyou.” Jinwoo said quietly after Myungjun had cleaned his face for him. “I’m sorry for being like this. I didn’t mean to cry. I do just feel really stressed and pressured. There are so many people out there relying on me to get us through this. _I’m_ relying on me to get us through this. I _need_ to do well. This is my last chance to prove myself and I can’t mess it up. I have nowhere to go when the academies over. Yes, there may be a slim chance your mother allows me to move in with you but what will I do then? I don’t want a regular job. I want to fight, and I need a guild for that, and I won’t get offers unless I do well, here, today, right now.”_ _

__Myungjun sighed and cuddled up against Jinwoos good shoulder. “You’ve already proven yourself JinJin. You’ve won so many titles already and completed your summer course and I can tell you’ve aced all of your classes even though you never EVER show me your results, which by the way, I’m a little bit annoyed about.” Jinwoos chest vibrated as he laughed and Myungjun grinned into his neck. “You don’t need to feel so stressed and you don’t need to feel like everyone is relying solely on you. Yes, you’re our leader, but you have the others for help as well, Rocky, Hoseok, Mark and best of all you have ME. We said we’d do everything together from now on. Always and forever. So, let me carry some of your burden.”_ _

__Myungjun hummed happily as Jinwoos arms wrapped around him. “You’re right. I guess I just need reminding of that every once in a while. Have I ever told you that you’re the best boyfriend ever sunshine?”_ _

__“Hmm, I don’t think so. Want to try telling me that now?” Myungjun squealed as Jinwoo dug him in the ribs._ _

__“Cheeky boy I just told you.” Jinwoo huffed, pushing him away. “Let’s go Junnie. The fighting died down a few minutes ago. You need to go tend to the wounded and fix your bow and I need to find the others to distribute some of the burden to them too. I need to learn how to accept help occasionally.”_ _

__*_ _

__Myungjun and Jinwoo were incapacitated side by side as the thick cloud of sleeping pollen washed over them from the giant flowers they were fighting. It was a nice and peaceful way to go. It was easier to accept after reaching floor forty-nine. It wasn’t quite fifty like they’d hoped but it was still good enough._ _

_We did it JinJin. We set a new record. Together._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Their last ever dungeon run and they got the most peaceful incapacitation :’) They didn’t even die either they just went to sleep. See…I can be nice every once in a while~


	114. Third Year Results Day.

Myungjun climbed out of the carriage that pulled up outside of the academy feeling exhausted and wanting nothing more than a large dinner, a warm bath and a nice deep sleep.

He’d just finished his last ever exam and it was by far the most rewarding. As promised, Ms Yoon and Ms Jung had taken them off of academy grounds to do it, and they’d ended up on a farm run by a nice elderly couple who needed help reviving and growing their crops. Myungjun worked as hard as possible, not just for the good grade but for the lovely couple too and his heart soared at their grateful expressions of thanks.

He really did love helping people.

“Hey sunshine.” Jinwoo was sitting on the academy steps, flipping a shuriken into the air and reminding Myungjun all too much of the first day back after missing Jinwoo for the entire summer. Jinwoo smiled before standing up and slipping his shuriken out of sight. “How was your exam?”

“Amazing.” Myungjun replied with a happy sigh. “But I’m extremely hungry and tired now as a result. Have you eaten dinner yet?”

Jinwoo shook his head and offered Myungjun his arm. “I waited for you so we could eat together to celebrate you finishing your final exam. I have a gift for you too.”

Myungjun instantly perked up at that and Jinwoo laughed, leading him to the hall. “It’s in my room though, I forgot to bring it, which means you _definitely_ need to sleep over tonight.” He had a mischievous glint in his eyes and Myungjun just knew he’d forgotten it on purpose.

“I can’t sleep in your room JinJin. I need to bath.”

“I have a bathroom too you know.”

“No way in hell. I’d have to stay connected to your magic to use it.”

“I bathed you before if you don’t remember, right after we-”

Myungjun shrieked and hit Jinwoos arm, blushing furiously at the memory. He looked around the hall to see if anyone had heard but luckily no one was paying attention to them. “JinJin you can’t just say that out loud!”

Jinwoo pulled him in close with an arm around his waist and a smirk on his face and leaned forwards to whisper in his ear. “Sleep over tonight and I’ll make you feel good all over again.” Myungjun shivered and whined quietly at the idea and Jinwoo chuckled low in his throat. “Is that a yes?”

Jinwoos warm breath on his ear, his hot hand slipping under the hem of his shirt, his body pressed up against Myungjuns own, it all served to make Myungjuns mind hazy and he opened his mouth to speak but was ripped back into reality when his tired friends walked past.

“Hyungs are you coming to eat or what?”

Myungjun looked around, startled to remember that they were in the hall, surrounded by PEOPLE. He pulled away from Jinwoo quickly, who just grinned and winked at him, and rushed over to the table whilst trying to ignore how hot his face felt. He couldn’t believe Jinwoo would tease him like that, right here of all places.

He ate as quickly as possible and ran all the way back to his treehouse with Jinwoos teasing words playing repeatedly in his head.

*

“You ran away from me yesterday, that wasn’t nice.” Jinwoo said from his seat on the grass by the lake. He was sitting beside Myungjun, playing with his fingers with a pout on his face.

“You teasing me in public like that wasn’t nice either!” Myungjun threw back, already blushing again at the thought. “You can’t just say things like that where other people can hear JinJin.”

“No-one heard did they? Exactly.” Myungjun squealed as Jinwoo pushed him back down onto the grass to climb on top of him. He was still pouting. “You haven’t slept over in three weeks. THREE. Not since that night. Are you too scared to now? Don’t you want to do that with me again?”

Myungjun sighed and poked at Jinwoos lips. “Stop pouting at me. I’m not scared of sleeping in your room. We’ve just been too busy with exams and I can’t be around you when I’m studying because you’re a terribly handsome distraction.” That earned him the laughter he was looking for. “And as for _that_ , the…the…the thing that we did,” He groaned internally at how awkwardly he was stuttering. “I liked it, so I don’t mind it we do it again…maybe.”

Jinwoo cooed at his blush and grinned extra wide. “Tomorrow is results day. Sleep over tonight and I’ll put my ‘terribly handsome distracting’ to good use.”

Myungjun giggled and pushed him off so he could sit up. “I shouldn’t have told you that. Your heads already big enough as it is, I don’t need to boost your ego any more or you won’t be able to walk properly. You’ll just have this big head that pulls you off balance.” Myungjun mimed him stumbling from side to side and shrieked when Jinwoo jabbed him in the ribs in return.

“I’m not big-headed!”

“Jinwoo I’ve SEEN the way you flex your muscles in front of me. You might think you’re being subtle but you’re so obvious. Especially when you stare at me straight afterwards looking for my reaction.”

“That’s not me being big-headed, that’s me trying to tease you because I KNOW how much you like them.” Jinwoo laughed at Myungjuns hasty denial and stood up. “Why deny yourself the pleasures of life? And by pleasures, I mean these.” Jinwoo flexed his arms again before walking away, pretending to wobble side to side and clutching his head. Myungjun watched him go feeling highly amused and more than a little flustered.

“YOU’RE A DORK PARK JINWOO!”

*

3RD YEAR STUDENT EXAM RESULTS.

KIM MYUNGJUN, EARTH ELEMENTAL-PLANT MANIPULATION VARIETY.

HERBOLOGY-A  
ZOOLOGY OF MAGICAL CREATURES (DEMONOLOGY)-B  
ADVANCED COMMUNICATIONS-A  
ADVANCED COMBAT AND WEAPONS TRAINING-A  
ADVANCED PRACTICAL SKILLS-A  
ADVANCED HEALING-A  
SHAPESHIFTING- A  
MEDITATION AND DISCIPLINE-SATISFACTORY

DUNGEON RUN OVERALL SCORE- 10770 POINTS

DETAILS:

FEBRUARY DUNGEON RUN EVALUATION  
NUMBER OR FLOORS CLEARED- 11 (+550 POINTS)  
NUMBER OF BOSSES ELIMINATED- 10 (+1000 POINTS)  
NUMBER OF LIVES SAVED/HEROIC DEEDS PERFORMED- 29 (+290 POINTS)  
[FIND ATTATCHED THE LIST OF HEROIC DEEDS PERFORMED]

HEALER BONUS (+25 POINTS)

JUNE DUNGEON RUN EVALUATION (EVENT SPECIAL)  
NUMBER OR FLOORS CLEARED- 49 (+2450 POINTS)  
NUMBER OF BOSSES ELIMINATED- 48 (+4800 POINTS)  
NUMBER OF LIVES SAVED/HEROIC DEEDS PERFORMED- 163 (+1630 POINTS)  
[FIND ATTATCHED THE LIST OF HEROIC DEEDS PERFORMED]

HEALER BONUS (+25 POINTS)

CONGRATULATIONS KIM MYUNGJUN. YOU HAVE PLACED IN THE TOP 3% FOR YOUR SCORE GAINED IN THE DUNGEON EXAMINATIONS.

CONGRATULATIONS KIM MYUNGJUN. YOU HAVE SECURED THE TITLE OF THE ACADEMIES BEST FIGHTER- DOUBLES VICTOR

CONGRATULATIONS KIM MYUNGJUN. YOU HAVE SECURED THE TITLE OF THE ACADEMIES BEST FIGHTER- BATTLE ROYALE VICTOR.

CONGRATULATIONS KIM MYUNGJUN. YOU HAVE SECURED THE EVENT SPECIAL TITLE FOR BREAKING THE ACADEMIES RECORD OF MOST FLOORS CLEARED- DUNGEON MASTER

Myungjun felt tears burning the corners of his eyes as he read his results. He was so so happy and so so proud of himself for achieving so much despite the hell this year had been for him. Grove congratulated him and he went to find his mother. She was sitting at one of the tables talking to Jinwoo and Myungjun slipped back into his seat between them.

“Junnie why are you crying?” His mother instantly asked sounding worried. “Did you not do well? It’s okay if you didn’t, you’ve had a tough year.” Myungjun just handed her his results, unable to speak, and wasn’t at all surprised when she burst into tears too. He definitely got his emotional side from her. “Oh sweetheart I’m so _proud_ of you!”

Jinwoo was making grabby hands for his results so she handed it over before pulling Myungjun into a hug. He hugged her back feeling giddy with relief and happiness and giggled as Jinwoo latched onto his back a second later. They stayed like that for a while before Myungjun pulled away from his mother forcing Jinwoo to sit back too.

Myungjun turned to him to get his results back so he could look at them again and was surprised when Jinwoo handed him two scrolls instead. “My results. I’ve never shown you them before and you said you found it annoying so you can read them this time.”

Myungjun took it eagerly and rolled the parchment down.

3RD YEAR STUDENT EXAM RESULTS.

PARK JINWOO, FIRE ELEMENTAL.

ADVANCED COMMUNICATIONS-A  
INTENSIVE WEAPONS TRAINING-A  
ADVANCED PRACTICAL SKILLS-A  
RELIGION-A  
MAGMA MANIPULATION-A  
MEDITATION AND DISCIPLINE-EXCEPTIONAL

DUNGEON RUN OVERALL SCORE- 13330 POINTS

DETAILS:

FEBRUARY DUNGEON RUN EVALUATION  
NUMBER OR FLOORS CLEARED- 15 (+750 POINTS)  
NUMBER OF BOSSES ELIMINATED- 14 (+1400 POINTS)  
NUMBER OF LIVES SAVED/HEROIC DEEDS PERFORMED- 41 (+410 POINTS)  
[FIND ATTATCHED THE LIST OF HEROIC DEEDS PERFORMED]

LEADER BONUS (+25 POINTS)

JUNE DUNGEON RUN EVALUATION (EVENT SPECIAL)  
NUMBER OR FLOORS CLEARED- 49 (+2450 POINTS)  
NUMBER OF BOSSES ELIMINATED- 48 (+4800 POINTS)  
NUMBER OF LIVES SAVED/HEROIC DEEDS PERFORMED- 347 (+3470 POINTS)  
[FIND ATTATCHED THE LIST OF HEROIC DEEDS PERFORMED]

LEADER BONUS (+25 POINTS)

CONGRATULATIONS PARK JINWOO. YOU HAVE PLACED IN THE TOP 1% FOR YOUR SCORE GAINED IN THE DUNGEON EXAMINATIONS.

CONGRATULATIONS PARK JINWOO. YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE INTENSIVE WEAPONS TRAINING COURSE AND GAINED THE TITLE- WEAPONS MASTER

CONGRATULATIONS PARK JINWOO. YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE INTENSIVE WEAPONS TRAINING COURSE AND GAINED THE TITLE- TEAM LEADER

CONGRATULATIONS PARK JINWOO. YOU HAVE SECURED THE TITLE OF THE ACADEMIES BEST FIGHTER- SINGLES VICTOR

CONGRATULATIONS PARK JINWOO. YOU HAVE SECURED THE TITLE OF THE ACADEMIES BEST FIGHTER- DOUBLES VICTOR

CONGRATULATIONS PARK JINWOO. YOU HAVE SECURED THE TITLE OF THE ACADEMIES BEST FIGHTER- BATTLE ROYALE VICTOR

CONGRATULATIONS PARK JINWOO. YOU HAVE SECURED THE EVENT SPECIAL TITLE FOR BREAKING THE ACADEMIES RECORD OF MOST FLOORS CLEARED- DUNGEON MASTER

CONGRATULATIONS PARK JINWOO. YOU HAVE ACHIEVED TITLES IN EVERY MATCH OF THE ACADEMIES BEST FIGHTER COMPETITION. FOR THIS IMPRESSIVE FEAT YOUR NAME WILL BE ADDED TO THE PLAQUE OF THE ACADEMIES LEGENDARY FIGHTERS. YOU HAVE ALSO GAINED THE TITLE- ACADEMY CHAMPION

Myungjun burst into tears all over again and flung himself at his amazing boyfriend. Jinwoo laughed loud and bright and hugged him back. “JinJin WOW. Look how many titles you received! You’re going to be on a _plaque_ for _legendary_ fighters! My boyfriend, no scratch that, my HUSBAND is a legendary fighter, I can’t believe it!”

Jinwoo pushed him away gently with a big grin on his face before looking over Myungjuns shoulder and freezing.

“Husband?” Myungjun turned startled at his mother’s confused voice. He’d forgotten she was there, too caught up in his emotions over Jinwoos results. “Myungjun is that a _ring_?”

Myungjun squeaked and tried to hide it but it was too late. She grabbed hold of his hand and pulled it closer to have a look. “Mother it’s not what-”

“Did you get engaged without telling me?” Myungjun was taken aback to hear that she sounded more hurt than anything. He’d expected anger or at the least scoffed disbelief but there wasn’t a hint of either of those in her voice. “When?”

Jinwoo cleared his throat nervously. “It’s not real. I gave that to him as a joke of sorts.”

“You think marrying my son is a joke?” Her head snapped up to look at Jinwoo and NOW Myungjun heard the anger. His head was spinning from how unexpected and confusing this conversation was.

“Not at all.” Jinwoo said quickly in an attempt to placate her. “It was just part of a costume we put together for Hallows Eve. We went as Kings and I’d given Myungjun that ring and asked him to be my husband for the night. We’re still wearing them because…well it seems weird without them now.”

His mother hummed thoughtfully, the anger slowly fading from her eyes as she looked at Myungjun instead. “Do you want to get married?”

“Mother!” Myungjun whined, flushing and pulling his hand out of her grasp. He leaned towards her and lowered his voice. “Stop it you’re embarrassing me! You can’t just ask me that in front of him.”

“Why?” She asked huffily, not bothering to lower her own voice. “It’s just a simple question. Jinwoo dear, do _you_ want to get married?”

“Yes.”

Myungjun spun around to look at him with wide eyes. Jinwoo was smiling softly at him, eyes crinkling slightly at the corners.

“I want to marry your son more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my entire life. When the time is right of course.”

Myungjun could hear his mother talking happily behind him, something about wedding plans and not waiting too long but he could only stare back into Jinwoos eyes with his heart thumping wildly in his chest. Did Jinwoo really mean that? Did he really want to get married? It shouldn’t have shocked him. They’d spoken about it plenty of times before. But to hear him vocalise that to his mother of all people, somehow made it more real. More obtainable.

“…in a nice church with lots of flowers. I’ll be walking Myungjun down the aisle of course and-”

“Hyungs getting married?” Sanhas bright voice cut through Myungjuns thoughts and he looked over at the younger boy who’d just joined the table with Rocky in tow. “Congratulations!”

“We’re not-”

“Sanha who’s this handsome young man? Your boyfriend by any chance?”

Myungjun was saved from explaining by his mother’s innocent question and he watched amused as Sanha and Rocky both spluttered out denials.

“He’s NOT my boyfriend.”

“Not yet anyway.” Jinwoo muttered under his breath next to Myungjun making him giggle. Everyone knew how close the two boys were getting since becoming friends, so it was only a matter of time. “Come on sunshine. Let’s leave this lot to their conversation. I still need to give you the gift I told you about.”

Myungjun smiled up at him and accepted his offered hand, allowing himself to be helped to his feet and pulled from the hall.

*

“You got me a new herb pouch?” Myungjun asked in a hushed voice from his seat on the flat rocks beside their pond. He ran his fingers over the dark green leather and opened it up to see an array of compartments all lined in a black, soft material. His heart swelled at the design embroidered on the front. It was a picture of a bright green flame with a very familiar looking flower inside. “Is that Camellia?” He already knew by the bright red colouring of her petals but Jinwoo confirmed it anyway.

“Do you like it? I obviously couldn’t make you one to replace the one I destroyed, so I went out and had it made for you instead.”

“I _love_ it JinJin! Wasn’t it expensive though?”

“Nothing I couldn’t afford. It was worth every coin from the look on your face alone.”

Myungjun looked up teary eyed to smile at him. “Thankyou JinJin. You didn’t have to get it for me. I told you I’d make my own, but I know I’d never be able to make one as special as this.”

Jinwoo was looking very pleased with himself as he pulled Myungjun into his lap. “I did need to get it for you. You’ll need one for when we go on our guild jobs. How else are you going to heal me?”

“With my love.”

“Ew Kim Myungjun. How disgustingly cheesy.”

Myungjun giggled and shuffled around in Jinwoos lap to wrap his arms and legs around him. “Where does all of your money come from anyway? You’re always bringing things back from your excursions into the city. Like the toothbrush you got me for your bathroom, and the materials for all the jewellery you’ve made me and all of your new clothes and now this. I only have what my mother gives me and even then, it’s all gone after the yearly trips to Voredan.”

Jinwoo rubbed his hands up and down Myungjuns thighs as he spoke. “I used to get pocket money from Mrs Ko in the guesthouse and saved it all up for years having nothing to spend it on. And then when I was given the position of teacher at the start of this year, I got paid a bit for doing that too.”

“JinJin that’s your hard-earned money, you shouldn’t spend it on me.” Myungjun felt slightly guilty now thinking about how much effort Jinwoo put into his work. He deserved to spend it all on himself.

Jinwoo just chuckled and tipped Myungjuns face up to look at him with a hand under his chin. “Who else would I spend it on if not my pretty husband? I like giving you pretty things to wear and show off. It makes me proud to see them. It’s a reminder to myself and others that you’re _mine_. All mine.”

The possessiveness in Jinwoos voice made Myungjun shiver and he didn’t protest when Jinwoo pulled him in closer for a kiss. Myungjun clung to him, threading his fingers through the hair at the back of Jinwoos head and tightening his legs around Jinwoos waist until their chests were flush together. Jinwoo wrapped his arms around him, focused only on kissing him as deeply as possible.

Myungjun wanted to stay here forever. Trapped in this one perfect moment. He didn’t want to think about the scouting tomorrow, he didn’t want to think about leaving the academy the day after and he didn’t want to think about going home. He just wanted to be here, sitting in his boyfriend’s lap, enveloped in his warm arms that promised nothing but safety and love and pure sweet happiness.

But unfortunately, he still needed to see Miss Hwang today to get marked as a registered shifter. He’d passed his exam, so he’d be getting his new star shaped shifter mark on the inside of his birthmark free wrist. He pulled back from their kiss with a sigh and moved to get up before remembering something he’d been reminded of upon looking at his new herb pouch.

“JinJin I’ve been curious about something.” Jinwoo hummed as he trailed kisses across Myungjuns jaw to let him know he was listening. “During our fight my petals turned black and so did Camellia. But your fire stayed green. Why?”

Jinwoo stopped kissing him to pull back and look at him instead. His eyes held nothing but sincerity. “My fire stayed green because I always had faith and hope in us finding our way back to each other again. I knew we wouldn’t be apart forever because that’s not how soulmates work.”

Myungjuns heart skipped a beat. Soulmates. A perfect description.

Miss Hwang could wait a bit longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God they're so soft it hurts


	115. The Scouting.

Myungjun woke up on the day of the scouting practically vibrating from the excitement and anxiety that was writhing around in his stomach. Jinwoo was still snoring quietly beside him so Myungjun gently shook him awake. Jinwoo whined and buried his face in Myungjuns neck before freezing and sitting up quickly looking ghostly pale.

“What’s the time? Are we late?” Jinwoos head snapped around at lightning speed and he sighed in relief at seeing the time on the clock. “Thank the deity. Bloody hell I’m nervous.”

Myungjun could only nod in agreement and allowed Jinwoo to pull him from the bed to get changed and washed up. After brushing their teeth, Myungjun changed the colour of his hair back to a soft brown in an attempt to look as respectable and put together as possible. He combed Jinwoos hair into something more acceptable as well and soothed his anxious boyfriend with soft kisses and encouraging words. If anyone was going to get scouted today it was going to be Jinwoo.

They made their way up to the hall to get some breakfast. Myungjun could feel the excitement in the air and walked past tables of students displaying all different kinds of emotions. Excitement, nervousness, sadness. Myungjun wasn’t surprised that some people were sad. Today was the last day most people would be seeing the friends they’d learned alongside and grown to love, and it would be a lie to say Myungjun wasn’t feeling the same way. He spotted his friends sitting at their usual table laughing and joking and it made his heart ache. He didn’t know when he’d see some of them again. IF he would see some of them again. The thought alone made him want to cry.

He loved all of them. All for their own little quirks and qualities. He loved Youngjae for his cheeky personality. He loved Namjoon for always having his head in a book and wearing his glasses held together by the rainbow tape Youngjae had given him when they’d first ever met after Namjoon broke said glasses. He loved Seokjin for being the groups mother in times when Myungjun couldn’t be. He loved Hyungwon for being the sleepiest person he’d ever met and always stumbling down to breakfast with the worlds most terrible bedhead. He loved Sanha for being their clumsy baby but being so strong despite that. He loved Rocky for always being the dependable friend who he could go to if he needed help with anything. He loved Rocky Jr for being so big and full of life despite his tiny size. He loved Dongmin for his grace and gentle nature despite his icy magic. He loved Moonbin for his teasing and his puppylike smile that never failed to cheer him up. He loved Hoseok for his deafening screams and his terrible choice of fashion which hadn’t failed to amaze him ever since their first meeting when the boy had lost his shoes. And most of all he loved Jinwoo. He loved Jinwoo for being the most amazing and awe-inspiring person he’d ever met.

He didn’t realise he was crying until he sat down at the table and his friends rushed to comfort him.

“Junnie what’s wrong?”

“Hyung are you okay?”

“Do you need a tissue? Where’s the tissues?”

“Here they are. Take it Hyung.”

“Stop crying or you’ll make me cry.”

Myungjun laughed and accepted the tissues to dab at his eyes. “I’m okay. I just love you all so much I couldn’t hold it in.” He laughed louder at the mixed reactions, some of his friends crying as well, some of them gagging, others telling him to shut up. He loved seeing all of their reactions and expressions and hearing all their voices.

He summoned Camellia upon noticing her absence and stroked her black petals fondly. They were all here now. His family. He cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention again.

“Everyone hold hands.” He said, grabbing the two on either side of him.

“Ew gay.”

“Shut up Mr Bisexual.”

Myungjun giggled and waited for them to complete his circle before establishing his link. “I have something I want to show you all.”

~

_A boy stepping into the carriage, knocking their knees together and muttering an apology. “I’m Chae Hyungwon.”_

~

_Loud happy laughter ringing through the forest. A boy wearing the weirdest assortment of clothes Myungjun had ever seen. The outfit consisting of a knit jumper, sewn together with different coloured fabric, a pair of bright red shorts, a long green coat with the sleeves cut off which reached all the way down to…his bare feet._

_“Hi!” he says cheerfully, bowing slightly. “My names Jung Hoseok, it’s nice to meet you! What’s your name? Wow what happened to your face?”_

~

_A head of curly red head barrelling through a door, the owner clutching his bleeding nose._

_“For goodness sakes Sanha, you need to be more careful! This is the second time this week!” scolds Mrs Ko._

_“I can’t help it if my feet hate me and want to trip me on every little part of the floor!”_

~

_A boy standing in front of Myungjun holding out a hand for his jacket. The early morning sun shining through the trees. Myungjun refuses to hand it back and the boy gives in allowing him to keep it._

_“Thankyou sad eyes.” Myungjun says shrugging the jacket on._

_“What?”_

_“I don’t know your name. And you have sad eyes.”_

_The boy frowns looking at the floor. “Jinwoo.”_

_“No, my names Myungjun.”_

_“Not you dummy, me, I’m Jinwoo. My name is Jinwoo.”_

~

_The whole courtyard falling silent as a boy walks through the doors._

_He must have ethereal blood, Myungjun thinks._

_The handsome boy is scowling but accepts Myungjuns offer of a seat gratefully._

_“My name is Dongmin. Its nice to meet you.”_

~

_Myungjun approaches a tired looking boy and offers to carry his bags._

_“You look like you could use some help, do you want me to take your things? I won’t run away with it I promise; we’re going to the same place after all.”_

_The boy yawns, shaking his head. “No thanks, I just had a long journey here, but I can still carry my own stuff.”_

_“How long of a journey here?”_

_“About two weeks.”_

_“TWO WEEKS?”_

_They speak about the boy’s home. The city of Zepheholde._

_“I’m Minhyuk by the way, Park Minhyuk, but everyone just calls me Rocky.”_

_“You can just call me Myungjun. Why do people call you Rocky?”_

_Rocky opens his bag and pulls out a rock the size of a fist._

_“This is Rocky Jr. The first rock I ever made. I haven’t been able to make one since but he’s enough.”_

~

_Myungjun approaches his tree house and sees a boy standing at the bottom of the ladder looking up it and muttering to himself. The boy jumps when he turns around and sees Myungjun behind him._

_“You scared me.” He breathes. “You shouldn’t sneak up on people like that.”_

_Myungjun apologises, asks if he’s scared of heights and listens as the boy explains his fear of ladders instead._

_“I’ll catch you if you fall.”_

_The boy laughs shakily. “Okay. So, you’re either Namjoon or Myungjun?”_

_“I’m Myungjun, which makes you Youngjae.”_

~

_Myungjun and Youngjae giggle as they spot Namjoon sleeping on the bed with his book in one hand and his glasses askew. Myungjun takes the glasses of his face and places them gently on the side, closing his book and putting his covers over him._

_Some time later, Namjoon cries out sadly and Myungjun rushes back inside to see him holding his broken glasses close to tears._

_“These were my new glasses.”_

_“Hello, I’m Myungjun and I put your glasses on the side so its my fault. I’m sorry.”_

_“It’s fine. I would have broken them one way or another. Do you have any tape so I can at least put them back on?”_

_Youngjae hands over some rainbow tape looking sheepish. “Sorry that’s all I have.”_

~

_Rocky and a boy with pink hair sit down at the table._

_“This is the friend I was talking to you about Hyung.” Rocky says._

_“Moonbin, right?”_

_Moonbin nods and flashes his puppy like smile. “It’s nice to meet you all.” He says before ramming a huge spoonful of food into his mouth._

~

_A handsome boy sweeps down the academy steps, dressed in a suit. Namjoon makes a strangled noise and is pushed forwards by Youngjae._

_“Hello. I’m Kim Seokjin and I’m here to pick up my date.”_

_The boy threads his arm through Namjoons and sweeps him back up the steps._

~

Myungjun opened his eyes and broke the link. Everyone was crying now, some trying to hide it more than others. Myungjun wanted to laugh at how constipated Youngjae looked from trying so hard not to shed any tears from his watery eyes.

“These are my memories of meeting you all three years ago.” Myungjun began, fighting to keep his voice steady. “I never knew at the time how incredibly special you’d all end up being to me and I can’t thank you all enough for being my friends. We’ve been through so much together and you’ve all helped me through some of the hardest moments of my life. I’ll never be able to repay you for that, but I just hope the love I have for you is enough.” Myungjun choked on his sob and pulled his hands out of Jinwoos and Hyungwons to wipe his eyes. “I can’t believe how quickly these last three years have gone and it feels all too soon that we have to say goodbye. Thankyou for being my friends…my family. Thankyou for showing me what its like to be loved and cared for and accepted. Thankyou for fighting alongside me, laughing alongside me, crying alongside me. Thankyou for spending Christmas’s with me and eating all my birthday cake before I can even take a bite and making all my Hallows Eves unforgettable. Thankyou for getting drunk with me and helping me through my hangovers even though I whine and moan more than usual. Thankyou for making all of my classes more bearable and spending late nights with me in the library to help me catch up on my homework when I fall behind. Thankyou for looking after me and arguing with me and annoying the hell out of me. I’m never going to be able to forget everything we’ve been through and all of the new experiences you all gave me and everything you taught me about love and life and friendship. You taught me how to be happy. I just…I love you okay?”

There’re too many tears after that. Too many hugs and kisses. Too many declarations of love. Myungjuns tackled to the floor at one point and buried under a pile of bodies and he loves every second of it. _Needs_ every second of it. His friends. His family. His brothers.

And most important of all, his boyfriend, husband and soulmate.

This was just another special memory he’d be able to look back on in the years to come when he missed his friends and he missed his life at the academy.

*

Myungjun stood in the combat centre watching proudly as Jinwoo was approached time and time again from all different types of people wanting to scout him. He knew it would happen anyway but the pride and happiness he felt upon seeing Jinwoos eyes light up just that little bit more with every offer completely blew him away.

“Myungjun?”

Myungjun spun around with wide eyes at the voice. “Old man! You’re here. You look really good.”

The guild leader laughed, flashing his gold teeth. “I look good thanks to you. I left you some things when we had to go back to the guild. I wanted to stay to express my thanks in person, but time is money.” He smiled and placed a heavy hand on Myungjuns shoulder making his knees shake. “I haven’t scouted a lot of people this year. But I’m here to offer you a place again, and that boy you keep staring at with that mushy look on your face.”

Myungjun grinned and accepted the scroll he was given. He knew it contained his guild invitation; he’d received a few more already today, so he just slipped it into his belt alongside the others. “That’s my boyfriend.”

“I guessed that. You don’t look at someone like that if you’re just friends.” The old man said wisely as he looked back over at Jinwoo. “He’s popular isn’t he?” Myungjun nodded feeling proud all over again and resisted the urge to turn around and see how many people were crowding Jinwoo now. “I couldn’t come to watch the Best Fighter Competition, but I sent one of my men and watched all of his memories afterwards. We could use both of your talents in our guild. We’re situated in the guild district in Voredan. Just send me a note or swing by if you’d like to accept. I better go get in line to talk to your boyfriend.”

Myungjun nodded and felt a lot lighter when his heavy hand was removed from his shoulder. He watched him walk away before calling out for him. “Hey old man! What’s your name?”

“Join my guild and I’ll tell you.” He said, winking Myungjuns way and flashing his gold teeth once more.

Myungjun watched him push through the crowd surrounding Jinwoo and giggled at the startled look on Jinwoos face. The man _was_ quite intimidating. Taller than the rest and broad and muscular despite his age. With this gold teeth and his long red coat and his giant hammer strapped to his back. They exchanged a few words and Jinwoos eyes lit up before looking over at Myungjun. Myungjun waved and Jinwoo smiled softly at him before turning back to the old man to accept his scroll and shake his hand.

Myungjun went to sit down on one of the benches and stretched his legs out with a content sigh.

“Myungjun?” Myungjun looked up and watched as his mother and father stopped in front of him. “It’s time to talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Myungjun is so soft and emotional this chapter :( Poor bub


	116. A Fathers Truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S FINALLY HERE OMG THE TRUTH I'M SHOOK
> 
>  
> 
> (P.S The note at the end of this chapter is really long, you literally do not need to read it, its just me ranting about Myungjin babies lmao.)

Myungjun sat in Boras office in the seat behind her desk as his parents sat opposite him looking awkward at best. Bora had said in his last therapy session that he could use her office when this conversation finally arose, and he was glad she did. He felt more at ease in the room that helped him through his problems and made him feel almost human again.

“Where should we begin?”

“I want to hear everything.” Myungjun said sitting up straighter in Boras chair with the leather squeaking quietly beneath him. “Start by telling me how you met.”

“We met during a competition in Voredan city when we were sixteen years old.” Myungjuns father began. “We were supposed to be in teams of two, but both of our partners had bailed at the last minute. I saw your mother arguing with one of the competition officials about entering the competition alone and I decided to approach her and offered to make the pair so we could both compete.”

“We used to say it was fate, how both of our partners quit on us. That it led us to one another.” His mother added quietly.

“What type of competition?” Myungjun asked.

“Fighting monsters from the foreign lands for money.”

Myungjuns eyes widened in shock as he looked at his mother. “You’ve fought monsters before?” He remembered her telling him something like that during the demon attack. She’d said it was exciting to be fighting again, was this what she meant? His mother nodded slowly, and he was suddenly reminded of something else. “My illusion in the dungeons, you were standing back to back fighting off monsters!”

“Yes, that was our favourite technique from then on.” His father answered. “Me and your mother grew close the more competitions we competed in. We always ended up fighting back to back because it was how we worked best. We won countless competitions and made a name for ourselves because of it, despite only being sixteen and non-magical.”

“How do you have magic now?” Myungjun asked curiously. “I thought you could only be born with it.”

“You did demonology this year correct?” Myungjun nodded to his father’s question. “Good. Then I assume the question arose in your class on the effects of injecting someone with demon blood?” Myungjun nodded again, remembering how a girl had asked that question and how they’d gotten only a vague answer in return. “It is illegal to inject a person with demon blood. It can be catastrophic, and most people end up dead. Some people survive but have to live with strange side effects. Unexplainable mood swings and aggressiveness. Their eyes can suddenly shift to being pitch black before returning to normal in the blink of an eye. Periods of super strength, change in blood colour and one man was said to have grown wings. It is illegal for a reason. It is _also_ illegal to inject a person with concentrated magic because it can be just as catastrophic. In my case, fire magic.”

Myungjun just stared. His father had injected himself with fire magic? How was that even possible? “Where did you get it?” He heard himself ask instead.

“One of his friends.” His mother spoke up, looking down at her hands. “There are demons who suck the magic out of a person.” Myungjun remembered being taught about them and shuddered. “Your father was friends with some men from a guild who went on a demon related mission and came back with one of the demon’s bodies to sell. They realised there was magic still inside of it and offered it to your father who always wanted to be like them. He was eighteen at the time and I was already heavily pregnant with you.”

“You left my pregnant mother to inject yourself with magic out of a _demon_?” Myungjun asked incredulous.

“That’s not the whole story Myungjun so stop looking at me like that.” His father said sounding irritated. “There were unavoidable circumstances. My father, your grandfather, ran the guild your mother is talking about. He was dying and didn’t want to hand down the command to anyone other than his own son, me. Dragon blades has been in our family for generations. It’s one of the oldest guilds in existence today and has _never_ fallen under the command of someone outside of the Kim bloodline. I was born non-magical, the first non-magical Kim in centuries and I was his only son, but non-magical people cannot run guilds so you can see the problems it caused. My mother, your grandmother, died giving birth to me. He had no-one else. I have no other siblings. I was despised because of my non-magical nature and in the end, I had no choice but to take the injection.”

“No choice?” His mother asked, her voice rising in disbelief. “What a load of rubbish! You _always_ wanted to be magic so-”

“Its not rubbish.” His father interrupted with a scowl. “Remember the night I left?”

“Its been difficult to forget.” His mother threw back icily. “You told me you were going out for drinks and never came back home. I searched everywhere for you before my waters broke from the stress and I had to give birth to Myungjun ALONE.”

His father shifted in his seat looking uncomfortable. “There’s nothing I regret more then leaving you alone that night.” His mother scoffed but remained quiet. “However, I HAD gone out for drinks. I didn’t just run away like you’d have our son believe. I received a note telling me the time and place to meet with the other men from Dragon Blades and I went there not realising what was about to happen. Not realising it was a setup, a trap.”

Myungjun was startled to hear his mother laugh but was more startled to see the tears in her eyes. “Is this some sort of joke? Is this the excuse you’re going with now? Let me guess, you went to that address and was forced against your will to take that magic?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” He said quietly. “It was my fathers orders. After he realised what they had, and he realised I’d already rejected it the first time they’d offered, he made them lure me to that place and they knocked me out when I arrived. I woke up and suddenly I had magic. I was confused, not understanding what had happened and completely unable to control it. It’s fire magic. Its dangerous and devastating. I couldn’t be around you and Myungjun like that, so I disappeared. I disappeared until I had better control. You’re right that I always wanted to be magical, I thought it would make me stronger, but I NEVER wanted this type of magic. That’s why I turned it down the first time.”

Myungjun didn’t know what to think anymore. His head was reeling from this new information, but one thing stood out bright and clear; his father had left to keep them safe. Myungjun had done the exact same thing when he left to join the academy. He had left to keep his mother safe from the prejudice and hatred his magic brought about.

“You’re lying.” His mother said quietly, looking directly into his fathers’ eyes. Myungjun might as well have not been there. He could tell they’d forgotten about his presence. “You said…you said…”

“I know what I said.” His fathers voice was soft. Something Myungjun hadn’t heard before. Something that sounded human, more approachable. “I lied because I was ashamed. I was ashamed I’d been tricked like that and ashamed I’d left you behind to birth and bring up our son alone. I came back for you though. When my magic was under control. I asked you to come back to me. To be a family again but even I know how stupid that was. You couldn’t bring up our son in a guild. You were right, it was much too dangerous. So I did what I thought was best at the time. I accepted the title of guild leader after my father passed and spent the next thirteen years trying to forget you, to forget about the pain I felt for leaving you both behind. I took on so many jobs to keep busy and earned the name ‘The Dragon Knight’ because of it. Yet it all came crashing down the moment I saw Myungjun in the coffee shop. I knew it was him, he has my eyes. I could sense his magical energy even from a distance and it threw me completely. I just assumed he’d be non-magical because I was born that way, but I was wrong. All Kim’s are magical. I was the only exception.” His father finally looked back at Myungjun who was stunned into silence. “That’s why I came to watch you fight. Guild leaders usually send their men to scout out talent, but I had to see it with my own eyes. I said I could sense your magical energy even from a distance and it wasn’t until your second year when I watched you in the battledome that I realised why that was. You have a power unlike any other Myungjun. I could almost believe the magic I was supposed to be born with was passed down to you instead, to carry alongside your own. You’re stronger than you think, you just haven’t found out how to tap into that power yet.”

Myungjun was shaking. Completely unable to process what he was being told. He had to find something to ground himself and chose his anger. That was a familiar feeling around his father at least. “Why were you so mean to me then? Telling me I didn’t possess your ‘natural fighting ability’, telling me I was ruled by my emotions and that you were disappointed in me.”

“It was my mistake.” His father said quietly. “I won’t take back what I said about you being ruled by your emotions though. That is still clear to see and I’m sure you can now understand what I’m talking about.” Myungjun did understand. He _was_ ruled by his emotions. He’d come to that conclusion after being resurrected and realising his emotions had killed not only himself but others around him as well. “However, I was harsh on you because I wanted to manipulate those emotions. I wanted to push you until you snapped in the hopes of you finally unlocking and releasing your full power but failed to realise the consequences of my actions. I know now after your outburst at me and your mother during the competition, that my actions have damaged you in a way I can never fix, in a way I can never forgive myself for. But I’m here now to apologise. I’m sorry Myungjun. I’m sorry for doing this to you. I’m sorry for allowing myself to be tricked and taken away from you. You’re right, you have grown up strong without me and I know you’ll continue to do so. I just hope one day you can forgive me or at least try to understand why I did those things to you. I don’t expect us to be a family again. I see the way you resist being labelled as my son, so I won’t force that upon you anymore.”

“I can’t believe this.” His mother said faintly, sitting back in her chair with her eyes closed, tears still leaking down her face. “You’re telling me that everything I believed about you was a lie? That you did all of this for me and Myungjun?”

“Yes.”

“Prove it.” Myungjun spoke up. His father looked confused but Myungjun held out his hand. “Show me your memories. So I know this isn’t just one big lie.” His father didn’t hesitate. He leaned over the desk and clasped Myungjuns hand in his. It was warm. Warm like Jinwoo and his fire magic and it made Myungjuns heart do funny things.

Then the memories hit him.

It was like a punch in the gut.

Myungjun stood up abruptly startling them both. “I’ve seen enough. I need to go.” Myungjun took off out of the room, ignoring his mother’s shouts behind him and ran as fast as he could until he burst out of the academy doors and was out in the sun. He’d been shedding petals in there for the last five minutes and knew he needed to get out.

His father was telling the truth.

His father hadn’t abandoned him because he didn’t love him.

His father had done it to keep them both safe from his magic.

His father was harsh because he wanted to push Myungjun to be stronger.

What in the world was he supposed to do with this information?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so who the frickle frack would have seen that coming? 
> 
> I have a confession: I had NO idea what his fathers backstory was going to be prior to writing it. I was just winging it all the way up to this point, throwing in random bits of information about him, like how he's a guild leader and how he was non-magical to begin with and just hoped TO GOD I could piece them all together when this chapter finally came about. I was literally DREADING writing it but luckily enough the words just poured out of me and everything seemed so...natural? Its what I've loved most when writing this fic. Everything seems to fall into place seamlessly and it takes hardly any effort to write at all. This chapter was literally drafted in an hour...a WHOLE backstory in one hour?? Yeeee
> 
> ANYWAY: My Myungjin baby rant. Literally skip this if the idea freaks you out lmao  
> So this is literally the train of thought I had when proofreading just a second ago. The line 'All Kims are magical' started this off. Basically, we now know that Dragon Blades is passed down from father to son. Before you start screaming about Myungjun running the guild one day I need to make it clear what his father said: He'd tried to forget about them which means he probably has another plan in place for who would take over the guild when he's gone. (I can honestly say I have no idea what that plan would be yet either lol) But if by SOME MIRACLE Myungjun takes over the guild, who the HECK would take over after Myungjun? We all know he's hecking gay for Jinwoo but guys obviously cant get pregnant and his father said that no-one had ever taken over OUT OF THE BLOODLINE and Myungjuns an only child. Even if Myungjin adopted in the future their adopted child would still be out of the bloodline...which made me think...and if you're still reading this long ass note just hear me out...what if there was some magical way it could happen? The world they live in is already strange and mysterious enough. I'm not saying one of them carrying a baby for nine months, but like some other way???? (I have no idea how that would work either)   
> Could you IMAGINE a little child half Myungjun half Jinwoo? Like wtf how cute would that be??? A little, squishy bellied, rosy cheeked, bundle of sunshine that was born magical so he/she could take over the guild after Myungjun stepped down.  
> Children can be born with any type of magic, they don't necessarily take after their parents, but a little bub who would giggle growing flowers around them?? Or Jinwoo teaching them how to make pretty pictures with their fire??? Or even some crazy hybrid of both their magic types??  
> The thought is just cute to me okay?   
> (Random info: Just because Myungjuns magic didn't come out until he was 5 doesn't mean other children are the same [Jinwoos magic was awakened the second he was born for example] and just because Jinwoo combusted on the spot and killed his parents doesn't mean other children do too)  
> …  
> Okay I literally don't know why my brain even went there and its probably freaked all of you out who are still reading but I COULDNT HELP IT IM SORRY
> 
> AnYwAYS, I hope you're all having a good day and thankyou for reading my fic still, we've come so far and I've made lots of friends from it...just thanks and ily uwu


	117. The Golden Scrolls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I, mayhaps, triple upload again? even though I said I wouldn't? yes. yes I did. IM WEAK OKAY

After hearing his father out, Myungjun decided he needed to be alone. He didn’t go back to the combat centre for the rest of the scouting, he just went back to his room to pack the rest of his things.

He didn’t know how to feel. The man he’d hated for _years_ was suddenly not so terrible after all. Myungjun knew he was still a bad father. Good fathers didn’t do half of the things he had done.

His father didn’t need to accept the position of guild leader. He could have stayed with them and NOT given his mother the choice of keeping them together as a family or not. He shouldn’t have forced that upon her. But a small part of Myungjun could understand why he did. Dragon blades was their family history. His father had said it was one of the oldest guilds in existence and that it had never been overseen by someone who wasn’t a Kim. He could only imagine how much pressure that would have been, how terribly high the expectations were. His father had suffered because of it, at the hands of his own father, no less.

Myungjuns heart felt troubled as he stacked all of his textbooks into a neat pile. He took them to the top of the ladder and sent them down to the floor using his vines. When he reached the bottom himself, he collected the books and made his way to the library to put them back.

As he walked across the grounds, he saw many excited faces. Some people were holding scrolls containing their guild invitations and Myungjun even saw a couple of golden scrolls which he knew must have been from the King.

A few minutes later, he made his way through the library, shelving all of his books and nibbling his lip feeling conflicted. Should he forgive his father? His father had admitted to manipulating his emotions and causing all of the mental damage he had been suffering. But he’d also apologised. And Myungjun knew that apology had been sincere. He’d felt the regret and remorse as he’d watched his fathers’ memories and the feeling still lingered inside of him. Myungjun wasn’t a hateful person and he despised holding grudges. He believed in second chances, but could he really give one to him?

Myungjun made his way back through the library shelves after putting away the last of his books. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn’t see the other person round the corner. They bumped into one another and Myungjun stepped on the mans shiny polished boot. With gold buckles. And gold heels. Oh no.

Myungjun looked up terrified to see the King. “What the hell are you doing in the library?” Myungjuns eyes widened as he realised what he’d just said, and he rushed to fix his mistake, his words tumbling from his mouth. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean that, well I did, but I didn’t mean for it to come out like that! I swear, I don’t usually speak that ill-mannered. My mother would _kill_ me if she heard me speak to you that way. Also, I’m sorry for the way I spoke to you in your gardens. I didn’t _know_ you were the King. If I did, I certainly wouldn’t have dangled that pest in your face, or ordered you around, or touched the flower beds in front of you without your permission, OR shaken hands with you-”

“What’s wrong with my hands?” Leo asked, looking down at them with a frown.

Myungjun blinked. Had he not just heard his apology? “I’m sorry.” He repeated.

Leo looked up from his hands still frowning and Myungjun quickly looked down at his feet. “You don’t need to apologise. It’s…refreshing to have you speak to me that way. Everyone else is awfully formal with me and treat me like some sort of revered God when I’m nothing of the sort…Why are you looking at your feet? I mean your shoes _are_ nice but I’d much rather converse with your face than the top of your head.”

Myungjun quickly looked up with a blush. “Sorry.”

“Please stop apologising to me. I hear about fifty thousand apologies a day. It’s my least favourite word at this point.” Myungjun snorted in amusement before realising his place and quickly falling silent again. Leo just grinned at him before gesturing around them. “This is a nice library. Not as nice as mine but it’s a close second.”

“Why _are_ you in here?” Myungjun asked curiously. “Where are your guards?”

Leo pointed over to the library doors where two men were standing to attention in their white uniforms covered in golden accents. They both had large greatswords strapped diagonally over their backs. Extremely intimidating. “I told them to stand guard. Its suffocating being followed around all the time. I know I’m the King but I’m also a grown man who can look after himself.” Myungjun just stared as Leo pouted. _Pouted_.

“You’re strange.” The words slipped through his lips before he could stop them and he clamped his hands over his mouth, staring at the king with wide eyes. Why did he just say that? Why did he always insist on making a fool out of himself? In front of the most powerful man in the land no less.

Leo looked genuinely surprised. “I am?” Before Myungjun could stop himself, he nodded. “How so?” Leo asked with a tilt of his head. “I’ve never heard that before.”

“You don’t act like a King.” Myungjun screamed inside before giving up completely and letting his hands drop to his sides. If the King was going to behead him at the end of this he might as well just let it all out. “You talk to me like a friend, and you don’t like your guards, and you just _pouted_ at me.”

Leos lips quirked up at the corners and Myungjun tried not to stare. “We’re not friends? Is it because I pouted at you? Do you not want to be my friend anymore? I’ll try not to pout again if that’s the case.” Okay Myungjun was _definitely_ dreaming. He must have gone back to his room to pack and fallen asleep. That was the only explanation. “Hello? Myungjun?” Myungjun looked up at the King with narrowed eyes. He sure _looked_ real enough.

“Am I dreaming?”

Leos eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “Of course not. Why?” His eyes widened slightly and pointed to himself. “Am _I_ dreaming?” Leo pinched himself and yelped, causing the guards to turn at the noise. He quickly calmed them before turning back to Myungjun. “Well I’m _certainly_ not dreaming.” He reached out and poked Myungjuns cheek with a manicured finger. He watched the way Myungjun jumped and grinned at the response. “And you’re not dreaming either.”

Myungjuns head was spinning and his cheek was burning. “I’m sorry I think I need to sit down.” Myungjun turned on his heel and walked over to the nearest library table to slump down into a seat feeling lightheaded. This was the weirdest thing that had ever happened to him.

Leo followed close behind and sat beside him, throwing his heavy gold cloak over the back of the chair. “Are you okay?”

“This is the weirdest day of my life.” Myungjun said faintly. “First my father and now you.”

“Oh yes!” Leo said sounding excited. Excited enough for Myungjun to look at him again. “I found out during the competition when I watched you fight that your father is the Dragon Knight! Small world. He was awfully worried about you you know. Every time he watched you fight, I could feel how tense he was beside me and when you died, which by the way was _very_ shocking, I could feel the heat from his magic rolling off of him. It was quite unnerving if I do say so myself.” Myungjun remembered locking eyes with his father. He’d remained expressionless the whole time. Was he really worried? “You have his eyes.”

“How do you know my father?” Myungjun asked, ignoring his comment.

“He’s the guild leader of Dragon Blades. Of course I’d know him. Its one of the oldest guilds and was created when the Castle itself was still being built. It’s practically royalty. In the guild district at least. Much like how being a Kim makes you near enough royalty too. Your bloodline goes back farther then we’ve been able to document, just like my own bloodline. I’m sure at one point our ancestors were friends and probably married into each other’s families. Which makes us family too if you think about it.”

Myungjun was starting to get a headache. “Should I call you Hyung?” It was meant as a joke but clearly failed to come across that way if the Kings reaction was anything to go by.

Leo grinned and patted him on the shoulder. “I’ve never had a little brother before. How exciting! Oh, speaking of exciting…” Leo pulled out three golden scrolls and placed them on the table in front of Myungjun. “I didn’t know what you’d prefer to do. So I picked out three things I thought you’d be best at. Firstly, an apprentice healer where you’ll learn a lot more about the art of healing in the castle then you did here. Secondly, an apprentice herbologist because I was touched by how caring you were over that one little flower who was being attacked and I know you aced all of your herbology examinations. And thirdly, after watching you fight so well in the competition, I’ve decided to offer you a chance to become one of my personal guard. That one will take a lot longer to work up too because you still have a lot to learn but you’ll have the best teachers around. I’ll make sure of it I promise.”

Myungjun stared wide eyed at the scrolls in front of him. Did he really just get offered a place in the castle? Never in a million years would he have thought that possible. He wasn’t good enough for that. Not at all.

“Why?” Myungjun asked quietly. “Why me? Why not someone else? I’m not that strong or that skilled. There are better candidates. Like my boyfriend for example.”

“Who is your boyfriend?” Leo asked. “The boy you fought with in the doubles match? You definitely looked close. Park Jinwoo?” Myungjun nodded. “He’s already received a golden scroll. I’ve handpicked four candidates this year. Jinwoo is amongst them too.”

Myungjun looked up at him with wide eyes. “Really?”

“Yes…but he already turned me down. He has his heart set on joining a guild.”

Myungjun swallowed down the slight disappointment he felt and pushed the scrolls away. “I have to decline too then. I already promised Jinwoo that I would go with him. I’ll be joining a guild as well.”

Leo huffed unhappily and pushed the scrolls back towards Myungjun. “Take them at least. That way you can always change your mind. I don’t want to be rejected by two people in one day. You say I’m the strange one, but I think that’s probably you and Jinwoo. Most people would jump at the chance of working with me.”

“We’re not most people.” Myungjun joked weakly. “But…thankyou. I’ll take them but I won’t be changing my mind. Not unless Jinwoo does too.”

Leo sighed and stood up, straightening the cloak around his shoulders. “I understand. It’s time I took my leave anyway. I’m sure there’s some Kingly duty or other that needs attending to.”

Myungjun quickly stood up to bow politely to him. He wanted to do something right in front of this man for once. “It was nice speaking to you again your Majesty.”

“Your Majesty? What happened to Hyung?” Myungjun flushed and took the time to put the scrolls into his belt alongside the others. He wished he hadn’t made that stupid joke now. “Please say it. I’ve never had anyone call me that before.”

Myungjun whined quietly in embarrassment before looking up at the man in front of him. “Goodbye…Hyung.” Leo laughed behind him as he sped out of the library.

He rushed all the way outside wishing the ground would just swallow him whole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Screams* LEOOOOOOOOOO
> 
> Also, next chapter contains a small soft smut scene, please don't kill me.
> 
> Special thanks to @DdanaAroha_2611 for giving me the idea of Myungjun meeting Leo in the library, I'm sorry I couldn't write it exactly how you wanted but I hope its enough!!<3


	118. Love By The Pond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER WARNING:  
> A little bit of soft smut for the uwus
> 
>  
> 
> (I'll be uploading another chapter later after my chem exam because I got bribed with cute Myungjin content that makes me want to sCREAM, their friendship in real life kills me)  
> So you got a triple, then a double update??? I feed you so well

Myungjun met up with Jinwoo in the hall for dinner after receiving a singed note asking where he was. He slipped into the seat beside him to see everyone already discussing the offers they’d received. Jinwoo and Rocky had the biggest piles of scrolls in front of them and Hyungwon and Hoseok weren’t far behind. Myungjun deposited his own on the table, keeping the golden ones out of sight, and pouted when he realised how small his pile looked next to his boyfriends.

“Oh, Myungjun these are yours.” Dongmin pushed some more scrolls over to him, making his pile just as big as Jinwoos own, if not bigger. Myungjun just stared at them in disbelief. “You left the scouting early and I overheard some people asking for you so I offered to take your scrolls, then I went around and asked some of the others if they had scrolls for you too because I didn’t want you to miss out.”

“I don’t know why you look so shocked Junnie. You’re one of only eight healers in our year and you’re probably the best out of them all. It would be a mistake for them not to scout you. Healers are hard to come by nowadays.” What Hyungwon said made sense but Myungjun was still stunned.

“You shouldn’t doubt yourself so much sunshine. You’re more in demand than any of us here.” Jinwoo leaned over to kiss his cheek and ruffled his hair. When Myungjun finally looked up, he smiled shyly, making Jinwoo coo. “Cute.”

Myungjun blushed and tried to divert his attention elsewhere. “What were you all talking about before I got here?”

“We were comparing guild offers, trying to find the guilds we could all join together but so far we haven’t found one. Some of us are still opening our scrolls anyway.”

Myungjun looked around to see Sanha pouting down at the empty table in front of him. “Sanha where are yours?”

Rocky snorted in amusement beside him. “He’s too young. You have to be at least fourteen to get offers and even then, you’re only offered a place as a trainee.” Rocky handed over one of his own scrolls and Myungjun opened it up to see the words **Trainee Offer** printed boldly on the top. “I can’t join a guild officially until I’m sixteen, but I’d still like to train with them. Sanha got told he could apply for a trainee placement when he was of age.”

Myungjun handed Rockys scroll back before turning to Sanha. “Cheer up Sanha. You’ll be fourteen before you know it. It just means you get to stay at home with mother until then.” He was satisfied to see Sanha perk up a bit after that. Myungjun sat back to talk to the others. “I didn’t know you all wanted to join guilds too.”

“Not all of us do.” Namjoon said from his seat on the other side of the table. “I want to become a doctor and Seokjin wants to travel so we’ve decided to explore everything this land, and all the others, have to offer whilst I learn all the different types of healing the different cultures use. I think it will be fun.”

Myungjun squealed excitedly and reached over to grab his hand. “Joon that’s so cool! Wow you’re going to learn so many new things! I’m actually quite jealous now.”

Namjoon laughed at Myungjuns pout and gave his hand a squeeze. “When we come back, I’ll teach you all the things I’ve learnt.”

Myungjun cheered up considerably after that. “So, is there anyone else who doesn’t want to join a guild?”

“No, the rest of us are pretty adamant about it.” Jinwoo explained, still opening up his scrolls. “Hmm this is for a guild in Zepheholde. I wonder what it would be like to live near the port.”

Myungjun let him daydream and turned to his own pile before Youngjae suddenly hissed his name. “Junnie your fathers here.”

Myungjun quickly looked back over his shoulder to see his father and mother approaching the table. His mother sat in the empty seat beside him and his father stood behind her chair. The atmosphere was tense. No-one else knew what Myungjun had found out about his father. His friends only knew him as the man who abandoned his son, the man who made his son slip into his other mindset with the urge to kill.

Myungjun jumped when he felt Jinwoos hand grip his tightly under the table.

*Junnie do you want to leave?* Jinwoos voice entered his mind and Myungjun shook his head.

*No it’s okay. There’s been a new…development* Myungjun didn’t offer any other explanation he just let go of Jinwoos hand and turned to his parents.

“What are you doing here? I thought you’d be going to the guesthouse or out into the city to eat?”

“Your father and I have already eaten. We were sitting close by, but you walked straight past us.”

“Sorry. My mind was a bit…preoccupied.” That was an understatement. He’d just had his embarrassing encounter with the King. “Aren’t you going to bed mother? We’ll be leaving early tomorrow.” Myungjun just wanted desperately for them both to leave. It was feeling increasingly awkward with none of his friends talking and he could feel the fluctuations in temperature as Dongmin, Hyungwon and Jinwoo tried to control their anger towards his father, who was standing there eyeing them all curiously.

“We overheard your conversation.” His father finally spoke up. “You’re struggling to find a guild where you can all stay together.”

“Not that its any of your business.” Moonbin muttered under his breath.

Myungjun groaned internally before turning to his friends. “Things have changed. Slightly. My father is…not who you think he is. Not really anyway.” It felt awkward saying these things out loud. Myungjun could feel his parents staring at him and tried to ignore it. “You can all calm down.”

“What do you mean? Your fathers an asshole.” Hyungwon said boldly, looking the man straight in the eyes. “He was horrible to you and left you when you were a baby. That’s what you told me.”

Before Myungjun could answer, his father answered for him. “That’s true. I did those things to him and I am, how you so eloquently put it, an asshole. But Myungjun disappeared today so he could talk to me and his mother and we have come to a new understanding with each other. Isn’t that right Myungjun?”

Myungjun turned to look at his father. He knew that one question held a lot of meaning. He nodded slowly. “But this doesn’t mean I forgive you though.” He felt the need to say that, to make it clear that he was still angry despite being so terribly conflicted. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forgive you.”

“Your understanding is all that I ask for.” His father replied quietly before looking back up at his friends around the table. “I’m sure Myungjun will explain things to you more clearly when I’m not here, but before I go, I would like to give you all one of these.” He dumped a pile of scrolls onto the table, all sealed with the Dragon Blades guild symbol. “It’s about time I started making up for my mistakes. You’re all invited to join my guild. This way you can all stay together. I don’t expect you to say yes but the offer is there anyway. Now it’s about time I took my leave.”

Myungjun mumbled a goodnight to his parents as they left the hall and he turned back to see his friends staring at him. He sighed. “Let’s link up. I have a lot to show you all.”

*

Myungjun was sitting by the pond, dipping his toes into the warm water as Jinwoo rambled on beside him.

“Junnie I just can’t _believe_ it. I always wanted to join Dragon Blades before finding out he was your father and he just invited us all, just like that.” Jinwoo snapped his fingers to emphasise his point. “Dragon Blades rarely accepts new people and now he’s just giving out all of those places? He must really be sorry about what he did to you.”

Myungjun hummed in response and submerged his feet, relishing in the warmth of the water as Jinwoo started rambling again. Myungjun wasn’t really listening. There was something niggling away in the back of his mind and he was wondering how exactly to bring it up.

“JinJin?”

“but that- Yeah?” Jinwoo stopped abruptly.

“Why did you turn down Leos offer. The King I mean.” Myungjun looked up to see the surprised expression on Jinwoos face.

“You spoke to him?” Myungjun nodded. Jinwoos expression changed to one of awkwardness and he started to play with the necklace around his throat. Myungjun was happy to see him wearing it. It was the black and green gemstone he had purchased for Jinwoo in Voredan during their first year. He hadn’t seen him wear it in a long time. “I already said to you that I wanted to join a guild. It would be fun to work for the King, and I know I’d already mentioned that to you before as well, but when I finally had the golden scroll in my hands…I realised I couldn’t do it. I’d still be tied down to one spot. It would just be a fancier looking spot.”

Myungjun laughed and had to agree before remembering his own golden scrolls. He’d hidden them from Jinwoo at dinner, but he felt the need to show him now.

When Jinwoo looked down at the three scrolls in his hands his eyes widened in shock. “Are those…”

“My offers.” Myungjun said quietly. “Herbologist, healer, personal guard. Leo didn’t know what to offer me, so he gave me the choice. I turned him down too, but he told me to keep them in case I changed my mind.”

“You turned him down?” Jinwoo asked in hushed disbelief. “Junnie those offers are incredible!”

“A part of me didn’t want to.” Myungjun admitted. “But I made a promise to you and I won’t break it. I’ve realised I don’t want to be tied down to one spot for the rest of my life either. You spent your whole life in the academy guesthouse, and I spent my whole life trapped in a town that hated what I was. I want freedom too JinJin. I want to experience what that’s like with you beside me.”

Jinwoo smiled at him, bright and wide before leaning in for a kiss. “There’s no one I’d rather be beside sunshine.”

Myungjun kissed him once more before pulling his feet out of the water and wiggling his toes in Jinwoos direction. “Please dry me.”

Jinwoo forced an overdramatic sigh before steaming them off. “I hate feet, but you have the cutest toes I’ve ever seen. I think you’re just cute all over.” Myungjun giggled and patted his dry feet happily before standing up to stretch.

“We should go. It’s getting late.”

“It’s our last night here.” Jinwoo said quietly from below him. “We won’t come back to this pond again. I asked you to be my boyfriend here remember?”

“In this very spot.” Myungjun replied fondly. He squealed when Jinwoo pulled him back down into his lap. “JinJin what are you doing?”

“Wrap your legs around my waist.” Myungjun did as he was told feeling confused. “There. It was exactly like this.” Jinwoo pulled him closer to kiss him again and Myungjun hummed happily against his lips. He remembered Jinwoos proposal like it was yesterday. The memory made his heart flutter.

Jinwoos warm hands slipped under his top to trail delicately over his back and before Myungjun knew what was happening, his top was off and Jinwoos was being discarded beside his own. Jinwoo pulled him back in for a quick kiss before moving down to suck love bites into the sensitive skin of his neck. Myungjun clung to him, pulling him impossibly closer and silently asking for more.

As Jinwoo soothed all the bruises with his lips and his tongue, his hands travelled over Myungjuns skin, creating heat wherever he touched.

Myungjun wasn’t scared this time when he felt his body react. He just pulled Jinwoos face back up to kiss him again and whined quietly against his lips. “JinJin it’s happening again.”

Jinwoo breathed out heavily in response. “Do you-”

“Yes.” Myungjun said breathily, skin already tingling from the thought. “Help me. Touch me JinJin, make me feel good again…please.”

Jinwoo cursed and gave Myungjuns hips a squeeze. “You sound so good begging me. Do it again.” Myungjun shook his head and Jinwoo squeezed his hips harder, hard enough to leave bruises. “I said _do it again_.” The command was firm and before Myungjun could stop himself he was pleading.

“JinJin please. I want you to touch me again, you made me feel so good last time and I want it now. I’ve had a stressful day and I just want you to make me feel better _please_.” Myungjun hadn’t realised how stressed he was feeling until then and that revelation, on top of the embarrassment of begging for what he wanted, made him teary-eyed and his voice wobbled at the end.

Jinwoo reached up to wipe at his eyes gently. “Shh Junnie. It’s okay. I’ll help you. You’ve been such a good boy haven’t you? My good boy, doing what I asked and doing it so well. I’ll make you feel better now I promise. Just stand up for me okay? Can you do that for me?”

Myungjun nodded, sniffling a little as he climbed clumsily to his feet. Jinwoo stood up after him and made sure he was okay before kissing him again, taking his time until Myungjun calmed down.

When Myungjun started to whine impatiently Jinwoo let his hands trail down to unbutton his shorts. Myungjun wrapped his arms around Jinwoos shoulders and buried his face in his neck, feeling too shy to look.

After a few seconds it became clear that there was a problem and Jinwoo growled and tugged harder. “Junnie your buttons stuck. Let go for a second.” Myungjun reluctantly unwrapped his arms and watched as Jinwoo dropped down on one knee in front of him to get a better look. “Bloody hell who invented buttons? We need to get you some shorts like mine. Mine just come straight off.” Myungjun giggled at his huffy behaviour and giggled even more when Jinwoo told him to stop it. “Junnie now is _not_ the time to be giggling at me.”

“But you like it.” Myungjun pointed out, playing with Jinwoos hair whilst he waited. It was extra fluffy and still green. It looked pretty in the moonlight.

“I do but…oh thank the deity.” Myungjuns shorts dropped to the floor to pool at his feet and he quickly removed his hands from Jinwoos hair to cover his face with an embarrassed squeak instead. Jinwoo ignored the noise and grabbed Myungjuns ankle to lift his foot up and out of the shorts completely, repeating the action with the other leg until the shorts were tossed to the side. Myungjun peeked through his fingers to see Jinwoos eyes roaming his body, up and down, with something akin to hunger. “You’re gorgeous lit up by the moon like this.”

“JinJin stop looking and get back up here.”

Jinwoo grinned before grabbing the backs of Myungjuns thighs and pulling him forwards to bury his face in his stomach. He nuzzled it with a happy whine making Myungjun giggle again.

The giggle was cut short when Jinwoo started to press wet kisses into his skin instead. He was slow about it, meticulously kissing every piece of skin he could reach whilst he massaged the backs of Myungjuns thighs making his knees steadily weaker.

“JinJin hurry up.”

“So not only are you feisty and shameless when you’re turned on but you’re also incredibly bossy too. You’re a handful aren’t you?” Jinwoo laughed at Myungjuns pout and finally stood up again. He dropped his own shorts and finished off their pile of clothes.

“Please don’t tell me that’s our bed.” Myungjun said staring down at it.

Jinwoo huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, making his muscles pop that little bit more. “What else are we supposed to do? I don’t fancy breaking my ass on these rocks.” Myungjun snorted in amusement before expending his magic. Black petals rained down on them, getting thicker and faster until they blocked out the moonlight completely. When they cleared, with Myungjun feeling weaker than he’d like to be, Jinwoo looked down in awe. “Wow this is better.”

“Much better.” Myungjun said faintly.

Jinwoos eyes snapped up to look at him. “Junnie are you okay? You used too much magic didn’t you?” He rushed forwards to grab him and peered into his face. “Junnie lets just get you dressed and back to bed okay?”

“No!” Myungjun said stubbornly. “I’m fine JinJin. Well I’m not fine because you _still_ haven’t touched me.”

“Junnie I don’t think-”

“Don’t you dare tell me we can’t do this now Park Jinwoo. You’ve teased me too much to stop.”

Jinwoo sighed before leading him to the thickest area of petals and helping him lay down against them. “This is ridiculous Junnie you’re clearly in no- _oh bloody hell_.”

Myungjun had done the only thing that he knew would shut him up.

He touched Jinwoo instead.

Last time Jinwoo had touched _him_ , so he tried to copy how he’d done it before and was fascinated by the way it felt under his palm. Jinwoo moaned loudly before biting his lip and pulling Myungjuns hand away. “Stop distracting me.”

“Stop worrying about me then. Come here before I get angry.” Jinwoo immediately moved until he was hovering over him and ducked his head down to kiss him. Myungjun reached up to squeeze Jinwoos biceps and sighed happily. “You’re right I do like your arms.”

“Is that the only thing you like?” Jinwoo asked with a small smirk on his face. He quickly lowered himself and rolled their hips together again. Any reply Myungjun had forming in his brain disappeared and he quickly covered his mouth to stop the noise trying to escape. Jinwoo frowned and pulled his hand away. “Don’t. I want to hear you.” He did it again, harder this time and Myungjun made a strangled noise in the back of his throat as the feeling he so desperately needed ripped through his nerves. “You didn’t answer my question.” Jinwoo said, struggling to hold back his own sounds as he grinded their hips together again. “Do you only like my arms?”

“Stop fishing for-mmm- for compliments Park Jinwoo.”

Jinwoo grinned and pulled away. Myungjun wanted to smack him. “I have to know what you like, or I can’t give it to you. I don’t want to do anything you don’t like do I?” His teasing tone made Myungjun want to smack him even more, but he held back the urge. His body was crying out for attention and that won over his sense of reason.

“I like everything about you JinJin. But I like you even more when you’re doing that thing with your hips so hurry up before I decide I don’t need your help after all.”

“Oh you’ll regret saying that sunshine.”

*

Myungjun didn’t regret it. He might have riled his boyfriend up enough for him to be rougher than before but in some ways it was better. It was what he needed. All of the stress melted away in the end and he clung to Jinwoo now, their unclothed chests pressed together, with his arms around Jinwoos strong shoulders and his legs around Jinwoos waist as he was carried into the warm water of the pond. Jinwoo was still muttering compliments and praises in his ear and he cuddled up closer to him feeling overwhelmed with love.

Guilt was quick to replace it when he moved and felt the obvious problem that was still present in Jinwoos underwear. It had ended like this the first time and it was ending like this again.

Jinwoo lowered them down until the water was up to their chests before pulling back to look at him with a sigh. He wiped the tears from Myungjuns eyes and kissed the tip of his nose gently.

“Stop feeling guilty. Its ruining this perfect moment.”

Myungjun pouted at him and tightened the hold around his neck. “It isn’t fair. I want you to feel good too.”

“I do.” Jinwoo said softly reaching up to sweep the hair off Myungjuns forehead. “I feel better then ever after seeing you come undone beneath me. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Myungjun mumbled.

Jinwoo sighed again and kissed the pout off his face. “I know what you meant. I just can’t let go around you sunshine, it’s too dangerous. I’m not going to risk combusting and killing you just so I can feel a few seconds of pleasure. You’re more important to me than that. So, stop feeling guilty and let’s get you cleaned up okay?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so cliché I know. I just had to give them a romantic, moonlit at a magical pond, petal bed, soft smut scene >^<  
> It was their last night okay? FRICK  
> But seriously someone help Jinwoo my poor boy, he might SAY he feels good for Myungjun but we all know he's uncomfortable as HECK
> 
> Also...THEY GOT DRAGON BLADES INVITES?? DRAGON BLADES...ALL OF THEM...WTF  
> …  
> But do they accept them though? DUN DUN DUUUUUUU
> 
> (Namjoonie and Seokjinnie got them too but they really are going travelling ;-; )


	119. Sanhas First Kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE TITLE *SCREAMS*

Myungjun was sitting up in Jinwoos bed watching him sleep. He looked more at peace when he slept, younger and more carefree. He desperately wanted to enter his dreams to see what he was dreaming about, but he didn’t want to be rude. They’d only ever done it during communications and Myungjun had always asked for permission first. He didn’t have that permission now, so he dragged his eyes away from his cute boyfriend to look around his room instead.

It looked a lot different from when he’d first slept in here. Back then it wasn’t really a room. It was just a chamber where Jinwoo slept. It was empty and lifeless and devoid of colour. Now the room was flourishing. His new desk filled some of the empty space and his bookshelf was overflowing with books. Myungjun had made him a fluffy green rug to match the fluffy green blanket, full of his petals, that they were currently laying beneath. The walls were covered in sketches Myungjun had done and he was amused to see the self portrait he’d drawn was tacked onto the wall where Jinwoo could see it when he woke up. The room was full of life and felt like home. It reflected well how Jinwoo had changed too.

Myungjun looked down at him again when he started to stir. Jinwoo groaned quietly before stretching out in a way Myungjun had only ever seen cats do. It was impossible not to giggle at the sight.

Jinwoo opened his eyes slowly with a grin. “Mmm best sound to wake up to in the morning. Have you been awake long?”

“A while.” Myungjun replied quietly. “I like watching you sleep.”

“Creep.”

“Shut up I know you watch me sleep too.”

“That is in fact, correct.”

“Creep.”

Myungjun squealed when Jinwoo jabbed him in the ribs. “Let’s get up sunshine. I’ll take you down to breakfast and eat with you, but I need to come back here and pack the rest of this room up afterwards.”

“I told you that you should have done it ages ago.”

“Sorry _mother_.” This time Jinwoo squealed at the jab he received. He quickly sat up and placed a firm kiss on Myungjuns lips. “Wow, I think I’m addicted to your morning breath.”

Myungjun scrunched up his face in disgust and pulled Jinwoo from the bed. “JinJin that’s the grossest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

Jinwoo just laughed and backhugged him all the way to the bathroom. “I’m brushing your teeth today. It’s the last time in this bathroom so you can’t say no. Oh, and I want to brush your hair too. Make it curly and pink again, I miss that.”

“Anything else?” Myungjun asked sarcastically.

“When we get changed, I want to dress you too.”

“JinJin I’m not a baby. I can get dressed myself.”

“You are.” Jinwoo said stubbornly, wetting their toothbrushes with his chin hooked over Myungjuns shoulder from behind. “You’re my baby and you’ll let me baby you until I’m satisfied. Understand?” The glare he gave Myungjun in the mirror made Myungjun nod quickly. “Good.” Jinwoo replied, face relaxing into a mischievous grin. “Now open wide baby.”

*

Myungjun watched as Jinwoo left the hall to pack up his room and turned back to his friends who were all talking excitedly. “Are you guys _sure_ you want to do this?”

“Of course!” Hoseok said brightly. “This way we don’t have to say goodbye to each other! And now that we know your father isn’t completely evil, we can all rejoice in the fact that we’re about to join _the best guild in Aredrinnor_.”

Myungjun grinned at the looks of pure joy on his friends faces. He remembered seeing how excited they’d been when his father turned up to teach the Zoology lesson he’d stormed out of the previous year. They’d all looked up to ‘The Dragon Knight’ as they grew up. Despite what Myungjun had wanted to think at the time, his father _was_ a hero famous for his good deeds.

He was surprised that his friends accepted his father’s offer so quickly after Myungjun revealed the truth to them, but it only served to show him that they’d only hated the man for Myungjuns sake and that made him love them even more.

He was also surprised that he too was accepting his father’s offer.

If someone had told him this a week ago, he would have laughed and told them that they were crazy. But the desire he felt to be with his friends was stronger than the dwindling anger he felt towards his father.

Myungjun turned at the sound of his mother’s voice.

“Junnie are you packed?” She sat down in Jinwoos vacant seat and ruffled his hair with a warm smile.

Myungjun nodded and pointed to his bags under the table. “All done. Sanhas done too, we’re just waiting for Jinwoo.”

“He should have packed ages ago!” She fussed, pouring herself a glass of water. “Our carriage leaves in an hour.”

“He’ll be done by then.” Myungjun reassured her. “He doesn’t have as much stuff as me…well he does have a lot of books actually.”

His mother sighed as she sipped her drink. “We’ll have to put some more shelves up in Sanhas room then.”

“My room?” Sanha asked from across the table. “Why mine?”

“That’s where Jinwoo will be staying.”

“WHAT?” Both boys exclaimed at the same time.

“Junnie I’m not having you two sharing a room. I have to be a responsible mother.”

“You were literally just talking about us getting married the other day!” Myungjun threw back. “Why can’t we share a room?” Jinwoo had said this would happen but Myungjun hadn’t believed him.

“Junnie you are hormonal teenage boys. It’s not happening. Just finish your breakfast and meet me outside when you’re done.” She got up to leave, ignoring Myungjuns spluttered protests.

Youngjae was laughing on the other side of the table. “Don’t worry Hyung. You won’t be at home for long. You’ll save up enough from working at the guild and then you can move out.”

Myungjun huffed unhappily and nibbled on his food. He didn’t want to wait. He’d been so excited at the thought of sharing a room with Jinwoo. At least in his room at home they could let go of each other without the fear of one of them disappearing. I’ll just work extra hard then, Myungjun decided, I’ll save up the money quickly so we can move. The thought of moving out into his own place with Jinwoo instantly brightened his mood and he ate happily after that.

*

Jinwoo walked into the hall, the muscles in his arms bulging from the strain of holding up his heavy bags. Myungjun rushed over to help.

“What do you have in here? Bricks?” He laughed at the same joke he’d told Jinwoo when they’d first moved into the academy and Jinwoo just shook his head fondly.

“Still using that old joke huh? You’re not getting any better with age apparently.”

Myungjun gasped and stopped in his movements to grab one of his bags. “For that insulting comment, you can carry your own stuff Park Jinwoo.”

“Was planning too anyway. These are too heavy for you.” Myungjun wrenched one out of his hands feeling offended and instantly stumbled. Jinwoo laughed at his embarrassment and took it back. “Told you. Now get your own bags so we can leave. Get Sanha too.”

Myungjun rushed over to their table and pulled his bags out from beneath it. “Sanha, time to go.”

“I’ll walk you out.” Rocky offered, getting up and plucking Rocky Jr from Sanhas hair who fought viciously to get back to him. Rocky just sighed and put him back. “Stop being difficult. Sanha has to leave.” Rocky Jr garbled sadly and clutched at the curly strands shaking his head.

Sanha didn’t seem to mind, he just reached up to pet him with a smile before collecting his own bag and following behind Myungjun.

They walked outside to the carriage and put their bags away. Myungjun and Jinwoo climbed into the carriage after his mother and they all peeked outside to watch the two younger boys say goodbye. Myungjun knew they should give them privacy, but it was just too tempting.

After much coaxing, Sanha finally pulled Rocky Jr out of his hair and looked down at him with watery eyes. “Hey little one I need to go now okay? You have to be good for your father. I’ll be seeing you again next year and if I find out you’ve been bad; you’ll get a terrible scolding. Do you understand?” Rocky Jr garbled quietly and nodded. “Good. Can I get a kiss before I go?” He lifted Rocky Jr to his cheek and the little rock placed one on it gently before patting the skin to seal it in. Sanha laughed and pulled him away to wipe at the stray tears falling down his face. “I love you too.”

Sanha kissed him right back.

Rocky flushed a bright red and accepted Rocky Jr who was making the strangest noise Myungjun had ever heard. His heart clenched when he realised he was crying, or attempting to at least.

“What about me?” Rocky asked quietly. “I’m your best friend too. Don’t I get a kiss?”

Myungjun couldn’t help the squeal he let out and both boys turned to the carriage looking startled. Myungjun quickly hid, pushing Jinwoo and his mother back too and waited for a few seconds before looking out again.

He saw Sanha lean down quickly to kiss Rockys cheek before he was rushing into the carriage blushing furiously. Myungjun tried to suppress the urge to smile but couldn’t help it in the end and Sanha sent him a scowl when he was seated.

“Don’t say a word.” The younger boy warned.

Myungjun just giggled and leaned out of the window to wave goodbye. “See you guys soon!”

The carriage started to pull away and Myungjun laughed loud and bright when Rocky Jr waved his little arms frantically in return. Rocky waved too before turning around and rushing back into the academy with a skip in his step.

*

“Wow a bunk bed!” Sanha shrieked excitedly a few hours later after they’d arrived back home. They’d gone to unpack and Myungjun instantly left his own room to look at the new furniture inside of Sanhas. Sanha was already climbing up the ladder and declaring the top bunk his. Jinwoo just chuckled and let him have it before opening one of his bags and pulling some of his books out.

“Junnie do you want to help?”

Myungjun quickly shook his head. “I’m going next door to see Wonho.” He rolled his eyes as Sanha shrieked and hit his head on the ceiling at the sound of his name. “I don’t know why you’re so flustered still Sanha. You have Rocky now.”

“Me and Rocky are just friends!”

Myungjun ignored him in favour of looking at his boyfriend who had frozen in his movements to unpack. “Wonho? That guy who was groping you in the arena?”

Myungjun was confused before realising what he was talking about. “Wonho wasn’t _groping_ me Jinwoo don’t be so disgusting. He only had his arm around me.”

“Same thing.” Jinwoo mumbled.

“The same thing ALL of my friends do to me. In fact, we both know that some of our friends do MORE than that to me so stop being so jealous Jinwoo, he’s your new neighbour now as well.”

“I’m coming with you then.” Jinwoo decided, closing his bag again. Myungjun just groaned. “Like you said, he’s my neighbour too. It’s about time I met him and introduced myself.”

Myungjun didn’t bother protesting, knowing all too well that Jinwoo wouldn’t change his mind, and he left the house and walked up Wonhos garden path before knocking on the door. He wanted to roll his eyes again when Jinwoo wrapped a firm arm around his waist, pulling him close.

Wonho opened the door a few seconds later sweaty and out of breath. “Oh hello Myungjun. You’re back, I didn’t expect-”

“Hello I’m Jinwoo. Myungjuns _boyfriend_.”

Myungjun wanted to die from embarrassment. “I’m so sorry about him.”

Wonho just laughed and ran a hand through his hair, sweeping his damp fringe from his forehead. “It fine. Nice to meet you Jinwoo who is also very clearly Myungjuns _boyfriend_.” Wonho looked back at Myungjun. “Grey wasn’t wrong about him.” Myungjun just agreed and ignored the questioning look Jinwoo was giving him.

“How’s the bookstore? And why are you so sweaty?”

“The bookstores doing well. I’m glad a lot of people like to read in this town. And I was in the middle of doing a workout. Want to get sweaty with me?”

The grip on Myungjuns waist tightened and Jinwoo growled low in his throat. “Watch your mouth. You might have all that muscle, but it just means you’ll fall harder when I knock you out.”

Myungjun gasped at his boyfriend’s blatant rudeness and nudged him in the ribs. “JinJin what the hell?” He hissed quietly.

Wonho didn’t look fazed at all he just put his hands up in surrender with a smile tugging at his lips. “I was only offering to workout with him nothing more. It was nice talking to you both, but I really do need to get back too it. I’ll see you later Myungjun?”

“Yes.”

“Definitely not.”

Myungjun groaned and pushed Jinwoo back down the garden path when Wonho was gone. “JinJin you’re so embarrassing! Why are you being like this?”

Jinwoo turned to look at him with a scowl. “He was flirting with you.”

“JinJin that’s just what he’s like. He doesn’t mean it.”

“I don’t care. You’re _mine_ Myungjun. Only I can flirt with you.”

Myungjun whined irritably. “Why do you feel so threatened by him?”

“Just…just…Myungjun we all know you have a muscle kink.”

Myungjun frowned. “JinJin I only get kinks in my muscles when I’m stressed.”

Jinwoo stared at him for a few seconds looking exasperated before turning on his heel and walking around to their own front garden. Myungjun chased him feeling confused. “JinJin what does my muscle kinks have to do with any of this?”

Jinwoo groaned and shushed him. “Don’t start shouting that out in front of your mother, she’ll go nuts. Just forget I said anything.”

Myungjun huffed and kept quiet. He hated not understanding things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sanhas first kiss was Rocky Jr omfg Sanhas second kiss was Rocky omfg. 2 in one day help he babie
> 
> A list of things that I enjoyed writing:  
> -Jinwoo calling Myungjun his baby  
> -"you're not getting any better with age apparently."  
> -Socky Jr interaction  
> -Socky interaction  
> -“Watch your mouth. You might have all that muscle, but it just means you’ll fall harder when I knock you out.” (LMAO)  
> -“JinJin I only get kinks in my muscles when I’m stressed.” (Scrape me off the floor I died laughing RIP)


	120. THE ACADEMY SPELLBOOK.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is INFORMATIONAL.  
> It is NOT part of the story.
> 
> This highlights all of the spells ASTRO have learnt at the academy. Some of them I didn't get to write about but they do know how to cast them.
> 
> BRACKETS ( ) Indicate the class they learnt them in.  
> BRACKETS [ ] Contain any additional info I thought relevant.
> 
> Magic Skill Levels: These are fixed. Spells DO NOT move up and down ranks. These ranks just show how intricate the magic is. For example: B Rank is more intricate than C Rank.  
> HOWEVER, the caster themselves may find a B Rank harder to cast then an A Rank. It all depends on the person themselves.

**Magic Skill Levels:**  
\- Basic level (C Rank)  
\- Intermediate level (B Rank)  
\- Advanced level (A Rank)  
\- Master level (S Rank)  
\- Transcendence level (SS rank)

**Myungjun:**

**C Rank:**

1\. Sprout plants from seeds/from the earth. (HERBOLOGY)  
2\. Sense plant wellbeing. (HERBOLOGY)  
3\. Read thoughts of others through touch. (COMMUNICATIONS)  
4\. Project thoughts into another’s mind through touch. (COMMUNICATIONS)

**B Rank:**

1\. Manipulate altered plant forms [Paper, cotton clothing etc]. (DESIGN)  
2\. Cut and repair fabric using magic. (DESIGN)  
3\. Preserving flower petals (DESIGN)  
4\. Send paper messages via vines. (COMMUNICATIONS)  
5\. Create a weak psychic shield to protect the users mind. (COMMUNICATIONS)  
6\. Sense emotions of others through touch. (COMMUNICATIONS)  
7\. Cause weak hallucinations. (COMMUNICATIONS)  
8\. Spread plant roots. (HERBOLOGY)  
9\. Plants shooting seeds (PRACTICAL SKILLS)

**A Rank:**

1\. Temporarily animate plants. (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
2\. Manipulate plant forms for attack, defence and support. [Vines, Trees, flowers] (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
3\. Revive withered plant life. (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
4\. Speed up plant growth. (HERBOLOGY)  
5\. Fuse skin back together (HEALING)  
6\. Fuse broken bones (HEALING)  
7\. Sense a person’s magical energy (COMMUNICATIONS)  
8\. Read minds without touch from a short distance (COMMUNICATIONS)  
9\. Dream-walking (COMMUNICATIONS)  
10\. Change the colour and length of hair (SHAPESHIFTING)  
11\. Change height (SHAPESHIFTING)  
12\. Copy the appearance of another person (SHAPESHIFTING)

**S Rank:**

1\. Fluent communication with plants. (COMMUNICATIONS)  
2\. Removal of scarring and bruising (HEALING)  
3\. Alter gender (SHAPESHIFTING)  
4\. Enhance body for combat [Wood, Stone, Metal, Glass] (SHAPESHIFTING)  
5\. Summoning the monstertrap (PRACTICAL SKILLS)

**SS Rank: N/A**

**Vanity Spells:**

1\. Create petal flurries.  
2\. Make flowers bloom where you walk.  
3\. Attract insects. (Possible fashion)

**Personal Skills:**

1\. Extensive knowledge of healing with and without magic. (HEALING)  
2\. Extensive knowledge of plants and their uses (HERBOLOGY)  
3\. Extensive knowledge of the different types of weaponry (COMBAT TRAINING)  
4\. Extensive knowledge on the different mythical and magical and legendary creatures of Aredrinnor (ZOOLOGY)  
5\. Extensive knowledge on demons (ZOOLOGY-DEMONOLOGY)  
6\. High stamina (COMBAT TRAINING)  
7\. Design skills [Making clothes and accessories, Flower arranging, Sketching] (DESIGN)  
8\. Can summon own companion [Camellia]

~

**Jinwoo:**

**C Rank:**

1\. Light candles with hands. (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
2\. Create small balls of fire and shape them. (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
3\. Read thoughts of others through touch. (COMMUNICATIONS)  
4\. Project thoughts into another’s mind through touch. (COMMUNICATIONS)

**B Rank:**

1\. Melt objects safely. (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
2\. Absorb fire. (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
3\. Manipulate larger flames. (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
4\. Send paper messages via flames. (COMMUNICATIONS)  
5\. Create a weak psychic shield to protect the users mind. (COMMUNICATIONS)  
6\. Sense emotions of others through touch. (COMMUNICATIONS)  
7\. Create weak hallucinations (COMMUNICATIONS)

**A Rank:**

1\. Create shield of flames. (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
2\. Manipulate flames for more powerful attacks. (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
3\. Manipulate own body heat. (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
4\. Sense a person’s magical energy (COMMUNICATIONS)  
5\. Read minds without touch from a short distance (COMMUNICATIONS)  
6\. Dream-walking (COMMUNICATIONS)

**S Rank:**

1\. Manipulate magma. (MAGMA MANIPULATION)

**SS Rank: N/A**

**Vanity spells:**

1\. Create portable balls of fire to keep others warm.  
2\. Create balls of light.  
3\. Warm hugs.  
4\. Make flames dance across their hands.  
5\. Create fireworks.  
6\. Steam dry.

**Personal Skills**

1\. Extensive knowledge of hand to hand combat techniques. (COMBAT TRAINING)  
2\. Extensive knowledge of the different types of weapons. (COMBAT TRAINING)  
3\. High stamina (COMBAT TRAINING)  
4\. Exceptional leadership qualities (TRAINING COURSE)  
5\. Extensive knowledge on the different mythical and magical and legendary creatures of Aredrinnor (ZOOLOGY)  
6\. Exceptional discipline (MEDITATION AND DISCIPLINE)

~

**Dongmin**

**C Rank:**

1\. Freeze small amounts of water. (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
2\. Temporarily make it snow. (WEATHER MANIPULATION)  
3\. Read thoughts of others through touch. (COMMUNICATIONS)  
4\. Project thoughts into another’s mind through touch. (COMMUNICATIONS)

**B Rank:**

1\. Temporarily slow others. (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
2\. Create thin walls of ice (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
3\. Send paper messages via Ice [Frozen, thrown in air, exploded]. (COMMUNICATIONS)  
4\. Create a weak psychic shield to protect the users mind. (COMMUNICATIONS)  
5\. Sense emotions of others through touch. (COMMUNICATIONS)  
6\. Cause weak hallucinations. (COMMUNICATIONS)  
7\. Create intricate snow sculptures (DESIGN)

**A Rank:**

1\. Shoot shards of ice/ice javelins. (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
2\. Animate small ice or snow golems for combat (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
3\. Freeze enemies (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
4\. Freeze large bodies of water (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
5\. Create thicker walls of ice (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
6\. Create ice prisons (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
7\. Sense a person’s magical energy (COMMUNICATIONS)  
8\. Read minds without touch from a short distance (COMMUNICATIONS)  
9\. Dream-walking (COMMUNICATIONS)

**S Rank: N/A**

**SS Rank: N/A**

**Vanity Spells:**

1\. Create pretty snowflakes to fall around themselves and others.  
2\. Cool hugs. (Good for fevers or keeping cool in the summer)  
3\. Create clouds to float over people’s heads.

**Personal Skills:**

1\. Works well with numbers. (NUMBERS)  
2\. Exceptional discipline (MEDITATION AND DISCIPLINE)  
3\. Extensive knowledge on the different mythical and magical and legendary creatures of Aredrinnor (ZOOLOGY)  
4\. High stamina (COMBAT TRAINING)

~

**Moonbin**

**C Rank:**

1\. Suspend and move small amounts of water. (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
2\. Read thoughts of others through touch. (COMMUNICATIONS)  
3\. Project thoughts into another’s mind through touch. (COMMUNICATIONS)

**B Rank:**

1\. Walk on shallow water. (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
2\. Create small whirlpools. (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
3\. Send paper messages via water [Bubbles]. (COMMUNICATIONS)  
4\. Create a weak psychic shield to protect the users mind. (COMMUNICATIONS)  
5\. Sense emotions of others through touch. (COMMUNICATIONS)  
6\. Sense the wellbeing of aquatic animals (COMMUNICATIONS)  
7\. Cause weak hallucinations. (COMMUNICATIONS)

**A Rank:**

1\. Walk across lakes. (PRACTICAL SKILLS  
2\. Absorb water to increase power (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
3\. Create a strong water shield (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
4\. Create sizeable tidal waves and whirlpools. (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
5\. Sense a person’s magical energy (COMMUNICATIONS)  
6\. Read minds without touch from a short distance (COMMUNICATIONS)  
7\. Dream-walking (COMMUNICATIONS)

**S Rank: N/A**

**SS Rank: N/A**

**Vanity Spells:**

1\. Create bubbles.  
2\. Create bubble helmets to breathe underwater.  
3\. Create clouds to float over people’s heads.  
4\. Part the rain to avoid getting wet.  
5\. Carry fish around in suspended water.

**Personal Skills:**

1\. Extensive knowledge of hand to hand combat techniques. (COMBAT TRAINING)  
2\. Extensive knowledge on the different mythical and magical and legendary creatures of Aredrinnor (ZOOLOGY)  
3\. High stamina (COMBAT TRAINING)

~

**Rocky**

**C Rank:**

1\. Manipulate and shape small rocks and stones. (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
2\. Cause small tremors. (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
3\. Read thoughts of others through touch. (COMMUNICATIONS)  
4\. Project thoughts into another’s mind through touch. (COMMUNICATIONS)

**B Rank:**

1\. Create small rocks from sand [sedimentary]. (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
2\. Animate small rock golems. (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
3\. Detect metals below the earth’s surface (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
4\. Sense vibrations in the earth (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
5\. Send paper messages via ground. (COMMUNICATIONS)  
6\. Create a weak psychic shield to protect the users mind. (COMMUNICATIONS)  
7\. Sense emotions of others through touch. (COMMUNICATIONS)  
8\. Cause weak hallucinations. (COMMUNICATIONS)

**A Rank:**

1\. Manipulate rock golems up to the size of the user. (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
2\. Create weak earthquakes, avalanches, mudslides and quicksand (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
3\. Manipulate metals. [Weapons, Shields etc] (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
4\. Move boulders. (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
5\. Burrow underground (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
6\. Sense a person’s magical energy (COMMUNICATIONS)  
7\. Read minds without touch from a short distance (COMMUNICATIONS)  
8\. Dream-walking (COMMUNICATIONS)

**S Rank:**

1\. Split open the earth. (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
2\. Manipulate rock giants [Rocky Jr only] (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
3\. Manipulate magma (MAGMA MANIPULATION)

**SS Rank: N/A**

**Vanity Spells:**

1\. Create gemstones and crystals.

**Personal Skills:**

1\. Can create wooden and metal weapons and shields by hand. (CRAFTSMANSHIP)  
2\. Extensive knowledge on the different mythical and magical and legendary creatures of Aredrinnor (ZOOLOGY)  
3\. High stamina (COMBAT TRAINING)  
4\. Can summon own companion [Rocky Jr]

~

**Sanha**

**C Rank:**

1\. Create breezes. (WEATHER MANIPULATION)  
2\. Lift small objects in the air. (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
3\. Read thoughts of others through touch. (COMMUNICATIONS)  
4\. Project thoughts into another’s mind through touch. (COMMUNICATIONS)

**B Rank:**

1\. Create gusts of wind (can slow enemies). (WEATHER MANIPULATION)  
2\. Create a weak psychic shield to protect the users mind. (COMMUNICATIONS)  
3\. Sense emotions of others through touch. (COMMUNICATIONS)  
4\. Send paper message via air (COMMUNICATIONS)  
5\. Cause weak hallucinations. (COMMUNICATIONS)  
6\. Create shrill sounds to deafen (PRACTICAL SKILLS)

**A Rank:**

1\. Amplified hearing. (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
2\. Create tornados [over land] (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
3\. Create hurricanes [over water] (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
4\. Create wall of wind for defence or traps (PRACTICAL SKILLS)  
5\. Sense a person’s magical energy (COMMUNICATIONS)  
6\. Read minds without touch from a short distance (COMMUNICATIONS)  
7\. Dream-walking (COMMUNICATIONS)

**S Rank:**

1\. Fly [Sanha struggles with this] (FLYING LESSONS)

**SS Rank: N/A**

**Vanity Spells:**

1\. Create clouds to float over people’s heads.  
2\. Manipulate air to make different sounds and music.  
3\. Human fan (Mix with heat from a fire user to make a human heater)

**Personal Skills:**

1\. Knows how to boost a fire users magic.  
2\. Extensive knowledge on the different mythical and magical and legendary creatures of Aredrinnor (ZOOLOGY)  
3\. High stamina (COMBAT TRAINING)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Myungjun obviously has the most amount of spells because he's my main character, so naturally, I've been able to think of more for him.  
> I have a list of a few more spells that they haven't learnt yet but I'm open to new ideas.  
> If there's a spell you can think of that I haven't included, comment it down below and I'll add it to my list. ESPECIALLY Vanity Spells because I have no more of those but I'm sure they'd be able to do other cute quirky things that I'm too dumb to think of myself.  
> If no one can think of any others then I'll just accept the fact I've done a good enough job already xD Thankyou loves<3
> 
> PS. None of them have SS Rank spells. Those are the GOD-like spells of the magic world, hence the name 'transcendence' and they wouldn't be taught at the academy.
> 
> PPS. If you have any other questions don't be afraid to ask. I'll try to answer as best as I can :)


	121. Operation: Date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's 2:20am and I can't sleep so I'm uploading again yeeeee

Jinwoo was acting strange. He’d been acting strange ever since his confrontation with Wonho. That had been almost a week ago now and Myungjun was starting to get frustrated. Jinwoo wasn’t treating him any differently, he’d still shower him with love and compliments…but only when he was actually around. Jinwoo had been disappearing a lot recently and whenever he came back, he always looked tired. He’d disappear into Sanhas room straight after dinner every night and whenever Myungjun would creep in to see what he was doing he’d find Jinwoo fast asleep. He always told himself to speak to Jinwoo in the mornings when he was awake, to find out what was going on with him, but Jinwoo would always distract him with more hugs and kisses that Myungjun had been deprived of during the previous day.

This morning would be different though. He was going to follow Jinwoo to wherever it was he was disappearing off to. He didn’t want to spy on him, but he felt like he had no other choice.

Myungjun sat at the table in the kitchen, half-heartedly partaking in the conversation between Sanha and his mother when Jinwoo rushed into the room.

“Hello Jinwoo dear are you going out again?”

Jinwoo turned to his mother with a smile. “Yes. Do we have any coffee?”

“In the pot over there.” His mother pointed before going back to her conversation with Sanha.

Myungjun pushed his food away and went to wrap his arms around Jinwoos waist from behind, hooking his chin over Jinwoos shoulder and watching as his boyfriend poured himself a mug.

“Good morning sunshine. You’re especially bright today,” Jinwoo said lightly as he looked down at the arms wrapped around his waist. Myungjun was wearing a bright yellow long sleeved cotton shirt and he thought it suited his nickname well.

Myungjun just hummed and pressed a kiss into Jinwoos neck. “Where are you going today?”

Jinwoo turned around in his arms to look at him. “Your hair looks different today Junnie.” A distraction. As usual.

“It’s the same as yesterday.” Myungjun sighed. “Where are you going Jinwoo?”

Jinwoo gulped down his coffee and leaned forwards to kiss him quickly. Myungjun melted into it. He hadn’t kissed Jinwoo since the previous morning and it felt much too long ago for his liking.

“I’ll be back soon.” Jinwoo muttered against his lips before pulling out of his hold and putting his cup in the sink. “See you later.” He said louder for everyone to hear before disappearing.

Myungjun waited for a few seconds before following him. The front door slammed shut, and he eased it open to see which direction Jinwoo was walking in. He turned left and for one heart-stopping moment Myungjun thought he was going to Wonhos, but he just carried on up the street. Myungjun slipped outside and followed him, making sure to keep his distance.

Jinwoo walked for a long time, down street after street, up path after path, around corner after corner. Myungjun had never been this far into the town before. The houses slowly thinned out before disappearing all together and Myungjuns eyes widened in awe at the forest they were approaching. The trees were tall and beautiful and Myungjun wanted desperately to sit and talk to them and hear all of their secrets, but he had to keep following his boyfriend. Jinwoo walked through the trees, running his hands along them and humming to himself. He only stopped when he came out at the edge of a river.

“Have you finished following me yet?” Myungjun froze as Jinwoo turned to look at him with one eyebrow raised. Myungjun stammered for an excuse but Jinwoo just sighed. “Junnie you’re terrible at being stealthy…and you picked the worst colour to wear whilst sneaking around.”

Myungjun pouted down at his shirt. “I like it though.”

Jinwoo walked over to him and tilted Myungjuns face back up. “Why are you following me?”

“You gave me no choice. You’ve been disappearing so much lately I hardly ever get to see you. I just miss you JinJin.”

Jinwoos eyes softened and he rubbed a thumb softly over Myungjuns cheek. “I’m sorry sunshine I didn’t realise you’d miss me. I thought you’d be too busy with Sanha or working in the garden.”

“Well why are you out here? What have you been doing?”

“Truthfully I only came this far out because you were following me. I don’t usually come here.” Jinwoo laughed at Myungjuns angry huff and let his hand drop back down to his side. “If you must know, I’ve been keeping up with my training. I was getting antsy not doing anything when I used to train every day at the academy. I feel like I’ll become weak again if I don’t keep up my routine.”

“But you’ve been coming home exhausted every day. I think you’re pushing yourself too much.”

“I have to get stronger.” Jinwoo said quietly. “I’m not strong enough yet.”

Myungjuns eyes narrowed in suspicion. “This doesn’t have anything to do with Wonho does it? Because this all started after you met him.” Myungjun groaned when Jinwoos awkward denial confirmed it. “JinJin seriously?”

Jinwoo flushed and stepped away from him. “Myungjun you don’t know what its like. I was used to being the strong one. No-one else in the academy came close to being as strong as me and I loved it because _you_ loved it. And now I’ve come here and _Wonho_ is the stronger one. Wonho who flirts with you and lives next door and helps your mother.”

Myungjun frowned as he tried to process Jinwoos words. Jinwoo was…insecure? Jinwoo was NEVER insecure. Myungjun was completely baffled. “JinJin I don’t know why you’re suddenly feeling this way, but it needs to stop. You’re just being silly. I don’t care about Wonho or how strong he is. I care about _you_. You’re my boyfriend, not him. If anything, Wonhos TOO strong. He’s so strong its scary. But you’re _perfect_. You can pick me up and carry me around and pull me to my feet when I need help. You’re so strong already I don’t see why you’d want to be any stronger.”

“You like strength, you like muscle.”

“I like YOUR strength and YOUR muscle, because they’re on YOU…I’d even like you if you didn’t have any muscle at all and were as skinny as Hyungwon-hyung.” Myungjun was relieved to see Jinwoo smile. “Stop being so insecure about yourself JinJin. I’m not in love with you because of your body, although it _is_ very nice. I’m in love with you because of who you are as a person. So please stop pushing yourself and tiring yourself out. You’re just going to get sick and we don’t know how many days we have left before my father sends for us. What if we receive his note in a few days’ time but you’re too sick and exhausted to move?”

Jinwoo sighed. “I didn’t think of that. I’m sorry Junnie. I don’t know why I let him get to me like that either. Can we just go home now? I really am tired, and I want a hot bath to soak my muscles. They’re screaming at me right now.”

“Let’s go. Get on my back. I’ll carry you and that can be my exercise. I haven’t done any in a while.”

*

Myungjun woke up the next morning to a knock on his bedroom door. He mumbled for the visitor to come in and looked up to see Jinwoo slip inside. He closed the door quietly behind himself and Myungjun made room on his bed for him to get under the covers. Jinwoo pulled him up against his chest and Myungjun snuggled into him with a content sigh.

“I’m taking you out today.”

“Where are we going?” Myungjun asked sleepily.

“A date.”

Myungjun sat up quickly to look down at Jinwoo with wide eyes. “You’re taking me on a date?” Jinwoo just nodded with a grin on his face. “Where? What are we doing? Why are we going on a date?”

“Get up and you’ll find out.”

Myungjun rushed to get out of bed, pulling Jinwoo with him before realising they could let go of one another without the fear of disappearing anymore. He hesitated to do so and Jinwoo seemed to understand. Jinwoo held onto him still as Myungjun got changed and leaned in to kiss him when he was done.

“Step one of our date, breakfast.”

Jinwoo led him down into the kitchen which smelled incredibly good and Myungjun gasped when he realised why. He quickly sat down at the table and pulled the plate towards himself. “You made pancakes? I didn’t know you could cook!”

“Surprise I guess.” Jinwoo said with a laugh before sitting down opposite Myungjun and taking the plate back. Myungjun went to protest but stopped himself as Jinwoo cut a piece off before holding it up to his face. “I’ll feed you.”

Myungjun ate it all happily, spending the entire time trying to coax information about the rest of their date out of his stubborn boyfriend who just refused to tell him anything else. He kept saying it was a surprise but Myungjun wanted to know _now_.

“Step two of our date, brushing sunshine’s hair.”

“JinJin you do that all the time!”

“And you still love it so stop complaining and follow me.”

~

Myungjun sat in between Jinwoo legs with the early morning sun shining down on them. He didn’t know why Jinwoo had chosen to brush his hair in the garden, but he wasn’t complaining, it was peaceful and pretty and he got to see all of his flowers.

“What colour hair do you want me to have?” Myungjun asked, running his fingers through the blades of grass around them.

“Hmm purple? I don’t think you’ve done purple yet.”

“What type of purple? A light one or a dark one?”

“Light.”

Jinwoo hummed happily as he got to work and the careful way he brushed Myungjuns hair made him relax even further. He was in the middle of daydreaming when he felt Jinwoo doing something different.

“Are you tying up my hair?”

“Yes, make it a bit longer I need more.”

Myungjun let it grow out until Jinwoo was satisfied. “Why are you tying my hair? How do you even know how to do that?”

“I asked Youngjae to teach me after the day Grey got fired. I saw how excited you were about having your hair done up in the buns, so I thought I’d learn to do it for you. Grey was right, I do think you look good like that. Very adorable. So stop fidgeting and let me finish.”

Myungjun tried to sit as patiently as possible, which was hard because he was feeling so excited, and at Jinwoos request he turned around to show him the result when he was done.

“I didn’t think it was possible for someone to be this handsome and this pretty both at the same time.” Myungjun giggled at the compliment and asked to tie up Jinwoos hair in return. “Sure, anything you want sunshine. I only have one more band though and my hair isn’t as long as yours.”

Myungjun didn’t mind, he already had the perfect idea and when he was done, he giggled some more. He’d tied up Jinwoos fringe and it was sticking up on top of his head like a little plant sprout. Jinwoo just grinned as he touched it.

“Now I look just as cute as you. Let’s go. Step three, brush sunshine’s teeth.”

*

Jinwoos ‘steps’ carried on throughout the morning. He mainly did the little things he always did for Myungjun on a daily basis before declaring, that they were in fact, going for a picnic after all.

Myungjun skipped beside him happily, as they walked towards Jinwoos mystery location. He talked about all of the cute animals and plants they walked past whilst Jinwoo listened fondly.

Whenever they walked past people who would give them questioning looks, Jinwoo would just point to his hair and declare proudly, “My boyfriend did this for me. Its almost as cute as him don’t you think?” and Myungjun would have to drag him away burning with embarrassment. After the third time, Myungjun threatened to go home, so Jinwoo quickly stopped much to Myungjuns relief.

Jinwoos mystery location turned out to be the river they’d spoken at yesterday and he was quick to set up the blanket and placed the picnic basket full of food he’d made in the middle. Myungjun went to sit down but Jinwoo stopped him.

“You’re sitting between my legs, not all the way over there.”

“JinJin the blankets not that big there is no ‘all the way over there’.”

“You can either voluntarily get that cute butt over here or I’ll drag you here myself.”

Myungjun squeaked in fear at the look on Jinwoos face and rushed over to sit where he was told. Jinwoo hummed happily as he wrapped his arms around Myungjuns waist from behind and pointed to the basket.

“I made all your favourite foods. Your mother helped with some of them, but I tried to do as much of it as I could by myself. I’ll learn how to cook better in the future so I can feed this cute tummy to keep it nice and squishy.” Myungjun giggled as Jinwoo tickled him and leaned over to open the basket. He was immediately assaulted by the delicious smells within and whined quietly when his stomach grumbled. “Do you want me to feed you?” Jinwoo asked him between covering the back of his neck in kisses.

“No, I’ll feed you. You made this for us so let me do some of the work.”

Feeding Jinwoo, who was sitting behind him, proved a lot messier than expected and Myungjuns top ended up covered in food but he loved every second of it. Jinwoo just groaned when he looked at the mess and tried to wipe at Myungjuns top as best as he could.

“Its useless, your top I filthy, lets just take it off.” He winked at Myungjun before trying to undress him and Myungjun shrieked out a laugh and smacked his hands away.

“Control yourself Park Jinwoo, we’ve only just eaten.”

“Hmm you’re right. Wait here for me, I have one more thing to give you.”

Myungjun watched him disappear through the trees and worked on cleaning up all the empty dishes and putting them back into the basket. When he was finished, he sat back and watched the river water trickle by. There were birds tweeting in the trees and dragonfly’s dancing over the water. The warm sun on Myungjuns face mixed with his full stomach made him nice and sleepy.

He wasn’t feeling so sleepy anymore when Jinwoo returned and thrust some flowers his way looking very pleased with himself.

“Ta-da! These are Camellias right? They look just like her. I spotted some growing on our way here do you like them?”

Myungjun could still see some dirt clinging to their roots and tried not to think about how much pain they would have been in after being torn from the soil by his overexcited boyfriend. He just accepted them with a smile and vowed to replant them when they got home.

“I love them JinJin thankyou. They’re very pretty. They look just like her.”

Jinwoo beamed and crouched down to cup Myungjuns face in his hands. “This is why Camellia is your companion, she reflects perfectly how pretty you are.” Myungjun blushed and tried to hide behind the flowers as Jinwoo chuckled. “Wow your face blends right in behind them. You have such a pretty blush too. The prettiest. My pretty boy.”

Myungjun opened his mouth to tell him to stop before he melted in embarrassment, but the sound of rustling paper caught his attention. Two big rolls of parchment, singed at the ends, landed on the floor beside them with a thump. They looked at each other with wide eyes before snatching one each and opening them up.

**Myungjun, the guild is now ready for your initiation ceremony. I’ve attached a copy of the guild information which I suggest you read beforehand. Send me a note back when you wish to drop by.**

His father didn’t sign off the note but Myungjun didn’t mind. He felt excitement well up inside of him and when Jinwoo looked up from his note Myungjun could see it shining in his eyes too.

“Let’s go today.” Jinwoo said eagerly. “We can read the guild information in the carriage.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jinwoo learnt how to cook for Myungjun...Jinwoo learnt how to tie up hair for Myungjun...where can I get a Jinwoo of my own???
> 
>    
> I'd like to say thankyou to @AngelwithaTablet for letting me use her wonderful picnic idea for this chapter :')


	122. DRAGON BLADES GUILD INFORMATION.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is INFORMATIONAL.  
> It is NOT part of the story, but its IMPORTANT you read it.
> 
> This is the guild information Myungjun and Jinwoo are currently reading in the carriage on their way to the guild~

**DRAGON BLADES GUILD INFORMATION:**

Dragon Blades is a guild situated in the guild district of Voredan City in the land of Aredrinnor. As one of the oldest guilds in existence it is well known and well respected. With fifty-three members to date it is relatively small but despite its small number Dragon Blades boasts some of the most skilled magic users in the land.

*

The guild hall itself is comprised of **six** floors.

Floor 1- The Tavern. A large open floor filled with tables for the guild members to eat and drink and socialise.

Floor 2- The Request Boards. On this floor guild members can approach their appropriate job board to see which missions/quests have been posted by the citizens of Aredrinnor who request their assistance. (Local jobs, C Rank jobs)

Floor 3- The Request Boards. On this floor guild members can approach their appropriate job board to see which missions/quests have been posted by the citizens of Aredrinnor and those of the surrounding lands who request their assistance. (B Rank jobs, A Rank jobs)

Floor 4- The Request Boards. On this floor guild members can approach their appropriate job board to see which missions/quests have been posted by the citizens of Aredrinnor and those of the surrounding lands who request their assistance. (S Rank jobs, SS Rank jobs)

Floor 5- Temporary accommodation. Twenty small rooms. For members of the guild who need somewhere to stay overnight after completing jobs.

Floor 6- Guild Leaders Quarters.

There is a door powered by magic, located in the tavern (beside the bar), that takes guild members to other unique rooms/places. The most notable of which are the guilds two training fields. One for magical combat and one for physical combat.

*

**GUILD JOB TYPE:**

**Local Jobs**

1\. Any minor requests, from the citizens of Voredan city, to be completed in Voredan City, that DO NOT pose a risk to life.  
2\. Everyone MUST complete at least four of these a month.  
3\. EXAMPLES: jobs that require physical labour, finding lost people or animals, finding items of little value, providing items in need (Herbs, clothing, food etc).

**C Rank Jobs**

1\. Minor requests from all over Aredrinnor that DO NOT pose a risk to life.  
2\. EXAMPLES: jobs that require physical labour, finding lost people or animals, finding items of some value, providing items in need in bulk (Herbs, clothing, food etc).

**B Rank Jobs**

1\. Requests from all over Aredrinnor that pose LITTLE threat to life.  
2\. EXAMPLES: Escorting people or objects, finding lost objects of higher value, delivering packages of unknown goods.

**A Rank Jobs**

1\. Requests from all over Aredrinnor AND the surrounding lands that pose SIGNIFICANT threat to life.  
2\. EXAMPLES: Defending people or objects, escorting important goods, assassination requests, killing monsters.

**S/SS Rank Jobs**

1\. Requests from all over Aredrinnor AND the surrounding lands that pose SIGNIFICANT threat to life. HIGH RISK OF DEATH.  
2\. EXAMPLES: Invasions, protecting cities from invasions, killing dangerous monsters, assassination requests of higher importance, missions of world importance.

**PAYMENT:**

Each request will have the amount of coins as payment listed at the bottom. Any side rewards will be decided between you and the person who requested the help.

Local Jobs- Any amount of coins.  
C Rank Jobs- 30,000 coins base minimum.  
B Rank Jobs- 200,000 coins base minimum.  
A Rank Jobs- 500,000 coins base minimum.  
S Rank Jobs- 2,000,000 coins base minimum.  
SS Rank Jobs- 10,000,000 coins base minimum.

**OTHER INFORMATION:**

The guild leader will promote you up the ranks when he sees fit. Everyone begins at the bottom (Local Jobs).

Dragon Blades has six S Rank magic users, the highest amount of S Rank magic users in one guild.

Most requests that come into the guild are open to any member to take (if you are of the correct rank for that request). However, some citizens may require people of certain magic types to accept their requests or even specific members altogether.

 **Ranks:**  
C Rank- Beginner  
B Rank- Intermediate  
A Rank- Advanced  
S Rank- Master  
SS Rank- Transcendent

*

**GUILD TRAINEES:**

Members under the age of sixteen are classed as trainees. They can join fully-fledged members on missions from the Local Job and C Rank job boards only. One trainee per team. Special exceptions can be made but MUST be agreed upon with the guild leader first.

Trainees also undergo special training to further boost their magic and fighting skills.

*

**THE INITIATION CEREMONY:**

Anyone who joins Dragon Blades (16+) must undergo an initiation. The guild leader will assess your academic records (where applicable) and any other relevant work experience before putting you into at least one of the following categories:

1\. Team Leader- The person in charge of their team who strategizes and organises.  
2\. Tank- The team shield. Redirects enemy attacks and attention to themselves.  
3\. Offence- The frontline attackers. High magical and fighting power.  
4\. Defence- Works alongside the tank to defend and protect their team.  
5\. Healer- Heals and boosts team members using magical and non-magical means.

These categories will be helpful for you when deciding on teams for jobs.

When you have been sorted into your category(s), you will receive your guild mark which will differ depending on what you have been classified as. Every mark is based around the Dragon Blades guild logo to make you easily identifiable when taking on jobs and entering competitions. It is a mark you will wear proudly as a member of this guild.

_Welcome to Dragon Blades._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any questions, let me know, and I'll try to answer as best as I can :)


	123. Welcome To Dragon Blades.

Myungjun approached the Dragon Blades guild hall clutching Jinwoos hand tight out of nervous excitement. He noticed a few familiar figures standing outside and with a squeal, ran down the street to jump on Hyungwons back.

“Junnie?” Hyungwon asked trying to look back at him.

“I missed you ‘wonnie!” Myungjun whined. “That was the _longest_ week of my life.” Hyungwon just laughed and Myungjun jumped back down to hug Hoseok and Dongmin next. “I missed ALL of you lots.”

“You’re so cute Hyung.” Dongmin said with a grin.

“What are you doing out here?” Jinwoo asked when he finally caught up to them. “Have you already been in?”

They all shook their heads and Hoseok was the one to speak for them. “We were waiting to see if anyone else turned up. We obviously knew Rocky and Moonbin wouldn’t turn up today, but we hoped you two would at least. Youngjae still isn’t here either.”

“When are Rocky and Moonbin coming?” Myungjun asked Dongmin.

“Well they’d only be halfway home by now. It takes two weeks to get to Zepheholde remember. They’ll want to spend time with their families too so they might be back here in a month or so.”

“You don’t sound too…upset about that.” Myungjun observed.

Dongmin just sighed. “It’ll be good to have a break. Binnies been doing my head in recently. First with killing you in the battledome and then him constantly causing trouble. I love him but he’s being extra idiotic and its grating on my nerves a bit.”

“Bin already apologised for killing me in the battledome. I honestly do forgive him. I wasn’t even angry at him in the first place. He just wanted to win so don’t be too mad at him for my sake. What about your parents anyway? What did they say about you joining a guild?”

“They weren’t very happy.” Dongmin grimaced. “They wanted me to take over the family business but for once I stood up to them. I’ve been desperate to get out of their iron grip and this has finally given me the chance. It would feel wrong for me to take over a business that was set up using the money I basically stole from Hyungwon-hyung.”

“I said we could forget about that.” Hyungwon reminded him. “I’m not mad anymore.”

“Still…”

“ANYWAY.” Hoseok interrupted. “Youngjaes over there.”

Myungjun spun around to wave at the younger boy who was beaming as he jogged down the path towards them. “Hey losers. Why are you all out here?”

“Waiting for you you little brat.” Hyungwon threw back. “Let’s go.”

Myungjun was pushed to the front to lead the way and he just rolled his eyes in response.

The guild hall was just as big and intimidating as it had been the first time he saw it. The big black stone blocks it was built from seemed to swallow all the light around it and Myungjun could hear the hum of magical energy as they got closer. It was a tall building too; with six floors it would have to be. His father’s crimson banners, displaying the guild symbol of a dragon surrounded by weaponry, hung from the top floor all the way down to the bottom. There were two of them, one on either side of the giant buildings front wall. The large wooden sign that hung above the door boldly stated the name in gold lettering.

 **Dragon Blades**.

Myungjun took a deep breath before climbing the steps to the large open oak doors. He could already hear the din of laughter and chatter from inside. The guild information had told him the first floor would be the tavern, so he was hardly surprised when he finally crossed the threshold to see people drinking and eating and looking happy.

Myungjun had sent a note to his father to tell him they were coming today, and he was already there waiting for them. He gave them all a curt nod before sweeping across the room to a large staircase leading to the second floor. They all followed him feeling intimidated by the stares they were getting and Myungjun rushed a bit quicker than usual to get away from prying eyes.

They walked up staircase after staircase until they stopped at the top floor which Myungjun knew was his father’s living quarters. He led them to the first door down the corridor and told them all to take a seat outside. When Myungjun went to sit down his father shook his head and told him he’d see him first. Myungjun said goodbye to the others feeling more vulnerable without them and walked inside of what could only be his father’s office. The room was dark and only lit by a few torches on the walls and he gestured for Myungjun to take a seat on the other side of his big mahogany desk.

“Welcome to Dragon Blades Myungjun. I won’t lie, I never thought this day would come and it feels rather strange to have you in here.”

“That makes two of us.” Myungjun replied awkwardly. “Will this take long?”

“Not at all. I already compiled all of your reports beforehand and I believe we should just get straight to the point. As I’m sure you’re aware, Dragon Blades rarely accepts new people, not because we are unfriendly or antisocial but because you need a lot of talent to become one of our members. I see something unique in all of your friends but some of them will have to work harder than others if they wish to keep their place here. With that being said, I would like to discuss the category you have been placed into. You read the guild information I assume?” Myungjun nodded and was ready to be told he was a healer. “Good. After debating for a long time about where your strengths and weaknesses are, I have come to the conclusion that you are an anomaly.”

“What?” Myungjun asked confused. “What’s an anomaly?” Whatever it was it didn’t sound good. That option hadn’t been on the guild information either.

“I haven’t seen this often, in fact there’s only two other people in the guild who are classified this way, and that’s two more than any other guild I know. An anomaly is something that deviates from the norm. In this case, the norm is fitting into maybe one or two categories. But you Myungjun, you fit into them all.”

Myungjun just stared. He fit into them all? No way. “I think you’re mistaken. I’m just a healer.”

“Myungjun I’ve never been mistaken in sorting people. I read your academic reports and watched all of the memory crystals three times over to make sure. You display qualities from all five categories. Category one: Team leader. You’ve shown clear leadership qualities by your effective use of strategizing and plan making. During your first ever dungeon run you created the plan to destroy the hive on the second floor in a matter of seconds and saved your remaining team members because of it. During the battledome you came up with the idea of using Yoon Sanha to boost Park Jinwoos fire. During the second battledome you devised a well thought out plan of communication when your team split. Need I go on?” Myungjun slowly shook his head. He’d heard a few times from his friends that he made a good leader but never thought anything of it. “Category two: Tank. A tank is someone who takes the pressure off of their teammates during a fight, who draws all of the enemies’ attention to themselves. Can you think of when you’ve done this?”

“The demon attack.” Myungjun suddenly remembered, perking up at the memory. “I led the demons away from the old man so he wouldn’t die.”

“Exactly.” His father said with a small quirk of his lips. “A very foolish but very brave action that saved a man’s life.”

“Wait how do you know about that? I know I told you I’d saved his life, but I never said HOW.”

“I asked for Banes memories. He gave them willingly.”

“Bane?”

“The man you saved. The guild leader. He’s known as Bane. Bane the Giant Slayer.”

Myungjun raised his eyebrows. That was NOT what he’d expected the old man to be called, but somehow it suited him. “Okay so he gave you his memories, got it. What next?”

“Category three: Offence. You’ve shown exceptional talent in the use of weaponry, especially the bow, and your magic is incredibly strong. Like I said before, you have a lot of hidden power which I hope you’ll learn to access one day.”

Myungjun shuffled uncomfortably in his seat. “I’m not exceptionally talented with weaponry, I only know what Jinwoo has taught me.”

“Would you say Jinwoo is talented?” Myungjun agreed quickly. “Exactly, Jinwoo who is talented in the use of weaponry taught you.”

“He didn’t teach just me though. He taught many students.”

“Can you honestly tell me that Jinwoo never showed favouritism towards you? That he never gave you extra help or even extra lessons?” Myungjuns silence was answer enough. “Exactly. Jinwoo built your skill set up more than any other student to the point where you might as well have just done that summer course with him. Anyway, let’s move on. Category four: Defence. You learnt early on about how your vines could be used defensively and you’ve been using them regularly ever since. I’m guessing you’re at the point now where you use next to no magical energy to summon them?” Myungjun nodded. He couldn’t even feel a drop in magical energy anymore when using them in a fight. “On multiple occasions you were able to shield your entire dungeon party from harm by the use of your vines. Also, another reason; you stepped in front of Jinwoo in the arena to take the hit from Jung Hoseoks pole during the last round. I could list a hundred more reasons why you fit into the defence category, but I don’t have all day to talk to you. Which is why I will skip Category five. You know why you are suitable as a healer, so we do not need to discuss it. With all of that being said, you’re stronger in some categories then you are in others, but you still lack in all of them.”

Myungjun couldn’t help but feel mildly offended by that. “How do I lack in healing? I aced my exam.”

“You did. However, you’re trained to the academies level of healing. You’re not up to guild standard yet. You’ll have to be taught a great deal more here before I let you out in the field as a group’s main healer. We have some exceptional healers in this guild who will be happy to help you. But like I said, you lack in ALL areas. You don’t _need_ to be good in all of those areas of course, but I believe it would benefit you if you pushed yourself to be. Anomalies are special, you are special Myungjun and you’ll be in high demand when word gets out about you.”

“Will I learn how to be good at everything here then?”

“If you work hard then yes you will be. I will speak to the members who can help you. Mainly the other two anomalies who came here in the exact same position you are in now. They’ve only been here for a couple of years, yet they are my strongest fighters. Two years older than you and already S Rank. That could be you in two years time. I WANT that to be you in two years time. Anomalies have a higher chance of becoming S Rank as well so it would be a waste of your talents if you do not strive for that goal. There are only thirty documented S Rank magic users in all of Aredrinnor and only sixteen of those work in guilds. S Ranks are in high demand for jobs and you’ll make a lot of coin. Just like how anomalies are in high demand. To be both of those…well you see my point.”

“If only sixteen work in guilds, where are the other fourteen?”

“Eight on the Kings magic counsel, the four elemental leaders of the academy, the academies nurse and the King’s personal healer are the other S Rank magic users.”

“Are you an S Rank magic user?”

“No.” Myungjuns obvious surprise made his father laugh. The sound was warm and unfamiliar, and it made Myungjuns stomach flip. “You’re surprised.”

“A little bit.” Myungjun admitted. “You’re a leader of one of the oldest guilds to date.”

“Being a guild leader doesn’t mean you’re automatically that skilled or powerful. If so, we’d have hundreds of S Rank magic users floating around. I’m only A Rank myself. Probably due to the fact this magic wasn’t originally mine to begin with so I can’t use it properly enough to grow any stronger…Anyway, that’s enough about me. The next stage of your initiation is getting your guild mark. It’s a magical tattoo of sorts that can be removed if you decide to leave. Here is mine.”

His father rolled up the sleeve of his cotton shirt to reveal the dragon blades guild logo on his muscled bicep. It was surrounded by old scars but stood out well with its crimson colouring. He pointed to the crown on top of the dragon’s head. “My dragon has a crown because I’m the guild leader.” He then pointed to the letters printed on the dragon’s chest. **TL** and **O**. “They stand for team leader and offence. These are my categories.” He rolled his sleeve back down to hide it. “Yours will obviously have an A on its chest and your dragon will have two sets of wings for being an anomaly. You have the choice of where you want to be marked. It’s advisable to put it somewhere you can easily access as you’ll be using it as proof of your identity. Many have chosen their hands, arms, or chests. Think about the type of clothing you wear often.”

Myungjun thought about it for a few seconds. “I wear shorts a lot, can I have it on my thigh?”

“If you wish. I can give it to you now so roll the material up.”

Myungjun stood up to stretch, hearing his knees crack after sitting for so long, before leaning down to hike the right leg of his shorts up. His father crouched down in front of him and placed his warm hand on his thigh. Myungjun felt a slight tingle before his father removed his hand to reveal the new symbol.

I have three now, Myungjun thought happily. Leaf shaped birthmark, star shaped shifter mark, dragon shaped guild mark.

His father stood up and smiled down at him. “Welcome to Dragon Blades Kim Myungjun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Myungjun is such a special boy uwu


	124. The Twins.

When Jinwoo stepped out of his father’s office, the last one of their group to do so, Myungjun looked up to see his father close behind and calling for their attention.

“Welcome to Dragon Blades everyone. Youngjae and Dongmin, you’ll be meeting your trainee instructor tomorrow. Youngjae you’ll only be a trainee for a month before you’re old enough to become a full-fledged member, but I’d still like for you to work hard.” Youngjae nodded and saluted dutifully much to everyone’s amusement. “Now if you’ll all follow me. I’ll be giving you an introduction to using the job boards.”

Myungjun let Jinwoo pull him to his feet and didn’t bother letting go of his hand. They walked down the flights of stairs together, too excited to talk much, until they walked out onto the second floor. It was a wide-open space like the tavern below and the room had more tables and chairs where Myungjun guessed people planned their teams for jobs. The things that stood out the most were the boards. They were a lot bigger than Myungjun was expecting and standing proud against the back wall. The first one was helpfully labelled ‘ **Local Requests** ’ and was covered in sheets of parchment that had been tacked on. There were a few people milling around this one, pointing to different sheets and discussing the rewards. The other board was labelled ‘ **C Rank Requests** ’ and only had two people in front of it who appeared to be arguing.

Myungjuns father led them to the Local request board where the guild members in front of it turned to greet him with a smile.

“Oh look it’s the dragon himself. Didn’t expect to see you down here.” One of the women smiled. “New recruits? There’s a lot of them.”

“A lot of young talent this year.” Myungjuns father replied with a smile of his own. “Found a request yet?”

The woman turned back to the board with a sigh. “Nothing that interests me.”

“How many have you done this month? Have you done the required four?”

She shook her head. “I’ve done one, but we’ve still got a couple of weeks left. Don’t worry I’ll get them done in time.” She gestured for her friends to follow and they left to go back down the stairs to the tavern.

“Why do all guild members have to do four local requests a month?” Hyungwon asked, eyeing the parchment curiously. “These all seem easy to me.”

Myungjun looked closer to read some of them himself. There were some requests for different herbs and potions people needed, a few missing pets and a church that needed ground magic users specifically to help rebuild and restore one of its walls. Myungjun didn’t have time to look at any more before his father was answering Hyungwons question.

“It’s a new rule I put into place after becoming guild leader. I wanted the members of this guild to help the citizens of Voredan regularly to dispel the prejudice that was surrounding us. This guild was seen in a negative light when my father was in charge. Dragon Blades doesn’t accept new people often, so we were seen as stuck up and cold. People would request our help easily enough because they knew we could get the job done, but we were not liked. Even other guilds were reluctant to socialise with us, but I believe that was more out of jealousy than anything else. Dragon Blades is known as the best guild in Aredrinnor for a reason. With that being said, I wanted my members to get out there and create a better image for us by helping those in need and it’s been working well for the past thirteen years. We have more requests than ever before and everyone here is happier because of it. We can finally leave the guild hall without having to cover our guild marks and we can display them proudly for everyone to see. I just wanted to create a better life for the people here.”

“Wow you’re a lot nicer than I thought you were.” Youngjae said bluntly with his eyebrows raised making everyone laugh.

“I’m glad you think so.” Myungjuns father said with a small quirk of his lips before gesturing to the board. “Trainees do not have to meet the four local jobs per month requirement but the rest of you do. We’re halfway through the month already so I will accept it if you can only complete two this time around.”

“What happens if next month we don’t complete the four?” Myungjun asked.

“You get suspended from taking on any jobs at all the following month. Its harsh and I’ve received plenty of backlash from your fellow guild members about it, but they’ve grown to understand why. This guild is a family and the reputation of this family is at stake. If we all stopped helping the citizens here, they’ll just label us as bad people again and I don’t want to put us back into the position where we have to hide who we are when we walk the streets. So, I hope you all follow this rule well and help maintain what your new family has created here.” He pointed to a nearby table that had a neat stack of parchment sitting on top of it. “When you find a request that you wish to take on, you’ll take it off the board and then go to that table to pick up one of the forms. You need to fill that form in with what request it is, what the reward states, your name, the date you took it etc, and then you need to take it to a woman called Hani who works behind the bar downstairs. She deals with all of the requests and rewards. I would do it myself as the guild leader but sometimes I’m not here. I go on my own jobs and can be away for months at a time depending on where that job is. In terms of your rewards, they get sent straight to the guild where they’re processed and taxed. The guild takes five percent of whatever you earn to help with the maintenance and the upkeep of the building and ensures that the tavern downstairs is always fully stocked. This means you can eat and drink to your hearts content without worrying for the cost. However, Hani will not serve alcohol to you trainees as you’re too young.” Myungjun grinned at the pouts on Youngjaes and Dongmins faces. “Are there any more questions?”

“Me and Hyungwon live two days away from here.” Hoseok began. “We’ve been staying in the academy guesthouse for the last week because we weren’t sure when we’d get your note about the initiation. It would be a pain to keep travelling back and forth from home.”

“You’re free to take up residence in the temporary accommodation on the fifth floor. The rooms are small, so you won’t fit much in them, but they’re habitable. I know that fifteen of the twenty rooms are currently unoccupied but it’s advisable that you save up your money and find a place to live in the city or surrounding towns. I can’t allow you to live here forever.”

“That’s fine.” Hoseok beamed. “We already have a plan in place for that anyway. Thankyou.”

“You’re welcome. Now, let’s go down to the tavern and get you all introduced.”

*

Myungjun was greeted enthusiastically after people realised he was the son of the guild leader. He was flustered from receiving so much attention but couldn’t deny the fact that he secretly enjoyed it a little. Everyone was nice and friendly and treated them all like old friends despite some of the big age differences. He couldn’t imagine how outsiders could see these people as cold or stuck up. Sure some of them were a little strange, like the man covered from head to toe in tattoos who was currently feeding something that was growling inside of his coat, or the woman who was reading two different books at the same time, both of which were upside down. Despite the strangeness some of them portrayed they were still nice and Myungjun liked nice people.

The atmosphere changed completely when two tall, identical looking boys walked through the tavern doors. Everyone fell silent and Myungjun tensed as their eyes fell on him. He could sense their magical power even from across the room and he knew Jinwoo could too, if the tightened grip he had on his hand gave him any indication.

“Ah welcome back boys. How did the job go?” His father asked, striding over to greet them.

They were still staring at Myungjun and it was beginning to unnerve him. They looked identical but gave off completely different auras.

One of them was wearing a long, black leather coat that dusted the tops of his clunky black boots. His ears were full of piercings and he had pitch black hair that was swept off of his forehead to reveal his sharp handsome features. He was broad and muscular and carried a giant greatsword on his back with more black leather covering the handle.

His brother was slimmer but still looked strong. His blonde hair fell over his forehead and brushed the frame of his glasses. He was wearing a cream knitted sweater that seemed almost too big for him and a pair of black trousers with rips at the knees. Myungjuns eyes stopped at the top of his weapon that was sticking up over his shoulder. Myungjun already knew without having to look at the whole thing that it was the prettiest bow he’d ever laid eyes upon.

“It was fine.” The softer looking archer replied, finally tearing his eyes away from Myungjun to look at his father instead. “Five million coins will be here by tomorrow. We’ll be taking our leave now…brother what are you doing?”

Myungjun froze as his scarier looking twin made his way across the room towards him and he was glad Jinwoo stepped between them protectively. The boy loomed over them both and completely ignored Jinwoos presence in favour of staring at Myungjun with curiosity in his eyes.

“You’re an anomaly. You’re also his son.”

Myungjun couldn’t reply, he just stared up at him with wide eyes. He looked a lot more intimidating up close. Myungjun didn’t know how he knew those things either. He could understand him recognising his eyes, but his guild mark was covered. He hadn’t even shown it to Jinwoo yet. So, how did he know?

Jinwoo turned back to look at him questioningly but they were interrupted by his father who had walked over with the archer in tow.

“Yes, he is my son. Myungjun I would like for you to meet Donghan and his brother Gikwang. These are the two other anomalies I was telling you about. Boys, whenever you are rested up from your job, my son requires your help. I would like for you to train with him and-”

“No.” The blonde-haired twin interrupted. “We don’t have time.”

“Gikwang I wasn’t asking. I was telling. You _will_ help him.” His father’s command was firm and made Myungjun even more uneasy. These two boys were eighteen and already S Rank magic users. In terms of power they surpassed his father by a long shot and Myungjun found himself feeling a sliver of worry for the man as Gikwang glared at him.

However, to his surprise, Gikwang just looked away after a few seconds with a frustrated sigh. “Fine. We’ll help him but we need to rest for a few days first. It was a hard job and we’ve been gone for three months. Let’s go now brother.” He turned on his heel and swept back out of the tavern doors. Donghan stared curiously at Myungjun for a few more seconds before following him.

When they’d finally disappeared, Myungjun breathed out shakily in relief and looked up at his father. “They’re very intimidating…and strong.”

“I did say they were my strongest fighters. You’ll be just as strong as them someday, if not stronger.”

Myungjun couldn’t believe that at all and just smiled half-heartedly before turning back to Jinwoo who was looking lost. “JinJin we need to talk.”

*

“You’re a _what_?” Jinwoo asked from his seat on one of the wooden benches outside of the guild hall.

“An anomaly.” Myungjun repeated quietly. “It means I fit into all of the categories.”

“That’s…wow.” Jinwoo blew out a big breath. “I didn’t even know that was possible. I thought for sure you’d be a healer.”

“Me too.” Myungjun admitted, leaning over to rest his head on Jinwoos shoulder. “But my father ran through every category with me and explained why I fit into them all. It made sense when he went through it with me, but I can still hardly believe it. Especially after seeing those twins. They’re anomalies too and both of them are S Rank magic users. My father told me I have a higher chance of becoming like them if I work hard but even you felt their power from across the tavern. I’ll never be like that.”

“Look at me.” Myungjun looked up to see Jinwoo looking serious. “I believe in you Myungjun. And even though it feels weird saying this I believe in your father too. If he says you can become that strong then I have absolute faith that you will.” His face relaxed into a smile and Myungjun couldn’t help but smile back. “I knew my boyfriend was the most amazing person to ever exist.”

“Ew Park Jinwoo don’t be sappy.”

Jinwoo chuckled and leaned over to press a kiss to his lips. “If you’re an anomaly does your guild mark look different? Where did you get it anyway?”

“On my thigh.” Myungjun giggled as Jinwoo froze. “What’s wrong JinJin?”

Jinwoo cleared his throat. “Your thighs are…”

Myungjun knew what Jinwoo was going to say. Jinwoo loved his thighs and that was part of the reason he’d had it put there in the first place. “Want to see?”

Jinwoo nodded slowly and Myungjun stood up to face him before rolling up the material of the right leg of his shorts. The crimson dragon stood out nicely on his skin and Myungjun heard the small intake of Jinwoos breath.

“It has two sets of wings.” Jinwoo observed quietly, reaching out to trail his fingers over them delicately. Myungjuns skin tingled at the contact.

“Where did you have yours done?” he asked.

“My chest.” Jinwoo answered absentmindedly. He was still too busy staring at Myungjuns mark and whined unhappily when Myungjun covered it back up.

“What categories?”

“Team leader and Offence. Like your father.” Jinwoo said standing up to stretch with a groan. “We should go it’s getting late. We have lots to tell Sanha when we get home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to reinforce who is who:  
> Donghan = Leather, piercings, black hair, curious, greatsword.  
> Gikwang = Soft-looking, glasses, blonde hair, grumpy, bow.
> 
> ^ Wow 10/10 descriptive skills


	125. Little Dragon.

Myungjun woke up the next morning bursting with energy. He jumped out of bed and rushed to pull on some clothes. He decided on a pink tank top and a pair of black shorts. His pink gemstone necklace went around his throat and he tied his hair up in a bun at the back of his head. After deeming his outfit acceptable he rushed to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face before going to knock on the door to Sanhas and Jinwoos room.

He opened it up and giggled at the sight. Jinwoo was asleep on the bottom bunk with his cover half off of himself and an arm and a leg dangling over the side of his mattress. His mouth was wide open as he snored and Myungjun quickly backed out of the room and closed the door quietly behind him to leave his cute boyfriend to sleep.

His mother and Sanha were already downstairs eating breakfast and Sanha had his guitar in his lap. “Morning Hyung. Is Jinwoo-hyung still asleep?”

“He’s knocked out.” Myungjun answered with a smile. “We had too much excitement yesterday I think. He’s wanted his whole life to join a guild, so he was high tension all day.”

“It’s still hard to believe you’re actually a member of Dragon Blades.” His mother said with a sigh. “I never expected you to even meet your father let alone join his guild. Then again I never expected us to move here or expand our little family any further either.” She smiled as Sanha spilled food down his top and leaned over to wipe it away. “I’m happy we did though…and I guess I’m happy your father is treating you well too. If he’s ever mean or unfair to you, tell me and I’ll storm the place to have words with him.”

Myungjun giggled at the thought and promised he would before getting some of his own food. “Me and JinJin are going back today to look for our first request. Father said everyone has to do at least four of the local ones a month but because we’ve joined halfway through this month, he’ll allow us to do just two instead. JinJin will probably push us to do the four anyway.”

“Well I’ll be glad to see you both working hard. If you want to stay overnight at the guild at any point you must send Sanha a note to let me know. Or just send it straight to me. I guess it doesn’t matter which.”

“I will. So far we’re only allowed to do the Local jobs, so we’ll probably come home every night anyway.”

Everyone turned at the sound of Jinwoo stumbling down the stairs and Myungjun held back the urge to coo at his adorable appearance. He was still in his wrinkled pyjamas and his hair was haphazard. He barely had his eyes open and was muttering something about coffee. Myungjuns mother ordered him to sit whilst she made some for him and gave him some breakfast too.

“Thankyou Ms Kim.” Jinwoo mumbled in his deep scratchy morning voice that never failed to make Myungjuns heart flutter. “Why didn’t you wake me up Junnie?”

“You looked really tired, so I didn’t bother. In fact, you _still_ look tired so maybe you should go back to sleep after you’ve eaten.”

“Can’t.” Jinwoo replied after taking a sip of his coffee and sighing happily at the taste. “We’ve got work to do.”

“JinJin we still have two weeks to do two jobs. Some of them look easy and might only take a day at most.”

“We should still train and work on improving our magic and fighting skills in between though. Just because we’ve left the academy doesn’t mean we should start slacking. We’ll forget things otherwise and we need to keep on top form for when we’re promoted up the ranks.” Jinwoo pointed out before digging into his breakfast hungrily.

Myungjun couldn’t argue with that and just watched him eat as he finished his own meal.

“Sanha what are your plans for the day?” His mother asked conversationally.

Sanha patted the guitar in his lap with a smile. “I’m going to work on composing my own songs.”

“How wonderful. If you need any help just let me know.”

“Thankyou mother.” Sanha said happily before getting up. “See you Hyungs!” He rushed from the room taking his guitar with him.

“That boy needs to stop growing.” His mother said with a shake of her head as she begun to clean the dishes off the table. “I’ll have to get him some new clothes soon.”

“Don’t waste your money I’ll just make him some when I get the time.” Myungjun offered. He helped her wash the dishes and looked back to see Jinwoo finally coming to life after finishing his coffee. “JinJin go and get dressed and then we’ll leave.”

*

Myungjun entered the guild and looked around the tavern. He spotted Hyungwon sitting at one of the tables near a window with Hoseok and made his way over. “Hey guys.”

“Oh Junnie good timing.” Hyungwon patted the seat next to him and Myungjun sat down to cuddle up to him. “We were just going to go up and take a look at the board. Youngjae and Dongmin just left with their trainer. Apparently they’re learning how to strengthen their magic today.”

“Cool.” Myungjun said pulling back to grin at him. “They’ll be stronger than us soon.”

“Talking of getting stronger, we were going to go out to the training fields after to practice for a bit if you want to join?” Hoseok asked.

“We will.” Jinwoo answered from the seat opposite Myungjun. “Let’s just go see if there’s any requests we can do first.”

They made their way up to the second floor and Myungjun greeted some of the other guild members who were looking at the requests on the C Rank board. They were the same two who were arguing in front of it yesterday and Myungjun couldn’t help but listen in to what they were saying.

“Rents due in a week. We can’t keep putting it off! We need a job with _at least_ fifty thousand coins to cover what we’re missing. We’ve already blown through last month’s earnings.”

“I TOLD you that you shouldn’t have bought that puppy. You’ve spoiled him too much. What good are all of his toys and clothes if we have nowhere to store them when we’re made homeless?”

“But he was so _cute_. I couldn’t help bringing him home. And you can’t deny the fact he looks positively _adorable_ in his clothes. Just stop moaning, pick a job and meet me downstairs.”

The man groaned and turned back to the board and Myungjun smiled to himself before turning back to his own search. He could understand what the woman was saying. Puppies _were_ adorable. It would be nice to have a puppy of my own, Myungjun thought absentmindedly as he scanned the requests in front of him.

“This one looks easy enough.” Jinwoo interrupted his thoughts and pointed to a piece of parchment in the middle of the board. Myungjun read the words ‘heavy lifting involved’ and snorted.

“Yeah easy enough for you. Look they only need one person you should do it.” Myungjun said before looking at the reward. “Wow ten thousand coins for one cartload? That’s really good.”

Jinwoo hummed happily before ripping the parchment down. “It’s not too far from here either so I’ll be done before dinner. Send me a note to let me know what request you choose. See you later.” Jinwoo leaned over to kiss him before hurrying to fill out his form.

“I’ve got one too.” Hoseok said happily. “They need water users to help clean out the river behind the castle. “Five thousand coins an hour. I’ll just go and take my time.” He winked at them before rushing off and Myungjun exchanged amused looks with Hyungwon.

“There’s nothing here that I can be bothered to do right now.” Hyungwon said tiredly. “I didn’t get a good sleep last night. Me and Seokkie shared a bed and he moved around too much. I’m just going to go lay down for an hour.”

Myungjun made a noise of sympathy and gave him a quick hug. “Go to sleep ‘wonnie you do look tired. I’ll find something to do myself and if not, I’ll come find you and join in on your nap.” Hyungwon grinned down at him before ruffling his hair and leaving.

Myungjun turned back to the board and looked through some of his options. There were people looking for certain medicinal herbs that he could have delivered…if he still had his greenhouse at the academy. Myungjun whined sadly. He really missed growing his own plants.

“I’ll just save up enough to get a greenhouse of my own.” He muttered to himself.

“There’s a greenhouse here you know.” Myungjun spun around with wide eyes and looked up at the scary twin from yesterday, Donghan. “I can show you if you’d like. I’m sure your father wouldn’t mind you using it.”

“I thought you were resting for the next few days.” Myungjun answered nervously. He felt extra small around him, only coming up to the older boy’s chest in height, and for once he didn’t like it. He liked feeling small around Jinwoo but only because he knew he was safe. Here he felt like a mouse in front of a very large, very hungry looking cat.

“My brothers the one who likes to rest.” Donghan said with a shrug. “Follow me.”

Myungjun didn’t want to follow him but he _did_ want to see the greenhouse he spoke of, so he hurried to catch up. Donghan took him down the stairs to the tavern and round to the door beside the bar which Myungjun knew led out into the training grounds and other unique places and rooms. Donghan turned a wheel beside the doorframe until it pointed to the word greenhouse and opened the door to step inside.

They were immediately hit with the warm, humid, earthy smelling air only a greenhouse could produce and Myungjun looked around them in awe. It was huge. Rows and rows of empty planters stretched out in front of him and he could see the sun shining brightly through the glass roof. After getting over the initial shock he frowned. Why were there no plants?

“Wow I’ve never seen someone go through so many different emotions at once. Your face is very expressive.” Donghan observed sounding just as curious as he had looked yesterday. “You might look like you father, but you don’t act like him.”

“Uhhh…” Myungjun didn’t really know how to answer that so he changed the topic instead. “Why is it empty?”

“The woman who kept her plants in here died on a job a few months ago.” Donghan said sounding way too unbothered for the news he’d just shared. “This guild is small; we don’t have a lot of plant users and those with plant magic either have their own greenhouses at home or don’t bother growing their plants from seeds at all.”

Myungjun tried not to think about the dead woman as he made his way over to touch the soil. “It’s good soil. Rich in minerals. I could grow a lot in here. Do you think there are any leftover seeds or bulbs?”

Donghan pointed to the other side of the greenhouse where two large wooden cupboards were standing. “Worth a try.” Myungjun hurried over to look but was disappointed to see only a few old rusty gardening tools left behind. “There’s a herbologists store a few streets over. Do you have any money?”

Myungjun shook his head with a pout and closed the cupboard doors. “I need to go find a request first.”

“Those requests are rubbish.” Donghan said bluntly. “You won’t earn much from them. The people in this city expect cheap labour and the old dragons stupid enough to give it to them.”

Myungjun looked up at him in shock. “That’s my father you’re talking about. He’s not old either, he’s only thirty-four.”

“And? He’s still older than me. I admit, he’s a good guild leader, but he’s too nice. He thinks the people here like us more because we help them but he’s wrong. They like us because we do all their shitty jobs for next to nothing. I haven’t taken a job request from that board in over a year and will never take another request from there again.”

“But my father said-”

“Yeah I know. That dumb four jobs a month rule. Me and my brother are the strongest here. He wouldn’t stop us from taking on other jobs especially when we’re the main breadwinners for this place. Don’t worry little dragon, I’ll train you well, so you don’t have to worry about those jobs either.” The smile he gave Myungjun seemed almost predatory and Myungjun shied away from him. Donghan barked out a laugh at his reaction and pointed to the door. “Let’s go. I’ll take you on a _real_ job and get you enough money to fill this place with plants.”

Myungjun watched as Donghan walked away but didn’t follow him. He was big and scary and dark and spoke badly of his father and liked to break the rules. A bad influence. Myungjun was old enough and smart enough to recognise one and he didn’t want to be swept away by him.

“No thank you.” Myungjun said quietly.

Donghan froze before turning back to look at him. “What?”

“I said no thank you.” Myungjun repeated, looking him directly in the eyes this time and hoping he looked a lot braver than he felt. “I’d like to fill this place by myself. The offer is tempting but I’m going to follow my father’s rules.”

Myungjun quickly hurried over and brushed past him before being pulled to a stop at the door as a big hand clamped down on the top of his arm.

“Don’t run away from me little dragon.” Myungjun resisted the urge to squeak in fear as Donghans hot breath fanned over his ear, the tone of his voice low and threatening. “I’ve been nice to you so far. You don’t want to make me angry, do you?” Myungjun tried to wriggle free but he held tight. Myungjun winced at the pain and knew it would leave behind bruises.

“Let me go before I-”

“Before you what? Run to your father? Do you really think he’ll care? He wouldn’t get rid of me and you know it.” Myungjun did know it and the realisation made his stomach sink. “Mmm I can feel your emotions clearly. You’ll be fun to play with. See you later Myungjun.”

Donghan pushed him aside carelessly before leaving the greenhouse himself and Myungjun sunk down heavily to his knees feeling sick and scared. What was he going to do now?


	126. First Day Of Training.

Myungjun spent the next week taking on as many of the local jobs as possible. For two reasons.

Reason one: He wanted to earn as many coins as possible to be able to buy some new things for the guild greenhouse. He’d spoken to his father about it and had been given permission to use it as his own.

Reason two: He was trying to avoid starting his anomaly training with the twins. He knew he needed their help to get stronger but his confrontation with Donghan in the greenhouse had shaken him. Every time he saw a flash of pierced ears or a hint of leather, he was running in the opposite direction.

His blonde twin had finished his resting period and they were both seen in the guild hall often, meaning Myungjun wouldn’t been seen in it at all. He’d just run up to the second floor, collect any job that seemed reasonable enough, before hastily filling in the form, giving it to Hani behind the bar and then disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Jinwoo and the others never commented on it. Probably thinking Myungjun was just excited to work and he was grateful for that. He knew he’d spill everything the second Jinwoo asked what was wrong and he didn’t want to give Jinwoo a reason to get angry. They’d only just joined this guild and Myungjun didn’t want Jinwoo to get kicked out of it, or even worse, _killed_ by Donghan if they fought. There was no doubt in Myungjuns mind that Donghan could end Jinwoos life in a second if he tried and Myungjun wasn’t willing to risk it just because he’d become the older boys new object of curiosity.

 _You’ll be fun to play with_.

Myungjun shivered as his words replayed for the billionth time in his head. He handed over the clothes he had made to the orphanage that had requested them and waved goodbye to the children before making his way back outside and into the sun. That job had no reward and had been there for months apparently, so Myungjun had decided to just take it. The smiles of the children as they accepted his clothes had been payment enough and he made his way back to the guild hall feeling a bit happier than before.

A note rushing past his ear made him stop and he reached up to pluck it from the air.

**Meet me in my office when you are finished.**

Myungjun whined unhappily as he read over his father’s words. He knew what this was about. This was because he hadn’t started his training yet and he dreaded the upcoming conversation.

He took his time walking back, dragging his feet along the floor and stopping at every little flower he saw to say hello. The guild hall was looming above him all too soon and he walked up the steps to the front doors.

He saw Jinwoo sitting with Hoseok at the bar and was tempted to just run over and join them before spotting the object of his new nightmares sitting nearby. Donghan smirked at him and Myungjun took off up the stairs, two at a time, until he reached the sixth floor feeling slightly out of breath.

I need to start working out again, Myungjun thought before knocking on the door to the office.

“Come in.”

Myungjun stepped inside and closed the door behind him gently. He looked up to see his father writing something on a sheet of parchment and crossed the distance apprehensively to sit on one of the chairs opposite the man.

“You wanted to see me?”

“Your training starts today.”

Myungjun had been expecting that but he still rushed to find an excuse. “But I have jo-”

“I’ve spoken to Hani and she says you’ve completed nine jobs this past week alone. You’ve doubled the usual requirement, quadrupled what I expected from you this month and made enough coin to keep you going for the next few weeks. Your training starts today and that’s final. Donghan is waiting for you downstairs at the bar. I expect to hear that you’ve worked hard today. Just as hard as you’ve been avoiding it. I’ll see you at dinner.”

The finality in his voice made Myungjun pout and he stood up before bowing politely and leaving the room.

He trailed down the stairs feeling nervous and scared but tried to compose himself as he got closer to the bottom. Donghan could read his emotions too well. He didn’t want him to know how terrified he was.

Myungjun set his face into a stony expression and walked down the last staircase with his head held high. He walked straight over to Jinwoo first, purposefully ignoring the way Donghan was staring at him and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend’s waist from behind.

“Sunshine?” Myungjun hummed and pressed a kiss into his warm neck. “How did it go at the orphanage?”

“The children were _adorable_ JinJin. I want to adopt them all.” Myungjun giggled as Jinwoo choked on his drink and peered over to see what was in his cup. “What’s that?”

“Something fruity. Want to try?”

“Is it alcoholic?”

“Nope.”

Myungjun accepted it eagerly and sipped at it before making a noise of pure happiness and wiggling on the spot. “Yummy.”

Jinwoo grinned and took it back before turning around on his bar stool and pulling Myungjun down onto his lap with an arm around his waist. “Cutie. Are you finished for the day or are you going to go running off like a madman with another job?”

“I’ve got training now.” Myungjun pouted, making grabby hands for Jinwoos drink again. Jinwoo just sighed but let him have it.

“I’m glad to hear you’re finally starting. I was wondering why you hadn’t already. The twins have been here for the past few days looking for you, but I had to keep telling them you’d taken on more jobs.”

“Sorry.” Myungjun muttered feeling a bit guilty. “I was just excited to be earning money. I’ve made enough to buy a couple medicinal plant seeds for the greenhouse now. They’re a lot more expensive than I thought they’d be but I guess it makes sense considering what they grow.”

“You’ve made more money than both of us combined Junnie.” Hoseok chimed in with a laugh. “You should take a break after your training. We should go out and do something together with the others this weekend.”

“Sounds good.” said Myungjun, perking up at the idea. He reluctantly gave Jinwoo his drink back and slipped off his lap. “I’ll see you tonight for dinner.” He kissed Jinwoo quickly and tried to pull away before being dragged back in for another one, deeper this time.

“Ew guys you’re putting me off my food.”

“You’re not eating anything.” Myungjun pointed out after pulling away from his boyfriends’ delicious lips. Hoseok just grinned and Myungjun rolled his eyes. “Idiot.”

He left them too it and walked around the bar to find Donghan.

“Hello little dragon.” Myungjun jumped in surprise, turning to see him standing close behind and had to look up and up and up to see the older boy’s smirk. “Time to train.”

*

Training with the twins was brutal. Even when they held back their strength Myungjun found himself struggling terribly. It didn’t help that Gikwang, the soft archer twin, seemed to hate him for no reason at all. None that Myungjun could pinpoint anyway. On more than one occasion Donghan had to tell his brother to calm down and Myungjun wasn’t sure whether he should be feeling grateful for his help or even more uneasy.

Training ended after Myungjun received one of Gikwangs arrows to the shoulder. The pain of it lodging straight into his bone tore through his body but he resisted the urge to scream. He wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. He just gritted his teeth and blinked back the tears in his eyes.

Gikwang left the training grounds without looking back straight after, whilst Donghan rushed over to check on him. Myungjun watched him approach feeling even worse and backed away when he reached out.

“Let me help Myungjun stop being stubborn. You can’t get that out yourself.”

Myungjun knew he was right and reluctantly gave in. He didn’t want his help, but the pain was mounting with every second that passed.

Donghan pulled a pain relief herb out of one of the pockets inside his long leather coat. “I brought some with me just in case.” He explained after looking at Myungjuns raised eyebrow.

“In case your evil twin hurt me?”

Donghan just laughed and held the herb up to Myungjuns lips. “Chew.”

After he’d swallowed it, feeling the pain dull slightly, he closed his eyes as Donghan grabbed the arrow shaft. It was wrenched free and Myungjun couldn’t help the cry he let out this time. When Donghan reached forwards to cut away his top he stopped him.

“I can do that much myself.”

“Suit yourself.” Donghan shrugged before turning to walk away.

“Why did you help me?” Myungjun couldn’t stop the question from leaving his lips. “Why does your brother hate me so much?”

Donghan turned around to look down at him. He no longer looked friendly. “I helped you because you needed it. As for why my brother hates you, that’s his business.”

Myungjun didn’t call out to him again as he left. He was too busy trying to understand what he’d said. Just because Myungjun needed help didn’t mean he needed to give it to him. ESPECIALLY after the way Donghan had treated him before.

But now he knew Gikwang had a reason for hating him and it made him even more confused. Did he hate him because he’d avoided starting his training? Gikwang _had_ said that they didn’t have a lot of time to begin with.

That must be it, Myungjun thought as he cut away his top to fuse the wound shut, maybe I should apologise the next time we train.

*

Later that night, Myungjun watched as Jinwoo got steadily drunker with every cup of moonshine he consumed. Myungjun didn’t want to drink himself and eventually excused himself from the table. Hyungwon promised to look after Jinwoo whilst he was gone and Myungjun crossed the tavern floor to get to the door beside the bar. He looked at the wheel and read off some of the location options.

 **Magic Training Field**.

 **Combat Training Field**.

 **Greenhouse**.

He stopped reading at ‘Greenhouse’ and turned the wheel until it pointed there before opening the door. He stepped out into the big glass room and approached one of the empty planters.

He’d purchased two seeds earlier that day and blown nearly all of his coins on them despite taking on so many jobs. One pain-relief plant seed and one energy-revive plant seed. He rolled up the sleeves of his top before pulling them out of the pocket in his shorts and got to work planting them.

I’ll have to bring my watering plant here, Myungjun thought to himself as he worked.

Upon leaving the academy, he had dug up the watering plant Jinwoo had given him for Christmas and planted it into a pot so it could be transported home. It was currently in his back garden, but he decided that he’d bring it here to use instead.

He was just finishing up when the door opened and his very drunk, very handsome boyfriend stumbled through it sporting a moonshine induced flush. “SUNSHINE!”

Myungjun giggled and stood up just in time as Jinwoo stumbled into him. “Hello JinJin, who is also very _very_ intoxicated.”

Jinwoo pulled back to grin at him and puckered his lips for a kiss. Myungjun delivered, wrinkling his nose at the strong scent of alcohol on his boyfriend’s breath.

“Myungjun I love you.”

Myungjun giggled again and tried to prop him up straight. It didn’t work, Jinwoo just leaned heavily against him. “I love you too JinJin, but I think we should get you to bed.”

“Yes, let’s go to bed.” Jinwoo said, pulling back to waggle his eyebrows at him. Myungjun shrieked out a laugh and tried to push him away but he wouldn’t budge.

“JinJin you’re going to bed to _sleep_. Not to do unholy things to me under my own fathers’ roof.”

“We’re not going home?”

“You wouldn’t survive the carriage ride. Let’s just get you into one of the beds upstairs okay?”

Jinwoo whined and wrapped his arms tighter around Myungjuns waist. “I don’t want to move right now. The rooms spinning.”

Myungjun sighed and reached up to run his fingers through Jinwoos soft hair instead. The green was fading, they’d need to re-dye it soon. “JinJin?” Jinwoo hummed in acknowledgment. “Where did you get my watering plant from? You never told me when I asked the first time.” He did feel a little guilty for using his boyfriends drunk state against him, but he really did want to know.

Jinwoo pulled back to look at him, trying and failing to look serious. “Myungjun I told you before that it didn’t matter where I got it from. All that matters is that you have it.” Myungjun pouted and whined cutely, watching with secret glee as Jinwoos eyes widened. “Wow you’re SO adorable. I can’t believe you’re my boyfriend. Wow. Wow. WOW.”

Myungjun giggled and kissed him again to shut him up. “Come on JinJin. Please tell me I’ve been _dying_ to know.”

Jinwoo sighed loudly and sagged against Myungjun even further. Myungjun struggled to keep his weight up as he spoke. “You always came back from herbology wet and talking about how much you hated the watering flower so I decided to find out if there was anything I could do to help. I went down to the herbology clearing to speak to Ms Jung and she told me the only way to do it would be to use a different flower. So, I snuck out into Voredan to find a herbologist and used up the rest of my money to buy a seed. I went _back_ to Ms Jung to find out how to plant and look after it and I went down there every night to water it and it was worth it.” Jinwoo had rambled it all out in one big breath and stopped briefly to breathe. “You were so happy at Christmas sunshine. I think I fell in love with you all over again when I saw your face…I fall in love with you all over again every time I see your face actually. You have a nice face. Very nice. A solid ten out of ten…okay maybe an eleven out of ten.”

Myungjun grinned and hugged Jinwoo tighter. He couldn’t believe Jinwoo went to all of that effort, spending all of his money, asking Ms Jung for advice, planting, caring and watering it every night. The thought made his heart swell. Jinwoo had tried to hide it as well. He’d tried to hide how much hard work he’d put into it but Myungjun was glad he knew now. His fire user boyfriend had lovingly nurtured a plant all for Myungjun. He wanted to kiss him and hug him and tell him how much he loved him. But Jinwoo was currently snoring and Myungjun was struggling under his weight.

Myungjun gathered all of his strength to turn around and pull Jinwoo up and onto his back. He carried him to the door and opened it up to the clamour of people happily drinking and socialising in the tavern. He struggled up the stairs, after stopping briefly to talk to Hyungwon and the others, and tried to ignore the way his legs protested the further up they went.

When he finally reached the fifth floor he was sweating and Jinwoo was whining quietly on his back about being thirsty. Myungjun found an empty room and deposited Jinwoo on the bed with a relieved groan. He pulled off Jinwoos shoes and got him under the covers before going back down the stairs to get him some water.

Jinwoo was _definitely_ going to have a hangover tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ew Jinwoo is so in love with Myungjun how gross...cutie
> 
> I have another rant, but its about my shitty mental health so literally just skip this if you give 0 fricks, I just need to say it SOMEWHERE:
> 
> So I'm not ashamed or embarrassed to talk about this anymore because I've been through two different kinds of therapy to get better and I AM better in a lot of ways, but basically I got diagnosed with 'long term anxiety' because I've had it ever since I was a small child and then when I was ready (because you have to be ready to get help or it doesn't work) I accepted the therapy and it quite literally changed my life. I went to college and made friends and started to do the simple things I couldn't do before like getting on the bus by myself or paying for things in stores etc  
> But I was told by my therapist that I'll always be in remission, for the rest of my life, she said any of my 'triggers' could set me off and I'd be back to square one so I needed to always be mindful blah blah blah.   
> So I can still get anxious and that's whats happened recently, its been mounting for days and affecting everything I do. Then last night one of my 'triggers' was, I guess, set off?? And It smacked me like a bag full of bricks. If anyone who reads this has anxiety you know what an anxiety attack is like. Its awful and messed me up really bad.  
> Which then made me worry bout EVERYTHING. Including this fic. I was worried it was getting too long and that people wouldn't read it anymore (even though I started writing it with no intention of people reading it, its still become something more then that to me). And then I was wondering if I should just delete it and pretend it never existed.  
> But I held back the urge even though I was literally drowning in anxiety I knew deep down that I would have regretted it.  
> So I decided to sleep it off and see how I felt in the morning about it and then I woke up to things that have made me happy.
> 
> 1.JinJin finally tweeted again god damn he's been missing for so long  
> 2.I had a few comments to reply to here and it made me realise that I don't have to worry about my fic being too long because people who enjoy it will still read it you know??
> 
> I just had a tough time. I feel better today though so don't worry! Plus this fic is never being deleted, It was just a moment of weakness on my part, like I said I'd regret it.
> 
> I still have a lot of things to cover, like the Socky situation, do Myungjuns parents ever reconcile, does Myungjun ever accept Leos golden scrolls as Leo told him he could always change his mind, how does Myungjins relationship develop further? etc etc There's so much and it would be a shame if I left a thousand unanswered questions.
> 
> But anyway, I hope you all have a good day and thankyou for sticking around even though I'm an actual mess xD ly<3


	127. The Hangover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel much better today and apparently Jinwoo feels a whole lot worse *sigh*

Myungjun woke up to the sound of Jinwoo being sick and opened his eyes to see him leaning over the edge of the bed. He wrinkled his nose at the tangy smell and patted his hungover boyfriend on the back with a sigh.

“Why did I drink so much?” Jinwoo groaned when he was finished. “I was happy last night, so I thought a drink was a good idea, but now I just feel like crap.”

Myungjun carefully climbed off the bed, avoiding the puddle of Jinwoos regurgitated alcohol, and left him to his complaining to find something to help clean up the mess. He walked down to the bar and approached the woman behind it who smiled when she noticed his approach.

“Hello Myungjun, I didn’t realise you were still here. You never stay the night.”

“Jinwoo got drunk.” Myungjun explained taking a seat on one of the bar stools. “He’s been sick, do we have anything I can use to clean up?”

“Hangovers are a regular thing here, so we’re well stocked up on supplies. I’ll get some things prepared for you. He’ll need some water and something to eat as well. Luckily, I’ve treated enough hangovers to know exactly what to feed him. Could you man the bar for me for a few minutes? I’ll go ask one of the healers for some herbs for his nausea and headache too.”

Myungjun accepted gratefully and traded places with her. There weren’t many people awake at this time so Myungjun didn’t have a lot to do. He buffed some glasses whilst he waited until a body of piercings and leather took a seat in front of him.

“I didn’t know you worked here little dragon.”

“I don’t.” Myungjun replied curtly. He wasn’t in the mood for Donghans mind games today. His boyfriend was currently sick upstairs, self-inflicted, but still sick. “What do you want Donghan?”

“Ooo this is a new side of you I’ve never seen before. The little dragon has finally grown some teeth I see. I like you more like this.” The way he said it made Myungjuns skin crawl. “I’m here for a drink.”

“It’s a bit early to be drinking don’t you think?” Myungjun asked clearly judging him as he swapped the glasses he was buffing.

“Not that kind of drink. I want the drink you were enjoying so deliciously on your boyfriends lap the other day. The fruity one.”

Myungjun didn’t bother replying, he just found which one he wanted, feeling grateful that Jinwoo had pointed it out to him the other day and filled him a cup before sliding it across the bar towards him. “Do we have training today?”

“Do you _want_ to train today?” Donghan asked instead.

“Despite what you might think, I do want to get stronger, and I won’t allow you or your evil twin to put me off of that. He can shoot me with as many arrows as he wants but it won’t stop me from getting better.”

Donghan sipped his drink noisily and looked at Myungjun over the rim of his cup with raised eyebrows. “I like that attitude. But why do you refer to _him_ as the evil twin? That’s usually what people call me.”

Myungjun avoided looking him in the eyes when he spoke. “You do look evil, and you do try to mess with me a lot, and intimidate me, AND push me around…but you also helped me when I was injured and offered to help me make money. I learnt with my father that not everyone is as terrible as I’d like to think they are and maybe that applies to you too. However, your brother hates me for seemingly no reason and caused the injury that required your help. He’s not shown me any redeeming qualities like you have, so in my mind he IS the evil twin. Not that there needs to be a good and evil of course.”

“You’re interesting you know that?”

Before Myungjun could reply, Hani returned with the hangover supplies. “Thanks for that Myungjun. Oh, hello Donghan, are you here for breakfast?”

Donghan put his empty cup down on the bar and gave her a sweet smile. “No, I’ve been fed enough by Myungjun. See you later.”

Myungjun just watched him go feeling confused. He hadn’t given him any food.

*

Thanks to Hani’s help, Jinwoo started to look a little less pale around lunchtime and clung to Myungjun as they made their way downstairs. “I’m never drinking again. I can’t believe I threw up on the floor and I can’t believe you cleaned it up. I’m so sorry.”

Myungjun just smiled at him and tightened the grip he had around Jinwoos waist as they descended the last staircase. “It’s fine JinJin. You wanted to drink because you were happy and Hoseok didn’t exactly help by starting that drinking contest. You do handle your alcohol really well up to a point, so you’ll just have to learn where that point actually is. I didn’t mind cleaning up either. Yes, it was pretty gross, but you do so much for me so it’s the least I can do in return.”

“Well thank you then sunshine. Do you want to go on a job together today?” Jinwoo asked after Myungjun helped him into a seat on one of the empty tavern tables.

“JinJin you’re in no fit state to work, OR train. I spoke to Donghan earlier as well and by the sounds of it I don’t have any anomaly training today either. Let’s just go for a walk around the city. I think you need some fresh air. I’ll get you another glass of water before we go though. Are you hungry for lunch yet or do you want to get something whilst we’re out? I have a small amount of coins left so we could get something from one of the street vendors?”

“I’ll just have some water for now Junnie. A walk sounds good too.”

Myungjun left to get a glass and when he came back Hoseok was slumped over the table in front of Jinwoo whining loudly with Hyungwon rolling his eyes beside him. Hoseok looked like death.

“How do YOU look fine?” Hoseok asked, lifting his head off the table to pout at Jinwoo. “You drunk a lot more than me, but you don’t look affected at all!”

“Oh, he was.” Myungjun said sternly, handing Jinwoos water over. “No thanks to you either! Drinking contests are silly and you’re both unable to work or train today because of it.”

“I thought it would be fun.” Hoseok mumbled, eyeing the glass of water enviously. “How did you get better so fast?”

Jinwoo sipped at his drink and smacked his lips with a satisfied sigh. “My handsome boyfriend looked after me this morning and made me better. He came upstairs armed with a whole box of things to help me; it was terribly endearing.”

Hoseok turned his pout on Myungjun next. “Can’t you look after me too? Hyungie won’t help me at all.”

“That’s because you did this to yourself. You’re not my son OR my boyfriend I have no reason to help you.” Hyungwon said sounding bored as he looked out of the window.

Hoseok made an offended noise and Myungjun left them to bicker whilst he retrieved a glass of water for Hoseok too.

His friends were nightmares some days.

*

The four of them ended up going for the walk around the city together. Myungjun allowed Hoseok to cuddle up to him the whole time, so he didn’t get to spend as much time with Jinwoo as he would have liked, but it was still fun.

Myungjun loved exploring the city. He felt like every time he went out into it; he’d discover something new. A new shop, a new café, a new house. There were so many different sights, sounds and smells to enjoy and he could imagine himself living here with Jinwoo when they moved out from home.

Which was his current train of thought as he purchased some food from a street vendor for his friends. He was supposed to be taking on jobs to save up money to move out, but so far, he had no savings at all. He handed over the last of his coins now as he paid for the fishcakes and turned to give them to his friends with a weak smile. They’d offered to pay instead but Myungjun liked treating them…maybe a little too much.

It was worth every coin as he saw the way their eyes lit up as they ate, even Hoseok who was still feeling queasy. Myungjun blew on his own to cool it down before taking a bite and groaning at the taste. He loved fishcakes the most.

“Thankyou sunshine. I’ll treat you next time we go out.” Jinwoo said later that day after Myungjun had finally managed to convince Hyungwon to take Hoseok so he could spend time with his boyfriend.

“You’re welcome JinJin. We should go home tonight. Apparently Sanha has finished composing his first song and he wants to share it with us. He’s so cute.”

Jinwoo agreed and leaned in to kiss Myungjuns cheek. “You’re cute too. Extra cute. Even though we’re both in the same clothes from yesterday and literally _stink_.”

Myungjun giggled and snuggled up closer. “We need nice hot baths tonight.”

“Let’s have one together.” Myungjun blushed at the idea and Jinwoo chuckled at his flushed face. “Come on, there will be lots of bubbles and I’ll even wash your hair for you. You know you want to.”

The offer was tempting. So so tempting. He’d had his hair washed once before by Seokjin in the academy and he’d _loved_ it despite being so upset at the time. But that was Seokjin, his second mother, and this was Jinwoo, his boyfriend.

“JinJin I can’t it’s too embarrassing.”

Jinwoo just sighed fondly and pressed a kiss into his hair. “It’s not embarrassing at all, but I won’t make you do it if you don’t want to. I wouldn’t have done anything to you. I really did just want to wash your hair for you…and maybe cuddle and kiss you a little bit but that’s IT I swear.”

Myungjun grinned and pulled away as they approached the guild hall. “Maybe one day. Let’s just go in and get our stuff now and then find a carriage to take us home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Binge drinking hangovers are the worst. Jinwoo won't be doing that again in a hurry xD


	128. Four Days?

Dongmin came racing through the guild hall doors looking teary-eyed on the first of October. They’d been working at the guild for the past month and a half and this was the first time Myungjun had seen him looking so flustered.

“What’s wrong?” Myungjun asked worriedly, jumping out of his seat on one of the tavern tables to catch the younger boy in a hug. The second Dongmin crashed into his arms he burst into tears and that made Myungjun even _more_ worried. Dongmin wasn’t a crier. He always held back that side of him, but something had obviously shaken him enough to change that.

Dongmin spluttered out some words that Myungjun couldn’t understand so he shushed him and told him to try again once he was a bit calmer. He finally composed himself and when he pulled back Myungjun was relieved to see he was smiling. Happy tears then.

“Binnies just sent me a note. He and Rocky have just come through the city gates they’ll be here soon.”

Myungjun squealed excitedly along with the rest of their friends when he relayed the good news to them, and they all rushed outside to wait.

“I was getting bored being the only trainee left.” Dongmin admitted quietly. “It’s not so fun training by myself.”

Youngjae had finally come of age in September so he was initiated into the guild as a full-fledged member and was given his guild mark, which he wore proudly on the back of his hand. He’d also been proud to show off that he had been categorized as defence and promised boldly that he’d protect them all.

When the carriage carrying their friends stopped outside of the guild hall, Dongmin rushed over with an excited shriek and flung himself at a very happy, very blonde Moonbin. Myungjun was surprised, he’d never seen Moonbin with anything other than pink hair before, but he still looked incredibly handsome.

“Binnie I missed you!” Dongmin whined, hugging Moonbin tighter and bursting into tears again.

Moonbin just grinned and rubbed his hands up and down Dongmins back soothingly. “I missed you too. Let me look at you.” Dongmin pulled back and Moonbin clutched his chest dramatically. “Wow you’re even more breath-taking then I remembered.”

Dongmin snorted and hit him playfully. “Shut up you idiot. You look good blonde.”

Myungjun looked away from them with a smile of his own when he saw Rocky descend the carriage steps next and nearly choked when he saw Rocky Jr. He clumped down the steps after his father and stopped beside him standing proudly at knee height.

“HE’S BIG AGAIN!” Myungjun screamed excitedly, rushing over to give them both a hug. “Why is he so big?”

Rocky just shrugged, looking down at his son with a soft smile on his face. “He started growing again the day we left the academy.” Rocky Jr garbled up at Myungjun and held out his arms to be picked up.

“I’ll only pick you up if you make yourself light and promise not to trick me again like last time.” Myungjun said sternly. “I nearly fell off my chair when you made yourself heavy again.” Rocky Jr just grinned and lifted his arms up higher. How could Myungjun deny such a cute face? He swept him off his feet and hugged him tight before lowering his voice to a whisper. “You grew big again because of Sanha didn’t you?” Rocky Jr nodded quickly and garbled quietly back to him. “If you’re asking about Sanha, he’s at home with my mother.”

“What are you two whispering about?” Rocky asked curiously as he came back down the carriage steps with his bags after disappearing inside to collect them.

“Nothing!” Myungjun said quickly. At the same time Rocky Jr garbled something, probably his own denial. Rocky just narrowed his eyes but didn’t say anything further on the subject.

“Let’s go back inside.” Dongmin suggested.

Myungjun quickly said hello to Moonbin before carrying Rocky Jr into the guild on his hip. Rocky Jr looked around with wide eyes and pointed to everything he saw. Myungjun tried to explain it all as best as he could before placing him down on one of the empty chairs at their vacated table and telling him to stay put.

“I’ll go and let my father know you’re both here.” Myungjun offered as the table slowly filled up with the rest of his friends.

He rushed up to the sixth floor and knocked on the office door.

“Come in.”

Myungjun stepped inside beaming. “Rocky and Moonbin have just turned up.”

His father looked up from the parchment he was reading to return his smile and got up from his chair to stretch. “Good. I needed an excuse to get out of here. Being a guild leader comes with so much paperwork.” Myungjun held the door open for him and they descended the stairs together. “How’s training coming along?”

“Good.” Myungjun answered, happy in the knowledge that it was the actual truth. He’d finally learnt how to dodge all of Gikwangs arrows and had only been hit by them on three other occasions. The worst was the arrow in his hip. His hips were sensitive, Jinwoo had taught him that, so the pain had been worse there than it had been at his shoulder. He was loath to admit it, but Donghan had been a huge help during his training sessions. Even though he was the scarier looking one he had a nice streak. But Myungjun still rarely ever saw it so he still tried to avoid him as much as possible.

“I’m glad to hear it.” His father said sounding genuinely pleased. “I told you they’d be able to help. I’ve spoken with them about it too and Gikwang has told me he believes you are already ready to be promoted up to C Rank.”

Myungjun nearly fell down the stairs in shock. His father’s grip on his arm stopped his descent and Myungjun quickly thanked him before clearing his throat to speak. “Gikwang said that? Don’t you mean Donghan?” There’s no way Gikwang would have tried to get him promoted. Especially this early on. Especially with his bad attitude and strange hatred towards him.

“No, I meant what I said. He was…reluctant to say it I’ll admit, but he did all the same and Donghan agreed. They told me you’ve be strengthening your physical combat skills and are currently working on strengthening your healing spells correct?”

“Yes. We’ve been in the combat training field a lot. My hand-to-hand combats gotten a lot better alongside my ability to dodge and counter attacks. However, where my healing spells are concerned, their training methods are…strange.”

“How so?”

“Well they wanted me to work on sealing open wounds first and I told them I already knew how to do that to a good standard. So Donghan near enough severed his own arm off to get me to prove it. It was a lot harder than what I was used to at the academy, so I couldn’t seal it all, and they scolded me for lying afterwards.”

His father just laughed and Myungjun couldn’t help but stare. He’d seen his father laugh a couple of times now, but it was still fascinating. “I admit that is rather…extreme, but it did prove to you in the end that you still need to strengthen your magic right?”

“It did. I’ve been working harder ever since. The next time he tries to lop his arm off I want to be able to seal it all just to spite him.”

“That’s my son.” His father said proudly before ruffling Myungjuns hair and sweeping across the tavern to greet the others.

Myungjun just stood at the bottom of the stairs and watched him go with wide eyes. His heart thumped painfully in his chest and he flushed when he felt his petals falling down from above.

Jinwoo looked up at that exact moment and rushed over to see what was wrong. “Junnie? Why are you shedding? Are you okay?”

Myungjun just nodded mutely, unable to tear his eyes away from his father who was currently shaking hands with Rocky. His father had just praised him. His father had just _ruffled his hair_. He felt the strangest urge to cry and quickly excused himself, telling Jinwoo he needed to check on his plants. Jinwoo looked concerned but didn’t follow him and Myungjun was grateful. Jinwoo always knew what he needed, and he could clearly see he needed space.

Myungjun made his way to the door beside the bar and saw the location on the wheel was already set to the greenhouse. He didn’t think much of it and just pushed the door open.

Donghan was inside, sitting on the edge of one of the planters and polishing his greatsword. He looked up at the sound of the door opening.

“Little dragon.” The smile on his face faltered when he took in Myungjuns appearance. “What’s wrong?”

Myungjun just tuned out his voice and went over to his plants, touching them to see what they wanted.

“Myungjun?”

Myungjun went to his watering plant to ask for some water. He transported the water in his hands and fed it carefully to the soil below his medicinal plants. They were growing so well now in such rich soil. He was sure he’d have fully grown crops by Christmas.

“I’m talking to you don’t ignore me.” Donghan spun Myungjun around and leaned down to peer into his face. Myungjun tried to force his psychic shield up but felt Donghan brush it aside easily a second later. “Ahh…I see.” He stood back up straight and crossed his arms with a smile. “You get a little bit of praise and you’re rendered a flustered mess. How cute.”

Myungjun scowled and pushed past him to check on his supplies in the wooden cupboards further down the greenhouse. He didn’t need Donghans condescending words. He wouldn’t let him turn this into something unimportant. This _was_ important to Myungjun. He’d wanted nothing more than a father who was proud of him, he’d wished for it for years, so if he got a little flustered by it then that was his own business.

He heard the greenhouse door open and close and turned back to see he was alone. Good. He could go polish his stupid sword somewhere else.

*

When Myungjun went for training later that day he was unhappy to see it was just Gikwang waiting for him by the door to the training fields. Yes, Donghan had annoyed him that morning, but he didn’t feel safe without him here. He couldn’t even believe he felt safe when he _was_ around. He just knew Donghan was the only one who could calm Gikwang down if he got riled up.

Gikwang watched him approach with a stony expression and looked down at him when he stopped in front of him. “Myungjun we’re doing something different today.”

“Different?” Myungjun didn’t like different. Especially when it involved the boy towering over him.

“I’m allowed to escort lower Ranks on jobs above their own Rank. You’re still at the bottom but I spoke to your father and told him you were ready to move up to C Rank. However, C Rank jobs are just as easy as the local ones, you’re just allowed to go out of the city to do them. So today I’m taking you on a B Rank instead.”

Myungjuns mouth went dry. B Rank. One rank below his own father. In the guild information he had read, B Rank had been the rank which started to pose a threat to life. “Umm I don’t think I’m ready for that yet.”

That appeared to have been the wrong thing to say. Anger flashed in Gikwangs eyes and Myungjun swallowed down the squeak of fear he wanted to let out. “You’ll never be ready with that shitty attitude. We’re going and that’s final. Be grateful, you have me there for back-up and I’m even letting you take the whole reward.”

Myungjun couldn’t deny the fact he felt a tiny bit better knowing he’d be there to help but that still didn’t stop the nervousness and anxiety writhing around in his stomach. He’d be doing the one thing he’d been most apprehensive about when joining a guild. Staring actual death in the face, no matter how slim the possibility.

“What job?” Myungjun asked quietly. He’d never been to the third floors job boards; he didn’t know what ones were up there.

“Well I WAS going to let you choose that too, but you’ve pissed me off now. Go sit down and shut up and I’ll come back with one.” Gikwang pushed past him, sending him stumbling and stormed up the stairs, footfall raining heavily against the wood.

“He can be mean sometimes but he’s a good kid.” Hani’s voice piped up behind him. Myungjun couldn’t imagine it but threw her a weak smile all the same before going to sit down. He wished Jinwoo was here. Hoseok and Hyungwon had convinced him to go on a job with them a few hours ago and Myungjun knew they wouldn’t be finished until later. He didn’t _think_ Gikwang would let him die, but he could never be sure with him and he wanted to see Jinwoo one last time before that happened.

Gikwang slamming down a piece of parchment onto the table in front of him startled him out of his thoughts. “Here. I picked an easy one. Sign this form after you’ve read it. It needs both of our signatures before I can give it to Hani.”

Myungjun looked down at the job request nervously.

**Help wanted! Package delivery.**

That didn’t sound…too hard. Myungjun read the location but wasn’t familiar with it. “Where is this place?”

“Four days away.”

“FOUR DAYS?” Myungjun shrieked. He didn’t know why he was surprised. C Rank jobs and above, all had the chance of being located outside of the city. But four days was a long time. _Especially_ , when he hadn’t said goodbye to his mother or any of his friends. Or Jinwoo.

“Yes, four days, that’s not that far. Look at the reward.”

**REWARD: 350,000 coins**

Myungjun felt light-headed just looking at it. If he did this job, he’d have enough money to move out with Jinwoo. “Are we really doing this?” He asked faintly.

“Of course we are. I’ll allow you to go home and pack for the journey. How long will it take you to get there and back?”

“A few hours.” Myungjun answered, feeling relieved that he would, in fact, be saying goodbye to his mother and Sanha at least. He could always pack some parchment and a pen so he could send the others a note.

“Good. Go now and I’ll meet you back here later.”

*

“FOUR DAYS?” Sanha shrieked just as loudly as Myungjun had when he relayed the news in the kitchen.

“Four days there and four days back.” Myungjun said with a whine. “I don’t know why I have to do a B Rank job already.”

“I think it’s a great opportunity.” His mother spoke up from her seat at the table. Myungjun just stared. “Don’t look at me like that Myungjun. You don’t want to keep working at the bottom, do you? I know for a fact you’re struggling for money. And I believe in what your father said, you ARE stronger than you think. You CAN do this. This is only one B Rank job. Your father won’t promote you all the way up there just yet. The only reason you’re going is because this boy is S Rank and its part of your training. He’ll get you through it easily enough and you get to walk away a whole lot richer than before. What’s not to like about that?”

“Umm the fact that B Rank missions pose a risk to LIFE.”

“For goodness sakes Junnie don’t be so dramatic. It’s a package delivery. You’re not going off to fight a dragon.”

Myungjun just sighed and excused himself from the table. “I need to go pack. I can’t keep him waiting.”

He trudged up the stairs to his room feeling disappointed. A part of him had hoped his mother would stop him. He hoped she would tell him he couldn’t go, that it was much too dangerous, that he wasn’t ready. He would have looked terrible in front of Gikwang if she had, but at least he’d be SAFE.

“I’m going to die.” Myungjun whined, flopping down onto his bed. “I’m going to die and JinJin won’t even be there to make it easier.”

The thought of his boyfriend made him want to cry so he quickly got back up to pack and distract himself. He pulled out the bag he’d used for the academy and packed enough clothes for the whole trip and a few more just in case. He then got his toiletries, hoping they’d at least stop at somewhere with a bathroom on the way, and proceeded to collect some writing tools. When all of that was packed, he hesitated before hiding his stuffed birds at the bottom of the bag and pulled his bow out from underneath his bed.

“I’m getting you out of storage.” He said, stroking the monster bone lovingly. “I’m sorry I haven’t used you in a while. The guild already has their own bows and I don’t want to keep taking you back and forth. I’ll use you well now though…well, hopefully I don’t have to use you at all.” He pulled his quiver full of arrows out next and set them beside his bag. Was he missing anything else?

His eyes scanned the room and stopped on his jewellery dish. Everything Jinwoo had given him was there and he rushed over to put his ring back on. He’d avoided wearing it in the guild. He didn’t want his father seeing and thinking it was real like his mother had. But he wanted to wear it now, to keep a part of Jinwoo with him whilst he was gone.

He was taking everything downstairs when he remembered one last thing and quickly hurried back up to get it. His herb pouch. He needed to stop forgetting it. Even if it only had basic medical supplies in and a distinct lack of actual herbs, it was still better then nothing.

*

The carriage ride back to the guild felt all too fast and when he walked into the tavern, he spotted Gikwang immediately. He was sitting down next to his brother at the bar, with his gorgeous bow on his back, as he sipped at his drink.

Myungjun loved looking at his bow. It was sleek and made from a light wood, carved with pretty symbols and studded with black jewels. Myungjun had never seen anything like it and he desperately wanted to touch it. He couldn’t even imagine how much that would have cost him. Those weren’t ordinary gemstones, that much he knew.

“Here he is.”

Myungjun tore his eyes off the bow and looked up at them both. They still towered over him, even whilst sitting. The next words out of Gikwangs mouth surprised him.

“Have you eaten? You should get some food before we go. You shouldn’t go hungry.” Was Gikwang…being nice him? “If you’re hungry you’ll just bitch the whole time and I don’t want to deal with that.” Never mind.

“I ate at home.” Myungjun replied stiffly. “Are we going or what?”

Gikwang bristled at his tone but the gentle hand Donghan lay on his arm made him relax.

“Calm yourself brother. He’s just a baby dragon growing his first teeth.” Donghan turned to Myungjun and for once his face portrayed a hint of worry. “Listen to everything he says. Follow his command. Don’t talk back to him. Do you understand?”

Myungjun nodded, feeling even more uneasy now. If _Donghan_ of all people was looking a bit worried, then he knew he was in trouble. He wasn’t sure whether Donghan was worried about the job itself or his volatile brother, but either way Myungjun was dreading what was to come.

“And you.” Donghan said, turning to his twin. “Control yourself. He’s young and unseasoned. He might be an anomaly like us, but we’ve not taught him enough yet. If he dies, we’re screwed.”

Myungjun wanted to ask what he meant by that but Gikwang was getting to his feet and scowling and he knew to keep his mouth shut.

“It’s only a B Rank brother. We’ll be fine.” Gikwang kissed his brother’s forehead sweetly before straightening up and sweeping past Myungjun towards the door.

“Be careful little dragon. At any hint of danger, you defend yourself or run. Don’t die or I’ll find a way to bring you back and kill you myself.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rocky Jr grew big again because Sanha kissed him and Rocky? Big UWU
> 
> (Yesterday I planned the cutest Socky/Socky Jr chapter and I can't wait to write it ;-;)


	129. Bandits In The Trees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER WARNING:  
> Language   
> (This applies for pretty much every chapter concerning the twins because they have potty mouths, so this will be the last time I warn about language, you should just expect it from them)

**JinJin, I’m leaving on a job for my anomaly training. I’ll be back in eight days. I’m sorry I couldn’t say goodbye. Stay safe and look after everyone whilst I’m gone. Stop Hyungwon-hyung from drinking too many cups of coffee in the mornings, he drinks too much and gets sick otherwise. Try not to get too angry at Hoseok-hyung for being loud, he can’t help it and he’ll get sad if you tell him to shut up. Keep Bin out of trouble because I don’t want him and Minnie to fight. Give Rocky Jr AT LEAST three hugs a day from me and help Youngjae with his training. I offered to help him this weekend, but I can’t anymore. I’ll miss you every single day so get ready to shower me with love when I get back.**

Myungjun signed off the note with a little sun, and when the carriage stopped for the night, he sent it through the ground with his vines. Jinwoo would be getting back to the guild now and he hoped he wouldn’t be too upset that he’d left without a proper goodbye.

“I’ll get us some rooms. You get our stuff.” Gikwang said, giving no room for argument as he swept into the little inn without looking back. Myungjun just sighed and did as he was told. He was just happy to hear the word ‘rooms’ plural. He didn’t want to sleep in the same room as him, and he would have refused all together if they’d have had to share a bed. The idea alone made him shudder.

Getting the bags in was easy enough and the tired looking innkeeper was quick to show him to his room. It was a small room, but it would do. They’d only be there for the night anyway. Myungjun thanked the man before closing his door and pulling out some pyjamas, that coincidentally belonged to his boyfriend at one point. He got changed and went to find a bathroom to brush his teeth.

He bumped into Gikwang in the hallway and tried not to stare at the older boy’s bare legs. All he was wearing was a white shirt that hung mid-thigh. His hair was fluffed up and he looked extra soft. Myungjun knew he wasn’t anything like how he appeared though and quickly apologised before hurrying away.

He locked the door behind him and brushed his teeth quickly, wanting nothing more than to get into bed where he could hug his stuffed birds and hide away from evil twins who pretended to be soft to fool everyone into liking them at first glance.

The note rushing past his ear scared the life out of him in his already tense state and he took a few seconds to catch his breath before opening it.

**Okay Sunshine. I’m sad that we didn’t get to say goodbye, but I know you’ll come back to me. You’re my good boy and you’ll do well. Send me a note back when you have the time. I want to hear all about the request. For now though, get some sleep. I love you**

Jinwoo had covered the note in hearts.

“Disgusting.” Myungjun muttered to himself, grinning widely and blushing gently. “Absolutely disgusting.”

*

The carriage rides with Gikwang were suffocating. They made the days pass by so slowly Myungjun was sure he’d be ancient and withered by the time he got back home. Gikwang wasn’t a talker. He’d either gaze out of the window or inspect the package they were given to deliver. He was always frowning down at it and it made Myungjun uneasy. He didn’t know what was in that package. Neither of them did. But the way Gikwang was treating it made it seem like there was something bad inside.

By the third day Myungjun was bored. He hadn’t brought anything to keep his mind occupied and was regretting it immensely. He decided to summon Camellia instead, making her small enough to fit into his palm so he could talk to her to keep his mind sane in the quiet carriage.

After five minutes Gikwang told him to shut up and he let her disappear in a miniature puff of petals with a pout on his face. “I’m bored.”

“I don’t care if you’re bored. You’ll be earning money at the end of it so-” Gikwang suddenly stopped talking and whipped his head around to look out of the window. Myungjun couldn’t see anything but the tense posture of the older boy set him on edge.

_Be careful little dragon. At any hint of danger, you defend yourself or run._

“GET DOWN!”

Myungjun followed Gikwangs orders and ducked right in time. A dagger flew through the window, shattering the glass, and thumped straight into the carriage wall where his head had just been. His heart raced in his chest as the carriage driver picked up speed, whipping his horses into action and trying to take them away from danger.

“What the HELL was that?” Myungjun squeaked, still too scared to lift his head.

“We’ve been followed.” Gikwang growled angrily. He cursed loudly and Myungjun tensed at the raw magical energy pouring out of Gikwangs skin. “I KNEW there was something dodgy about this package. I’m gunna kill him.”

Myungjun heard the dying shriek of one of their carriage horses from outside and the carriage temporarily slowed before rolling over its body. The carriage flipped over, sending them both tumbling from their seats and Myungjuns head cracked against the floor making him see stars. He felt Gikwangs presence disappear and opened his eyes, realising they were no longer moving and just hoping the poor carriage driver was okay. Glass rained down on him from above and he reached up to touch the throbbing lump at the side of his head, wincing at the pain. Luckily there was no blood.

The carriage had tipped on its side in the accident so Myungjun had to climb up the seats to look out of the shattered window. They’d been ambushed in a forest. The other carriage was further back and Myungjun watched horrified as three people spilled out of its door’s carrying weapons.

Myungjuns mind was running a mile a minute. Who had thrown that dagger? It couldn’t have been them; they were coming from behind.

 _In the trees_.

As if by instinct, Myungjun dropped back down into the carriage as an arrow missed his head by a couple of centimetres. He placed his hands on the wooden floor of the carriage in front of him and warped the wood to create a hole big enough to wriggle out of. He couldn’t stay in there, the three weapon carrying thugs were no doubt coming to find the package. Whatever the hell was in it. Myungjun could see his and Gikwangs bags spilled out over the road and nearly cried in relief when he spotted his bow and quiver full of arrows.

He tore his vines through the floor to reach over and grab them, knowing full well if he ran out there to get them himself, he’d be killed. As it was, his vines had alerted the others to his presence. He quickly pulled his vines back in and grabbed his bow. He could hear angry voices approaching from the side and sent a quick prayer up to the deity before stepping out of his hiding spot and loosing an arrow.

His father was right. He was exceptionally talented with the bow. His arrow tore through one of the men’s thighs and sent him to the floor. Myungjun used their shock to his advantage and picked up his quiver and dashed away into the trees. He didn’t want to kill anybody. It was one thing to kill in the battledome where he knew everyone would be revived, but it was another thing to end a person’s life for real. He’d aimed for that man’s leg knowing he would be able to get it fixed easily enough.

He crashed through the forest, jumping over tree roots and barrelling through the thick underbrush to get away. They’d gotten over their initial shock it seemed because Myungjun soon heard people following him.

_What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?_

Myungjun dived behind one of the tree trunks and flattened himself against it, hoping they’d run past. Something in the trees to his right made him look up however, and his heart stopped when he saw a female archer perched in the branches aiming an arrow his way. He created a shield of vines just in time and set of running again with a terrified shriek. He couldn’t get away. There were people in the trees tracking him too and he was hardly being quiet.

_Where the hell is Gikwang? Has he left me to die?_

Myungjun knew now that he had no choice. He’d have to kill people, to save his own life. The thought made him sick. He didn’t want to be a murderer. Killing Hyejin so brutally had upset him enough and even then, he wasn’t in his right mind. But now he was. And he was going to brutally end someone else’s life whilst being fully aware of his actions.

Myungjun stopped running. He dropped his quiver to the floor, wishing he’d had enough time to wear it properly at his hip, before dropping down on one knee to pull a handful of arrows free. He drove the arrow heads into the soft ground where he could reach them properly and scanned the trees above.

_Where are you?_

The smallest sign of movement had him pulling an arrow from the dirt and nocking it on his bow. He aimed and loosed in a second and heard a scream as it hit its mark. The body fell from the trees and landed with a sickening crunch on the floor.

“OVER THERE!”

The woman’s scream had alerted the men on the ground and Myungjun turned at the sound of their voices. He summoned Camellia and she stood in front of him protectively.

“Put them to sleep when they come around this tree. I can’t kill anyone else.” He said stiffly, trying not to think about the dead body nearby.

No-one came around the tree. All he heard were two loud cracks and then silence.

“Myungjun?”

Myungjun nearly cried in relief at the sound of his voice. He stepped out from his hiding place with Camellia at his side and Gikwang looked at her with a hint of curiosity that was quick to disappear. He was standing behind two of the dead men’s bodies, whose necks were clearly snapped.

“Thank the deity” Myungjun said weakly before feeling his legs give out. He collapsed to the floor and cried as his emotions hit him full force. He cried because of how scared he’d been, cried because of the man he’d hurt and cried because of the woman he’d killed.

Gikwang came over and crouched down in front of him.

“I killed her.” Myungjun choked out. “She’s dead I killed her.”

“Her? There wasn’t a woman here.” Gikwang said confused.

Myungjun pointed in the general direction of her body. “There was an archer in the trees. The one who threw the dagger. I knew it couldn’t have come from the men in the carriage. She wasn’t with them to begin with.”

Gikwang set off immediately and Myungjun let him go alone. He couldn’t look. He couldn’t see the body he’d stolen the life from. It was too much.

He didn’t know how long he sat there. It was probably only minutes but felt like hours.

Gikwang eventually came back, wiping blood off of his hands. “You can stop blubbering. You didn’t kill her.”

Myungjuns head snapped up to look at him. He didn’t…“What?”

“You didn’t kill her. But she’s dead now.” His face gave away no emotion as he reached down to pull Myungjun off the floor. “Get up. We need to go.”

“What do you mean I didn’t kill her? My arrow hit her, she fell from the tree, I heard the _crunch_.” The thought alone was enough to make his stomach turn. “And what do you mean she’s dead now?”

“I killed her after I got the information we needed. Your arrow only caught her arm, she did fall but the crunch wasn’t anything fatal. Seriously stop crying or I’ll knock you out, you’re pissing me off.”

Myungjun scrubbed at his eyes and tried to calm his sobs. “I’m sorry if my crying bothers you.” He threw back angrily. “But I just nearly died and nearly killed another person. I’d say they’re pretty good reasons to be upset.”

“They’re not.” Gikwang replied bluntly. “If you seriously want to work in a guild, death and killing comes with it.” He suddenly stopped and turned back to grab Myungjuns face firmly. He bent down until Myungjun could see his own reflection in Gikwangs glasses. The reflection staring back at him looked terrified. “They tried to kill you. Did it look like they cared? No. They didn’t. They would have killed you in the most agonizing way possible if it meant getting their hands on that package and they wouldn’t have batted an eyelid. You did what you had to do to survive. You injured that man to survive. You-”

“You saw that?” Myungjun asked confused. “I didn’t see you anywhere back there.”

Myungjun knew something was wrong when Gikwang hesitated to answer.

“I wanted to see what you’d do.”

“What?”

“I told you we came here to train. I hid and watched you.” He let go of Myungjuns face and stood up straight.

“You WATCHED me?” Myungjun asked incredulous, voice rising with his anger. “I was nearly killed!”

“I wouldn’t have really let you die. You dodged my arrow well enough.”

Myungjuns stomach sank. “You were the one that tried to hit me in the carriage?”

“Those three thugs were coming. They would have spotted you and killed you, so I fired a warning shot.”

“YOU NEARLY TOOK MY HEAD OFF!” Myungjun raged, clenching his fists in anger.

“You’ve been learning how to dodge my arrows for weeks Myungjun.” Gikwang said seemingly unaffected by his angry outburst. “I had to see if the training had paid off and you seem to have it down instinctually.”

Myungjun wanted to scream and rage some more but he knew he’d never get anywhere with him. “What did you do after then, when I ran away into the trees? I don’t understand this one bit. That woman was tracking me, yet you claimed you didn’t see her even though you were watching me. Was this all just a set-up? A fake job for my training?”

“Go and ask the dead bodies littering the forest and the road if it’s a fake job.” Gikwang scoffed, turning away from him and walking back through the trees in the direction of the carriage. Myungjun hurried to catch up, not wanting to be left amidst the dead. “This was a real job. I admit, I left you alone to watch what you’d do, and loosed that arrow at you in warning. But I couldn’t follow you. That wasn’t the only carriage chasing us. There were two others and I had to deal with them first. I just had to hope you’d keep running and wouldn’t die. I really didn’t know about the woman in the trees. I didn’t hear her at all. She must have had enchants on her shoes to silence the noise.” Myungjun was temporarily distracted by the fact Gikwang was an air user. He hadn’t revealed his magic type before. Now Myungjun realised how he’d disappeared from the carriage so quickly. He’d flown off. “She really wasn’t dead when I reached her. I asked her why she was here, and she told me everyone knew of this package delivery. I asked her who ‘everyone’ was, but she didn’t tell me, and I couldn’t get a read on her, so I killed her. She couldn’t stay alive.”

“Well what’s in that stupid package anyway? What’s so important that people are willing to kill for it? And will others come for it too?”

“I can already hear movement from three miles out and some more even further. We’re in the middle of nowhere so it can only be more bandits coming for us. I don’t know what’s in that package. But I do know we’ve been ripped off. The reward isn’t enough for a job like this. We’re not delivering that miserable old bastards’ shit anymore; we’re just getting our bags and hauling ass home. I’ll go pay him a visit and see what he’s willing to compensate us with for our troubles. If he ups the reward to something more acceptable then I’ll consider taking it again. If not, we’ll just keep whatever’s in that package and I’ll kill him for messing with us. This isn’t a B Rank job. This is A Rank at least. We’ve got tonnes of people coming for us and there’s no doubt in my mind that he knew this would happen. Scumbag.”

Myungjun didn’t know what to say so he just kept quiet all the way back to the road. Gikwang helped move their bags into the back of one of the bandits abandoned carriages as theirs was destroyed and climbed up to drive it himself.

“Get in, we’re going home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Myungjun bringing his stuffed birds on a request because he wants the comfort is so uwu he babie
> 
> His poor head though, first that womans dagger and then Gikwangs arrow. I should make him run around with a helmet on


	130. Lavender Scented Bubbles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise double uploaddddd :D
> 
> I haven't done one in a while :'[

Being waved through the big golden gates leading into Voredan was a relief. Even though Myungjun had been gone for a shorter time then planned it had still felt like an age. At least Gikwang manning the carriage up front meant Myungjun could summon and talk to Camellia the whole journey back so he wasn’t so bored.

They pulled up outside of the guild and Myungjun climbed out before rushing up the steps to the tavern doors. His bags could wait for later. Right now, he needed to see his boyfriend. He spotted him straight away, sitting at one of the tables feeding Rocky Jr something from his plate. The sight almost made Myungjun cry.

“JINJIN!”

Jinwoo looked up in shock at the sound of his voice. Myungjun hadn’t told him he was coming back early. “Sunshine? SUNSHINE!”

Myungjun ignored the amused chuckles of the other guild members scattered around the tavern and ran into his boyfriends open arms. “JinJin I missed you _so much_!”

“What are you doing back so early?” Jinwoo asked still sounding stunned as he rocked them gently from side to side. “I didn’t expect you back for another two days at least.”

“Something happened.” Myungjun whined, burying his face in Jinwoos neck to remind himself of the scent of his skin. Campfires and spice. He’d missed it a lot. “The job was a failure.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Jinwoo asked quietly, rubbing circles into Myungjuns back. “I’ll listen if you do. Or we can just go home and cuddle? I’ve got nothing else left to do here today, I was just testing out Rockys cooking.”

Myungjun pulled back to look down at the table in surprise. “Rocky made that? How comes Rocky Jrs eating it too? Can he eat human food now? Where IS Rocky?”

“Gosh so many questions.” Jinwoo chuckled, leaning in to kiss his cheek. “Rocky just went to the toilet. Do you remember that ice cream shop that we went to during the Voredan trip of our second year at the academy?”

“Yes. Sanha had an ice cream that changed his hair, and I had one that made me breathe fireworks…oh and YOU had one that made you feel cold for the first time.”

“It was a strange feeling.” Jinwoo said vacantly before snapping out of his thoughts. “Anyway, Rocky had come in after Hyungwon left and ordered those two ice creams. Rocky Jr had eaten one and Rocky told us it was a special companion only one, right? Basically, when he went home after finishing the academy, he met someone at the port who taught him how to make food that Rocky Jr could eat. He’s been taking advantage of the tavern’s kitchen here for the past few days to practice.”

Myungjun squealed at the idea and leaned over to pat Rocky Jrs head as he messily devoured the food in front of him.

Rocky came back a second later looking cheerful. “Oh hello Hyung. We didn’t expect you back for a few days. How did the job go?”

“It didn’t.” Myungjun sighed before remembering Jinwoos offer. “Let’s go home and cuddle JinJin. I’ll tell you all about it when we’re in bed.”

*

Myungjun relayed every detail of the failed job as they cuddled under the covers in his room. His mother had allowed them to spend the night together after seeing how desperate Myungjun was for the comfort. Jinwoo was patient and listened quietly until he was finished.

He wiped at the tears on Myungjuns face and sighed. “You don’t need to cry Junnie. You didn’t really kill her.”

“But she’s still dead.” Myungjun sniffled. “What about her family? Oh no what if she had _children_?”

Jinwoo shushed his hysteric panicking and pulled Myungjun up against his chest. “Junnie if she had children it was her own fault for leaving them behind to ambush your job. Honestly, I don’t think she would have had any. But either way I’m glad she’s dead.”

“What? JinJin you can’t-”

“I CAN say that and I am. It was either you or her and I’m glad it wasn’t you. This was going to happen at some point. I just expected it to be years from now when we’re finally promoted high enough to do those sorts of jobs. There’s going to be more times in the future where it will be either you or someone else and I pray to the deity that its always you who walks away from it, alive and healthy and unscathed. You’re the love of my life Myungjun and if you allow yourself to be killed because you’re too nice I’ll never forgive you. You need to fight for your life, because it’s not just yours anymore, its mine too. You ARE my life and I don’t ever want to be without you.”

Myungjun cried silently against him. He knew he was right. He knew he needed to be more ruthless, more brutal, more EVERYTHING, if he was going to survive in a line of work like this. It was just hard to accept right now. He’d get used to it. He’d just need time.

“We have all the time in the world.” Jinwoo muttered into his hair. “You’ll be fine sunshine. We’ll be fine.”

Myungjun sniffled and pulled away. “JinJin?”

“Yes handsome?”

Myungjun played with the necklace around Jinwoos throat feeling shy. He wanted something but he didn’t know how to ask for it. “I need to bath.”

“Okay let’s go run you one then.” Jinwoo went to move but Myungjun stopped him.

“JinJin?”

“ _Yes_ handsome?” Jinwoo asked again sounding amused.

“Can you wash my ha-”

“Yes. Let’s go.”

Myungjun giggled as Jinwoo pulled him off the bed. He was feeling a whole lot better already. Jinwoo led him to the bathroom and run the warm water before turning to the bottles on Myungjuns shelf.

“Rose scented bubbles or lavender scented bubbles?”

“Lavender. They always help me sleep.” Myungjun decided. He watched as Jinwoo poured some into the bath before shooing him from the room so he could get undressed.

When the bath was full enough, he turned off the water and sunk down into the heat with a happy groan. His muscles were aching terribly from the stress his body had been through and he could already feel them slowly relax one by one. It felt heavenly.

He allowed himself to enjoy it for a few more minutes before sitting up and calling for Jinwoo. He heard movement from right outside the door before it was being opened, closed and locked and he quickly made sure the bubbles were definitely covering everything before Jinwoo came into view.

Jinwoo knelt down beside the bath with a soft smile on his face and reached out to stroke Myungjuns cheek. “Feeling a bit better now sunshine?” Myungjun nodded and pulled his knees closer to his chest. “Good. I’ll wash your hair quickly so you can get back into bed for some well-earned sleep. What shampoo do you want?”

“Yours.” Myungjun mumbled, giving Jinwoo his best pout. He knew he didn’t need too. Jinwoo would give him anything right now if he asked for it. But he liked seeing the way Jinwoo softened at the sight.

Jinwoo pretended to think long and hard about it before sighing dramatically. “Fine. You can use some of mine I guess. But it will cost you.” He tapped his lips and Myungjun quickly leaned over to kiss him. “Just one? It will cost you more than that. It is my _favourite_ shampoo after all.” Jinwoo chuckled against his lips when Myungjun kissed him quickly twice more. “Payment accepted. I’ve missed kissing you.”

“I missed it too.” Myungjun admitted shyly.

Jinwoo cooed and called him cute before telling him to tilt his head back. He was slow and gentle and meticulous about washing Myungjuns hair, like he was with everything else concerning Myungjun and Myungjun let himself relax even further. Having Jinwoos warm hands in his hair again was nice.

He didn’t realise he was dozing off until Jinwoo was rubbing his back and telling him he was finished. “Come on sleepyhead. You need to get out. You’ll go all wrinkly otherwise.” He just laughed at Myungjuns tired whine and grabbed a towel for him. “Stand up, I won’t look. I’ll even dry your hair for you and brush your teeth when you’re out.” Myungjun stood up, feeling too tired to be self-conscious, and accepted his towel. He wrapped it around his waist and let Jinwoo help him out of the bath. “Good boy.” Myungjun sighed happily as Jinwoo dried his hair and managed a few sleepy giggles as his teeth were brushed. “You’re extra adorable when you’re tired sunshine. You’re _definitely_ my little baby like this aren’t you? Wait here for me, I’ll go and get you some clothes.” Myungjun grabbed onto his arm to stop him from leaving and gave him another pout when he turned back. “Do you want some of my clothes?” Jinwoo asked softly. Myungjun nodded. “Okay. I’ll find you the comfiest ones I own. Then we’ll get tucked up in bed okay?”

“Thank you JinJin.”

“There’s nothing to thank me for. I love looking after you. If anything, I should be thanking _you_ for trusting me enough to do it. I just want to make you feel better in any way possible.”

“Looking at you is enough.”

“I’m glad to see that you’re just as cheesy as ever Kim Myungjun.”

Myungjun giggled and watched him leave. He’d be cheesy for the rest of his life if he got to see that smile in return every day.

*

Myungjun woke up the next morning feeling better than he had all week. The memories of Jinwoo looking after him so well last night came back and he grinned extra wide when he looked beside him to see Jinwoo snoring softly in his sleep. He was so glad his mother had allowed him to stay the night in his room. They hadn’t slept in the same bed for a long time and he’d missed waking up next to him.

Jinwoos hand tightened around his as he whimpered quietly in his sleep and Myungjun gave it a light squeeze back. They didn’t need to hold hands whilst they slept anymore, they didn’t need to stay connected to each other’s magic, but it had become a habit now that was as natural as breathing. He didn’t want it to stop either. Jinwoos hand was warm and made him feel safe. Everything about Jinwoo made him feel safe.

Myungjun gently untangled their fingers and sat up to move Jinwoos arm higher up the mattress. He giggled when Jinwoo whined quietly without waking. When it was high enough, he lay back down using the arm as a pillow. He cuddled up to his cute boyfriend, one arm over his solid chest and one leg over his waist.

Myungjun leaned in to nose as the soft skin of Jinwoos neck. He loved Jinwoos skin. Even though he was so strong, his skin was soft to the touch. The only rough part on Jinwoos body was his hands and that was caused by the wielding of weapons and fighting hand-to-hand. Even though Jinwoo hadn’t been on any jobs which involved actual fighting yet, he still trained for hours out in the training fields whenever he had the chance. Myungjun had never met anyone so dedicated. He was sure no-one in the guild had either because they always looked surprised when Jinwoo would emerge hours later sweaty and tired but looking at peace.

Jinwoo stirred under his touch and hummed happily. “The sun has come up nice and early I see.” Myungjun giggled and climbed on top of Jinwoo properly. Jinwoo wrapped his arms around Myungjuns waist and hugged him tight. “How are you feeling today handsome? Any better?”

Myungjun nodded happily and played with the faded green strands of Jinwoos hair. “We should go into the city today and buy you some hair dye.”

“Don’t you want to go to the guild?”

“Not today. I want a break JinJin. I still have around three weeks to do my four local jobs and we know by now how easy they are. I don’t know why father asks people to do only four. They can literally be done in four days if you get the simpler ones.”

“It’s because the higher ranks will want to do other jobs during the month as well that take up a lot of time. If he said more than four people wouldn’t be able to get them done on top of their own Ranked jobs.”

Myungjun thought over Jinwoos words. “Wow you’re very smart. Are you sure _you’re_ not the guild leader?”

“You’re flattering me this early on in the morning? You must want something.” Jinwoo chuckled at Myungjuns pout and tickled his sides until he was laughing.

Jinwoo rolled them over to tickle him some more and the bedroom door opened to reveal his mother looking amused. “Good morning boys. I’m glad to see you’re feeling better Junnie. Breakfast is on the table when you want to eat. I’ll leave you to it.”

Jinwoo grinned down at Myungjun before pressing a quick kiss to his lips. “Race you there. Loser has to buy my hair-dye!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically a whole chapter of soft Myungjin because my baby nearly died and needed looking after 'kay????
> 
> Also, Rocky cooking for Rocky Jr is PEAK devastation for me. Can you imagine Sanha asking to help one day and they cook together for him??? The 'parents' cooking for their little rock baby? ~SOFT~


	131. The Package Delivery Conclusion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow my title is so informative today.

Myungjun spent the next week, after coming back from his failed job, resting at home. He helped Sanha with his song composition and was surprised to discover a new talent.

“Hyung you have a nice voice.” Sanha complimented as he wrote down the lyrics Myungjun had suggested. “If I play the guitar you should sing, and we could show it to the other Hyungs.”

“I’m not that good.” Myungjun mumbled, already feeling uncomfortable at the idea. “You should sing instead. I’m just here to help compose.”

“I don’t think I can sing.” Sanha replied absentmindedly as he hummed a few more notes before testing them out and writing them down. “Should I try?”

Myungjun eagerly agreed and found himself entranced as Sanha sung back the lyrics he had suggested. Until his voice cracked. And then Myungjun had giggled and put the younger boy off.

“Hyung stop laughing it’s not funny.” Sanha flushed, putting his guitar down. “Go and be disgusting with Jinwoo-hyung or something, I don’t want your help anymore.”

Myungjun quickly apologised but left him alone all the same and went on a quest to find his boyfriend. Jinwoo had decided to take the week off too but Myungjun knew he wouldn’t rest properly.

Which is why he wasn’t at all surprised to find him in the garden halfway through a workout.

Jinwoos damp fringe was stuck to his forehead and any exposed skin was glowing with a thin layer of sweat. Myungjun could see the muscles in his back and arms flexing as he dipped down into another press-up. He was muttering under his breath as he pushed himself up and down, up and down, up and down.

Myungjun found himself entranced again and couldn’t tear his eyes away. There was something so attractive about Jinwoo like this. Sweaty and strong and focused. He loved watching him workout, he could do it for hours.

“I can feel you staring at me Myungjun.” Myungjun snapped out of it with an embarrassed cough and looked away. “I didn’t say you had to stop.”

“I wasn’t _staring_.” Myungjun mumbled. “I just came out to see what you were doing.”

Jinwoo was suddenly in front of him, turning his face back around. “You’re allowed to watch me. If anything, it will just make me work harder to impress you.” He grinned at the roll of Myungjuns eyes and let his hand drop back down. “How’d it go with Sanha?”

“It was fun. Sanha can actually sing really well.”

“I can sing really well too you know.”

Myungjun shouldn’t have asked him to prove it.

Jinwoo made up a song on the spot about loving him and it was so disgustingly cheesy, and he sung it so purposefully bad and off key, that Myungjun had to clamp a hand over his mouth to shut him up.

“Okay NEVER sing again JinJin. Unless you’re going to do it properly. I’m sure you don’t really sound that bad.” Jinwoo just grinned and nodded towards the house. Myungjun took his hand away from Jinwoos mouth so he could speak. “Your mothers waving us in for lunch. Let’s go I’m hungry.”

*

“Rocky and Rocky Jr are back at the guild by the way.” Myungjun relayed that information to Sanha, waiting to see his reaction. He was disappointed when Sanha just ate more of his food. He’d expected him to be a bit flustered at least. Had he read the relationship between them wrong? Were they really just friends like Sanha kept insisting?

“I know Hyung.” Sanha said instead. “Rocky already sent me a note saying he was back.”

“Why haven’t you asked to go to the guild already then? Don’t you want to see them?” Jinwoo asked between bites of his own food. “Thought he was your ‘best friend’?”

“I already said to Rocky Jr that I’d see him when I join the guild next year.” Sanha mumbled.

“That doesn’t stop you from going there to see him before then.” Myungjun pointed out.

To his surprise, Sanha stood up abruptly and excused himself from the table.

“What’s wrong with him?” Jinwoo asked sounding just as perplexed as Myungjun felt. “Did we say something wrong?”

Myungjun just sighed and picked up his empty plate to go wash it in the sink. “I don’t know. But let’s not mention it to him anymore. Maybe he’s just confused about how he feels. We both know there’s _something_ going on between them. When Bane gave me his guild offer, he saw me staring at you and told me he’d already guessed you were my boyfriend because of the way I look at you. I’ve seen Rocky look at Sanha that way once or twice, and I saw Sanha looking that way at Rocky Jr before he told him he loved him. Sanha knows Rocky Jr is an extension of Rocky so he’s probably trying to figure out why he feels that way about Rocky Jr whilst denying anything for Rocky at the same time.”

“It’s complicated though because it’s like me with you. I love you but I don’t feel that way for Camellia. So surely Sanha can have different feelings for them both too? Maybe he does love Rocky Jr regardless of the fact he’s an extension and maybe he really does see Rocky as just a friend.”

Myungjun couldn’t argue with Jinwoos logic but it just made things more complicated. No wonder Sanha was so confused, if he was confused at all, because Myungjun was getting a headache just thinking about it.

He washed up the rest of the dishes from lunch and turned back to Jinwoo with a smile. “Want to go back to the guild tomorrow? A week was enough of a rest for me. I should get back to my anomaly training too.” The thought of seeing the twins again made him grimace but he really was curious to hear about what Gikwang had done with the package.

“I’m glad you asked. I was going to suggest the same thing later.” Jinwoo said getting up to stretch. “I gave your mother the last of my coins for rent so I need to earn some more.”

Myungjun was surprised to hear that. “You pay my mother rent?”

“She keeps trying to refuse but I’d feel bad if I didn’t. She’s a single mother looking after three growing boys. We eat a tonne Junnie. She must be struggling without a job of her own.”

Myungjun had never thought of it like that before and was suddenly wracked with guilt. He always prided himself on being kind and thoughtful but clearly, he’d not been doing a good enough job where his own mother was concerned.

“Let’s go today then JinJin. We can stay overnight at the guild and wake up extra early to work. I want to give my mother some coin too.”

*

Myungjun and Jinwoo were enjoying their breakfast in the tavern when the twins came in through the doors. Myungjun knew they were there without needing to turn back to look himself. The tavern always fell quiet for a few seconds when they turned up. Jinwoo had stopped halfway through his sentence too. It was hard not too when you could feel such raw and powerful magic when they entered the room.

Myungjun was surprised he hadn’t felt such power from the elemental leaders or the academies nurse when he had been around them. They must have been hiding it. Myungjun was still surprised to find out they were S Rank to begin with.

“They’re coming this way.” Jinwoo muttered under his breath. Myungjun just sighed and put his cutlery down knowing they were coming for him.

The package they failed to deliver was dropped on the table next to him a second later and he looked up to see Gikwang scowling down.

“We’re keeping what’s in here. I already told you that you could have the reward and because we’re not getting the promised coin, you can have whatever that is.”

“I don’t want it.” Myungjun had already decided this the second Gikwang had mentioned the possibility of keeping it. He didn’t want something people were willing to kill over. What if those people were still looking for it? He didn’t want to one day be ambushed and killed because he’d been idiotic enough to accept it now. “You have it.”

“Don’t be stupid. Whatever it is it must be valuable. If you don’t want to keep it then just sell it, I don’t care.”

“I said no.”

Gikwang bristled and opened his mouth to speak but Donghan cut him off. “Why don’t you want it Myungjun? You earned it.” Myungjun explained his reasoning and Donghan just rolled his eyes. “No-one’s going to come for you. From what Gikwang told me, all the people who saw you are dead now, and I’m willing to bet you any money that everyone who was after that package to begin with had less of a clue about what’s inside of it then you do. Just open it at least.”

Myungjun really didn’t want to. The less he knew about it the better. “Please just take it. YOU can keep what’s in it. YOU can sell it and make the money. Whatever it is will just remind me of that job and the woman I nearly killed anyway. I don’t want to even know what’s in there, because if it’s something unworthy of our efforts I’ll just feel worse.”

Donghan looked at him for a few more seconds with an unreadable expression on his face before sighing and giving Myungjun a small nod of his head. “Fine.” He picked up the package and tucked it away inside his coat. “We also came here to say that you did really well considering the mess you got into out there. It takes a lot of skill to dodge one of my brothers’ arrows and the fact you managed to do that and hit that woman in the trees with one of your own, despite being so scared at the time, shows that our training is paying off. Speaking of training, we’d like to see you later. You’ve had a week off now, it’s about time we get back too it. You still have to strengthen your healing spells.”

They left after that and Myungjun turned back to see Jinwoo watching him. “What is it JinJin?”

“I’m just surprised you refused the reward that’s all. But I understand why.”

“Would you have accepted it?”

“Definitely. I would have at least wanted to look inside. You didn’t even get to see if your efforts had been worth it or not.”

“I honestly don’t think they were. I just want to forget about it now anyway.”

“That’s fine. We can stop talking about it.” Jinwoo said giving him a smile and leaning over the table to grab his hand. “Let’s go find a new job to do okay? Let’s see if there are any we can do together today.”

*

Myungjun sighed in relief when he received Jinwoos note telling him he’d found the missing puppy. They’d accepted the request a few hours ago and had split up to search the city. It belonged to a little girl who had cried miserably as she explained what he looked like. Myungjun had sketched as she spoke and when he showed it to her, her eyes had lit up in excitement.

“He looks just like that!”

“Well we’ll find him for you don’t worry.” Myungjun had said kindly, patting her head.

He made his way back to the little girl’s house now and waited outside until Jinwoo turned up holding the little brown puppy in his arms.

“I thought she said he was white?” Myungjun asked confused.

“He is. He’s just terribly filthy. You don’t even want to know where I found him. He’ll need a bath and so will I.”

Myungjun leaned in to sniff them both and gagged holding his nose. “Ew JinJin you stink.” Myungjun squealed as Jinwoo tried to hand the puppy over. “I’m NOT touching him. Let’s just go and give him back.”

Myungjun went to knock on the door and the girl’s mother opened it up looking surprised. “You found him already?”

“Well I wouldn’t put it like that. We were out there for hours.” Jinwoo mumbled under his breath. Myungjun elbowed him in the ribs to shut him up.

“He’ll need a good clean.” Myungjun answered instead, giving the woman a sweet smile. Jinwoo dumped the puppy in the woman’s arms who wrinkled her nose at the smell too.

“Thankyou boys. I’ll send the money to the guild. Have a good day.”

“You too.” Myungjun said happily before turning to Jinwoo and gesturing for them to leave. They made their way back to the guild with Myungjun keeping a careful distance between them.

“Too scared to stand next to me?”

“You really do stink.”

Myungjun screamed as Jinwoo lunged at him, wrapping his arms around his waist and rubbing their bodies together. “Now you stink too.”

“JinJin EW.” Myungjun whined, trying to wriggle away. “Why did you do that?”

“Now we can be smelly together and you’ll have no reason to walk so far away from me.” Jinwoo smirked before leaning in to whisper in his ear. “We can always shower together if you want.”

“Get your filthy hands and thoughts away from me Park Jinwoo!” Myungjun flushed, pushing him away.

Jinwoo just laughed and grabbed his hand, swinging it between them as they started walking again. “That request didn’t pay a lot and there will be even less when we get taxed, but it did feel good to hand him over. I just wish we’d seen the little girls face; she was really cute.”

“She was.” Myungjun agreed. “At least we got one of our jobs for this month out of the way, regardless of how little we earned. I still have training tonight with the twins, so we won’t be able to go home until late. What are you going to do while you wait for me?”

“I want to go and practice my magic. I’ve done a lot of weapons training recently so I can feel my magic getting pent up again. I thought about asking one of the other fire users to help me. Your father told me that my magic is only up to the academies standard and that I’d need to get stronger here. I suppose it’s about time I asked for assistance. I don’t want to be stuck doing local jobs forever. They’re rewarding in their own way’s, but I miss actual fighting. I’d even love to go back to the dungeons again.”

“I never thought I’d say this, but I would too. The dungeons were rather fun.”

“Well let’s work extra hard and get powerful enough to be promoted. We can do this sunshine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Imagine if I built Socky up so big just to reveal Sanha doesn't actually like Rocky at all in the end...LMAOOOOO (I'm JOKING please don't come for my neck)
> 
> I write this fic on a word document (which you can imagine is crazy long by now) and at the bottom I have a 'to do list' a 'reminders' list and an 'additional info' list which helps me keep track of literally EVERTHING I'm doing because there's so much stuff I need to add or remember I'd get terribly confused otherwise and I just spent the last hour transferring all the random notes and ideas I made on my phone to that document and my god it was a nightmare ;-; my phone and that specific word document aren't the only things I've made notes on either. I have a diary full of stuff that needs adding and like four other word documents of information like the research I've done behind fighting and healing, the original document I planned Aredrinnor on including a list of towns and cities and what they contain, character profiles, all of the timetables I made for the boys at the academy, all of the spells and their ranks, all the real ages and names for a whole bunch of kpop groups sorted by years so I know who's older and who I can add into the story and when. I even have useless lists as well like titles of all the textbooks they used for each class in the academy that I never got round to adding in and I know for a FACT I need more lists in the future. like all the guilds I want to introduce, all of the competitions in the major cities that I need to create, information on the foreign lands surrounding Aredrinnor etc etc>.< literally I've just never been more organized in my life for something and it had to be for a bloody fic didn't it? My priorities are clearly messed up xD


	132. Metal Dragon Vs Metal Golem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My favourite title I've written^^

“You wanted to see me father?” Myungjun entered his father’s office feeling nervous. He didn’t know why he’d been called in. He’d completed all of his jobs for October and was advancing well in his training. He could now seal up the whole wound when Donghan tried to sever his arm, so he knew it wasn’t that either.

“Take a seat Myungjun. Don’t look so nervous its nothing bad. If fact I know you’ll leave here feeling a whole lot happier.”

Myungjun sighed in relief and sat down. “So…”

“After watching Gikwangs memories of the package delivery request you went on, I have decided it is time to officially promote you to C Rank.”

Myungjuns mouth dropped open in shock. He knew this would be coming at some point. His father had already told him the twins had suggested he be promoted but he didn’t think it would be this soon. He’d only been at the guild for two and a half months.

His father smiled at his stunned expression. “Congratulations. I haven’t promoted anyone this fast in a long time. I told you that you would have a higher chance of being promoted as an anomaly. I hope this motivates you to train harder.” Myungjun could only nod dumbly. “As you are aware, C Rank requests are those that can be completed in or outside of Voredan city. These requests will pay at least thirty thousand coins each as the money needs to be worth it if you are to travel by carriage to each location. I do not suggest you take jobs too far out as you need to think about food, travel and accommodation costs as well. The jobs further out should only be taken if you plan on going that far out for other reasons such as trips or visiting friends or family, otherwise they’re simply not worth it. As a higher rank, you can take those of a lower rank on requests with you, but you MUST run it by me or Hani first. You can also take one trainee, but again, if you would like to take more than one you have to tell one of us first. Understand?”

“Yes.” Myungjun said, finally finding his voice and smiling bright and wide. “Thank you I…wow.”

His father laughed and dismissed him. Myungjun got up to leave but his father suddenly spoke again. “It’s Hallows eve in a few days’ time. Do you have any plans?”

“Me and the others are going out to eat. The restaurants around here have been advertising special Hallows Eve events and Moonbins desperate to try the themed food.”

“Well the guild holds its own party of sorts; you’re welcome to attend if you change your mind, and the invite extends to your mother and Sanha too.”

“I’ll let them know.” Myungjun said before saying goodbye and walking out of the room with a skip in his step. He was now a C Rank magic user. His father was right, he was definitely leaving feeling a whole lot better.

Myungjun raced down to the bottom floor and looked around for his boyfriend. He spotted him at the bar talking to Donghan. He couldn’t even think of why they’d be together; he just ran over to them and jumped onto Jinwoos back making him shout in surprise.

“JinJin!”

“Bloody hell Myungjun you scared the life out of me.” Jinwoo said exhaling heavily.

Myungjun giggled and let go, allowing him to turn around on the bar stool. Jinwoo took one look at his face and broke out into a smile. “Something good happen sunshine?”

“Guess who’s C Rank now?” Myungjun sing-songed happily.

Jinwoos eyes widened. “No way…NO WAY!” He jumped from his seat and picked Myungjun up, spinning him around and shouting happily. “Wow sunshine! I can’t _believe_ it! No, wait. I CAN believe it! You’re so talented and strong and perfect. My perfect boy.”

Myungjun giggled and ducked his head down to kiss his excited boyfriend. Jinwoo put him down in favour of grabbing his face to kiss him deeper.

“As sweet as this is, I’d rather not see you tongue each other to death.” Donghan piped up from beside them sounding amused.

Myungjun quickly pulled away with a blush. He’d forgotten he was there. “You didn’t have to watch.” He mumbled.

Donghan just chuckled before standing up and looking down at him. “Congratulations little dragon. Your father hasn’t promoted anyone this fast since me and my brother. I’m glad our training is paying off. See you later.”

He left before Myungjun could reply but he didn’t care. He just kissed Jinwoo again, softly this time. “JinJin I’m so happy.”

“I’m happy too.” Jinwoo said, smiling at him with love in his gaze. “I’m so proud of you. So so proud of you. If anyone deserved this, it was you. I was asking Donghan about your training and he was telling me about how well you’ve been doing. I am a bit sad though. You’ll be going off on such good requests now, I won’t see you as often.”

Myungjun pretended to be sad. “I know…I guess you’ll just have to come with me then.”

“What?”

“I can take you with me as long as I run it by Hani or my father first.”

“You’re joking.”

“I’m not.” Myungjun said, finally allowing himself to smile. “As a higher rank I’m allowed to take lowers ranks with me and one trainee, more if I request it. So, there’s no need for you to be sad.”

Myungjun squealed as Jinwoo pulled him in for another kiss. “Let’s go check the board right now.” Jinwoo said eagerly. Myungjun allowed himself to be pulled to the stairs and sighed happily. Jinwoos happiness was adding to his good mood.

Today was a good day indeed.

*

“Are you going to the Hallows eve party tomorrow night?” Myungjun asked, stepping through the door to the magic training field.

“Why? Are you asking me to be your date?” Donghan teased with a smirk.

Myungjun just rolled his eyes. “No, I’m not going at all, and even if I was, JinJin would be my date obviously. I didn’t find out about the party until a couple of days ago so I wouldn’t have been able to come up with a new costume in time even if I did want to attend. All my old ones are probably too small now as well. I was only asking if you were going to be nice.”

“If you think being nice will make me go easy on you today, you’re mistaken.” Donghan replied leading him across the lush green field. The sun was shining bright and there was a chill in the air. “Just because Gikwang isn’t here doesn’t mean you can slack off.”

Myungjun pouted. “You know I never slack off. What are we doing today anyway?”

“We’re going to have a one on one fight, magic only.”

Myungjun perked up a little. “You’ve never shown me your magic before. I don’t even know what type you are. Are you air like Gikwang?”

“Nope. I’m earth just like you little dragon, but the ground variety. We can stop here, we’re far enough away from the guild hall now. I want you to hit me with everything you’ve got. You don’t need to hold back. I’ll even let you make the first move.”

Myungjun knew he needed the element of surprise if he was going to land a hit, so he began immediately, barely giving Donghan enough time to finish his sentence. He expended his magic, summoned Camellia and tore his vines through the floor beneath his opponent. He wrapped his vines around Donghans legs, then went further and wrapped them around his waist and arms too to make sure he was completely immobile.

“Camellia pain.” The pollen exploded out of her and swept over the older boy…who just smiled.

“You attack extremely fast. But that trick won’t work on me. My mind is too strong, it can’t fall prey to her illusion. She’s pretty by the way.” The ground opened up beneath Donghan and he disappeared along with Myungjuns vines. Myungjun felt the ground rumble beneath his feet and dived out of the way just in time as Donghan erupted through the dirt. “Quick to dodge too. Two against one, this isn’t fair. Time for you to meet my companion.”

Donghan pulled his greatsword off his back, the one Myungjun always saw him polishing lovingly. He grabbed the handle with both hands, blade pointing downwards, and mumbled incoherently under his breath. Myungjuns eyes widened as the sword began to glow. Donghan brought it down hard and fast where it burrowed deep into the earth. He let go of the handle and stepped back. The ground shook again, more strongly than before, and Myungjun squeaked in fear as the sword shot out of the earth and up into the sky. It transformed above them and a giant metal golem fell down in its place.

Its impact sent Myungjun stumbling and he was glad it did. The golems fist slammed down right where he had just been standing and Myungjun set off running across the field after catching his footing.

_What the hell?_

It was a much larger, much scarier, metal version of Rocky Jr and Myungjun knew if it hit him when he was this fragile, he was as good as dead. Luckily enough he’d learnt how to enhance his body for combat in the academy and focused his magic on transforming himself to metal as he ran. If metal hit metal, it wouldn’t be so bad…right? He could feel the ground shaking beneath his feet as the giant chased behind him and he felt himself getting heavier as he transformed.

When he was ready, he turned around to face Donghans companion and tried to trap it with his vines. As expected, it just broke free and Myungjun braced himself for the impact of its swing. The metal of their bodies clanged together loudly and Myungjun went flying through the air. He landed fifty feet away with a thud and climbed clumsily to his feet. He was glad he didn’t feel pain in this form.

Donghan reigned his companion back in and picked up the greatsword it left behind. He disappeared into the ground and reappeared in front of Myungjun a second later.

“Are you okay?”

Myungjun nodded breathlessly. “I managed to fully transform in time, so I didn’t feel any pain. Your companion is scary.”

Donghan laughed and looked down at his sword proudly. It was taller than Myungjun himself and nearly as wide. He was surprised Donghan could even lift it. It sure explained his muscular form.

“He’s my favourite companion.”

“You have more than one?”

“I have my metal golem and a rock golem. You have two types of flowers right?”

“I have my monstertrap, but I wouldn’t say that’s a proper companion. I can’t understand it like I understand Camellia and all it does is roar at me. I’m scared to use it.”

“It roars at you and probably doesn’t listen because it knows you’re scared. Next time we train out here you can practice summoning it. I’ve seen some plant users use those things and they can be brutally good in a fight if you can control them properly. Did you learn how to summon trees too?”

“Yeah my trees are much nicer.” Myungjun answered happily. “I still don’t know how to get them out of the soil to walk though. I’ll need to work on that as well.”

Donghan slipped his sword back onto his back and rapped his knuckles on Myungjuns metal forehead. “Transform back or you’ll drain yourself. You’ve shown good use of defence today so let’s move onto healing next.”

Myungjun let himself change back to his human form and grimaced. “Please don’t sever your arm again. It’s the craziest thing I’ve ever seen anyone do. I still don’t know how you can do it without screaming, doesn’t it hurt?”

“It hurts like hell, but I do it for you. You have to practice healing somehow. You can either practice it on my severed arm or I can sever your arm instead?” He laughed at the look of horror on Myungjuns face. “That’s what I thought. Anyway, I’m not severing my arm today. You’ve done good with healing wounds, so now we’ll be moving onto broken bones.”

“Please don’t tell me you’re going to break a bone.”

“Leg bone or arm bone? Your choice.” Donghan grinned manically.

Myungjun swallowed down the lump in his throat. Donghan was crazy. “Leg bone I guess.” He answered weakly.

“One broken leg coming right up.” Donghan said happily. “Here goes nothing…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Donghan has ground manipulation magic like Rocky...surpriseeeee. I did consider giving the twins the same magic but decided against it. This suits them better. Gikwang is graceful like the wind (even though he has a stormy temper) and Donghan is rough and tough like the earth. I thought it matched Donghans appearance well too with his clunky boots and his metal piercings.  
> When I created them image wise I didn't know what magic type they'd be. Like usual I just winged it and decided on Gikwangs magic the chapter I revealed it (Bandits In The Trees.) and I decided Donghans when I wrote this chapter the other week so...they go together better then I could have hoped for :D
> 
> Also I've noticed I have a lot of water and earth elementals now but I'm distinctly lacking in air and fire.  
> Earth: Myungjun (plant) Youngjae (plant) Rocky (ground) Donghan (ground)  
> Water: Moonbin (water) Hoseok (water) Dongmin (ice) Hyungwon (ice)  
> Fire: Jinwoo  
> Air: Sanha, Gikwang
> 
> Poor Jinwoo xD  
> (If you have any ideas on which k-idols will suit fire magic let me know so I can consider adding them to this fic. Can be male or female. If no-one has any suggestions I'll just create an original character [like Grey, Jax, Bane etc] when the plot allows it [Which won't be for a long time still ~.~] )


	133. A Night At The Inn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings:  
> Smut/mentions of masturbation
> 
> I WROTE SMUT AGAIN *SCREAMS*  
> It embarrasses me every time fml

“This one looks good.” Jinwoo said, pointing to a sheet of parchment in the middle of the ‘C Rank Requests’ board. “It’s in a town a day’s journey away. A missing child request. Last seen at the edge of the towns surrounding forest this morning and the reward is great.”

Myungjun looked at the bottom of the parchment.

 **Reward: 50,000 coins**.

“Wow that _is_ good. Do you want to take it?”

Jinwoo nodded eagerly and ripped the parchment down. “I’m so happy you’re C Rank. We earn so much more now.”

Myungjun laughed and led the way to the table with the forms and grabbed one off the top of the pile to fill it in. “We’ll get taxed first remember. And then we should give mother some of the money. Then we have the carriage rides to pay for and we’ll need somewhere to stay the night. Oh, and food.”

Jinwoo groaned and signed the bottom of the form when Myungjun handed him the pen next. “That doesn’t sound very good does it?”

“We’ll be left with around thirty thousand I think so it’s still a lot better than what we were earning before, AND we’ll have a change of scenery which will be rewarding enough.”

“You’re an actual ray of sunshine you know that right?” Jinwoo asked fondly as he handed Myungjun the form. “You always know what to say to make things better.”

Myungjun giggled and leaned forwards to kiss his cheek. “I try my best. Let’s go and hand this over to Hani. She needs to know you’re coming with me.”

*

Myungjun followed the child’s distraught parents to the edge of the forest with Jinwoo walking silently beside him. It felt wrong somehow to talk so they kept quiet and listened instead.

“He’s only five years old. We turned our backs for a minute…no thirty seconds and he just disappeared! We searched all night for him but couldn’t find a trace. We’re not bad parents we swear.” The mother was in tears and Myungjun patted her on the arm gently.

“We can see you’re not bad parents. Bad parents wouldn’t be this upset. Children wander off all the time. _I_ used to wander off all the time when my mother wasn’t looking. So don’t worry, we’ll find him for you. You picked the best guild in Aredrinnor for a reason.” Myungjun said proudly. “Do you know of any creatures that live in this forest? And has there been any bandit activity in the area that we need to be aware of?” Myungjun was reciting the questions Hani had told him to ask and he was happy to hear how professional he sounded.

“Nothing we’re aware of. There are normal forest animals inside. Deer, wild boar and maybe a few bears, but we’ve not had magical creature sightings in a while.” The father explained as he hugged his wife. “Please hurry.”

“Of course. Thankyou for the information. We’ll be back soon enough.”

Myungjun gave them one last smile that he hoped looked reassuring before stepping into the forest and making his way through the trees. He stopped at one and asked if it had seen the little boy. The tree just told him what the parents had, that he’d disappeared yesterday. However, the tree added he’d wandered north so Myungjun thanked it before relaying the news to Jinwoo.

“Let’s head that way then. Keep your bow at hand Myungjun. Even if we only come across normal animals, they could still attack.” Jinwoos leader persona took over and Myungjun obeyed without question. Even though he knew he was an anomaly and could be a leader too he still preferred listening to Jinwoo. Jinwoos leadership skills were a lot stronger than his own anyway.

Myungjun readjusted the quiver on his hip and patted his herb pouch, that was strapped across his chest, for luck before setting off north. The forest was alive with sounds. Birds and bugs created a symphony of noise that felt pleasant to Myungjuns ears and he could even pinpoint the rustling of leaves on the floor as smaller mammals rushed around. There wasn’t much of a breeze and the November air felt crisp.

I’ll have to start wrapping up more soon, Myungjun thought.

He moved a bit closer to Jinwoo for warmth and stopped walking a few minutes later to ask another tree for directions.

They carried on like this for the next hour until they came across a set of caves. The last tree had told them the boy had gone inside and failed to come out and Myungjun sent a quick prayer up to the deity, hoping for the boy’s safety, before peering inside into the darkness.

“JinJin light it up for us so we can see how deep the caves go.”

“Stay behind me then and watch your back. Anything could come in behind us and I don’t want you being caught unaware.”

Jinwoo lit up the darkness, throwing greenish light around the walls and revealing a narrow opening that led deeper than expected at first glance. Myungjun did as he was told and stayed close to Jinwoo whilst throwing glances back over his shoulder every so often. They walked for a few minutes down twists and turns before Jinwoo spoke.

“Should we try calling out for him?” He whispered. Even his whisper sounded shockingly loud to Myungjuns ears. “I don’t want to alert anything that may be down here, but he might be hiding.”

“Do whatever you think is best.” Myungjun whispered back. “The quicker we get out of here the better. Its stifling down here and much too cramped. His name is Jaeho remember.”

Jinwoo cleared his throat quietly before raising his voice. “JAEHO CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE’RE HERE TO HELP YOU.”

Myungjun winced at his loud voice. It echoed through the caves and they listened intently for any reply. When they received none Jinwoo sighed and suggested they go deeper.

“JAEHO?”

“JAEHO CAN YOU HEAR US?”

They froze a few minutes later at a noise. A small whimper followed by a growl. Jinwoos fire grew bigger to light more of the space ahead of them. It showed them that the rocky corridor was finally ending and opening up into a larger cave. A larger cave full of golden glowing eyes. Too many to take on at once.

Jinwoo cursed as the wolves pounced and shot an array of fireworks from his hands that startled them momentarily. “Myungjun I can’t light this place up I don’t see Jaeho yet. Get Camellia.”

Myungjun summoned her and she landed next to them with a tinkle as Jinwoo launched more pretty green fireworks to keep the feral looking wolves at bay.

“Camellia put them all to sleep.” At least if the pollen caught Jaeho he wouldn’t be hurt. Camellia moved around Jinwoo to sweep the cave with her pollen and the wolves slumped down unconscious. “Thank you, Camellia, that’s enough. Will you help us look for him?” Myungjun didn’t need to tell her who. She could read his mind well enough.

“He’s behind that big boulder over there. My pollen didn’t reach him. I’d be able to feel it if it did.”

Myungjun didn’t waste any time. He covered his mouth and nose and stepped into the pollen that was still disappearing. Jinwoo held back to guard the entrance and created more fire to light up the cavern as Myungjun rushed around the boulder to see a tiny trembling body.

“Hello Jaeho, my names Myungjun and I’m here to help you. I’ll take you back to your parents okay? They missed you so much.”

Jaeho looked up at him with wide innocent eyes full of tears and Myungjun felt his heart break. He was so small and cute with his brown matted hair and dirt covered cheeks. Myungjun was so happy he was alive. A small part of him had feared they’d find him dead. He was a five year old child lost in the woods after all. Myungjun picked him up after making sure he had no injuries and looked around the boulder to see the pollen had finally cleared. Camellias pollen had become stronger since leaving the academy and he knew the wolves would be knocked out for a while, but he still hurried back over to Jinwoo anyway. He wanted to get them out of there as soon as possible.

They made quicker work of navigating the twists and turns of the underground caves until they were back out in the sun.

“Junnie we did it!” Jinwoo said, looking back at him with a big grin on his face. “And there was no bloodshed.”

“I think we would have traumatised Jaeho if there had been and I think he’s dealt with enough already. We should get him back to his parents as soon as possible. You carry him on your back. You’re stronger and we need to move quickly. It took us an hour to get out here and I told them we’d be back soon.”

*

Seeing the pure relief and joy on his parents faces made the whole job worth it for Myungjun. They cried and thanked them and offered to cook them a meal which Jinwoo quickly accepted saying they couldn’t turn down free food.

When all of the food was devoured and Jaeho was nice and clean again, Myungjun and Jinwoo said their goodbyes at the front door.

“Thank you, boys, again. I really can’t put into words how grateful I am for your help. You saved my sons life and no amount of coin in the world would be enough as payment. I’m just sorry we can’t afford to give you more.” The father shifted uncomfortably against the doorframe.

“Oh no don’t apologise.” Myungjun rushed. “The meal you cooked for us and your happiness is enough. We were glad to help really.”

“Well, I’ll make sure to put in a good word for you both and recommend your guild to our friends and family at least. I’ll send the reward money to the guild tonight. Have a safe journey back.”

Myungjun and Jinwoo said their goodbyes and left feeling satisfied.

“Let’s go back to the inn and get showered before we go to sleep. You have leaves in your hair Junnie.”

Myungjun quickly reached up to feel for them. “JinJin why didn’t you tell me?” He whined. “I just sat through a whole dinner with them looking like this!”

Jinwoo grinned and plucked the leaves out for him. “Don’t worry I don’t think they noticed. I’ll let you shower first so stop pouting; it’s doing funny things to my heart.”

*

Jinwoo walked into their room with a towel wrapped around his waist and droplets of water clinging to his hair. Myungjun tried not to stare as Jinwoo reached around in his bag for some pyjamas but it was hard not to. He looked good like that, _too_ good and Myungjun flushed when Jinwoo looked up at him with a knowing smile on his face.

“Like what you see?”

Myungjun wanted to deny it but found himself nodding instead. Jinwoo just chuckled and left the room with his clothes before coming back a few seconds later dried and dressed. He got into bed and climbed straight on top of Myungjun to kiss him. It was slow and passionate and exactly what Myungjun needed.

He wrapped his arms around Jinwoos neck with a happy whine and wrapped his legs around Jinwoos waist to pull him closer. Jinwoo licked into his mouth tasting like his minty toothpaste before pulling away to look down at him with hooded eyes.

“Junnie we haven’t done anything since the night at the pond three months ago. I really want to make you feel good again.”

Myungjun could see how much Jinwoo wanted to. But he was conflicted. He wanted Jinwoo to touch him again, it felt incredibly good when he did, but he knew he’d just feel guilty afterwards when he couldn’t do anything for Jinwoo in return.

Jinwoo saw his hesitation and frowned. “What is it?”

“I don’t think we should do that anymore.” Myungjun said quietly, watching the way Jinwoos face fell at his words.

“What? Why not? You liked it didn’t you?” Jinwoo looked so sad it made Myungjuns heart ache.

“I did.” He admitted. “I just…I can’t do it for you in return and I hate it. I know you insist that you feel good, but I know you’re uncomfortable afterwards. You never complain and you just put up with it and it makes me feel guilty. I can’t be selfish like that JinJin.”

“It’s not selfish Myungjun.” Jinwoo said firmly. “I’ve already told you, I’m FINE with it. Nothing makes me happier than seeing you happy. It’s not like I _never_ get to let go and feel good. I just do it when you’re not around, when I know you’ll be safe from my fire.” Myungjun was confused and Jinwoo saw it clearly on his face and sighed. “This is so awkward. I never thought I’d have to say this out loud, least of all in front of _you_ …I touch myself Myungjun, that’s what I’m trying to say.”

“You touch yourself?” Myungjun blushed at the thought. He’d never thought of doing that before. “Is it…nice?”

Jinwoo grinned at Myungjuns blush and shrugged. “It’s not as nice as when you touched me by the pond but it’s enough. Now that you know, you don’t have to feel guilty. I’ve touched myself a lot more than I’ve touched you, so if anything, you’re the one who’s been missing out. So, will you let me make you feel good now? _Please_?”

Myungjun was still trying to process what he’d just been told but nodded anyway. Jinwoo sighed in relief and sat up to get them undressed. When he was finished, he leaned back down to kiss Myungjun softly, running his hands over Myungjuns skin. Myungjun shivered under his touch even though his hands were far from being cold.

They stayed like that for a while, kisses slowly deepening, knowing they were in no rush. There was no fear of his mother walking in on them, no fear of the guild members hearing anything. They were far away from everyone in a tiny inn they’d probably never come back too. Now was the perfect time.

When Jinwoo eventually pulled back, he moved just as slowly down Myungjuns body, touching him and kissing him in places Myungjun never knew he wanted to be touched. The insides of his arms, his wrists, the skin just below his ribs. Jinwoo was gentle, almost painfully so, and Myungjun found himself gradually getting hotter. He looked down to see Jinwoo trailing kisses down his stomach.

Jinwoo stopped at his trident scar and looked up at him before licking it obscenely from bottom to top, never breaking eye contact. Myungjun whimpered at how sensitive it felt and let his head fall back down against the pillow. Jinwoo just chuckled and moved lower.

“You make such pretty sounds. I think about them all the time when I touch myself.”

Myungjun was sure he flushed from head to toe at Jinwoos confession and he immediately felt his underwear tighten at the thought.

“Mmm someone likes that.” Jinwoo said teasingly, moving further down the bed. Myungjun wanted to deny it but he was immediately distracted by the light fluttering pressure dancing in between his hips. When he looked down, he nearly passed out at the sight.

Jinwoo was settled between his legs brushing his nose against him through his underwear. The sight would have been cute if it were any other part of his body.

“JinJin what are you doing?” Myungjun squeaked. “You shouldn’t do that there!”

Jinwoo just grinned and did it a few more times before moving down to Myungjuns thighs.

“Your thighs are so perfect sunshine. As perfect as the rest of you. You got your guild mark here just to tease me, didn’t you?” He kissed it before repeating what he had done to his trident scar. He licked it from bottom to top and Myungjun whimpered quietly at the feeling. The heat was pooling in his stomach already and Jinwoo had hardly touched him at all where he really needed it.

He couldn’t get the image of Jinwoos face between his hips out of his mind and clutched the bedsheets tight beneath him.

Jinwoo pushed his legs further apart to leave love bites along the insides of his thighs. “I’ve always wanted to mark you here.” He growled low in his throat before attacking the sensitive skin once more. Myungjun groaned and threaded his fingers through Jinwoos hair as tears sprung to his eyes.

“JinJin _please_.” He didn’t know how much more he could take. His mind was a mess and his body was aching. He just needed Jinwoo to touch him properly and make everything better again.

“Please what?” Myungjun whined and tugged at his hair feeling overwhelmed. “Use your words Myungjun. I can’t give you what you want if you don’t tell me what it is.” Myungjuns choked sob made Jinwoo look up in surprise. He quickly climbed back up the bed to hover above him. “Sunshine? What’s wrong? Was I too rough?”

Myungjun shook his head as the tears rolled down the sides of his face. He placed his hand on Jinwoos solid chest and let him feel how he was feeling. Jinwoos face softened and he cooed sadly.

“I teased you too much didn’t I? I’m sorry sunshine. Come here.” He slipped his arms underneath Myungjuns back and pulled him up until he was sitting on Jinwoos thighs. Myungjun couldn’t stop himself, he grinded down against them, choking on another sob at the friction he so desperately needed. His head felt foggy and he forgot to be embarrassed by his needy actions. He just set a pace, whimpering with every roll of his hips. “That’s it sunshine. You’re doing so well. Be a good boy for me and let go okay? You can do it.”

All it took was a few more seconds on Jinwoos muscular thighs before his stomach tightened and he shuddered through his release on his lap. Jinwoo was rubbing his back soothingly as the fire tore through his nerves and whispering incoherent words of praise in his ear. Myungjun clung to him, unable to keep quiet, until everything went nice and fuzzy around the edges.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: /.\ *Cringe* Why do I do this to myself?  
> Also Me: I CAN'T DENY THE BEAUTIFUL YOUNG LOVE OF MY BABIES.
> 
> I wrote 2 chapters yesterday and planned 7 more and then I 'planned' another one and it made me laugh. It was like 2am when I wrote it and its literally just one line:
> 
> The chapter where * * * [NEEDS PLANNIN BEFOREHAND DONT FORGET FUTURE ME THIS ONE IS IMPORTANT AND NEEDS TO BE IMPACTFUL SO DONT HALF ASS IT IM GOING TO SLEEP NOW GOODNIGHT]
> 
> I'm losing my mind clearly ;-; I make notes to myself all the time when I plan and these are some of the others I like:
> 
> [future me think of a better name for them LITERALLY ANYTHING BUT * * YOU'RE NOT 5-maybe something to do with their magic types???]
> 
> [copy and paste the threat its okay to be lazy sometimes]
> 
> [he has to be cocky, so cocky people will want to punch him]
> 
> [reveal that they have sleepovers and make it extra uwu...like uwu x 1000000000000]
> 
>  
> 
> Someone just take my writing privileges away and be done with it


	134. If Trees Could Walk.

Myungjun sat at his desk, in his room at home, counting out all of the money he’d made that month. Christmas would be coming up soon enough and he wanted to know how much he could spend on gifts. All he knew is that he’d never had so much money in his life.

A knock on his door had him looking up and he smiled when Jinwoo stepped inside. “Hey JinJin. How did the job go?”

“Good. I’m not finished yet though; I have to go back tomorrow to chop up the rest of the wood, but I don’t mind. I’m just glad I snatched up that request before anyone else. It’s rare that local jobs pay that much. What are you doing anyway? Counting your money?”

Myungjun nodded and emptied another pouch of coins out onto his desk where they clinked noisily against the wood. A few rolled off to land on the floor and Jinwoo bent down to pick them up for him.

“Thanks JinJin. Do you want to help?”

“Sure. How much are you at now? Do you have a lot left?”

“I have three more pouches left after this one. I’m at fifty-five thousand now. It sounds like a lot, but I know it will disappear quickly when I’ve finished in Voredan tomorrow. When we were in the academy, mother would give me two thousand for Christmas shopping and I’d only be able to buy some small gifts and ended up having to make the other gifts I needed. So, this year I want to treat everyone properly.”

“Everyone loved your handmade gifts Junnie. They came straight from your heart. Like the picture you drew for Sanha of all of us together or the blanket you made for me or the friendship bracelets you made for Hyungwon and Hoseok. We all still cherish them, so you don’t need to feel like you _have_ to spend your money on us. You already spoil us all rotten when we go out on our free days. It makes the rest of us look bad honestly.”

Jinwoo smiled at Myungjuns replied giggle and asked him to stand up. Myungjun already knew what Jinwoo wanted so he let him take his seat and sat down on his warm lap. “Let’s count quickly JinJin. I’m hungry and need some food.”

*

Myungjun stood in front of his animated tree and sighed. He was in the magic training fields with the twins and was struggling to make his tree walk. He heard Gikwang muttering under his breath behind him and squashed down the urge to tell him to go and do it elsewhere. It was terribly distracting.

“Myungjun _think_ it’s not that difficult.”

“I’m trying.” Myungjun threw back irritably. “Can’t you just tell me how to do it?”

“That wouldn’t be any fun now would it?” Donghan asked sweetly from behind him.

Myungjun did turn back this time and glared up at the older boy. “This isn’t _supposed_ to be fun. I’m here to learn and get stronger. You’re my trainer so _help_ me.”

“Don’t speak to my brother that way you insolent brat.” Gikwang spat down at him. “We shouldn’t be holding your hand through every spell you learn; you should be working out these things alone. You won’t ever be an S Rank otherwise.”

“I won’t even reach B Rank at this rate.” Myungjun muttered sulkily under his breath as he looked down at his feet. He knew better then to talk back to Gikwang to his face.

“Don’t even think about it brother.” Gikwang warned lowly from above him.

Donghan crouched down until he was level with Myungjuns face and tilted his chin up to look at him. “Myungjun you’ve done this spell before. Who else have you helped walk?” Gikwang groaned and stormed off shaking his head. Donghan was looking at him with expectant eyes and he grinned as the realisation dawned on Myungjuns face. “That’s it. Now try again.” He straightened up and backed away to give Myungjun space.

I can do this, Myungjun thought determinedly, I don’t know how I didn’t think of this before.

Myungjun kneeled down on the floor and placed his hands on the soil at the base of his tree. He forced his magic out of his body and watched in awe as his tree began to grow even bigger than he was used too. It grew to full maturity at three times his height and started to groan as it pulled its roots free. Myungjun didn’t stop until it was out of the ground completely and sat back with a groan of his own at the sheer amount of energy that took.

“Congratulations little dragon. You catch onto hints quickly.”

Myungjun tilted his head back to beam up at the older boy behind him. He looked funny upside down. “Thanks for the help. I should have remembered I first summoned Camellia like this. I feel a bit stupid now actually.”

“You can’t remember everything.” Donghan said wisely before gesturing to his tree. “It’s big. A lot bigger than most animated trees I’ve seen. I think we’re finally starting to get a glimpse at your true power.”

Myungjun couldn’t help the pride and excitement he felt at his words and climbed shakily to his feet. “Do you have any energy revive herbs in that fancy coat of yours?”

“Fresh out.” Donghan said with a grin. “Let’s just stop training here today. I know we’ve only been out here for an hour, but you’ve made good progress and Gikwang isn’t likely to come back anytime soon. You need to keep practising this spell when you have free time until your body gets used to it.”

Myungjun just saluted lazily before pulling his tree back into the ground. “Let’s go eat then I’m _starving_.”

*

“How’s trainee training coming long?” Myungjun asked later that night as he looked around the tavern table at his friends. He was sipping on a glass of moonshine, his reward to himself for a successful day at training, and Jinwoo was rubbing circles into his thigh under the table.

“It’s going good for me.” Rocky said happily. Rocky Jr was sitting on his lap and Rocky was resting his chin atop his stony head. “I’ve increased the distance I can sense vibrations from. I was only able to sense them from eight hundred meters away before and now I can sense them from a whole mile!”

“Wow that’s great Rocky.” Jinwoo praised kindly. The younger boy looked very pleased with himself as he sipped at his drink. Non-alcoholic. “What about you two?” Jinwoo added, looking over at Moonbin and Dongmin who were currently whispering to each other and giggling.

Moonbin looked up first and shrugged. “It’s been okay. I’ve been learning how to suspend and move larger bodies of water and Minnies been learning how to freeze them properly. We’ve just been boosting our spells we learnt in the academy really.”

Myungjun let Jinwoo talk to them and turned to Rocky instead. “Have you been speaking to Sanha recently?”

“He’s not replying to any of my notes.” Rocky said, looking unbothered. Myungjun could see it was an act as his eyes gave away his sadness. “I even told him that Rocky Jr was growing again but he ignored that too. How is he?”

Myungjun sighed and sipped at his drink again feeling the moonshine settle warmly in his stomach. “He’s been quiet. He plays his guitar more than anything and has been getting really good. We composed a few songs together and found out he has a really good voice. He did mention showing one of his songs to you all so maybe I should remind him of that and see if he wants to come here and do it, or even just meet us all somewhere in the city. Maybe we can even go to the pub we went to before, the one Sanha played the guitar in as payment for our drinks. I think it was called The Golden Marigold or something.”

“The Silver Marigold.” Rocky corrected quickly before looking away with an awkward cough. “It’s hard to forget.”

Myungjun just smiled softly at him and winked at Rocky Jr when he looked his way. The little rock tried to wink back and Myungjun giggled as he blinked wonkily instead.

“Me and Seokkie have an announcement.” Hyungwon suddenly spoke up from across the table. Myungjun looked over at them expectantly as he sipped his drink.

“We’re engaged.” Hoseok said proudly. Myungjun choked on his drink, eyes streaming as Jinwoo smacked him on the back.

“Don’t listen to that idiot.” Hyungwon scowled. “I wouldn’t marry him if he was the last person on Aredrinnor.” Hoseok finally stopped laughing to huff instead.

“I thought you were being serious.” Myungjun wheezed out through his burning throat. “I was about to throw a fit thinking you’d gotten together without telling us.”

“I wouldn’t date Hoseok if-”

“If I was the last person in the land. Yeah we get it.” Hoseok said sulkily. “Just tell them the actual announcement.”

“We’re moving out of here.” Hyungwon said finally smiling. “Me and Seokkie have been working nonstop and saving up and now we have enough to get a small room here in the city. We’ll have to work a whole lot more to keep it, but we’ve been in the temporary accommodation here for long enough.”

“Wow!” Myungjun squealed excitedly. “That’s so exciting ‘wonnie! Is the room nice?”

“It’s small but it has its own kitchen and a bathroom with a shower so it’s enough for us.”

Youngjae suggested drinks to celebrate the good news and Myungjun sat back happily as everyone congratulated them and expressed how jealous they were.

“One day we’ll be able to give the same announcement.”

Myungjun looked over at his boyfriend and smiled. “I hope so JinJin.”

*

Myungjun stopped outside of the weaponsmiths feeling nervous. He looked left and right down the street before stepping inside. He knew he didn’t have to worry. Jinwoo was away on a job on the other side of the city. But it didn’t stop the anxiety creeping in of somehow being caught.

The weaponsmiths was warm and the metallic scent of the tools and weapons alike filled the air. It was a big stone room with two separate furnaces burning away in the background. Myungjun could count three big muscled men hammering away at their anvils. One of the men inspected the sword he’d been hammering before sticking it into a barrel of water where it sizzled noisily as it cooled.

“Can I help you?” Myungjun jumped at the voice and turned around to see a woman, who looked just as tough, smiling his way.

Myungjun cleared his throat and made his way over to her, dodging racks of newly forged swords and axes. He stopped in front of her anvil and she put her hammer down and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

“I was hoping you could make a weapon for me. Two of them to be exact.”

“And what exactly is it that you’re looking for?”

“Two daggers. Made with the strongest metal you have; I want them to be durable. They’re for someone special so I don’t want them to look like ordinary daggers. I have the sketch here.” Myungjun pulled a folded piece of parchment out of his pocket and handed it over.

The woman opened it up and her eyebrows raised. “This is very ambitious. This blade, it almost looks like-”

“Fire.” Myungjun interrupted. “I want them to look like flames.”

The woman nodded before folding the parchment back up and slipping it inside the big pocket on the front of her apron. Myungjun could see beads of sweat rolling down her biceps.

“I can make the metal ripple like fire too if you’re interested. It will cost more but it will be worth it. Especially if you’re giving them to someone special.”

“That sounds good. How much all together?”

“Well if you want the strongest metal we have, and you want them shaped outside of our normal molds with the ripple effect it’s going to be around one hundred and fifty thousand.”

Myungjun felt his stomach sink. “One hundred and fifty thousand?” He didn’t have nearly enough.

“Each.” The woman said, dealing the final blow. “Do you have the money?”

Myungjun worried his bottom lip between his teeth. What was he going to do? This was supposed to be Jinwoos Christmas present.

The next thought that crossed his mind made him want to groan. He couldn’t believe he’d even thought it in the first place, and he couldn’t believe he was actually going to do it.

“I don’t have it all now, but I can get it. I’ll even leave the money I have on me now with you for your assurance.” He pulled his bag off his back and started to pull out all of the pouches of coins. The woman put them onto a set of scales behind her and hummed thoughtfully when the last pouch went on.

“Sixty thousand. I’ll take it. Your daggers will be done in a week. If you don’t bring me the correct amount, then I’m keeping the daggers and this money.”

Myungjun accepted quickly and left with a sigh. Time to find Mr Piercings and Leather.

*

“You want to what?” Donghan asked with a frown.

“I want you to take me on a request. I desperately need the money. I need at least two hundred and forty thousand, but ideally, I need more. It’s for Christmas Donghan _please_. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t need your help.”

Donghan just stared down at him. “When do you need the money by?”

“In a weeks’ time. But I’m sure they can wait a few more days if needs be.” Myungjun cautiously pouted up at him. He didn’t know if it would work on the scary boy above him, but he’d try anything at this point. He _really_ wanted to get the daggers for Jinwoo.

Donghan narrowed his eyes. “Stop that. I know you do that to get what you want but it won’t work on me.” Myungjun pouted for real, feeling let down by his cuteness and Donghan groaned. “Fine. Bloody hell Myungjun you’re a nightmare. Come on.”

Myungjun squealed excitedly and skipped behind Donghan to the stairs. He couldn’t believe it had worked on him. Myungjun was beginning to think Donghan wasn’t a tough as he made out to be. He was always giving Myungjun extra help in their training sessions if he needed it, despite his brother’s obvious annoyance and he’d seemed worried for Myungjun when he’d gone on the package delivery job before. And now he was falling for his pouts. Myungjun grinned to himself as he stared at Donghans leather clad back.

“I can hear your thoughts you little brat. I’m not soft.” Donghan grumbled. Myungjun grinned even wider when he saw the tips of Donghans ears turning red. “Seriously stop it or I’ll push you down these stairs just to prove it.”

Myungjun was quick to think of other things after that, knowing he really would do it, and heard Donghan make a satisfied noise in front of him.

“Are we doing a B Rank?” Myungjun asked as they stopped on the appropriate floor.

“Yeah. A Ranks are too much for you still. We’ll just see what’s on the B Rank board today.”

Myungjun and Donghan stopped in front of it and scanned the requests. Myungjun saw a lot of big numbers where the rewards were listed and felt hopeful that he’d be able to get Jinwoos daggers after all.

“This one.” Donghan said, pointing to a piece of parchment near the bottom. “It’s finding a lost ring in a town two days from here. Whitebrook. I’ve been there before; the people are nice.”

Myungjun stared at the reward with wide eyes.

**Reward: 500,000 coins.**

“That’s a crazy amount for a ring!” He squealed. “It must be important.”

“I don’t care how important it is. As long as we can find it.” Donghan muttered with a shrug. “Let’s take this one. We’ll split the reward in half, and you’ll have enough.”

Myungjun did the math quickly in his head and frowned. After paying off the rest of Jinwoos daggers, he’d only be left with ten thousand coins for the others.

“No Myungjun I know what you’re going to ask. I’m not as nice as my brother, I won’t let you have any more than that.”

Myungjun wouldn’t exactly label Gikwang as _nice_. But he had let Myungjun take all of the reward before…“What if I offered to get you a Christmas present too?” He asked hopefully. “All I’m asking for is an extra fifty thousand. You can make that money easily with how strong you are. Please Donghan? Pretty please?”

Donghan wrinkled his nose at his pleading tone. “Don’t beg its annoying. I’ll make a deal with you. If _you_ find the ring first, I’ll let you take three hundred thousand. If not, you’ll take the two fifty and be grateful, got it?”

Myungjun realised that was the best offer he would get and nodded quickly. “Thankyou.”

“Don’t thank me either. It makes me feel like I’ve done something good. I’m not good. Stop grinning as well, you look like an idiot.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Donghan might actually have a soft side after all??~


	135. Whitebrook-Part 1.

Myungjun and Donghan stepped out of the carriage into a quiet town. Too quiet. Myungjun looked around and was instantly reminded of the summer he had fought the demons. There were no people, no pets, no birds, no bugs and he was starting to get an understanding as to why the reward had been so high.

“Are there demons here?” Myungjun asked feeling fear trickle down his spine.

Donghan looked around and frowned. “I can’t sense any vibrations so probably not. Unless they’re airborne.”

Myungjun quickly looked up at the sky expecting to see demons swooping down to kill them but saw nothing except a few clouds. “What did the woman say when you spoke to her about her request? Did she have any idea where she might have dropped this ring?”

“She conveniently couldn’t remember. She didn’t tell me the town was deserted though. I was only here last year, and it was bustling with life. Now its empty.”

“I wonder what happened.” Myungjun speculated quietly. “Should we just start looking? It’s a big town and it’s a small ring, we could be here for days.”

Donghan just looked down at Myungjun with a smile. “I’m a ground user. I can detect metals.”

“Yes, but there’s probably a tonne of metal here. How will you differentiate between them?”

Donghan rolled his eyes and started walking down the deserted street. “I’m an S Rank magic user Myungjun. Stop doubting me. I know everything about metals and how to find them. That’s how I make the most of my money. Metal is a valuable resource and a lot of people want it.”

Myungjun could understand that so he just followed behind Donghan as the older boy strode ahead, seemingly done with talking. They stopped at the next intersection and Donghan closed his eyes.

“The ring is made of silver. There’s plenty of silver in the nearby houses but none out on the streets. Someone could have picked up her ring and taken it home. So, I suggest we split up and look inside.”

“You want us to break into people’s homes?” Myungjun asked incredulous. “We can’t do that!”

“We can and we will. Look around you Myungjun. We’re the only ones here. Now stop bitching and go check that house over there.” Donghan set off in the opposite direction towards his own house and Myungjun rushed to catch up to him. He had a terrible uneasiness in his stomach that he couldn’t shake.

“Donghan wait! I don’t think we should split up. It’s not like I can detect metals as well. I’ll take forever to search one house and I might even miss it all together. Please something doesn’t feel right.”

Donghan groaned and peeled Myungjuns hand off his sleeve. Myungjun didn’t even remember grabbing it. “I’ll give you my metal golem to help you search. He can detect metals too and he’ll keep you safe.”

“But doesn’t he need to be near you to stay animated?”

“No, he doesn’t. Now stand back.”

Myungjun stepped away quickly and watched as Donghan drove his sword into the ground. The sword shot up into the air and transformed into the golem. It was still shocking to witness even though he’d seen it before. The golem was smaller this time, around Donghans height.

“I’ve made him smaller so he can fit through doorways. Go now Myungjun. I don’t want to be here for too long. I have my own stuff to get on with at the guild.”

Myungjun hurried away feeling a bit better and heard the golem clumping behind him. He approached the house Donghan had pointed to, built with grey stone and three storeys high, and crept up the garden path feeling like a criminal.

_I cant believe I’m doing this._

He tried the front door, but it was locked. “How are we supposed to-”

The golem pushed him aside and kicked the door in. The wood splintered noisily and Myungjun shrieked in shock. They had LITERALLY just broken into someone’s home. He whined unhappily and followed the golem inside. It went straight to the first room. A tidy kitchen full of light wooden cupboards with a cosy looking table tucked in the corner. It started to pull out all the metal it could find, pots and pans and cutlery, and proceeded to dump it all at Myungjuns feet.

“Umm…we’re looking for a _ring_. Not cooking utensils.” The golem paused for a second before moving onto the next room. Myungjun just sighed and followed it.

They went through every room on the first floor and found no sign of any rings. Myungjun led the way up the rickety staircase to the second floor. It creaked with every step he took and positively groaned under the golems weight.

The golem suddenly stopped before turning and looking down the hall. He clumped over to one of the closed doors at a quicker speed than before and broke down the door again to get inside.

“Can you at least _try_ not to damage their home anymore?” Myungjun asked exasperated. He gasped excitedly as he looked inside the room. Jackpot. There was a woman’s dresser covered in dishes full of jewellery. Myungjun scooped up all of the rings and tucked them safely inside his herb pouch. He wasn’t sure what the ring looked like so it was a safer bet to just take all the ones he could find. He went to leave but paused as the golem picked up a handful of jewellery. “We’re only here for the rings put those back.”

The golem ignored him and absorbed all of the jewellery into its body. Myungjun had become a trespasser and a thief all in one day. He huffed and went to search another room.

With every house they entered, the feeling of uneasiness in Myungjuns tummy increased. He’d summoned Camellia out of sheer anxiety, wanting as much protection as possible and when he entered the last house of the street, he was glad he did.

They were searching one of the rooms on the first floor when Myungjun felt the ground under his feet rumbling ominously. The golem looked towards the front door and ran towards it. Myungjun followed close behind and when they got out onto the street, he could sense Donghans magical energy.

_He’s fighting something._

Myungjun watched with wide eyes as a house on the next street over completely disappeared. Then the next one, and the next one, and the next one. They were all swallowed into the ground as Donghan worked his magic.

The golem started to make metallic screeching noises, and Camellia suddenly spoke up. “Myungjun his companion is suggesting we go to help Donghan in his fight.”

“You can understand him?”

“That’s not the point. Are we going or not? The golem won’t leave your side if you say no, but he wants to. He said Donghan will be stronger with his sword.”

Myungjun nodded and they raced down the street to find the older boy. Myungjun turned the next corner to see a giant tear in the earth. Donghan was on the other side fighting against an army of rocks shaped like…people? Were they the townspeople? If so, what had happened to them?

Myungjun approached the chasm and created a bridge with his vines to cross it. He let the golem go first who barrelled through the people, smashing them to rubble on his quest to reach his master.

Donghan looked up startled after turning the ground to quicksand that swallowed a big group of enemies. “MYUNJGUN GET OUT OF HERE! GO AND LOOK FOR THE RING!”

Myungjun ignored him and tore his vines through the ground, trapping and crushing, trapping and crushing, trapping and crushing. His vines didn’t drain his magical energy anymore. He could do this forever.

That was his thought up until the point the townspeople switched their targets. He froze as they turned towards him and was startled to hear them grumbling menacingly. They looked feral and he knew he didn’t stand a chance against their sheer number. They flooded the street, and more were trickling in as he stood there dumbly.

Myungjun tried to move but he couldn’t. He was realising now that everyone in this town was as good as dead. _Everyone_. Every man, every woman, every _child_. Myungjuns eyes fell on one of the stone children and his heart clenched painfully. He wanted to cry. Whoever or whatever had done this to them deserved to rot in the darkest pits of hell. A child. A small innocent child.

“MYUNGJUN MOVE!”

Myungjun snapped out of his thoughts to see the townspeople advancing on him. He stumbled backwards before turning on his heel and rushing back over his bridge. He waited for Camellia to cross before pulling his vines back in. Donghan reigned his companion in too and was clutching his greatsword a second later.

Myungjun watched horrified as the townspeople, who realised they couldn’t get across Donghans chasm, turned back towards their original target and swamped him completely. Donghan disappeared under a sea of their rocky bodies with a grunt.

Myungjun screamed in fear for the older boy’s life but screamed even louder when a heavy hand fell on his shoulder from behind.

“Dammit Myungjun will you shut up?”

Myungjun had never been so relieved to hear his voice and spun around to look at him. “I thought you were dead!”

Donghan just sighed. “The fact you _still_ doubt my abilities astounds me. It’ll take a lot more than that to kill me. Before you ask, I used my terraportation spell to get here.”

“I wasn’t going to ask.” Myungjun grumbled, looking back to see the townspeople looking around confused. “I’ve seen you use it plenty of times before, I know how it works. What are we going to do about them though? There’s hundreds of them.”

“Thousands actually. This town was home to thousands of people before they were damned.”

“Damned?” Myungjun turned back to look up at him with a frown. “What do you mean?”

Donghan shrugged. “That’s the only word I can think of to describe what’s happened to them. This is the work of another ground manipulation user. Turning organic matter to stone. It’s an S Rank spell that isn’t taught in this land. To execute a spell on such a large scale…whoever it is they’re S Rank like me. I think we’re safe enough here though, despite the obvious problem. If the user who did this was still here, we’d feel their power.”

“Not necessarily.” Myungjun countered. “My father told me that the four elemental leaders of the academy and the academies nurse were S Rank users and I never felt their power.”

Donghan frowned. “That’s strange. You can’t hide the presence of magical power.” Myungjun was feeling even more confused now. “Myungjun I’m fine here. I can handle this lot, I’ve handled worse. Just go and look for the ring. Stay on this side of the chasm. I’ll take all the houses left on the other side when I’m done.” He summoned his golem again. “Don’t listen to my companion next time. I AM stronger with my sword but I’m also strong enough without it.”

He terraported back over to the townspeople and begun to fight. Myungjun watched as he grabbed one of the rock people by the face, his big hand swallowing it whole. The rock crumbled under his touch and he moved to grab the next person.

“MYUNGJUN IF I TURN AROUND AND YOU’RE STILL THERE I’LL KILL YOU NEXT.”

Myungjun squeaked in fear and took off towards the nearest house. He knew Donghan wouldn’t really kill him, at least he HOPED he wouldn’t, but the threat was still scary.

They searched house after house and Myungjuns herb pouch became heavier and heavier under the weight of all the rings. He stopped to look out of the windows at some points to see how Donghan was doing.

Myungjun watched as he summoned his rock golem. Even from a distance Myungjun could see he looked like Rocky Jr. But he was much _much_ bigger and had sharp black objects sticking out of his body. He tore through the rock people, punching them to rubble and absorbing the debris as it grew in size. It grew so big it towered over the nearby houses.

Myungjun turned back to his search and rolled his eyes when he watched the metal golem absorbing more jewellery. “I’m going to have words with Donghan when this is over. You can’t steal people’s stuff!”

The golem grumbled in its metallic screech of a voice and Camellia translated. “He says to look down. Your herb pouch looks awfully full.”

Myungjun flushed. “We’re here to find a ring, I have to take them all. I’ll return them when…” He drifted off when he realised he wouldn’t be returning them at all. There were no people left to return them too. They were all dead. He tried not to notice his aching heart and gained a newfound determination to just get the job done and get out of there. “Let’s be quick about this. We’ve been here for hours already and I just want to go home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I pulled up in a town that deserted and creepy I'd be turning straight back around and going home Dx


	136. Whitebrook-Part 2.

Myungjun and Donghan met up a few hours later. Donghan was covered in rock dust and Myungjun tutted as he patted him down. Donghan looked tired but smiled down at Myungjun as he fussed.

“Watch out little dragon. You’re starting to make me think you do care about me after all.”

Myungjun quickly pulled his hands away and scowled. “I have motherly instincts it’s not my fault, you’re filthy and you’ll ruin your coat like this, and I know it’s your favourite because you wear it all the time.”

“Motherly instincts? Myungjun you’re a boy.” Donghan unhelpfully pointed out.

“I was raised by my mother alone and spend most of my time mothering my friends. I have motherly instincts regardless of my gender. You have rubble in your hair by the way.” Donghan reached up and fluffed at his hair, sending up little clouds of dust. “That’s better. Did you find any rings?”

Donghan shook his coat and Myungjun heard the metallic clink inside of it. “I’ve picked up a bunch. Let’s go back to the woman and show her everything we managed to pick up today. We haven’t searched the whole town, so we’ll have to come back tomorrow if her ring isn’t amongst those we collected. I can’t search anymore now; I need to recharge. Killing thousands of monsters isn’t easy you know.”

Myungjun walked beside him as they made their way down the street. “They’re not monsters. They were people once. With lives and families and dreams.”

“You’re right. They WERE people once. But then they became monsters when they were turned into mindless stone beast intent solely on killing us. You killed some of them too remember? Wouldn’t you much rather think of them as monsters then people?”

Myungjun couldn’t disagree. “The only monster is the person who turned them all to stone then.” He was quiet for a while before speaking again. “I have two questions.”

“Go ahead.”

“One, why was your metal golem absorbing all of the other jewellery. And two, you said when we first arrived here that you couldn’t sense any vibrations around but then suddenly a whole army of…monsters, turned up?”

“One, the people in this town wouldn’t miss their jewels anymore. You have to make money where you can. My metal golem will give me all of the things it collected, and I’ll sell it on to make a profit. A whole town full of jewellery? I won’t need to split the reward money with you this way.” He looked down at Myungjuns wide eyes and grinned. “You’ll be rich when we find this ring little dragon. You can buy everyone gifts for Christmas and still have some left over. But remember you offered to get me something too.” Myungjun nodded, feeling too stunned to speak. _Five hundred thousand coins. Half a million_. “And two, when the first enemy attacked me it came out of the ground. That’s why I felt no vibrations. They were hiding and waiting to attack the next person who came through here. Its lucky it was us.”

Myungjun finally found his voice again. “But why would they be hiding and waiting to attack? Doesn’t that seem strange to you? Like they’re defending something or maybe hiding something?”

“Maybe they’re just defending their town. Don’t overthink it little dragon, you’ll just give yourself a headache. Let’s just go and get this day over and done with so we can sleep.”

*

Myungjun lay in bed later that night hearing Donghans loud snores through the thin wall separating them. He groaned and tried to block out the sound with a pillow over his head. Could that boy be any louder? He always did everything with strength behind it apparently.

Myungjun had been disappointed a few hours earlier when they’d returned to the woman who requested their help. She looked through all of the rings and declared huffily that none of them were hers. When Myungjun had asked why the ring was so special she’d told him to mind his own business. Myungjun had felt his irritation spike at her rude words and Donghan must have sensed it as he was quick to change the subject.

Now Myungjun was stuck in a tiny room unable to sleep and unable to be happy at the thought of returning to that creepy town again tomorrow. He sighed and got out of bed to find his bag. He flicked on the lamp and sat atop his covers to write Jinwoo a note with some of the parchment he’d brought with him.

**JinJin are you awake?**

He sent it through the floor and was surprised when he got a reply a few minutes later. A part of him had expected Jinwoo to be long asleep by now.

**Yes sunshine. How’s the request going?**

**Slowly. Donghans snoring too loud and I can’t sleep. Would it be wrong of me to go in there and stuff a sock in his mouth?**

**Do it.**

Myungjun grinned down at the note. He could almost hear Jinwoos bright laughter through it.

**What did you do today JinJin? And why are you still awake?**

**Missed you + can’t sleep because I miss you.**

**Ew Park Jinwoo. That’s it, I’m going to bed now, the sappiness is too much.**

**I love you too. Get some rest.**

*

Myungjun woke up the next morning to someone hammering on his door.

“Myungjun get out of bed we don’t have all day!”

Myungjun whined and buried down further under the covers. He was too tried to get up. It was all right for Donghan, he’d slept through the whole night, but Myungjun hadn’t been able too. Not with his monstrous snores keeping him awake.

“Five more minutes.” Myungjun groaned back. He shrieked when Donghan broke the lock on his door with a loud crack and stepped inside. “What the hell!”

“Get up.” Donghan scowled walking over to the bed. He grabbed Myungjuns covers and tried to pull them away. Myungjun held on tight out of sheer desperation.

“Donghan stop I’m not dressed properly!”

“I don’t care. You could be butt naked under there and I’d _still_ drag your ass out of bed. I received a note from Gikwang this morning and I need to get back to the guild as soon as possible. Which means you need to get up regardless of how tired you are. Hurry up or I’ll leave without you and take the whole reward myself.”

That made Myungjun move. The tiredness was wiped away at the thought of not being able to get Jinwoos Christmas present and he sprung out of bed, trying to pull the hem of Jinwoos top further down his thighs to cover himself properly.

Myungjun rushed to his bag to pull some clothes out. “Donghan get out I need to get dressed.”

“You have…nevermind. Just meet me downstairs.” Donghan left, slamming the door behind him, which just swung open again with its broken lock. What was the deal with Donghan and his companions breaking doors? Myungjun didn’t even want to think about why that was such a habit for him.

After getting washed and dressed and packing his bag, Myungjun made his way downstairs for a quick breakfast. He walked past Donghan who was smiling apologetically to the innkeeper.

“I’m sorry but the door upstairs is broken. My friend got stuck inside the room, so I had to break it open to get to him. He has a terrible fear of being locked in rooms. Maybe it’s a childhood trauma.”

Myungjun wanted to strangle him.

Donghan just looked his way and winked.

Today was going to be another long day.

*

“What do you mean none of these rings are yours?” Donghan asked angrily. “We’ve searched all of the houses and all of the businesses and even the town hall. I can’t detect any more silver in the town. One of them _has_ to be yours.”

“Young man I suggest you change your tone with me.” The woman scowled. “I’m telling you that my ring isn’t in this pile. You’ve clearly not looked hard enough. Youngsters nowadays think they can get away with doing the bare minimum.”

Myungjun stepped in front of Donghan as he stood up from his seat looking livid.

“Hey.” Myungjun said quietly, looking up at him. “Look at me.” Donghan looked down with eyes darkened by rage. “Calm down. If she says none of these are hers then that can’t be helped.”

“And you’re not annoyed about that?” Donghan threw back angrily. “We’ve just spent two days out there! I had to fight off an army of dead people and this is the result?”

Myungjun sighed. “Of course I’m annoyed. I need that money. Let’s just go back and do one final sweep okay? We must have missed a house.” Donghan just stared down at him for a few seconds before nodding stiffly. Myungjun sighed in relief at seeing the anger fade from his eyes and turned back to the woman. “We’ll go back and check one more time. Are you sure you don’t remember where you dropped it?”

“What a ridiculous question. Of course I’m sure. Now run along I have things to do today.”

Myungjun had to drag Donghan away, which was a hard enough task, and they stepped outside into the chilly December air a few minutes later.

“What a _bitch_.” Donghan seethed. “If you weren’t there, I would have killed her and taken all of that old hags’ money for my troubles.”

“You and Gikwang talk about killing people too much. Just because they do and say things you don’t like, doesn’t give you the right to end their life. YOU do and say a lot of things that _I_ don’t like, but I don’t attempt murder do I?”

Donghan scoffed and walked towards the iron gates leading out of the woman’s property. “You wouldn’t be able to kill me even if you tried little dragon.”

Myungjun sighed and hurried over to walk beside him. He had to take two steps to match Donghans longer strides. “You’re missing the point.”

“I understand the point well enough. I’ve told you a thousand times I’m a bad person. I’ll kill anyone who pisses me off and not bat an eyelid. I’ve already killed plenty and I know I’ll kill plenty more.”

His words made something uncomfortable settle in Myungjuns stomach. It was easy to forget Donghans true nature when they were working together. This was the same boy who pushed him around, who tried to intimidate him, who lashed out with hateful words and violence and wasn’t afraid to hurt him during training. Donghan wasn’t nice. Not all the time. Not even a quarter of the time. He was scary and mean and a brute who used his strength to get what he wanted.

“Let’s just do this quickly.” Myungjun mumbled. “I want to go home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This mission ain't even about Myungjin and I still find a way to add them in and make them soft af


	137. Whitebrook-Part 3.

Myungjun woke up in the carriage to Donghan shaking him gently.

“Myungjun wake up we’re here. Let’s go sweep this place one more time and you can sleep again on the way back.”

Myungjun felt mildly embarrassed about falling asleep in front of the older boy and hoped to the deity he hadn’t snored or drooled. A quick wipe of his mouth told him he hadn’t drooled at least so he felt a bit happier when he got up from his seat.

Donghan opened the carriage door and they were immediately assaulted by a sharp, cold breeze. Myungjuns eyes widened in shock at the sight in front of them. It was snowing. Thick white flakes fell down almost lazily from the sky and covered the streets and the nearby houses in a thin white blanket. Adding the ethereal appearance to the lack of noise made it seem like a whole new world.

Donghan didn’t seem as awe-struck by the magical scene and just went to pay the man their fare before setting off down the street. Myungjun hurried to catch up, relishing in the way his shoes crunched against the snow. He loved the snow so much and wished he had a warm cup of hot chocolate to warm his tummy.

Donghan summoned his companion and told him to sniff out any silver they’d missed. The golem just kept walking through the streets, never stopping at any of the houses and Myungjun knew why. They’d already raided all of them. He didn’t really believe they’d missed any of the buildings in this town. They’d been painstakingly thorough the first time around. He’d just suggested it to calm the brewing argument between Donghan and their rude employer. Even when they went back to her today with no ring, she’d know they tried at least.

They’d been walking for ten minutes before Myungjun stopped and stared down at the floor in front of him. A drain. “Donghan?”

Donghan turned back to look at him. “What is it?”

“When you used your metal detection spell, you only said you searched the streets and the buildings. What about underground?”

Donghans eyebrows raised slightly. “You think it fell down into the sewers?”

“It’s worth a shot right? We both know it’s not above ground.”

Donghan hummed in agreement before kneeling down on one knee and placing his palms on the floor. He was quiet for a few seconds, eyes screwed shut in concentration. Myungjun watched patiently feeling hope rise in its chest and it hit its peak when Donghan opened his eyes with a grin on his face.

“Plenty of silver down there. You might have just found our ring little dragon.”

Myungjun beamed proudly but his smile faltered when Donghan stepped towards him to wrap his arms around him. He could feel the top of Donghans hard stomach muscles pressing into his cheek and had the strongest urge to put distance between them.

Donghan was _hugging_ him?

“I’m not hugging you you idiot. Close your eyes.” Myungjun did as he was told when he felt the ground rumble and squealed in fear, clutching Donghan tight, as it disappeared under his feet. They landed on solid ground a second later and Donghan quickly pulled away to reveal they were down in the sewers. “You just terraported for the first time.”

“It wasn’t so bad.” Myungjun replied weakly. Donghan just laughed. He laughed again when two rats ran past Myungjuns feet making him shriek. “Stop laughing I was just startled that’s all.” Myungjun pouted, pushing past him to start walking. “I’ve fought bigger rats.”

They kept to the side, away from the foul stinking river of sewage and Donghan sent his golem ahead to detect all the metals in the murky water so they didn’t have to get dirty themselves.

They navigated the underground system stopping every now and then to inspect the new silver the golem would find. Whether it was a ring or not, he would absorb it into his body as storage. Myungjun thought he was awfully useful and was glad he’d asked Donghan to come along with him instead of Gikwang. If Gikwang was here Myungjun knew he’d be ordered to pick through the sewage himself. Gikwang was mean like that.

Myungjun lost track of time as they wandered deeper underground. He was beginning to wonder how long they’d be down there when a noise made him pause. Donghan bumped into him and grunted in annoyance.

“Myungjun what the-”

“SHH.” Myungjun shushed him and told him to tell his companion to stop moving. When he did, they could hear the sound more clearly now. Someone talking. “There’s someone down here with us.” Myungjun whispered. “What should we do?”

“Go and check it out obviously.” Donghan answered with a roll of his eyes. “Don’t be so scared little dragon. I’ll protect you.” He stepped around Myungjun to go first and led the way as Myungjun hovered close behind.

He wasn’t _scared_ he was just a bit apprehensive. And who could blame him? They were underground in a creepy dead town whose occupants had tried to kill them, and suddenly they weren’t alone anymore. Who would be down in these sewers anyway? They themselves were only down there to look for something and he couldn’t imagine there being any other reason to voluntarily put yourself amidst this foul stench.

Donghan rounded the next corner and Myungjun peeked out from behind his back to see they were standing in the entryway to what looked like an underground chamber. The sewage river went off in a different direction to leave the vast rooms floor free of filth. Did the townspeople know this place existed? Probably not. As far as Myungjun could see, where they were standing was the only entrance into the room, which meant people would have to walk as far down as they did to reach it. So, he was betting this was just a well-kept secret.

Myungjun looked further into the room to see a circle of what looked like letters glowing a bright red. _Runes, a magic circle_. Myungjun recognised it immediately. When he’d joined the academy, he’d been made to do history and law and he distinctly remembered the dreadful thousand-word essay he’d had to write on the history of runes. He’s seen enough pictures in the academies library books to know how dangerous they could be.

Sitting in the centre of the magic circle was a woman. She had darker skin then Myungjun and when he looked closer, he realised why. She was covered in blood. The sight was chilling. She was chanting loudly in a language Myungjun didn’t understand and the piercings covering her face shined in the torch light as she swayed gently from side to side. Myungjun had never seen someone with facial piercings before and he was momentarily distracted by them. She wasn’t dressed in a lot of clothing either, and what little of it there was, seemed to be made purely from animal fur that was matted with blood. Her hair was thick and black and matted with even more of it.

Myungjun looked down at her hands when a flash of metal caught his eye. A ring. He immediately knew it was the ring they’d been looking for. He didn’t know how he knew; he just did.

Donghan stepped into the room and cleared his throat. The woman immediately ceased in her chanting to stare at them with piercing red eyes.

“What are you doing down here? I thought I killed all of the townspeople.” Her voice was thick with an accent Myungjun had never heard before.

_This is the work of another ground manipulation user. Turning organic matter to stone. It’s an S Rank spell that isn’t taught in this land. To execute a spell on such a large scale…whoever it is they’re S Rank like me._

Donghans words from their first day in Whitebrook explained why he’d never heard her accent before. The spell she used to turn all of the people to stone wasn’t taught in this land. She wasn’t from Aredrinnor.

And she’d also killed a whole town of people. Babies, children, men, women and the elderly. She’d killed them all with one spell. Myungjun knew her power far surpassed his own, but he couldn’t help the way his anger spiked. She was a murderer, a monster, and the sight in front of him confirmed that even more. Normal people didn’t chant underground covered in blood inside magic circles that reeked of evil.

“Why did you do it?” He asked angrily, stepping out from behind Donghans back completely. “Why did you kill all of those innocent people?” He shook off the hand Donghan had laid on his shoulder. “You’re a monster. They were CHILDREN.”

The woman just stared at him with narrow eyes before breaking out into a manic grin. Fear shot through Myungjuns body. Her teeth were all sharpened to deadly looking points and the tongue that flitted out of her mouth was split in two.

“I needed their souls.” She hissed holding the ring up to the light. “So many juicy souls all ripe for the taking. The children were the best. So vibrant and full of life. My master will be pleased.” Myungjun went to launch himself at her out of pure fury but Donghan held him back. The woman laughed high and cruel. “You’re a feisty one. I bet your soul will burn brighter than the rest. Why don’t we find out?”

She was on her feet before Myungjun could blink and Donghan shoved him aside as she launched daggers made out of rocks their way. Myungjun caught his footing and growled angrily at the evil smirk on her face.

Donghans metal golem raced forwards to greet her and his rock golem joined its side a second later. They dived at her, giant fists raised as she spun to the side laughing, dodging them with a speed Myungjun never knew a human could achieve.

She’s not human, he thought, not completely anyway.

She summoned her own golems and Myungjuns eyes widened as he saw three of them emerge. _Three?_. Rock, metal and wood. They formed a barrier in front of her and took on Donghans companions as she started to chant again.

Donghan rushed forwards to help his own but after a few seconds Myungjun could see he was struggling against the combined might of them. They were three on three, so it should have been an even fight, but Myungjun could clearly see the obvious power difference.

Donghans metal golem punched her rock golem to pieces, where it just reformed a second later.

“MYUNGJUN GET OUT OF HERE.” Donghan shouted as he grappled with her metal one. He tried to manipulate it with his hands, but like the other one, it just reformed a second later.

I have to even the fight, Myungjun thought desperately, if I can take down a golem Donghan will be able to get through to her.

There was only one he might be able to take down with his magic. He had to try at least.

He gathered his magic down to his palms and summoned his tree. He was glad Donghan had made him practice this a lot because he knew it would have drained him completely if he hadn’t. Even now he felt a huge knock to his magic energy as it pulled its roots free from the ground. He sent the tree after the wooden golem and when it reached her, Myungjun manipulated its branches to capture the golems fists. The tree absorbed them, wood into wood and Myungjun heard the woman’s shout of pure fury as her companion was trapped.

She stepped out from behind her barricade and aimed her hands in Myungjuns direction. The ground under his feet began to shake and he dived to the side, rolling heavily over the floor and climbed to his feet to run across the giant room towards her.

She was chanting again, creating a big black ball of energy between her hands.

“MYUNGJUN NO!”

She launched it his way and in that second, he knew he was dead. Whatever that energy was that was flying towards him was going to kill him and he couldn’t dodge it.

He didn’t need too.

Donghan crashed into him, sending them both to the ground and Myungjun felt the rush of evil energy fly over them. Donghans large hands cradled his head as the fell so Myungjun didn’t feel the impact there at least. The rest of him did though as Donghans heavy weight landed on top of him knocking the air out of his lungs. He looked up to see pure rage simmering behind Donghans eyes and the older boy was up in a second and storming towards her.

The air around him shimmered as his raw magical energy poured out of his skin and Myungjun watched as the woman’s eyes widened and something akin to fear overtook her features. Myungjun couldn’t blame her. Donghan looked terrifying enough from the back so he could only imagine how he looked from the front.

“No one tries to kill a member of Dragon Blades and gets away with it.” Donghan spat, closing the distance and grabbing the woman’s face in one giant hand. Myungjun was reminded of how Donghan had fought the townspeople. He’d grabbed them in the exact same way before crumbling them to dust.

The woman struggled and clawed at his hand, drawing blood with her sharp nails. Donghan just growled down at her. He sounded feral and a hot bead of fear trickled down Myungjuns spine at the noise.

Myungjun closed his eyes just in time but still heard the sickening crunch of her skull anyway. The sound made his stomach turn and he had to fight against the wave of nausea threatening to overtake him.

The fighting between the companions ceased immediately and Myungjun opened his eyes to see them all disappearing, He scrambled to his feet and pulled his tree back into the ground, not wanting it to drain him any further before seeing Donghan wobble on his feet from the corner of his eye. He wobbled some more before losing his balance completely and falling to the floor with a grunt.

Myungjun raced over to check on him, feeling worry writhe around in his stomach and rolled him onto his back. “Donghan? Can you hear me?” Donghan groaned and muttered something about energy.

Myungjun looked down at the herb pouch that was currently strapped over his chest and whined irritably. He’d only brought it along to use as storage to hold the rings he collected. It only had basic medical supplies inside but no herbs, as his medicinal plants in the guild greenhouse still hadn’t flourished properly yet.

So, he reached around in Donghans long leather coat instead. Donghan was always pulling out random herbs from his pockets during training so Myungjun could only hope he still had some left. His search through them revealed random useless items like coins and stray jewellery and a tin of white tablets. Myungjun didn’t have time to ponder over what they were for. He just put them back and moved to the other side of his coat. His fingers ran over a piece of parchment, and before he could stop himself, he pulled it out and looked down at the picture.

It was a sketch of two young boys sitting on the laps of two women. They were all smiling and looked happy. Myungjun recognised the two young boys immediately as the twins. They looked identical and wore identical clothing but Donghan had still been broader at the shoulders even at that age.

Donghans voice below him startled him. “Put that back.” He breathed out angrily. His voice was weak but Myungjun still felt a chill go up his spine at the older boy’s tone. He quickly muttered an apology before slipping it back inside his pocket and searched a few more before coming across the right herb. He pressed it to Donghans lips and watched as he chewed and perked up with energy. Donghan looked up at him for a few seconds with hard eyes before sitting up and pushing him away.

“Stay out of my coat from now on.” He growled before climbing to his feet and clomping away in his big black boots.

Myungjun climbed to his feet next, rubbing his pained collarbone from Donghans angry shove and felt nothing but guilt at prying through his stuff. He didn’t know why he’d looked. He knew it wasn’t a herb when he’d first felt it but he’d been drawn to it anyway. It was clearly a special picture to Donghan, and he had clearly struck a nerve.

He stayed quiet as Donghan swept around the room looking through the parchment littering the floor and inspecting the runes that had stopped glowing upon the woman’s death.

“She was summoning a powerful demon. Maybe a King. That’s who her master was, that’s why she needed those souls.” Donghan muttered, running his fingers over the runes. “We got here just in time; it was nearly complete.”

“The souls,” Myungjun began cautiously. “they’re in that ring, aren’t they? She held it up when she spoke of them. Is that even possible? To store souls in jewellery?”

“I don’t know.” Donghan answered stiffly. “Let’s just take it and get out of here. I can still sense dark magic in this room and its dangerous to be exposed to it for too long.” Donghan strode over to the woman’s body and yanked the ring free.

“That’s the ring we’ve been looking for.” Myungjun added quietly. “I know it is. But why would that old woman have a ring that collects souls?”

“I don’t know that either. But we should get it back to her as soon as possible. Manipulating souls in any way is wrong. We came here to find a ring, not get caught up in this summoning shit. She can do whatever she wants with it. Its none of our concern anymore.”

“But the townspeople-”

“They’re dead.” Donghan said bluntly, finally looking at Myungjun again. “Their bodies are destroyed, and I doubt we would have been able to get their souls back to them even if we tried. Do _you_ know how to manipulate souls? No? Exactly. Let’s go. We need to collect this reward and get home. I’ve already made Gikwang wait long enough.”

*

The woman’s face lit up as they handed the ring over. “You found it!”

“It wasn’t easy.” Donghan said sharply. “It was being used in a ritual to resurrect a demon King. This boosts the rank of your request from a B Rank to an S Rank at least. However, I’m in no mood to argue over money, nor do we have the time. We’ll just take the offered reward and leave.”

The woman pointed absentmindedly to a crate in the corner and Donghan sent his metal companion to inspect it. They exchanged words in metallic screeches and Donghan nodded seemingly satisfied. The golem picked up the crate like it weighed nothing and carried it to the door. Donghan went to leave too but Myungjun held back.

“Why do you have a ring that captures souls? That ring is evil.”

The woman’s eyes snapped up to glare at him and Myungjun heard Donghan groan in annoyance from behind him.

“That’s none of your concern young man. You have your reward so get out of my sight.”

Myungjun scowled right back at her. “You’re awfully mean for someone who requested _our_ help. You’re lucky we accepted your offer and found your stupid ring. Like my partner said, this job is S Rank at least, which means you should be paying us four times the amount you offered minimum. We deserve to know the truth in place of the money we’re owed. We had to fight off an army of dead people AND a crazy woman who tried to steal my soul.”

To Myungjuns horror the woman’s face crumbled and she started to cry. He felt terribly guilty for snapping at her and rushed forwards to offer comfort.

“I’m sorry! I’m just a bit stressed, I shouldn’t have lashed out at you like that. Are you okay?”

“Of course I’m not!” She wailed. “You think _you’re_ stressed but you have no idea what I’ve been through! My husband’s soul is in this _’stupid ring’_. Get out of here right now before I call my guards.”

Myungjun felt even worse as Donghan dragged him from the room. No wonder the woman acted the way she did. The man she loved was stuck inside.

“I wish you’d learn to keep your mouth shut.” Donghan growled as he dragged him through the maze of corridors. “We didn’t need to hear her sob story. We’re just here to get the job done and leave. Now she’ll send a stupid complaint to the guild and you’ll get reprimanded.”

Myungjun pouted as he was dragged outside of her house. He was just curious, and he hated not knowing things. His father would surely understand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Donghan crushing that woman's skull in one hand is revoltingly badass
> 
>  
> 
> P.s Tomorrows chapter is the Socky/Socky Jr update xd ahhhhhhhh


	138. Christmas At The Kims.

Myungjun woke up on Christmas morning with a chill in his bones. He shivered as he opened his eyes and looked down to see why it was so cold. His blanket was tangled in Jinwoos feet at the bottom of the bed as the other boy slept soundly.

He knew that as a fire user, Jinwoo didn’t like wearing too many layers or being covered by too many things as he felt more comfortable letting the heat out of his skin. But this was just ridiculous.

Myungjun could see the snow falling thick and fast outside of his window. That explained why it was so cold in the room.

He whined unhappily as another shiver wracked his body and he sniffled through his stuffy nose.

“Sunshine?” Jinwoos sleep laden voice came from the other side of the bed.

“I’m awake.” Myungjuns voice was weak and hoarse and he knew immediately that he was sick.

Jinwoo heard it too and was wide awake and hovering over him a second later. “You’re sick. Oh no why are you sick? You can’t be sick. You’re not allowed to be sick.” He placed his hand on Myungjuns forehead and cursed. “You’re burning up.”

Myungjun whimpered at the heat of Jinwoos hand on his head. “Cold JinJin. Give me back my blanket.”

Realisation dawned on Jinwoo as he looked down at the tangled mess and he looked back up at Myungjun horrified. “The blanket…has it been there all night? Please tell me it hasn’t. You’re sick because of me?”

Jinwoos panic was just stressing Myungjun out further. He was already feeling stressed at the thought of being sick on Christmas day of all days and he didn’t need Jinwoo feeling bad on top of that.

“JinJin please, I need it.”

Jinwoo quickly untangled the blanket and placed it over Myungjun, tucking him in tight and pulling it all the way up to his nose. Then he tucked him in tighter and started to radiate heat over him.

Myungjun just groaned unhappily “I can’t move now.” His arms were stuck at his sides and he felt like an overgrown caterpillar. “Why is it all the way up to my nose?”

“You don’t need to move. You just need to not be sick.” Jinwoo pouted with watery eyes. “And your nose looked cold, so I covered it too.”

Myungjun coughed and winced at the pain it sent through his throat. “Why are you crying?”

“This is all my fault, AGAIN. You got sick last time because of me and then you died and now you’re sick again and…oh no are you dying?” Myungjun was exasperated to see Jinwoo properly crying now as he fretted above him. “Heal yourself Myungjun you can’t die! Can you do that? Or do you need medicine? Do we have medicine here? I’ll go and check.” He was off the bed and out of the door before Myungjun could stop him.

“He’s such an idiot.” Myungjun whined, wriggling out from his compact cocoon. There was an ache in his bones, and he slumped back against the pillows feeling exhausted. I’ll just sleep for five minutes…

Myungjun woke up to Jinwoo shaking him frantically. “…JUN! MYUNGJUN WAKE UP YOU CAN’T DIE!”

“I’m not dying you moron.” Myungjun scowled opening his eyes tiredly. “But I might if you keep shaking me and shouting at me like that. My heads pounding.”

“I tried to tell him you weren’t dying but he won’t listen to me.” Myungjun looked over to see his mother sitting on the edge of his bed holding out a glass of water. “You need to stay hydrated. Help him up Jinwoo.”

Jinwoo helped him sit against the pillows and Myungjun drank the water down quickly. It felt heavenly against his dry throat. “What’s the time?”

“Early. Sanhas still sleeping but Jinwoo came to wake me up. He scared the life out of me telling me you were dying and couldn’t heal yourself.”

Myungjun glared at his boyfriend who was beginning to look a bit sheepish.

“Sorry Ms Kim.” Jinwoo mumbled. “I was just worried about him. He rarely gets sick and its always bad when he does.”

“Let’s just leave Junnie to sleep and go make some warm soup for him okay?”

Myungjun was grateful his mother knew how to handle this situation. Jinwoo was quick to agree, declaring that he’d help him get better in any way possible and helped Myungjun to get back under the covers. He created a small ball of fire to hover above the bed for heat and pressed a quick kiss to Myungjuns forehead before hurrying after his mother asking a hundred questions about the best things to put in soup for someone who was sick.

*

Myungjun woke up to the smell of freshly cooked food. He opened his eyes to see Jinwoo waving the bowl of hot soup under his nose.

“I can’t believe that actually worked.” Jinwoo said happily before putting the bowl down and helping Myungjun sit up. “How are you feeling now sunshine? It’s nearly lunch time.”

“A bit better. I needed that sleep.” Myungjun stretched and made grabby hands for his soup but he should have known Jinwoo wouldn’t let him feed himself. He just sat patiently and ate every spoonful Jinwoo offered him.

Jinwoo tutted when soup dribbled down his chin and wiped it away with a tissue. “My little baby is so messy.”

“I’m not a baby.” Myungjun pouted. “And I can feed myself Jinwoo.”

Jinwoo just sighed and fed him some more. “When will you stop denying the obvious truth? You let me feed you, wash and brush your hair, brush your teeth, get you dressed. You call your stomach your ‘tummy’, you pout and whine all the time when you don’t get what you want, and you have the cutest giggle. You’re a baby. A whole baby. And you just need to accept it.”

Myungjun huffed and turned his head to the side, refusing to eat anymore. “Go away Park Jinwoo.”

Jinwoo put the soup down and grinned. “If I go away, then I’ll just have to take you with me. Up you go!” Myungjun squealed as Jinwoo picked him up, blanket and all. “It’s Christmas you can’t stay in bed all day. Sanhas been downstairs whining about presents for the last three hours so let’s go and put him out of his misery yeah?”

Myungjun let Jinwoo carry him downstairs and couldn’t deny the fact he felt better getting out of bed. Jinwoo set him down in his comfy, plush chair in the living room and rushed away into the kitchen. Myungjun heard him telling the others that he was downstairs, and he was amused to heard Sanhas rapid footsteps.

“Hyung you’re awake!” Sanha exclaimed happily. He pointed to the presents under the tree that Myungjun had grown the previous day. He’d decorated it with Jinwoo and Sanha, trying to replicate the ones that had been set up in the academies hall every Christmas they’d spent there, and he was proud to say it looked similar at least. “Are any of those mine?”

Myungjun shrugged. “I don’t know. All of my gifts are upstairs in a big box under my bed and…okay bye.” Sanha had run out of the room before he could finish, and he heard the younger boy crashing up the stairs. He really was an overgrown child.

Jinwoo and his mother came into the room soon after carrying steaming cups. “One hot chocolate with extra whipped cream and marshmallows for the baby.” Jinwoo sing-songed, handing the cup to Myungjun and ignoring the scowl he received in return.

“Where did Sanha go?” His mother asked, curling up in a chair of her own and sipping at her drink.

“Getting my presents for me.” Myungjun explained.

At that exact moment they heard Sanha thundering back down the stairs.

“Stop running or you’ll trip!”

“Sorry mother.” Sanha apologised breathlessly as he entered the room carrying the long wooden box Myungjun had made to hide his gifts in. “Is this it Hyung? I didn’t look inside.”

Myungjun nodded and gestured for him to hand it over. He felt excited to finally reveal the presents he had purchased for them. Donghan had kept his word and given Myungjun the whole reward whilst he kept all of the jewellery they had retrieved. Myungjun had been able to get everyone something special and still had some left over to start building his savings.

He told Sanha to close his eyes and pulled out his present first knowing the younger boy wouldn’t be able to wait much longer. Sanhas gift was the reason the box had needed to be so long in the first place.

Sanha opened his eyes when he was allowed and squealed excitedly as he looked over the new case for his guitar. “Wow Hyung it’s so cool! Now I can carry my guitar around on my back without needing to hold it!”

“Open it.” Myungjun said smiling widely. “There’s some smaller things inside. Some new strings in case you break them, a kit to clean your guitar properly and some sweets I found shaped like miniature guitars. I thought they were cute.” Sanha thanked him and jumped up for a hug before backing away.

“You’re sick so just pretend I hugged you okay? I’m going to get my guitar!”

He was off again and Myungjuns mother shook her head fondly. “That boy is full of energy. That was a lovely gift Junnie. That can’t have been cheap.”

Myungjun smiled. “It was worth every coin. Your present next.”

His mother opened up her box to reveal the golden locket Myungjun had spent the longest time looking for. He wanted it to be perfect and he knew it was from the way her eyes lit up.

“Wow Junnie its beautiful!”

“You need to open it up too. There are drawings inside.” That had taken the longest time to do as well. He wanted them to be perfect too. “It’s me, Jinwoo and Sanha. I wanted you to know that we’ll always be with you even if we’re away on jobs or at the guild. If you miss us, you can just look inside the locket.” He knew she would cry and made Jinwoo hug her in his place.

He sipped at his hot chocolate trying not to get teary eyed himself and when she finally calmed down to thank him, he reached around inside his box for the last gift. “JinJin these are for you.” He held out the flame shaped daggers wrapped up in a green cloth and smiled as Jinwoo took them looking curious.

When Jinwoo unwrapped them from the cloth his eyes widened, and his mouth fell open in shock. He discarded the cloth in favour of twirling the daggers between his fingers and watched the way they rippled like fire in the light.

“These are…” He sliced them quickly through the air to hear the swish and swallowed loudly. “These are incredible. They look just like my fire wow.”

“Look at the handles.” Myungjun said quietly. He’d had one more thing added to them. The black leather-bound handles had green crystals twinkling at their bases. One carved into the shape of a flame and one carved into the shape of a flower. “Now when you use them, you’ll always think of me. Even when we’re apart.”

Jinwoo finally looked up at him and his radiant smile made Myungjuns heart skip a beat. Jinwoo wasn’t as cautious about getting sick as the others were, he just leaned straight over to press a firm kiss to Myungjuns lips.

“Thankyou sunshine. They’re beautiful, almost as beautiful as you and I’ll use them well.” Myungjun blushed and smiled shyly. He was glad Jinwoo liked them. “I feel guilty now though.”

“Why JinJin?”

“Because my present for you isn’t anywhere near as special as these.” He looked nervous and it made Myungjun smile.

“Whatever you give me will be special. You could give me a bag of dust and I’d think it was the best present ever.” He grinned as Jinwoo snorted in amusement looking a bit better.

Jinwoo went over to the tree and pulled two wrapped gifts out from under it. “Well I can happily say they’re better than bags of dust at least. I even wrapped them in yellow paper to match you sunshine.”

Myungjun giggled and accepted them feeling excited. He tore open the biggest one first and squealed. “A new sketchbook! Wow JinJin I needed a new one!”

“I know.” Jinwoo chuckled. “Open the other one.”

Myungjuns second present was a new set of drawing tools he’d pointed out to Jinwoo multiple times on their days out in the city. They always walked past the art store on their way back to the guild and Myungjun would always stop to look at them longingly. He’d desperately wanted them but never had the money to buy them after spoiling his friends so much.

“You remembered.” Myungjun looked up at Jinwoo and held out his arms for a hug feeling emotional. Jinwoo was quick to give him one and kissed his nose after for good measure.

“How could I forget? I’m glad you like them sunshine.”

A knock on the front door interrupted them and Myungjun turned around in his chair to watch as Jinwoo went to open it. They weren’t expecting visitors.

The door opened to reveal a nervous looking Rocky holding a bag in one hand and Rocky Jrs stony fist in the other. Rocky breathed out in relief and smiled as he shook the snow out of his hair.

“Thank the deity this is the right house.”

“Rocky?” Myungjun leaned further out of his chair at the sound of Sanhas voice to look around the door frame. Sanha was standing on the stairs looking at Rocky with a frown. “Why are you here?”

Jinwoo stepped away to give them space to talk and Rocky Jr raced past his legs to climb clumsily up the stairs.

Sanha picked him up with a happy squeal and cooed as he poked his stony cheek. “Your father said you were big now and I didn’t believe him but look at you! You just had to go and grow again when I wasn’t around to see it didn’t you?” He pouted down at him and Rocky Jr tried pouting back. Myungjun wanted to die. He was sure he’d never seen something so cute. “Now that you’re big again does this mean I have to stop calling you my little one?” Rocky Jr started shaking his head so fast Myungjun was sure it would fall off. The scraping of stone on stone was already disturbingly loud.

Rocky stepped inside looking worried and closed the door behind himself. He turned to look pointedly at his son. “Calm down or I’ll take you away from him.” Rocky Jrs eyes widened and he wrapped his arms around Sanhas neck tightly making the younger boy giggle. Rocky just stared. “Uhh…I’m here to give everyone their gifts.”

Myungjun wanted to point out that Rocky had told him the other day that he didn’t get anyone gifts when they’d all exchanged them, but he realised Rocky had lied to have an excuse to show up today, so he kept his mouth shut.

“Who’s out there?” Myungjuns mother asked, not being able to see herself from her chair.

“Sanhas boyfriend.” Jinwoo whispered making Myungjun giggle.

“I’ll go and make more drinks!” His mother declared, hurrying out of the room and sneaking a look at the two younger boys on the way past.

Sanha carried a much calmer Rocky Jr into the living room and sat down on the floor settling the little rock on his lap. Rocky followed and smiled shyly at Myungjun when he spotted him.

“Hey Hyung. Sorry for turning up like this. I would have sent a note but…” But he didn’t want to be told he couldn’t come, Myungjun thought. Not that he would have said no anyway.

Rocky sat down next to Sanha and started distributing his gifts. Myungjuns was a new seed for his greenhouse which he thanked him profusely for and Jinwoos was a new book by his favourite author.

Myungjun watched as Rocky reached down into his bag again and smiled softly to himself when Rocky handed Sanha his gift looking nervous. Rocky was so confident usually but something about the younger boy always made him shy.

Sanha took it with a small thank you and gasped when he unwrapped the bracelet. It was made with baby pink and baby blue crystals all shaped like Sanhas swirly air user birthmark.

“I made it for you.” Rocky said watching Sanha intently to gauge his reaction. “Pinks your favourite colour, right?” He seemed relieved when Sanha nodded, unable to tear his eyes away from the bracelet in his hand. “I picked blue as well because it reminds me of the sky, like you.” He reached over and took the bracelet from Sanhas hand to help him put it on. He took an unnecessarily long time to do so and rubbed his thumb gently over the skin on the inside of Sanhas wrist when he was done.

Sanha was looking at Rocky with something different in his eyes that Myungjun had never seen from him before but their moment was interrupted when his mother came back with a tray of cups.

“More hot chocolate because its Junnies favourite.” She said happily, completely missing the blushes on the younger boys faces as they pulled away from each other. Jinwoo accepted two cups and made his way over to sit by Myungjuns feet. He handed his cup up to him and they drunk in silence, watching as Rocky handed over a bottle of wine.

“I didn’t know what to get you Ms Kim, but my mother always says you can never go wrong with a bottle of red.”

She laughed and accepted it gratefully. “Your mother is a very smart woman. Thankyou dear. Will you be staying for dinner?”

Rocky looked over at Sanha for permission who just shrugged, and he looked back at her with a smile. “I’d love too.”

Rocky Jr garbled happily in Sanhas lap and his mother cooed at how cute he was. Sanha agreed proudly like he was his own companion and Myungjun didn’t miss the way Rocky smiled into his cup.

*

Later that night, they all gathered again to listen to Rocky re-enact a story he’d heard from one of the sailors he’d spoken to at the port in Zepheholde. Myungjun wasn’t really listening himself. He was too busy sketching the sight in front of him with his new gifts.

Sanha was curled up on one of the chairs cuddling Rocky Jr and listening to Rocky with rapt attention. He’d look down at his bracelet every so often with the tips of his ears bright red and it made Myungjun squeal inside.

Rocky faltered in his re-enactment of the dramatic fight scene when Sanha started giggling at the funny face Rocky Jr was pulling at him. Sanha pulled one back and the little rock laughed in his scratchy voice and reached up to pat the cheek of Sanhas that he’d kissed before. Rocky blushed and hurried over to pick Rocky Jr up.

“Sanha why don’t you get your guitar and play everyone the new song we composed?” Myungjun asked, closing his sketchbook and snuggling back up into Jinwoos side. He was tired and knew Sanhas playing would put him to sleep.

Sanha disappeared out of the room to find it and Rocky sat down in his vacated seat, humming happily at the warmth. “This has been a good Christmas.”

“I’m glad you came today.” Myungjun said sleepily. “Sanhas happier now.”

Before Rocky could reply Sanha came back and pouted. “You stole my seat!”

“You could always sit on his lap.” Jinwoo pointed out.

Sanha shot him a dirty look and sat on the arm of the chair instead. Myungjun relaxed instantly as the first few chords were played and relaxed even further as Jinwoo rubbed a hand up and down his arm radiating a steady heat.

He opened his eyes at the moment he knew Sanha would sing. Rockys reaction was exactly how he’d imagined it to be. He was entranced as he looked up at the younger boy beside him who was very purposefully looking elsewhere. Sanha sung through the whole song perfectly and Myungjun was proud that his voice didn’t crack once.

When Sanha played the last chord, it was quiet for a few seconds before Rocky Jr started clapping his stony fists. Sanha looked down at him with a smile and then looked at Rocky. “Why are you staring at me like that?”

“You’re beautiful.” Rocky said quietly. After a few seconds of silence, he seemed to realise what he’d just said and rushed to change it. “I mean your voice. Your voice is beautiful. And the song. That was beautiful too. Yeah.”

*They’re hopeless* Jinwoos voice entered Myungjuns mind and he couldn’t help but agree as he watched Sanha rush from the room, face a bright red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Takes a deep breath* SOCKYYYYYYY (JR)
> 
> BABY pink and BABY blue=Sanha is baby confirmed. Even Rocky knows it.
> 
> I will be accepting all of your uwus, just leave them over there by the door thanks~
> 
> Also Jinwoo crying because he thought Myungjun was dying is hilarious to me TT I'm a terrible person help.  
> The way he actually took the time to explain to Myungjun why he was a baby too killed me. If Myungjun wasn't sick and grumpy he probably would have giggled like 'yes I am baby, baby is me' instead he's telling him to go away poor bub
> 
> With that being said, I now conclude this chapter of fluff. Thankyou for reading lovely humans~


	139. Grandmother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double upload today  
> Will upload the second chapter at some point  
> Currently dying from a heatwave yay me

Myungjun returned to the guild on the first of January looking forward to a new year. He greeted everyone down in the tavern as usual whilst he played with the small velvet box in his pocket. He had one more gift to give and he looked around for the person who would be receiving it. He was nowhere to be seen so Myungjun started to ascend the stairs. He knew he wouldn’t find him on the second floor, so he skipped that one.

He found him on the fourth instead, standing in front of the S Rank board that only had a handful of requests tacked onto it.

“Donghan?”

Donghan turned surprised at the sound of his voice. “You’re back little dragon.”

Myungjun made his way over and stopped in front of him feeling nervous. He just stared at a point in the middle of Donghans chest as he pulled the little box out and thrust it towards him. “I said I’d get you something for Christmas so…here.” Donghan made no moves to take it and was quiet for so long that Myungjun peeked up at him. Donghan was staring down at the box frozen. “Donghan?”

He snapped out of it and looked at Myungjun instead. “You got me a present?”

“I said I would.” Myungjun repeated. “Please take it. Its not much and I didn’t know what colour you liked so I got them in different colours. I guessed black to begin with because you wear a lot of it, but I couldn’t be sure.”

Donghan took the box which looked even smaller in his large hands and opened it up. “You got me new piercings?”

“Like I said its not much.” Myungjun mumbled feeling awkward. “I just thought you might- where are you going?”

He watched as Donghan strode across the room to one of the tables. He put the box down onto it and started to pull out all of the piercings that were already in his ears. Myungjun approached and counted them all as he put them on the table, hoping he’d bought the correct number. Twelve. Perfect. He breathed out lightly in relief as he watched Donghan replace them all.

“Umm I didn’t think you’d replace all of them at the same time.” Myungjun said looking up at his colourful ears. “Now you look…”

“I look fine.” Donghan said shortly. He struggled to get the last yellow ring in his ear and held it out to Myungjun. “Put it in for me I can’t do it myself without a mirror.”

Myungjun took it and Donghan bent down with his hands on his knees. “You know I could have just made myself taller.” Myungjun said, sliding the piercing in.

“I keep forgetting you’re a shifter too.”

“Too?” Myungjun jumped in shock a second later when Donghan yelped. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?” He fretted over his ear, checking that he hadn’t damaged the skin and was confused to see it looked perfectly fine. When he pulled away Donghan was grinning. “Don’t do that! I thought I hurt you you idiot. I should have known you wouldn’t have felt it even if I did. You don’t feel pain like a normal human being.”

“Are you saying I’m not human?” Donghan asked in mock offence as he stood up straight.

“Far from it.” Myungjun grumbled. He turned on his heel to walk away hearing Donghan chuckle behind him but didn’t get very far. He turned back to Donghan and looked down at the hand on his shoulder. “What?”

“Thank you for the gift.” Donghan said quietly. “I haven’t received a Christmas gift in a long time.”

“Not even from Gikwang?” Myungjun frowned when Donghan shook his head. “But he’s your brother.”

“We don’t give each other gifts anymore.” Myungjun could tell there was more to the story but Donghan was already turning back to the request board. “Now run along little dragon, I have work to do.”

Myungjun took one more look at his colourful ears that stood out shockingly against his black hair and black outfit and left him to his search.

Donghan really reminded him of Jinwoo sometimes. During their first Christmas together at the academy, Jinwoo had looked down at Myungjuns gift in shock too and had also revealed he hadn’t received any gifts from anyone but Mrs Ko before.

It made Myungjun feel sad and he looked back again before descending the stairs to see Donghan playing with the new piercings as he tore a request down.

He’s lonely too, Myungjun realised, lonely like Jinwoo used to be.

*

Later that day, Myungjun found himself in front of the ‘Local Requests’ board searching for one he could do by the end of the day.

“Myungjun?”

Myungjun turned at his father’s voice and watched him approach with something in his hand. It was held out to him and he accepted it thinking about how similar this was to him approaching Donghan earlier that day.

“A gift?”

“I didn’t get to see you before Christmas so it’s a bit late. It’s nothing much, just some new arrow heads for your bow and a couple more medicinal plant seeds for the greenhouse. You still have a lot of empty planters to fill so I thought I’d help.”

Myungjun knew how expensive the seeds were and opened up the pouch to see a lot more then a _couple_ inside. “Wow thank you. You didn’t have to get me so many, it must have cost a lot.”

“Nothing I couldn’t afford. If it makes you uncomfortable just think of them as the sixteen years worth of gifts that I missed out on giving you.”

Myungjun smiled down at them before shifting his focus to the arrow heads. They were sharp and dark in colour.

“I had them enchanted to be unbreakable, so they’ll never shatter no matter what they hit, and they’ll always be sharp. A must for an archer.” Myungjun thanked him again and slipped everything into his pockets. He couldn’t wait to plant the new seeds and he knew he’d be spending the night re-heading all of his arrows in his quiver. “Are you here to look for a request?”

Myungjun nodded and looked back at the board. “There’s not a lot I can do today. There’s a lot of jobs for fire users because of the ice and snow though so I’ll get Jinwoo up here later.”

“Well I have a job for you if you’re interested.” Myungjun looked up at his father and asked what it was. “Well it’s a job I usually do myself once a week that’s never on the request board. There’s an old lady who lives not too far from here that can no longer get around and needs her shopping done for her. Its not the most exciting job but she reminds me of my mother so I’m always happy to help. Usually if I’m away on requests of my own Hani will do her shopping but she’s always complaining at me that she’s too busy with the bar downstairs so it would be nice if you could help instead.”

Myungjun was curious to see what this old woman was like. He’d never had grandparents growing up so if his father said she’s like his grandmother he wanted to meet her. “I’ll do it.”

“I must warn you it’s not a paid job. She only pays for her shopping and that’s all. She always tries to give me coin for the task, but I’ve never once accepted, and I’d prefer it if you didn’t either. However, I will count it as one of your required jobs for the month. So, if I’m away for a month, you can see her every week and you will not be required to take on anymore local requests. I’ll let Hani know too. I’m sure she’ll be happy with the new development.”

Myungjun didn’t mind not being paid. He took on plenty of unpaid work when no-one else wanted to do it because he liked helping people regardless. “Should we go now?”

*

Myungjun decided the second the old lady opened her front door that he liked her. She was kind and fussed over his father like a mother would, even going as far as calling him ‘son’. Myungjun was even more endeared when his father bent down to kiss her cheek and greeted her as ‘mother’.

“Mother I’ve brought my boy with me. The one I told you about. Myungjun.”

She looked past his father with wide eyes to see Myungjun smiling brightly on the doorstep. “Oh my, well isn’t this a trip to the past? He looks just like you when you were his age, a bit less rugged I’ll admit but just as handsome. Come in both of you, I’ve got some tea brewing.”

Myungjun sat down at the kitchen table that was just as old as the woman herself and accepted his tea with thanks. “You have a nice home. It’s well lived in. I can tell you have lots of good memories here.”

“Most of which involve your father.” She said happily.

“You said I look like him when he was my age. Does that mean you’ve known him since he was young?” Myungjun asked curiously.

“Ever since he was around fifteen I believe.” The woman answered and was backed up by his father’s nod. “A lovely boy who I looked after as my own. His father wasn’t very nice, so he’d always come here where he was looked after properly isn’t that right?”

Myungjun saw his father shift uncomfortably in his seat. “That’s enough about me mother. Do you have the shopping list?” She tutted and stood up shakily to shuffle from the room muttering about impatience. “She wants the same things every week, but she writes me a list every time without fail.” He explained watching her go. “She also likes cherry sweets. Its not a must and she won’t give you the coins for them, but it makes her happier when she receives them.”

Myungjun got the hint and made a mental note to pick her up some on the way back. He had some stray coins in his pockets which he could use.

*

Myungjun spent the next few weeks visiting the old woman who had insisted he call her grandmother. He looked forward to it immensely and always rushed there early to sit with her by her fireplace and listen to the stories she would tell him about his father growing up.

She told him about how mischievous he was and how he liked to cause lots of trouble, but she’d never been able to scold him for it because he’d always managed to talk his way out of it.

Myungjuns favourite story was how when his father turned sixteen, he started taking flowers from her garden to give to a girl he liked who turned out to be Myungjuns mother. She told Myungjun that when she’d finally met his mother, his mother had been introduced as his father’s new wife and she’d smacked him over the back of the head with a wooden spoon and told him off for getting married behind her back. Myungjun giggled at the thought but had also been shocked to hear that they were only seventeen at the time.

She also told him stories of how helpful his father had been. He was always repairing her house to save her money and helping her replace the flowers he’d stolen from her garden. One year he’d spent a hot summers day building a pond for her in her back garden when she mentioned wanting one in passing and he’d fallen down with heatstroke during it.

“I had to find a healer it was terrifying!” She exclaimed dramatically. “I’m not magic myself and I didn’t have any of those fancy herbs to help him. He shouldn’t have worked so hard silly boy.”

She also told him how his father would buy her new blankets every Christmas to make sure she was warm enough and how she never threw one away. She happily showed Myungjun the collection of them and he grinned at the sight. There were so many, all in varying degrees of tattiness.

“He spent Christmases with me too. Only for an hour everyday when he could escape his father, but it was enough to keep me company. Even when he’d be cheeky and tell me he was only there for my food.”

The more Myungjun learnt about his father the more he realised how similar they were. He felt closer to him through her stories and he felt his heart warm with every soft nostalgic smile she would give when relaying a fond memory.

Present day Myungjun was walking up her garden path with her requested shopping. He didn’t need to look at the list anymore to know what she wanted, and he never failed to pick up her cherry sweets.

He knocked on the door three times to let her know it was him and smiled down at her when she opened it up. “Hello grandmother I’m back. It was busy today and I had to fight three different people for the last tray of eggs. You wouldn’t _believe_ how feisty some people can get.”

She chuckled and let him inside and Myungjun went to put all the shopping away for her as she made him his usual tea. Lemon as he requested. When he was done, he sat at the table with a satisfied sigh and handed over her sweets, grinning at how excited she seemed.

“These are my favourite! How did you know?”

“Father told me.” He explained again. He’d realised she seemed to be losing her memory and would repeat the same questions every time they met but he didn’t mind. They chatted aimlessly for a while until Myungjun noticed her staring at him curiously. “What is it grandmother?”

“You have your fathers’ eyes but your mothers face.” He’d heard that before as well and just smiled as he sipped at his tea. “You’re very pretty your boyfriend is a lucky man.” That he _hadn’t_ heard before.

“How did you know I have a boyfriend?” He asked surprised, setting his cup down gently. “I never told you that.”

“Your father did. He told me all about Jinwoo and how much of a capable young man he is. He said he makes you very happy is that true?” Myungjun nodded giving her a shy smile and she cooed and pinched his cheek. “Young love is a beautiful thing to witness. Just make sure that if you plan on getting married like your father, you’ll at least remember to invite me to the wedding.” Myungjun laughed and promised he would. “Your father also told me that he’s glad you have Jinwoo. He’s someone you’ll always be able to rely on and someone who will never let you down. Your father regrets it you know, leaving you and your mother behind.”

“I know.” Myungjun replied quietly. “A part of me even understands why he did. I’m not angry anymore. I’m just glad to have him in my life now.”

She hummed happily into her cup before setting it down. “Would you like to help me bake a cake?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Donghans lonely, I insist on making myself sad fml


	140. Sign Up.

Myungjun was eating lunch in the guild tavern with his friends when Hoseok joined the table looking a lot less sunshiney than usual.

“What’s wrong Seokkie?” He asked, leaning over to hold his hand.

Hoseok looked up with a frown. “Do you know what today is? It’s the day of our February dungeon run examinations. Doesn’t it feel, I don’t know, _wrong_ that we’re not doing them anymore?”

“It does.” Jinwoo answered instead. “I miss fighting monsters and seeing how far we can push ourselves. It was always exhilarating. All we’ve really done for the last six or seven months is regular work. We can’t even go on proper monster hunting requests until we’re A Rank and that will take years to reach.”

Everyone around the table was listening to Jinwoo talk now and Myungjun could feel the heavily dispirited atmosphere creeping over them. Even he missed it despite all the brutal ways he had been incapacitated there. If only there was a way they could experience it again…

Myungjun was suddenly struck with a thought and jumped up from his seat startling them all. “Wait right here I’ll be back in a second!”

He rushed to the bar and Hani looked up from the drink she was pouring with a smile. “Hello Myungjun, would you like another drink?”

“No thankyou. I actually have a question. My mother and father used to fight monsters in competitions here in the city when they were younger and when my father first told me about my guild mark, he said I’d use it as proof of identity when going on requests AND competing in competitions. Do you know where I can find out about the competitions happening in the city this year?” Myungjun asked, leaning over the bar in his excitement.

Hani handed over the drink she’d been pouring to the guild member who’d requested it before pulling out a roll of parchment from underneath the bar. “You’re in luck. There’s a competition happening in a weeks’ time. Its one of the biggest of the year and hundreds of people compete in it. Here’s the notice for it. I was supposed to put it up on the news board this morning but forgot. Do you think you could put it up for me when you’ve finished?”

Myungjun promised he would before accepting the parchment and unrolling it to read the words it contained.

VOREDAN CRUCIBLE- FEBRUARY COMPETITION

COMPETITION NAME: MONSTER BRAWL  
COMPETITION DATE: SATURDAY 21st FEBRUARY  
LOCATION: THE CRUCIBLE, VOREDANS FIGHTING DISTRICT

PARTICIPANT INFORMATION:  
MAGICAL AND NON-MAGICAL PARTICIPANTS WELCOME. GUILD PARTICIPATION WELCOME. UP TO 10 PER TEAM. WEAPONS ALLOWED. MAGIC ALLOWED. TEAM HEALERS ALLOWED.

COMPETITION DETAILS:  
PARTICIPANTS WILL ENTER THE CRUCIBLE IN THEIR TEAMS AND FIGHT AGAINST MONSTERS RELEASED IN WAVES. PARTICIPANTS GAIN 1 POINT FOR EVERY MONSTER KILLED AND 5 POINTS FOR EVERY TEN WAVES CLEARED. THE TEAM WITH THE MOST POINTS AT THE END OF THE COMPETITON WINS THE GRAND PRIZE AND THE SPECIAL EVENT TITLE-MONSTER BRAWLER.

THE COMPETITON WILL RUN OVER THE COURSE OF A WEEK (EXTRA DAYS MAY BE ADDED DEPENDENT ON THE NUMBER OF TEAMS PARTICIPATING)

THE DEADLINE TO SIGN UP FOR THE COMPETITION IS WEDNESDAY 18TH FEBRUARY.

REWARDS:  
FIRST PLACE- THE GRAND PRIZE + ‘MONSTER BRAWLER’ TITLE + 25,000,000 COINS  
SECOND PLACE- RUNNERS UP PRIZE + 5,000,000 COINS  
THIRD PLACE- RUNNERS UP PRIZE + 1,000,000 COINS  
FOURTH TO TENTH PLACE- 500,000 COINS  
ELEVENTH TO TWENTIETH PLACE- 100,000 COINS

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:  
LIVE AUDIENCE.  
LIVE COMMENTARY.  
REVIVAL UPON DEATH (HEALERS AVAILABLE). 

Myungjun read over the notice a few times before squealing excitedly. “Hani this is perfect! Are there other competitions like this too?”

Hani nodded as she wiped down the bar with a cloth. “Voredans fighting district holds lots of competitions throughout the year. They’re not all as big as that one though. Like I said, hundreds participate in the monster brawl every year, including a lot of the members from Dragon Blades. We make a habit of participating in all of the bigger competitions to keep our name out there. We’ve won a lot of them too, mainly thanks to the twins.”

“Donghan and Gikwang participate?” Myungjun asked surprised. “They don’t really seem like the type who would care enough for competitions.”

Hani laughed and leaned up against the bar. “I agree. But they’re surprisingly competitive. Gikwang more so than Donghan which may also surprise you. Two years ago, when the twins first joined and before they were S Rank themselves, they convinced the four other S Rank magic users in our guild to join forces and ended up setting the record for the most enemies killed in the brawl. The grand prize back then was the bow Gikwang still uses now.”

“His bow is gorgeous.” Myungjun sighed dreamily. “I wish I had a bow like that.”

“Well you’re in luck. The grand prizes every year are usually weapons, shields or specialised armour and I know for a fact its another bow this year. Its been on display in Victors Park outside the crucible for the last month. If you ever have the time you should go and see it. The grand prizes are always made by the Kings own weaponsmith or armourer, so you know they’re the best of quality. The runners up prizes this year are decent too. There’s a set of golden shurikens for second place and a pair of studded leather thigh harnesses to hold daggers for third place. But like the notice says, everyone in the top twenty wins money too. Are you going to sign up for it this year?”

Myungjun nodded eagerly and gestured over to the table where his friends were sitting. “I’ll speak to them and see who wants to join.”

Hani wished him luck before handing him a stack of participation forms that needed to be filled in and he took them over to his friends and showed them all the notice. He tried to relay everything that Hani had told him, and he was happy to see the dispirited atmosphere lifting.

“Let’s all do it.” Hoseok said eagerly. “There’s eight of us here and we can even invite Sanha too and still have one spot free.”

Myungjun handed out the forms to be filled in and looked up at the bar to see Hani pointing his way in her conversation with Donghan. Donghan turned to look at Myungjun before turning back to Hani. They exchanged a few more words and then Donghan was standing up and making his way towards their table.

“Little dragon.” The whole table fell silent at his voice. Myungjun knew his friends were still wary of the older boy. Only Jinwoo seemed comfortable around him and sometimes he seemed even more comfortable around him then Myungjun was himself. Myungjun knew now that it was because the two boys were similar in some ways.

“Hello. What are you doing over here?” Myungjun asked, holding back a smile when he looked at the colourful piercings in Donghans ears. Half of him had expected Donghan to have removed them by now but apparently, he liked them enough to keep them in.

“Join my team.”

“What?” Myungjun asked confused.

“Join my team for the monster brawl. Hani said you were thinking about participating, and the grand prize is one I know you want. So, join my team and we’ll win it for you.”

Myungjun looked around at his friends who were watching them with raised eyebrows. He looked back up at Donghan with an apologetic smile. “That’s a good offer but I’ll have to turn it down. I already told them we’d go together.”

Donghan looked around the table with a frown. “I’m sure your _friends_ would want to see you win that bow. If you went together and won, then it would be going to you anyway as the only archer. But the chances of you winning in the team you’re in now is near enough non-existent. You’re not strong enough and before you start bitching you know I’m right. Tonnes of teams will be participating, a lot of them full of older, more experienced magic users. And not to mention me and Gikwang. You couldn’t kill more monsters than us even on a good day. So, join my team. If your friends are nice enough, they’d agree with me. Right?” He glared at them all pointedly and Myungjun heard a few muttered agreements.

“I said I’m turning you down.” Myungjun repeated bluntly not liking the way Donghan was intimidating them.

“Junnie maybe you should-”

“No.” Myungjun interrupted Jinwoos sentence and turned to look at him. “We wanted to do this competition because we missed fighting together in the dungeons. I know we won’t win first place and we probably won’t even make it in to the top twenty either but that’s not the point. Its not about winning. It’s about being together and having fun again.”

“But the bow-”

“I have my monster bone bow. I know its nowhere near as good as the other one would be but it’s enough for me for now.” Myungjun looked back up at Donghan who was looking far from happy. “I’m sorry Donghan but my friends come first.”

“And we’re not friends? Okay got it.” Donghan turned on his heel and walked away with his leather coat flapping noisily at the tops of his boots. Myungjun hadn’t missed the look of hurt that had flashed across his face and quickly excused himself from the table to chase after him feeling guilty.

“Donghan wait!” Donghan ignored him and kept walking towards the open tavern doors, shoving past anyone who got in his way and sending them stumbling. Myungjun apologised to them on the way past and caught up to Donghan as he descended the steps leading out onto the street. It was snowing again and Myungjun shivered, regretting not grabbing his jacket. Myungjun grabbed onto the sleeve of the older boy’s coat and pulled him to a stop. “Donghan listen to me.”

“What?” He snapped, turning around to glare down at him. Even though he was on the step below Myungjun, Myungjun still had to look up. “I’ve got stuff to do Myungjun.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you thought we were friends.”

“You got me a Christmas present. That’s what friends do isn’t it? Why else would you have gotten me one?”

“I got you one because I said I would if you gave me more of the request money.” Myungjun admitted feeling awkward. He didn’t want to lie no matter how harsh the truth was.

The hurt flashed in Donghans eyes again but disappeared almost immediately. “I see. Well then you can have the piercings back. I don’t want them.”

Myungjun stared wide eyed as Donghan ripped them from his ears, tearing at the skin until blood dripped down to mingle with the snow settling on his shoulders. He grabbed Myungjuns wrist, forcing his palm up and slapped the bloodied piercings down onto it.

Myungjuns heart clenched painfully when Donghan shoved him away and descended the last of the steps. “Donghan wait! Let me at least heal you first you’re bleeding!”

“Go fuck yourself Myungjun.” Donghan spat without looking back, disappearing into the ground a second later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Let's introduce the crucible it will be so fun and exciting!  
> Also me: Lets make it angsty too for the hell of it
> 
> but like...sad times. Donghan just wants a friend, everyone else is scared of him I-


	141. The Threat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warning:  
> Smut
> 
> ...surprise :S   
> (I always warn the chapter before if I'm posting smut but I forgot. So lets just pretend it was meant to be a surprise all along ok?)

Myungjun had anomaly training three more times before the Monster Brawl competition and not once did Donghan show up. Gikwang had been grumpier than usual because of it and Myungjun had been paying the price.

He was entering the training field one last time feeling apprehensive. He was supposed to be practicing his defence today and knew Gikwang would be rougher than usual. Donghan was the only one who could calm him down if he got too riled up, but now Donghan wasn’t here to stop him. And Myungjun himself was the reason Donghan wasn’t there in the first place. It was a terrible combination.

“We’ll start with something you know how to do. Dodging my arrows. Except I don’t want you to dodge, I want you to block them with your vines. Let’s go.”

Gikwang didn’t give him chance to reply. He just shot off up into the clouds and Myungjuns eyes widened as arrows began to rain from the sky. He pulled his vines through the ground to shield himself, but the arrows tore right through them. One ripped through Myungjuns arm and he shouted out in pain. Gikwangs arrows never went straight through like that so Myungjun knew he was using his air magic to boost the force behind them.

 _I’m dead if they hit me_.

Myungjun ran across the field, sealing his arm shut and looking up into the clouds for any sign of movement. All he saw were more arrows heading his way, so he tried to shield himself once more. The arrows penetrated his vines again and one of them tore through his calf this time. He fell down, losing control of his vines as the pain ripped through his leg and he gritted his teeth and blinked back the tears as he sealed that wound shut too.

 _My vines aren’t strong enough yet_.

He didn’t know how to make them stronger. But he did know Gikwang was too fast and he wouldn’t be able to dodge. He focused his magic on transforming himself to metal instead and rolled to the side as three more arrows thudded into the grass beside him. He’d decreased the time it took for him to full body transform from thirty seconds to twenty seconds since leaving the academy but even now he knew that was too long.

Another arrow hit him in the stomach a second later and he doubled over in agony and ripped it free. He tried to seal it as he stumbled across the field getting heavier as he transformed further, and he nearly cried in relief when the next arrow broke when it came into contact with his metal back.

Gikwang landed in front of him a second later looking thunderous. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? I said BLOCK it, not transform, are you deaf as well as stupid?”

“No, I’m dying.” Myungjun gasped out, letting go of his transformation and clutching at the blood pouring out of his stomach. “I can’t heal it. Please help me”

For one heart stopping moment Gikwang looked like he was going to say no. But he just growled angrily before stepping forwards and fixing the damage.

However, just when Myungjun thought he was safe, Gikwang had him around the throat and lifted him off his feet.

“I don’t know what the fuck you’ve done to my brother but if I see you anywhere near him outside of training, I’ll snap your scrawny neck. Understand?”

Myungjun couldn’t answer, too busy panicking over the hand currently crushing his airway but Gikwang seemed satisfied he’d got the message.

Myungjun felt the air rushing back into his lungs when Gikwang dropped him and crumpled to the floor clutching his throat. The older boy just walked away like nothing had happened.

Myungjun didn’t move for a long time, couldn’t move for a long time and when he did, it was to find Jinwoo to ask if they could go home early. They had the competition tomorrow, so he just told Jinwoo he needed the rest.

He pretended to sleep the whole carriage ride back, making sure to keep his neck covered in case Gikwang had left behind bruises.

 _I’ve messed up. I’ve messed up really, really bad_.

*

Myungjun lay awake in bed that night, staring up into the darkness. He couldn’t sleep. He knew it was well past midnight, but he was warring with his emotions. He was sad because of how he’d treated Donghan. Nervous and excited for tomorrow. And terrified because of Gikwangs threat. It was a big messy jumble of feelings that kept the sleep at bay.

He sighed for the hundredth time and rolled over for the thousandth. He hadn’t struggled with sleeping for the longest time and it was terribly annoying.

He froze when he heard the sound of a floorboard creaking outside of his door and turned to look at it when the door opened. It was just as dark out in the hallway so he couldn’t see who it was, but he didn’t need to. He saw the soft red glow of Jinwoos birthmark as he stepped into the chilled room radiating heat before closing the door quietly behind himself.

“JinJin?” Myungjun whispered. He giggled when he heard Jinwoo make a noise of surprise.

“Did I wake you? Sorry.” Jinwoo apologised sounding guilty.

“No. I can’t sleep.”

“Neither can I.” Jinwoo admitted. “Can I sleep with you?”

“Only if you keep quiet so we don’t wake mother. She’ll murder us if she finds you in my room.” Myungjun felt the dip in his mattress as Jinwoo climbed onto the bed and hummed happily as he felt the heat from Jinwoo skin wash over him.

Jinwoo slipped under the covers and pulled Myungjun up against his chest. “Your mother thinks I’m going to get you pregnant.”

Myungjun groaned in annoyance as Jinwoo laughed quietly above him. “Will you ever stop teasing me about that? I didn’t know I couldn’t get pregnant, ESPECIALLY after what that idiot told me. Every time I see Youngjae now I want to kill him for making me believe that.”

“You have to admit it’s pretty funny.”

“No.”

“It is.”

“It’s not.”

“Come on. You know it is.”

“Okay it’s a little funny but that’s it.” Myungjun said trying to supress his smile even though it was too dark for Jinwoo to see.

“You’re just so innocent sunshine. I think that’s one of the things I love most about you. You’re pure and cute and untainted, unlike the rest of us.”

“I think you’re pure and cute too.” Myungjun answered, knowing full well how Jinwoo would react.

“I am NOT cute Kim Myungjun. Take that back.” Myungjun could hear the scowl in Jinwoos voice and giggled as he buried his face in Jinwoos neck. “And neither am I pure. Or innocent.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“Get this underwear off and I’ll prove it.” Jinwoos voice was low and dark as he muttered in Myungjuns ear, a hand wandering down to slip past its waistband.

Myungjun squealed and yanked his hand away feeling Jinwoos chest vibrate in silent laughter. “What the hell JinJin! You keep your hands away from there.”

“You told me you didn’t believe me.” Jinwoo said suddenly sounding innocent again. “I was just showing you how unpure and uninnocent I am.”

Myungjun huffed and turned his back on his annoying boyfriend. Jinwoo just hooked an arm over his waist and pulled him back up to his chest. He pressed soft kisses to the shell of Myungjuns ear as his hand crept up Myungjuns top to trail circles around his belly button with the tip of his finger. Myungjun shivered lightly at the feeling.

“Are you going to make me wait until we get married like Dongmin?” Jinwoo asked quietly from behind him.

“What?”

“Dongmin told Moonbin that he couldn’t touch him until they were married. Moonbin told me when he got drunk on his birthday.”

“Really?” Myungjun asked surprised. “I always thought they were doing that already. They sneak off enough and always come back dishevelled and giggly.”

“Moonbin told me they’ve only kissed.”

“Wow…well what do you mean then? You asked me if I’d make you wait until we’re married too but you already touch me.” Myungjun couldn’t help the way his face heated up at his own words.

Jinwoos hand moved down to tease the waistband of Myungjuns underwear again. “I meant touching you without these in the way.”

Myungjuns heart skipped a beat and his whole body flushed at the idea. “JinJin you can’t do that!” He whispered feeling scandalized. “I…I _pee_ from there.”

Jinwoo snorted in amusement behind him and moved his hand back up to continue drawing patterns on Myungjuns stomach. “You bathe don’t you? You’re clean so there’s no problem. I mean even if you didn’t have a bath, I’d still want to touch you.”

Myungjun squealed and hid his burning face in his hands. “Park Jinwoo you’re absolutely revolting.”

“I don’t care. I just love you that much.” Jinwoo replied as he cuddled up closer against Myungjuns back and squeezed him tight.

Myungjun pulled his hands away from his face with a sigh and stroked the arm of Jinwoos that was wrapped around his waist instead. “I already like the way you touch me. It doesn’t need to be any different.”

“But it’ll feel better.” Jinwoo said quietly. “It feels a lot better with no clothes in between. Just like how I told you that touching you through your underwear would feel a lot better than just kissing you.”

“How do you know so much about all of this stuff anyway?”

“It doesn’t matter how I know. I just know. And I know for sure because everything I want to do to you; I’ve already done to myself. Well, almost everything.”

Myungjun didn’t think he’d ever stop blushing at this point. It was one thing to imagine his boyfriend touching himself through his underwear but another thing entirely to imagine him doing it without his clothes.

“JinJin stop telling me these things.”

“Why?” Jinwoo asked teasingly. “Do you like it?”

“No.” Myungjun denied hotly. The ache between his legs betrayed him and Jinwoo chuckled as he brushed his hand over it.

“You don’t have to lie to me. The fact you get turned on by thinking about me touching myself turns ME on.” Jinwoo grinded up against him and Myungjun felt the obvious shape in Jinwoos underwear. It made him whimper quietly as Jinwoo nipped at his ear. “It’s so sexy Myungjun, you have no idea. Sometimes I like to think about how you’d look and sound if _you_ touched yourself.” Myungjun groaned as Jinwoo licked a stripe up the side of his neck. His boyfriend was such a tease.

But two could play at that game.

Myungjun took a small shaky breath to calm his nerves before hesitantly reaching down to run his hand along himself through his underwear.

Jinwoo had told him before that it felt better when Myungjun had touched him, but it still felt nice when he did it to himself, and Myungjun could understand what he meant now. He too preferred Jinwoo touching him, but this wasn’t so bad.

So he did it again, harder this time and moaned quietly at the feeling, smiling to himself at the way Jinwoos whole body tensed behind him.

“Myungjun what are you doing?” Jinwoos voice was strained and Myungjun could hear the dry click of his throat as he swallowed loudly.

Myungjun moaned again, leaning his head back to rest against Jinwoos chest. “Feels good JinJin.” He answered breathily, touching himself some more and shuddering at the sensation it sent through his body.

Jinwoo cursed, grabbing Myungjuns waist tight and panting heavily above him. Myungjun felt dizzy with how much power he had over Jinwoo right now. He wasn’t even facing him, Jinwoo couldn’t even _see_ him, yet the heat was rolling off of his skin anyway.

“You sound so good.” Jinwoo groaned, trailing his hand up Myungjuns stomach to his chest making Myungjun shudder some more. His hot hand felt amazing on his skin. It felt even better when Jinwoo found one of his nipples and twisted it gently. Myungjun arched up into his touch and had to clamp a hand over his mouth to stop the sound trying to escape as he touched himself harder with the other.

His head was spinning, and he could feel the heat pooling in this stomach already. There was something so _exhilarating_ about touching himself with Jinwoo trembling behind him. Jinwoo who was always in charge. Jinwoo who was always touching him. Jinwoo who was currently twisting harder and whispering praise in his ear.

“Good boy, make yourself feel good Junnie. You’re doing so well aren’t you? Your little moans and whimpers are so sexy, I want to see you. Next time I will. Next time you touch yourself I’m going to watch. I can, can’t I?” Myungjun gave a jerky nod of his head, too far gone to verbally reply. “You’re close I can tell. Be my good boy and let go for me. Let go and I’ll look after you.”

A sharp pinch to his nipple and a rough palm through his underwear sent Myungjun over the edge and Jinwoos hand clamped down over Myungjuns own, that was already covering his mouth, to further stifle the noise.

His release robbed him of his breath as stars exploded behind his eyelids and he shuddered against Jinwoo for what felt like an eternity before slumping down exhausted and sweaty.

“Bloody hell Kim Myungjun, I’m going to be hard for days now.”

Myungjun giggled weakly as Jinwoo rolled him onto his back. “Sorry JinJin. It felt nice; I couldn’t stop myself…Can I go to sleep now though? I’m tired.”

“I told you I’d look after you didn’t I?” Jinwoo whispered pressing soft kisses over his face. “Sleep sunshine. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

*

Myungjun had been awake for the last five minutes staring at the ceiling above himself feeling mortified. _Why_ had he done that last night? Was he insane? Every time he thought about it, it just made him cringe with embarrassment. How was he going to look Jinwoo in the eye today without being reminded of it? How was he supposed to fight alongside Jinwoo today without being reminded of it?

The only positive was that he didn’t have to wake up next to him. Jinwoo had snuck back out sometime during the night, after cleaning him up, so they wouldn’t get caught by his mother. Speaking of his mother; _WHY_ had he done that whilst she was in the house? Whilst SANHA was in the house? Myungjun whined loudly feeling the utter shame of his actions crash over him and he rolled onto his stomach in the hopes of suffocating himself in his pillow.

Death wasn’t on his side it seemed as a knock on his door startled him enough to sit up. “Who is it?”

“It’s me.”

Myungjun wanted to die even more. “JinJin I’ll be down soon. Just give me five minutes to get changed.”

“Okay don’t take too long. I’ll make you some coffee.”

Myungjun heard his heavy footfalls disappear down the hallway and with another groan he forced himself out of bed to get dressed.

Why was Jinwoo talking to him how he usually did? Wasn’t he affected by last nights actions too? For some reason that made Myungjun feel a bit disappointed.

It wasn’t until he was standing in the mirror, dressed in a pair of shorts and the comfiest sweater he owned to combat the cold, that he realised the angry purple marks around his neck. His eyes widened in shock at the memory of Gikwang choking him and he quickly tried to cover it up.

 _What am I going to do? I can’t let Jinwoo see_.

He dug around in the box under his bed for a scarf and wrapped it tightly around his neck. It was still snowing so he could get away with it for today at least. He thought about using some of his mother’s makeup to cover it up too, but he could hear Jinwoo calling his name from downstairs and knew he didn’t have enough time.

He rushed to brush his teeth before grabbing his bow and quiver and heading downstairs to see his mother fussing over the other boys. He wasn’t surprised to see Wonho there too. They’d asked him to be their tenth member for the competition after Myungjun convinced his friends that he could help. He’d done the same summer course as Jinwoo after all. Jinwoo had been more reluctant to accept his help but had eventually caved.

“I’m glad to see you’re wrapped up Junnie.” His mother said happily when she noticed him, before looking down at his legs with a frown. “Shorts? Really?”

“I need to wear them to show off my guild mark.” Myungjun mumbled, accepting his cup of coffee from Jinwoo and going to stand beside Wonho. “Hey Hyung. Are you ready for today?”

“More then ready.” Wonho replied, shooting him a blinding smile. “Want to see my weapon?” He turned around so Myungjun could see the giant double-sided axe strapped to his back. “Cool right?”

“Wow that must weigh a tonne.” said Myungjun awe-struck, running his hand over the smooth wooden handle. “Isn’t it heavy?”

“I don’t have all this muscle for nothing.” Wonho answered sounding amused as he turned back to look at him.

“Less flirting with my boyfriend, more walking out the door.” Jinwoos curt voice cut through their conversation and Myungjun just sighed before stepping away and following him outside.

“Good luck boys and have fun!” Myungjuns mother said as she waved them off. “Look after Sanha!”

“Mother.” Sanha whined embarrassed. “I’m old enough to look after myself.”

She just chuckled before blowing them all a kiss and closing the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MYUNGJUN THE TEASE IS BACK AND BOLDER THAN EVER *SCREAMS*  
> I'm like 99% sure the last time Myungjun teased Jinwoo was chapter 77...SO LONG AGO  
> (We all know when Myungjun has the time he's going to run to Youngjae for another gossiping session)
> 
> Also Gikwang is brutal, sometimes he's worse than his brother even though he's the softer, kinder looking one. Don't judge a book by its cover I guess??


	142. The Crucible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double upload again.  
> Myungjin have fed us so well today on twitter :')

Voredans fighting district blew Myungjun away. He’d never had reason to step foot in that part of the city before and part of him was glad about that. Now he got to experience the wonders of the district with his friends. Myungjun stared out of the carriage window the entire time, taking in the sights of all the buildings. He read a lot of signs, some offering places for people to fight using only hand-to-hand combat, some offering places to learn and practice new magic and a plethora of signs presenting competitions of varying types.

They’d had to get two separate carriages to carry them all to the competition they were actually attending. Myungjun, Jinwoo, Wonho, Hyungwon and Hoseok shared one and Youngjae, Dongmin, Moonbin, Sanha and Rocky took the other.

When they all spilled out of the carriages in front of Voredans crucible, they could only look up and up and up in shock.

The crucible itself was shaped like the battledome but much, _much_ bigger and Myungjun would never have thought that possible. The crucible, Myungjun realised, was bigger than the academy, bigger than the Kings castle and if Myungjun had to take a guess, he’d say it was the biggest structure in all of Aredrinnor.

“It would take hours to explore the whole of this place.” Rocky piped up awe-struck. Rocky Jr garbled an agreement along with the rest of them.

“It’s split up into different sections for different competitions and other activities.” Jinwoo said sounding a lot less shocked. “It would take a long time to walk around but they use teleporters based on your magic types to get you around. It’s really cool.”

“You’ve been here before?” Myungjun asked, turning to look at him.

Jinwoo just nodded and gestured behind them. “Victors Park is that way as well. It’s the place Hani told you about, where they display the weapons, shields and armour rewards for all the main competitions. It also has a marble maze you can walk through where all the victor’s names get carved onto the walls when they win inside the crucible. Dragon blades has the whole centre of the maze to themselves. I’ll take you all there later its really cool.”

“Guys I think we should go and check in. It’s getting really busy.” Hyungwon observed looking around them.

He was right. There had been plenty of people entering and exiting the crucibles main doors already but now more carriages were pulling up and unloading other excited contestants.

Myungjun saw a lot of different guild marks, most of which he’d never seen before and he also saw people of different ethnicities. The competition was open to Aredrinnor natives and those from the surrounding lands it seemed.

He shivered in fear and hurried to catch up with the others when a carriage unloaded a group of people covered in facial piercings who were scantily dressed in animal furs. The woman in Whitebrook still haunted his dreams sometimes alongside the army of rock people she had created, so he wanted to put as much distance between them as possible.

The crucibles main doors opened up to reveal a gigantic welcoming hall flooded with thousands of people. There were signs floating in the air which pointed in all different directions and labelled clearly with where they led. Myungjun read a few; **‘COMPETITION HALL ONE.’ ‘MAGIC TERMINAL.’ ‘TOILETS.’ ‘GIFT SHOP.’** , but was soon hurrying after his boyfriend who was already leading them to where they needed to sign in. 

They’d handed their participation forms into Hani after completing them at the guild the other day, and she’d informed them the next day that she’d dropped them off here for them. They were told to wait for a letter telling them which date they would be participating in the competition as it ran for a whole week.

Myungjun had been happy to see they were participating during the events first day. They were all much too excited to wait any longer than that. He just wanted to get out there and fight.

Jinwoo stopped in front of six separate queues of people who were approaching different holes in the wall to be signed in.

“We split up here by magic type.” Jinwoo explained, voice raised to be heard over the deafening noise of the other excited contestants. “The signs above show the pictures of our birthmarks so you know which one to go to. We’ll meet up over there by that big pillar when we’re done okay?” Myungjun looked over to where he was pointing and nodded with the others.

He rushed over to Youngjae and clutched his hand feeling excited. They found the queue they needed, with a bigger version of their leaf shaped birthmark glowing above, and hurried to join it. It moved quicker than Myungjun was expecting and he approached the big hole in the wall first. On closer inspection it led out into a bigger room that was full of people sitting behind desks doing paperwork. The woman he was supposed to talk to was all smiles as he stopped in front of the wooden counter.

“Hello there. Welcome to the crucible. Are you here to participate in todays Monster Brawl or are you here for something else?”

“The Monster Brawl.” Myungjun answered happily.

“Oh excellent. Can I have your name?” They went through a few more of his details and he was asked to show all of his marks. “So, let me know if everything I’ve been given is correct. Name, Kim Myungjun. Age, sixteen. Guild, Dragon Blades. Rank, C. You’re both an anomaly and a shifter and you’re participating in today’s Monster Brawl in a team of ten. Correct?”

“Correct.”

“Do you have any companions we need to be aware of?”

“One. A flower companion, a Camellia. I have a monstertrap and a tree entity. Do they count?”

“They do. So three companions. Okay, one final question. Are you bringing weapons? Silly question because I can already see them, but it has to be asked.”

Myungjun grinned back at her and patted the quiver on his hip. “Yes. A bow and a pair of daggers.”

“Excellent. You’ve been signed in Mr Kim. From here you need to follow the signs to the magic terminal. It will take you to a room full of raised platforms that teleport you through the crucible. They’re also split up by magic type but will take you and your team to the same place. You’re looking for the platform labelled ‘brawlers’ arena’. It will all be in capitals and is displayed on a red sign. You may also just walk through the crucible to get there on foot but with the amount of people here today it would probably take you around half an hour to reach, so I’d suggest using the terminal to save time. Good luck and most importantly, have fun!”

Myungjun thanked her with a polite bow and left to find Jinwoo. He found him with some of the others by the pillar he’d pointed to and went over to cuddle up to him.

“Who else are we waiting for?” Myungjun asked looking around.

“Hoseok, Dongmin, Youngjae and Rocky.” Jinwoo answered, wrapping his arms around him and pressing a kiss to his forehead. “How are you feeling sunshine? Excited?” Myungjun looked up to nod enthusiastically and Jinwoo grinned before kissing him properly. “Good. I’m excited too.”

“Jinwoo?” They both looked over at the sound of a girl’s voice. She was pretty, with long blonde hair that fell down her back in ringlets and bright blue eyes. She stood at their height and was carrying a bow on her back too.

Jinwoo gently untangled himself from Myungjuns arms and turned to her with a smile. “Wow I didn’t expect to see you here. How are you?”

Myungjuns stomach flipped when she leaned in to hug him and it flipped again when Jinwoo hugged her back clearly comfortable in her presence. Myungjun didn’t know Jinwoo had other friends. He didn’t know he was friends with _girls_.

“I’ve been good. I haven’t seen you in a while. Where have you been?”

Jinwoo gave a non-committal shrug. “Just around. I left the academy last year and got a lot of offers.”

Her mouth dropped open in shock. “I lost the bet didn’t I?”

“You did.” Jinwoo said with a big grin on his face. “I believe that’s ten thousand coins you owe me.”

Myungjun was completely lost. This was the most random thing that could have happened today. Where had this girl even _come_ from? She wasn’t from around here, that much he could tell from her slight accent. So how did she know Jinwoo and why were they betting on things?

The girl squealed excitedly. “Which one?”

“Dragon Blades.”

“No way. You’re lying.”

“I’m not. Look.” To Myungjuns horror Jinwoo lifted his tank top up to show her the mark on his chest.

Myungjun couldn’t stand around anymore and let his boyfriend expose himself to random pretty girls who hugged him and got hugged back without hesitation. He knew he didn’t need to be jealous, but it still flared up all the same.

He stepped over to them as Jinwoo dropped his shirt down and threaded their fingers together. “Hello I’m Myungjun, Jinwoos _boyfriend_.”

Jinwoo gave his hand a squeeze and smiled at him. “Sunshine this is Mei, Mei this is sunshine.”

“Sunshine? You’re whipped boy.” she said with a laugh before turning to Myungjun. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I feel like I already know you from how much Jinwoo used to speak of you.”

“Funnily enough I don’t know you at all.” Myungjun said staring pointedly at his boyfriend. “Care to explain?”

Myungjun was beginning to feel irritated with the small smile that was pulling at Jinwoos lips.

*Don’t be jealous sunshine…actually do be jealous its really cute* The voice in Myungjuns head made him blush and he pulled away from Jinwoo with a scowl.

Jinwoo grinned and spoke out loud instead. “We met here in the fighting district. Not in the crucible but in one of the other buildings nearby. There’s a club for hand-to-hand fighting that I stumbled across when I used to sneak out of the academy. I couldn’t fight because I was too young, but I liked to watch and that’s how I met Mei. Her father owned the club and introduced us.”

“And you didn’t think to mention this to me before?” Myungjun asked, unable to wipe the scowl from his face.

Jinwoos smile faltered. “I didn’t think it was important.”

“Ouch.”

“Shut up Mei you’re not helping.”

“Sorry.”

“Hyungs its time to go.” Sanhas voice came from behind them. Myungjun wanted to ignore him to carry on questioning them but Mei was already saying goodbye.

“I should go too. My friends are waiting for me. It was nice seeing you again Jinwoo and it was nice meeting you Myungjun. You really do look good together.”

When she was gone Jinwoo turned back to Myungjun and sighed. “Please stop scowling at me Junnie. I really didn’t think it was worth mentioning. I only went there a few times and like she said, I told her all about you.”

“That’s not the point Jinwoo. The point is you had a whole other life that I didn’t know about.”

“A whole other life? Myungjun don’t be so dramatic.”

“I’m not being dramatic! This is Hyejin all over again. She liked you and tried to take you away from me and now _Mei_ will to.”

Jinwoo groaned and reached out to hold his hand but Myungjun pulled away feeling upset. “Please Myungjun. Don’t be like this. She doesn’t like me, and no one could ever take me away from you. You know that.”

Myungjun did know that deep down but he was feeling hurt and a little betrayed and it was making him irrational. “How could she not like you? You hug her and smile at her and showed her your chest. Your _chest_ Jinwoo. And you make secret bets with her and her FATHER introduced you to her. He wouldn’t do that if he wasn’t trying to set you up.”

“Myungjun showing off my chest is something I do all the time now. I _have_ to because my guild mark is there. Her father wasn’t trying to set us up either because he knows well enough why that wouldn’t have worked.”

“Explain.”

“Well not only am I incredibly gay for my beautiful boyfriend but she’s also incredibly gay for her own girlfriend.”

Myungjun blinked. “Girlfriend?”

“Yes. She’s already with someone. Has been ever since we met.”

After a few seconds of silence Myungjun groaned loudly in embarrassment making Jinwoo laugh. “JinJin why didn’t you just say that to begin with? Now I feel like an idiot.”

“You ARE an idiot. You’re an idiot for thinking anyone could come between us. Especially a girl. You should know by now how much I love you. I’ve already told you that you’re the love of my life, the one I want to marry, the one I want to spend every waking moment of every single day with. I don’t know how many times I have to repeat myself, but I’ll do it a hundred times a day if it will make you feel better. However, if I did that, I’d have less time to work and make money for said marriage, which wouldn’t be very good now would it? I do want to marry you before we’re old and wrinkly you know.” Myungjun giggled as Jinwoo pulled him in for a hug feeling a bit happier. “You’re giggling again, that’s a good sign. Now let’s stop talking about ugly girls and go have some fun.”

“JinJin you know she’s not ugly.”

“She is compared to you.”

“You two are disgusting. Get a move one.”

Myungjun turned at the sound of Hyungwons voice to see all of their friends looking at them with varying degrees of amusement and disgust.

“You didn’t have to listen!” Myungjun flushed feeling even more embarrassed now.

“But its entertaining to watch you get jealous and throw a tantrum.” Youngjae replied cheekily. Myungjun wanted to smack him.

“Seriously let’s go. The competition starts in half an hour and we still need to get to the terminal and then find a seat in the arena.” Wonho reminded them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic had a serious lack of girl representation, and I don't know girl k-idols well enough to have added one at this stage, so I made one up.  
> If there are specific female k-idols you'd like to see, tell me who they are and I'll look them up :3
> 
> Also I'm extra happy with the crucible idea because I missed writing fighting scenes from the dungeons and the battledome :( but now I have so much freedom to write different types of competitions (monster related or not, fighting related or not)  
> So I guess my other question is; if you have any competition ideas let me know too. I have a few already but I'm always open to requests!
> 
> The ones I already have:
> 
> [fighting related]  
> The monster brawl  
> A regular brawl (weapons allowed/ hand-to-hand only)  
> An event like the battledome
> 
> [Non-fighting]  
> Something to do with music, like a talent show of sorts  
> Miss Voredan (Myungjun get gender swapping bby)  
> Something related to cooking  
> Team sports
> 
> etc etc.  
> The non-fighting ones might surprise you but this world isn't all about fighting either, although that's all I've really written about xD


	143. Secret Weapon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything in **BOLD** is the live commentary for the matches.

The atmosphere inside the arena was incredible. Myungjun could feel not only the excitement in the air but the pure magical power too. It was almost suffocating.

As they were waved in through the doors, they were handed a crystal each which Myungjun recognised from the battledome at the academy. They’d allowed the spectators outside of the dome to watch the fights inside and they had also been a different colour. So Myungjun was curious to see what these crystals would do as well.

As they were one of the competing teams, they were led to a section of special seating which would allow them to get down onto the battleground when it was their turn. Myungjun was glad to see they had seats already reserved for them that boldly stated their team name. All of his friends groaned when they saw it but Myungjun giggled happily. He loved the name. His friends had vehemently denied it the first time he suggested it, but he’d won them all over with his pout in the end.

“Junnie I can’t _believe_ we’re going out there to fight under ‘Baby Dragons’. Everyone’s going to see. We shouldn’t have given in to you.” Youngjae groaned as he took his seat.

“It’s not like your idea of ‘Sexy Sorcerers’ was any better.” Myungjun threw back. “Sanhas too young to be sexy.”

Youngjae laughed at Sanhas indignant noise and Myungjun quickly gave him an apologetic smile. Sanha just rolled his eyes and sat down next to Rocky. Rocky Jr climbed straight over to Sanhas lap and sat there bobbing his head up and down excitedly.

The big ring of seats surrounding the arena were situated high up, so they’d get a good view of the battleground beneath them. It was a large space to fight in, it would have to be with teams of up to ten people all using their magic at full capacity.

All around the arena, on the walls underneath the highly situated ring of seats, were large metal portcullis gates that Myungjun knew held back the monsters until they were ready to be released. He could count ten on the other side of the arena alone from where he was sitting. He wondered if they’d all open at once.

Suddenly a loud, magically enhanced voice boomed around the arena to be heard over the thousands of excited spectators. Myungjun couldn’t see who the voice belonged too but guessed they must be somewhere up in the stands too.

**“Welcome ladies and gentlemen, to the annual February Monster Brawl!”**

Myungjun cheered alongside the rest, feeling the atmosphere boost even higher. Jinwoo clutched his hand tightly and they exchanged giddy grins.

**“This is the biggest, bloodiest, competition in all of Aredrinnor and you will not leave today disappointed. We have some big matches ahead. One I know we’re all looking forward to. I’m happy to announce the return of the Twin Dragons!”**

Myungjun was shocked to see the reaction from the crowd. People jumping from their seats and screaming wildly, clapping so hard he feared their hands would fall off. Were Gikwang and Donghan really that popular?

He was uncomfortable with the thought of fighting on the same day as them. It meant they were here, somewhere in the competitors stands and he resisted the urge to look around for them now. He knew it was a possibility that they’d be invited to fight on the first day too, but he’d been hoping for a different outcome.

He still remembered Gikwangs threat clearly and played nervously with the scarf around his neck. He didn’t want to see Donghan either. He knew the older boy was furious with him and it made something hot writhe around unpleasantly in his stomach. He hadn’t meant to upset him, and he regretted it immensely now.

**“Before we begin, we need to hear the rules. Rule one: Kill monsters. Rule two: Don’t die. Rule three: BRAWLLLL”**

The crowd’s screams were deafening and Myungjun looked down when he felt his crystal begin to hum in his hand. He closed his eyes like he had done when trying to look inside the battledome but saw nothing behind his eyelids this time.

A tap on his arm made him open them again and Jinwoo pointed up at the arenas glass domed roof. Myungjun looked up too and was surprised to see a list of all the team names who were competing today written in the air. They all had scores of 0 written beside them and Myungjun watched as the first team on the list was highlighted as they left the stands and walked down to the battle ground. He quickly scanned the list and was happy to see that ‘Baby Dragons’ was the second team up after the lunch break. It meant they’d be full of energy for their fight.

He looked down when he heard loud clunking noises to see the metal portcullises being raised. The people on the floor looked small from where he was seated above, and he leaned forwards in his seat to get a better look. He counted seven of them in their team and silently wished them luck.

**“First up we have the ‘Yellow Skull Clan’ from the Yellow Skull guild located in Zepheholde city. They’re a long way from home so I hope they make their journey worth it. For them and for us. Wave one incoming.”**

Sanha squealed when a wave of giant spiders skittered out of the open gates. There were so many of them, they seemed never ending, but the team on the ground were handling them well enough. Pretty shards of ice burst out of the floor beneath the wave, spearing some of the spiders that squealed noisily as they died. Myungjun saw a fire user blast a cannon of yellow fire that burned straight through a long line of them.

One thing confused him. The dead bodies of the spiders weren’t disappearing. Whenever he’d fought monsters in the dungeons or the battledome they’d always disappeared, but these were staying right where they fell this time.

He asked Jinwoo why that was, and he just shrugged. “Maybe because the monsters in the academy were only copies of them. These are the real things. They said it was the bloodiest competition, so the bodies are probably for show too. You get to see a literal body count as they pile up.”

“That’s stupid.” Myungjun shouted back to be heard over the crowd. “What if you create so many bodies you can’t move to fight?”

“No idea. They must have a system in place for when that happens. I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”

They didn’t get to find out. The yellow skull clan fought well and racked up loads of points as the waves went on, but they eventually fell, and the bodies of the monsters didn’t fill up as much of the floor as Myungjun thought they would. The actual battleground was bigger down there than it looked from above apparently.

Myungjun had been watching the fights carefully and learnt that there was a twenty second resting period between waves. It was hardly enough time to boost or heal your team if they were injured, especially if you were spread out. He worried about how he’d be able to do it and decided to discuss it with everyone when they went for lunch.

He also learnt that not only did the bodies of the dead monsters not disappear, but the bodies of the dead people didn’t either. It fed into the bloodthirst of the spectators. It was definitely impactful. Myungjun felt queasy realising he’d be seeing the bodies of his friends when they were killed, the body of _Jinwoo_ when he was killed and part of him wished he’d die first so he didn’t have to be subjected to that at all.

More teams went down to fight and fall and the record number of points was continuously being broken and updated on the big shimmering list up above. The commentator made comments and observations throughout each match that were either informative, funny or downright rude. Myungjun was beginning to dread what would be said when they were out there.

The last team to fight before lunch were the people from one of the foreign lands who were covered in piercings and animal furs. Myungjun was just glad to see a distinct lack of blood drenched bodies and evil magic rune circles this time.

They fought viciously with polearms as weapons and Myungjun was confused to see they were all ground users. Did everyone from that land have ground manipulation magic? That was extremely strange if that were the case.

When a wave of monsters with sharp long teeth were released into the arena, Myungjun gasped alongside the rest of the crowd when one of the women jumped on top of one and ripped its throat out with her own sharpened teeth. It was disturbing to see and Myungjun had to turn away. The commentator made a joke about those monsters usually being the ones to take a bite but Myungjun couldn’t laugh. He’d never seen a tribe of people so scary and he hoped he’d never come across their land when he travelled overseas for jobs in the future. They’d most likely rip _his_ throat out.

The team eventually fell after setting a new record which seemed to boost the spirits of the crowd as they dispersed for lunch. Myungjun hoped that now that the team had fallen, they’d leave and not watch the rest of the matches. But he knew that was probably just wishful thinking.

They found the closest place to eat and sat at one of the tables after ordering their food.

“We’ll be able to beat the record easily.” Wonho said happily as he sipped at his water. “That last team weren’t diverse enough in their weaponry or magic and they only got that far because they were ruthless and fought through their injuries. I watched all of the different teams and it was easy to see how weak they were even though they seemed to fight well. It seems day one of the competition is where they stick all the weaklings and the rookies. But they’ve invited the twins to fight on this day as well to make sure people showed up. Its really smart business wise.”

“You say we’ll beat the record easily, but we’re not as ruthless and savage as those brutes were.” Hyungwon said wrinkling his nose in disgust. “Did you see the way she tore it’s throat out? Absolutely vile. I for one will NOT be sticking my mouth anywhere near those beasts.”

“We’re not as ruthless you’re right. But we’re a lot more diverse.” Wonho pointed out. “We have one of the biggest teams, every type of magic, a good range of weaponry and we have our secret weapon.” Everyone looked confused and Wonho grinned before nodding in Myungjuns direction. “We have him.”

“Me?” Myungjun asked feeling even more confused. “How am I a secret weapon? Because I’m our healer?”

“You’re our healer, a shifter AND an anomaly. You’re also the only C Rank amongst us so yes. You’re our secret weapon.”

“He’s right sunshine. You’re the strongest here. You and the twins are probably the only anomalies here today and you’re only one of a handful of registered shifters in the land. If anyone’s going to get us through this, it’s you.”

Myungjun just grimaced at his boyfriend and thanked the waiter who delivered their food. Myungjun finally spoke up when everyone was digging in hungrily. “Being an anomaly doesn’t mean I’m stronger than any of you. I’m an anomaly because I fit into all categories but I’m only really strong in the healing one. JinJin you’re a much better leader and offence than I am and that’s more important for this type of competition. We have to kill monsters and you’ll be better at that then me.”

“You ARE strong in offence sunshine. In terms of magical power your vines can crush stone, like ACTUAL stone and your skill with the bow is unparalleled. You need to stop discrediting yourself. Yes, you’re still a long way off from being as strong as you could be but you’re not as far off as you clearly think you are. I know that training with the twins has really helped you get stronger and you were promoted so fast because of it. Some of us might be better than you in our respective categories but that’s why we were chosen for them. But you have the ability to become strong in all of them. Like Wonho said, you’re also a shifter _and_ our only team healer. You WILL help us get further than we could if we were without you.”

Myungjun was quiet after that as he ate his food. He didn’t realise that was how his friends saw him. It was almost as if they’d put him on a pedestal to be looked up to and he didn’t like that very much. He was the same as them, a little different maybe, with a wider range of skills and spells but he was still very much just another teenager like the rest. If they were going to rely on him to win today, they’d be disappointed.

However, he knew they weren’t really there to win first place anyway. He knew they wouldn’t even get close to it. Probably wouldn’t even make the top twenty. They were just there to have fun and blow off some pent-up steam.

So, he pushed the uncomfortable pressure away that was trying to make a home on his shoulders and reminded himself to just _enjoy it_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter just sets the scene, our boys fight in the next one uwu


	144. Can Dragons Swim?

**“Now that was a shocking defeat of team ‘Nimble Nymphs’. They weren’t quite so nimble as their name suggested. You have to be a lot quicker than that if you wish to outrun a harpy. Let’s hope our next team can do better.”**

Myungjun rushed down from the stands with the rest of his friends feeling giddy with excitement and adrenaline. They were actually doing this again. They were going to fight monsters together. It had been so long. What made it even more exciting was the fact he was being joined by Wonho and Youngjae this time too. He’d fought alongside everyone else when faced with such enemies but hadn’t had the chance with the other two. Youngjae was plant just like him so he was excited to see him work the same magic.

**“Our next team, the self-proclaimed ‘Baby Dragons’ are a rookie team of ten who have been dubbed as today’s most promising newbies.”**

Myungjun exchanged confused looks with the rest of them. They’d been called what?

**“A quick look at their academic records revealed a staggering total of thirty-seven titles won between them with two of the team members honoured on the academies plaque of Legendary Fighters!”**

Myungjun knew Jinwoo was one of the legendary fighters so the other had to be Wonho. The crowd was cheering excitedly and Myungjun grinned as Jinwoo held his head up proudly.

**“That’s not all these super rookies have to offer. Eight out of ten are members of, as you can guess by their team name, Dragon Blades! I know I know, exciting stuff but the best is yet to come I can assure you. Amongst them…is the Dragon Knights very own son.”**

A loud din of curious murmurs filled the arena and Myungjun stepped behind Jinwoo to hide. This was so embarrassing.

**“Not only does he descend from the Kim bloodline, but he also shares a few interesting traits with Dragon Blades very own Twin Dragons. It seems Aredrinnor has gained a new shifter AND a new anomaly. We’re dealing with a baby dragon indeed.”**

Myungjun was flush with embarrassment as the crowd went wild and Jinwoo turned to him laughing loud and bright. Myungjun scowled and ignored the laughter from his friends too in favour of hiding his bright red face in his hands. He’d been dreading what the commentator would say about their team and apparently, he had more to say about him than anyone else. He wouldn’t hear the end of this.

The sound of the portcullises opening around the arena made him pull his hands away from his face and he was glad to see his friends were no longer laughing at his expense. They looked more serious as they pulled their weapons free and Myungjuns heart soared when he saw Jinwoo wield his flame shaped daggers.

**“Wave one incoming. Let’s see how far these dragons can get. Uh-oh they’re in trouble. We have our first water creature of the day. I hope you can swim boys.”**

Myungjuns mouth dropped open in shock as water suddenly poured in through the gates. Great big waves of it that crashed noisily on its way towards them.

“FREEZE IT!” Jinwoo bellowed.

Dongmin and Hyungwon lept to action. They stood facing one side of the arena each and re-sheathed their weapons in favour of using their hands. Dongmin was first to hit the encroaching water with his magic and Myungjun was awed to see how powerful he had become now after being a trainee for the past six months. Moonbin had told him that Dongmin was learning to freeze bigger amounts of water and it showed. The water froze solid in great big curling waves and Myungjuns whole body tensed when he saw what was inside of it.

“SIRENS!” Jinwoos shout was cut off by the ear-splitting sound of shattering ice. The pressure of the water that was still flowing into the arena behind Dongmins and Hyungwons newly formed sculptures shattered the ice to smithereens.

“HOLD ON!”

Jinwoo only had time to grab Myungjun tight before the water hit them. It knocked Myungjuns breath out of his lungs and he barely managed to stop himself from inhaling it. Someone crashed into them and Myungjun grabbed him too and opened his eyes under the water to see it was Sanha. He looked past the younger boy for the others and saw Moonbin and Hoseok already fighting despite the water still pouring in and sweeping them along. They’d be fine and thrive in their preferred terrain.

Jinwoo pulled them both up to the surface where they broke through with pained gasps for air. The water level was rising and creeping slowly up the walls towards the stands.

“Rocky.” Sanha gasped between spluttered coughs. “I had him, but something pulled him away.”

Jinwoo cursed and let them go. He disappeared back under the water and Myungjun made sure Sanha was okay before they followed him. It was chaos down below. Moonbin and Hoseok were ripping sirens to pieces left and right with their whirlpools. Hyungwon and Dongmin were freezing great chunks of water as they worked their magic and Wonho was using all of his muscle to swing his giant weapon through the water. Rocky and Youngjae were nowhere to be seen.

They can’t be gone already, Myungjun thought panicked, this is only the first wave!

That’s when he noticed something strange. There was a giant rock tucked up against part of the arenas wall that a group of sirens where currently attacking with their tridents. Jinwoo was already swimming towards it, slicing sirens that tried to attack him with his daggers.

Myungjun reached for Sanhas hand and established a link.

*I think that rock is where they are. We should go get the sirens off of it with JinJin. The others don’t need our help*

Sanha nodded dutifully before letting go and powering through the water after Jinwoo. Myungjun followed close behind hoping that none of them would get bitten. He didn’t have a cure for siren venom in his herb pouch.

Jinwoo got to the rock first, combusting completely with a fire that was powerful enough to burn underwater. He approached the first siren from behind and used a dagger to gag it before pulling it in for a hug of sorts and burning it against his body. The other sirens whipped around furious and descended upon him. They didn’t get too close because of his fire but attacked with their tridents. Jinwoo was doing a good job in knocking them all away with his daggers but blood soon blossomed in the water from a nasty cut to his arm.

Myungjun closed the rest of the distance and attacked with his own daggers. He killed the siren who had harmed his boyfriend before kicking his way back up to the surface of the water needing to breathe. He took a great big gulp of air, hearing the commentator hyping up the crowd before diving back down. Sanha and Jinwoo were backing the last siren up against the rock and killed it without mercy.

Suddenly the water was being sucked away around them and they all clung to the rock as the water disappeared. Myungjun looked around for the others and saw a giant slab of ice on top of the water. He could see their shadows through the ice as they waited above water for it to drain. Myungjun looked back at Jinwoo worriedly. He’d been holding his breath for the longest time, but he seemed fine.

When all of the water was gone Myungjun rushed to heal everyone. They only had twenty seconds before the next wave. He was happy to see no one had been bitten. The rock slowly started to move, and everyone was stunned to see it was actually Rocky Jr crouching protectively over Rocky and Youngjae who looked apologetic.

“Sorry we couldn’t help Hyungs. We were surrounded.” Rocky apologised awkwardly.

“You did the right thing.” Jinwoo said kindly in an attempt to reassure them. “We wouldn’t have wanted you to die in the first round. Its just unlucky we had sirens to begin with.”

**“Wave two incoming. The dragons did well under water, but will they do well against their next opponents?”**

Only three of the metal gates opened up this time to reveal a creature Myungjun had already fought against before with Hoseok and Rocky in the battledome.

Myungjun felt the leader inside of him take over as he started shouting commands to be heard over the excited roar of the crowd. “OWLBEARS GUYS. COVERED IN FUR AND FAT SO YOUR WEAPONS WON’T DO SO WELL AGAINST THEM.”

Jinwoo slid his daggers back into his sheathes and cracked his knuckles with a grin on his face. “FAT SIZZLES EXCEPTIONALLY WELL WHEN COOKED. STAND BACK. SANHA GET OVER HERE.”

Sanha was by his side in a second and the rest of them stood back to watch. It was a sight to see. Two boys against a wave of monsters. Myungjun knew they could do it. With Sanha boosting Jinwoos newly strengthened fire there was no way they’d fail. He just got ready to cover his nose from the inevitable smell.

*

With each wave that passed Myungjun grew more confident. He and Jinwoo flowed with each other nicely, passing the leadership between them and never questioning each other’s orders.

They were beginning to rack up points. And were slowly moving up to the top spot. It was thrilling to see. The commentator was doing a better job of praising them all instead of keeping the focus solely on Myungjun and he was grateful for that.

Then the next wave of monsters hit. Spiders. The bloodcurdling scream Sanha let out, as the giant eight-legged beasts skittered towards them at twice their height, nearly deafened Myungjun completely. Gates were opening all around them, so they had to stand in a circle to cover all their sides. Myungjun nocked an arrow and threw one last worried look back at the younger boy who seemed frozen with fear before loosing his arrow and taking one down. He nocked and loosed, nocked and loosed, nocked and loosed until his quiver was empty. Then he rushed forwards for his arrows and crushed any spiders with his vines who tried to stop him.

“SANHA NO!”

Myungjun turned at the sound of Jinwoos panicked voice to see a spider leaping through the air towards the younger boy who just stood there shaking. Rocky was running towards him and pushed him aside at the last second to take the attack of the spider himself. It knocked him over and Myungjun heard the crack of Rockys head as he hit the floor under its weight. Rocky Jr grew monstrously large again and ripped the spider off of him, crushing it in his stony arms. He tossed the body aside and picked Rocky up before running him over to Myungjun for healing.

“Thank you. Put him here and defend my vines.” Myungjun commanded him, boxing him and Rocky in as he inspected his head. He heard Rocky Jr outside growling menacingly as he stopped the spiders from trying to break in.

“Rocky? Can you hear me?” Myungjun could see he was still breathing which was a relief.

Rocky groaned and opened his eyes. “Sanha.”

“He’s fine. I saw Wonho grab him before I boxed us in. Can you sit up so I can see if you’re bleeding?” He helped Rocky up and was relieved to see he wasn’t. “I’ll give you something for the pain. Do you feel dizzy at all?”

“Not really. Just hurts.” Rocky grumbled, reaching up to prod the back of his head with a wince. “I forgot how scared of spiders Sanha is. He’s scared of bugs too so if we get any of those, I’ll send Rocky Jr to stay with him.”

“Good idea. He can’t help being scared of them. I’ll just need to buy a seed for some shock curing herbs next. Here chew on this and let’s get back out there.” Myungjun handed him the herb before closing his herb pouch and pulling his vines back in.

They looked around to see Hyungwon and Hoseok beat down the last spider with their poles. Myungjun was impressed at their dedication to their weapons. They’d always used the wooden poles even when the new metal weaponry was introduced in the academy. They’d both learnt how to use all the other weapons, Hoseok more so being a combat teacher, but they still used the wooden poles regardless.

Myungjun made sure Rocky was definitely okay before racing towards the others. “Anyone need healing?” Everyone but Sanha shook their heads. Sanha held out his wrist which was scraped from being pushed to the floor by Rocky.

Sanha looked upset so Myungjun quickly sealed the damaged skin before pulling him in for a hug. “It’s okay Sanha. We know you don’t like them. Rocky said if we get anymore bugs, he’ll send Rocky Jr to your side okay?”

Sanha pulled back first to look at Rocky. “Thank you.”

Rocky didn’t have time to respond as the gates opened again.

Myungjuns heart thudded in his chest. “COCKATRICES CLOSE YOUR EYES. I’LL SHIFT AND GIVE COMMANDS.”

Myungjun needed twenty seconds to shift to stone and was glad to hear Rocky temporarily shouting commands as Rocky Jr looked around them.

Only when he was fully shifted did he open his eyes again to see his friends swinging wildly around them as they fought off the ones they could hear. “JINWOO TO YOUR LEFT. DONGMIN CREATE A WALL OF ICE IN FRONT OF YOU. WONHO SWING UP BUT ONLY UP YOU’LL CUT HOSEOKS HEAD OFF OTHERWISE.”

Hoseok squealed in fear and backed away. Myungjun pulled his bow off and loosed arrows as fast as possible at the cockatrices surrounding his friends. Dongmins wall of ice had blocked one of the gates completely and he could see dark shapes behind it trying to break free.

**“The shifter has emerged ladies and gentlemen. The Dragon Knights son has finally been revealed and look at him go! Incredible speed and precision with his weapon of choice. A bow made from a monster bone no less. Rumour has it he killed a thousand demons to save his town and was given it as a gift. We’d expect nothing less.”**

Myungjun rolled his eyes at the commentary. A thousand demons? He didn’t know how that rumour had come about but that was just ridiculous. The crowd lapped it up though as they roared excitedly, and it made him want to do better. He had such high expectations of him now and if he fell short, it wouldn’t affect just him but the guild too. And his father.

With a newfound determination he loosed more arrows as he ran, before changing course and heading straight towards a cockatrice that was descending on Moonbin. He knocked it down and shoved an arrow straight through its skull.

**“An incredible display of power! Twelve arrows loosed in ten seconds and finished off with an act of bravery. We’re lucky to witness such feats today!”**

“WELL DONE SUNSHINE!” Jinwoos loud voice reached Myungjuns ears as he climbed off of the dead body beneath him. He yanked the arrow free with a grin on his face feeling momentarily dizzy with the praise before a pained scream made him turn in shock.

A cockatrice had slipped past his and Rocky Jrs watchful eyes and clawed a great gaping gash down Hyungwons arm. Myungjun shot it down with the bloodied arrow in his hand and ran towards the older boy who had dropped his pole in favour of clutching his injured arm.

“I’ve got you ‘wonnie, hold still.” Myungjun pulled Hyungwons hand away and did a quick seal of his wound. It was far from perfect, but it would do for now.

“WONHO THE LAST ONE IS BEHIND YOU.” Rocky bellowed out the final command as Wonho sliced straight through its feathery neck with his axe.

Myungjun distributed energy revive herbs to boost them all.

**“We definitely got to see the anomaly at work. He showed off nearly every category in this one round alone!”**

Myungjun wanted to murder the commentator. He was making it harder and harder to look his friends in the eyes. They were clearly enjoying it and congratulating him for getting them through the round but Myungjun just felt awkward.

Was this the amount of pressure his father feels? The amount the twins feel? He knew the twins were somewhere in the crowd watching him now and he wondered what they’d think about him being praised so highly. Would they be proud that their training was paying off? Or would they be angry at him for stealing the spotlight?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first thing Sanha says when he's pulled above the water is 'Rocky' and the first thing Rocky says when he opens his eyes after hitting his head Is 'Sanha'...I didn't even realise that before editing this omg. CUTIES


	145. The Power Shift.

Myungjun touched the crystal in his pocket and looked up at the big domed roof of the arena to see their score.

**Baby Dragons: 1002 points**

Myungjun squealed excitedly. They were currently in first place. The only team to take down over one thousand monsters. They’d just finished clearing a wave of centaurs and were feeling good. The adrenaline was coursing through Myungjuns veins and he stared expectantly at the gates around them to see which ones would open next and what monsters they would reveal this time.

Myungjun blinked a couple of times feeling confused. Were the gates…disappearing?

“What the hell is going on?” Jinwoo asked beside him. “Where are the gates going?”

**“Congratulations Baby Dragons. You’ve hit a special milestone. One thousand monsters! For this impressive feat, we have decided to reward you.”**

Myungjun exchanged apprehensive looks with his friends. A reward? Why would they reward them right now, in the middle of the brawl? Myungjuns apprehension only grew as the crowd started cheering harder than before.

“Uhhhh guys?”

Everyone turned at the sound of Youngjaes voice to see a giant gate much bigger than the others forming against the wall. A giant gate? Just how big was this monster going to be?

**“I am delighted to present to you the first boss of the day. Go forth Baby Dragons and meet your mother.”**

The portcullis opened up slowly with the clunking of its giant metal chains and Myungjuns stomach flipped as the scaled beast emerged from the shadowy depths.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Dongmin squeaked in fear as they looked up and up and up at the giant green dragon in front of them.

It had two spiral horns atop its head and a spiked tail that was whipping around dangerously from side to side. Myungjun knew immediately that they needed to stay away from it. The dragons roar alone vibrated the very ground they were standing on. It was higher in pitch which Myungjun knew indicated it was female. Its scales shined in the light like metal and Myungjun hoped they weren’t as strong as metal too or they’d be in trouble.

The dragon opened its mouth to reveal rows and rows of deadly sharp teeth, each the size of Myungjuns forearm. It was terrifying. Bright green flames brewed down its throat and Jinwoo ordered them all to run. Myungjun didn’t need to be told twice.

He ran across the arena with the others and looked back to see Jinwoo facing it alone. The dragon blasted Jinwoo with her fire as the crowd screamed. Their screams soon turned to gasps of shock. Jinwoo was absorbing the fire and his magical energy was spiking.

**“Would you look at that folks, green fire vs green fire. She’s definitely his mother.”**

The crowd laughed but Myungjuns heart clenched painfully. Even from a distance he could see the way Jinwoos face changed. His mother. His dead mother. Jinwoo raced forward with a roar of fury. Myungjun knew he wasn’t thinking straight. He might be able to survive its fire, but those claws, teeth and tail? He was as good as dead.

Myungjun sprung to action. He pulled his bow free and nocked an arrow. He stood how Jinwoo taught him. Back straight, feet shoulder width apart at an angle to his target. He lifted his bow and pulled the string taut.

_I have one shot. One chance to get this right or he’s dead._

The thought of Jinwoos dead body made him focus harder. He aimed and waited for the exact moment the dragon lowered its head. Then he loosed. The arrow tore through the air and sunk deep into the dragon’s eye. It screeched in agony and Jinwoo ran up its new blind spot.

Jinwoo pulled his flame shaped daggers free, and to everyone’s shock, bounded up one of the dragon’s wings with a grace Myungjun would have never expected from him. He made it up to the top of its wing and with one giant leap he landed on its back, sinking his daggers through its shiny scales. The dragon flapped her wings angrily, trying to dislodge him but he held on tight.

“LET’S GO!” Myungjun shouted. He rushed forwards and tore his vines through the floor, trying to trap its tail. The vines didn’t hold so Myungjun called out for Dongmin to freeze them. It worked the second time and the dragon became more enraged. Jinwoo was struggling to hold on but his face was one of determination.

Wonho brushed past Myungjun with an excited grin and swung his axe hard at one of the dragon’s front legs. It sliced clean through the bone. Myungjun almost felt sorry for it. But then it was looking down at Wonho with fire brewing down its throat and Myungjun screamed for Hoseok and Moonbin.

The two boys stepped up and blasted cannons of water down the dragon’s throat cutting off its fire. Myungjun heard the commentator making a joke about someone ordering a beverage and tried not to laugh. He was angry at him for making Jinwoo so angry. He didn’t deserve his amusement. When this was over, he wanted to find out who that man behind the voice was and have a few polite words with him.

Myungjun watched as Jinwoo hauled himself up the back of the dragon’s neck, muscles bulging with the effort until he was sitting atop its scaly head. He raised his daggers which rippled prettily in the light before bringing them down hard and fast into the dragon’s other eye rendering it blind.

“ROCKY NOW!” Jinwoo bellowed.

Myungjun watched wide eyed as Rocky did something he’d never seen him do before. Rocky looked up at his companion who nodded, and Rocky placed his hands on him, manipulating Rocky Jrs body to the shape of a giant stone lance. He lifted it like it was weightless and called for Sanha. Sanha used his air magic to boost it as Rocky launched it toward the giant beast. The added boost pushed it through the air at an incredible speed and it tore straight through the dragon’s chest and out the other side. Rocky Jr transformed back to normal in the air and fell down to land heavily in his giant form.

Myungjun screamed in excitement alongside the rest of his friends. They’d done it. They’d killed a dragon. A dragon as big as a house. The crowd was crazy above them. Driven by bloodlust and excitement.

Myungjun looked up to see an extra five hundred points had been added to their score putting them high above the rest.

Jinwoo climbed down shakily and Myungjun rushed over to boost him. He sealed the cuts to his hands and kissed his cheeks.

“You were _incredible_ JinJin! The way you just ran up its wing like that! You were sitting on it too! You basically just rode a dragon wow.”

Jinwoo gave him a small smile back but didn’t say anything in return.

**“Now that was a battle and a half! Incredible use of teamwork. Its not easy to just climb on a dragon like that. It’s almost as if the great beast allowed it! A touching gesture on her part, very motherly. Its just a shame they had to kill her.”**

His words were like a punch in the gut. Something crazed flashed in Jinwoos eyes as he was no doubt reminded of his dark past.

“JinJin.”

“Its fine. The gates are opening again. Let’s go Junnie.”

*

This was supposed to be fun, Myungjun thought to himself angrily as Camellias poison pollen swept over a wave of enemies. We’re supposed to be enjoying ourselves but now half of us are angry.

Jinwoo was angry because of the insensitive mother comments. Myungjun was angry because the commentator had commented on Camellias black petals when he first summoned her, saying that black is a worrying colour, and do they need to be ‘concerned about the Dragons Knights son after all’. Myungjun didn’t know why Camellias petals were still black so it angered him even more. Camellia was angry because she’d been referred to as a ‘he’ which Myungjun couldn’t exactly blame the commentator for. Myungjuns companion was _supposed_ to be male like him but Camellia was still annoyed anyway. Wonho was also angry too after being referred to as a librarian. He shouted back ‘I own the bookstore dumbass’ and the crowd laughed in response. Myungjun was satisfied to see the commentator was a lot quieter after that.

Myungjun and Jinwoo fought back to back through the waves of monsters as their friends inevitably fell around them.

The first death was brutal. A troll had charged at Youngjae wielding a spiked mace. Wonho pushed him to safety just in time but took the killing blow himself. His body crumpled to the floor as blood poured out of the wound on his head and Myungjun tried not to cry as he loosed an arrow that tore through the murderer’s skull.

The next deaths were worse. Youngjae was mortified by what had happened and tried his best to save the others. He rushed to shield Moonbin and Dongmin with his vines who were surrounded on all sides by giant wolves. The wolves tore through his vines and ripped the two boys inside to pieces. Their screams rang around the arena and Myungjun did cry that time. Jinwoo was livid at his back. Blasting huge balls of fire around the arena that burnt everything it touched to ashes. The arena was swamped in dead bodies. Jinwoos fire was helping to clear them away.

Hyungwon went next. He incapacitated himself by freezing a whole wave of enemies. The rest of them didn’t even have to lift a finger he just took them all out. Myungjun couldn’t help but feel a little amused at how their sleepiest friend had gone by literally falling asleep. He technically wasn’t dead, but the following monsters left him alone and Myungjun knew he wouldn’t wake up in time to see the end anyway.

However, the hardest death of all was Sanhas. He jumped in front of Rocky to protect him, no doubt still feeling bad about the spider incident, and was decapitated where he stood. His blood sprayed out like a fountain to coat Rocky and Rocky Jr who completely snapped. They looked feral with anger and Myungjun watched as Rocky Jr grew even larger, larger than he’d ever seen. He was around the size of a house when he stopped growing and ran around stomping on all of the monsters he could find.

Now everyone was angry. Angry enough to not be fazed by the reveal of the new boss. A gigantic toad with a hulking stomach that dragged along the floor as it ran with startling speed. Its back was covered in pustule filled lumps that Myungjun knew they shouldn’t touch.

Jinwoo ordered them not to pop the lumps on its back so they raced forward with their weapons to hack at its legs instead. It was going well until the toad leaned down and wrapped its tongue around Hoseok. They couldn’t sever it in time and Hoseok was swallowed alive.

“I’VE GOT THIS!” Youngjae called out before using his vines to tear open the toad’s stomach. Hoseok slid out in a wash of foul-smelling liquid gasping for air and Youngjae quickly ran towards him to help him up. He didn’t make it. The toad stumbled, making noises of distress and stomped on them both in the process. Myungjun gagged when he heard the crunch of bones and turned his back on them to be sick. Two of his friends, gone just like that.

Rocky Jr roared in anger and dived at the toad to grapple with it, two giants fighting for dominance.

“Myungjun get up. I’ll light up your arrows, lets take this bastard down.” Jinwoo growled angrily before pulling Myungjun to his feet.

*

**“The super rookies have proven time and time again that they’re not here to play. They’re down to three but their anomaly is hard carrying them through this.”**

Myungjun felt his anger hit its peak. It wasn’t because of him that they’d gotten this far. It was because of everyone’s efforts, everyone’s sacrifices and to hear the man brush that all aside was infuriating.

He looked up at the stands and screamed angrily. “THIS ISN’T BECAUSE OF ME! WE’RE A TEAM! IF YOU DON’T HAVE ANYTHING INTELLIGENT TO SAY THEN JUST SHUT YOUR MOUTH YOU ABSOLUTE ASSHOLE!”

Everyone was silent for a few seconds and Myungjun looked back down at the others who were standing there stunned at his angry outburst. He’d never sworn like that before and it felt good. He briefly wondered if the twins were rubbing off on him before his eyes widened in shock.

Everything after that happened in slow motion. His outburst had momentarily stunned Jinwoo and Rocky. But not the manticores they were fighting.

Jinwoos arm was ripped from his body and all Myungjun could think about was his flame shaped dagger being digested. The look on Jinwoos face was one he never wanted to see again. Another one pounced on him, then another, and another until he was gone. Rocky went the same way as Sanha, head bitten clean off and Rocky Jr fell down limp beside him.

Myungjun blinked. Then swallowed. Then blinked again. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from Jinwoos mauled body. His ring glinted on his finger smeared with blood. He’s dead. He’s really really dead. Whenever Jinwoo had died in the dungeon his body had always been taken away. But now he could see it. Now it taunted him. He knew deep down that Jinwoo was going to be revived. But it was still a shock to his system.

A big enough shock to making something shift inside of him.

He looked down at his skin when he heard the crowd gasp to see it shimmering. He’d seen this before, underneath Whitebrook when Donghan lost his temper. His magic had poured out of him and Myungjun could feel it now. A power unlike anything he’d ever experienced before. Raw magical energy flooded his veins as he looked up at the monsters who killed his boyfriend.

He’d make them pay.

With an animalistic scream of fury, he tore his vines through the ground. At the academy his record number of vines summoned at once was seven. Now he had hundreds. They broke through the ground like a dense viney jungle and tore all of his enemies to shreds.

Then the next wave came, and he did it again. And again. And again.

He briefly heard the commentator say something about a special boss for this special time. The Dragon Knights son against the biggest dragon they have.

_They want a fight? I’ll give them one._

The dragon came out shaking the ground beneath Myungjuns feet. Gigantic and red and angry looking. Myungjun knew he looked even angrier and growled animalistically at it before loosing arrows its way that he attached his vines too. They burrowed deep into its body and his vines pinned it to the floor. They’d never been so strong. He didn’t need them to be frozen to create a trap. They were strong enough alone now. He loosed arrows all around its body until it was completely immobile.

Then he went to find Jinwoo.

He found his savaged body and bent down to take his ring. Sliding it onto his finger on top of his own. He could hear the crowd muttering confused above him, but he wasn’t paying attention. Couldn’t pay attention. He picked up the flame shaped dagger he could see and looked at the base of the handle. It had the flower crystal inside. How fitting. He used it to rip open the manticores stomach that had chewed off Jinwoos other arm and wrenched the mangled limb free. He pried Jinwoos other dagger out of his stiff fingers and wiped it clean on his clothes before calmly making his way over to the trapped dragon that was writhing around angrily on the floor.

He knew he’d lost it. Knew he’d slipped into an entirely new headspace he’d never visited before. Knew he looked crazy. But he didn’t care. All he cared about were the bodies of his friends that littered the floor around him. The headless body of his little brother and the dismembered body of his love.

He followed in Jinwoos footsteps and climbed up one of the dragon’s wings. He did it with less grace than Jinwoo had shown but made it up all the same. He walked calmly up its neck, stepping over his vines when needed and sat down on top of the dragon’s head. It was breathing fire beneath him in a last-ditch attempt to get free, but his vines stayed unburnt.

He patted its scaly head. “I’m sorry mother. Your babies have betrayed you. You’re beautiful. Jinwoo didn’t mean to kill you. Not back then and not today. I’m going to kill you now too. Can you forgive me?” He laughed loud and bright. He really was insane.

He took one last look at Jinwoos body before bringing his daggers down, driving them repeatedly through the dragon’s skull until blood, brain and bone splattered over his front. The dragon died noisily beneath him and fell silent in its death.

Myungjun sighed happily and felt something shift inside of him again.

**“Well this doesn’t look good.”**

No. No it doesn’t.

Myungjun closed his eyes and fell backwards with a smile as everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the power Myungjuns father told him about has finally emerged...and it makes him crazy yayyyy. At least this time he's not getting triggered by his father and trying to murder Jinwoo so that's a positive...right?
> 
> I'm the biggest idiot of all time rant:  
> So I write this fic on a word document and title all of my chapters: **CHAPTER 123 (INSERT TITLE HERE)** so I know the chapter numbers always. But when I posted yesterday I was confused because my chapter numbers didn't match up. I'd posted 144 yesterday but I was suddenly looking at another one labelled 144. So I went down and checked and realised I'd made mistakes on numbering all of my chapters from 144-156 and I was like ARE YOU KIDDING ME.  
> I'm an idiot because I had something special planned for 150 because it marks a new change in my story which completely switches up my plot and chapter style BUT NOW ITS NOT 150 ANYMORE ITS 152. 150 NOW IS JUST A FILLER CHAPTER WITH SOME INFO ON THE TWINS BACKGROUND LIKE THATS NOT SPECIAL ENOUGH.  
> So now I've had to come to terms with the fact my grand plan flopped lol. I did consider just merging previous chapters together to get 152 back down to 150 but decided against it so...Idiot=me, me=idiot.   
> Thankyou for reading, have a good day xoxo


	146. Donghan Vs The Fire Princess.

Myungjun woke up with a pair of warm, strong arms wrapped around him. He smelt the scent of Jinwoos skin and choked up as the memories of his mangled body flashed through his mind.

“Don’t cry sunshine.” Jinwoo cooed sadly, wiping the tears away. “I’m okay. You’re okay. We’re all okay.”

Myungjun heard murmured agreements and knew all of his friends were there crowding his bed. He felt giddy with relief and cuddled up closer to Jinwoos chest to cry some more. He was so glad they were okay. This competition had been brutally cruel. The cruellest thing they’d ever endured.

Jinwoo rubbed circles into his back and hummed tunelessly until he calmed down. It took a long time, but Myungjun was able to eventually pull himself together and took deep gasping breaths to calm his sobs. There was no reason to cry. Like Jinwoo said, they were all okay.

Myungjun pulled back to look up at him. Jinwoos smile was breath-taking and nearly made him cry all over again. “You’re so handsome JinJin.”

Jinwoo clearly hadn’t been expecting that to be the first thing Myungjun would say. Jinwoo stared at him surprised for a few seconds before smiling shyly. Myungjun whined quietly with happiness at the blush dusting his cheeks. Jinwoo rarely blushed and it made him look even more handsome.

“Thanks sunshine.” Jinwoo said quietly. He pressed a kiss to Myungjuns forehead, letting his lips linger for a few seconds, and pulled back with a content sigh. “We’re still in first place for todays matches because of you. And before you argue that, because I know you will, it IS because of you. Whatever happened after we died, whatever you did, racked up an incredible amount of points. We’re so far above the rest of the competitors its insane. We’ve been getting plenty of visitors here as well. People have been trying to meet you, but we’ve held them off.”

Myungjun groaned and untangled himself from Jinwoos arms to sit up. His friends were sitting on chairs around the bed looking alive and healthy. It felt almost unreal to see them this way again.

“Where are we?”

“The medical wing in the crucible. Believe it or not but its only been an hour since our match ended.” Hoseok said happily. “They have good healers here.”

A nurse soon came over to check on Myungjun. “How are you feeling Mr Kim?”

“Fine.” Myungjun mumbled. “No pain just a bit uneasy.”

“That’s perfectly normal. I’d like to say it gets easier the more you enter the brawl, but it never really does. How is your magical energy feeling? Normal?” Myungjun nodded and ignored the curious looks of his friends. “Good. Well then I can happily say you’re all discharged.”

They all thanked her and Jinwoo helped Myungjun off the bed so they could leave.

“Let’s go and get something to eat.” Moonbin said, threading his fingers through Dongmins and swinging their arms in between them as they walked. “All that fighting and dying has made me hungry.”

“Do you ever think with anything other than your stomach?” Hyungwon asked with raised eyebrows. “If I’m labelled as the sleepy one of our group then you’re labelled as the groups pig.” Moonbin oinked in response making everyone laugh and they followed the signs down to the nearest restaurant.

It wasn’t very busy with the other matches still ongoing, so they got good seats and their orders were taken quickly. Myungjun gripped Jinwoos hand tight under the table, not yet feeling ready to let him go and Jinwoo just smiled down at their entwined hands. He stroked the back of Myungjuns gently.

“Sunshine?”

“Yes JinJin?”

“Can I have my ring back now? It looks good on you, but I miss it.”

Myungjun looked down in surprise. He’d forgotten that he had taken it. He quickly gave it back and Jinwoo kissed him gently in thanks before holding his hand again.

“JinJin?”

“Yes sunshine?”

“I love you. I really really love you and I’m glad you’re okay.” He looked up into Jinwoos eyes to see the emotion they held. It was intense and he almost wanted to look away.

Jinwoo didn’t speak. He just established a link with their minds and flooded Myungjun with the love he felt for him in return. It was one thing to hear Jinwoo say he loved him, but it was another thing entirely to feel it. It filled him up with light, making his heart swell and lifting his mood up considerably.

Myungjun beamed at him and received a blinding smile in return. He wanted to stare at Jinwoos smile all day but the food being placed in front of them distracted him. He had to agree with Moonbin, fighting had built up his appetite and he attacked his food like a man starved. He could feel Jinwoo watching him and knew he’d have that stupid fond expression he always had on his face when watching him eat. A quick look up confirmed it and he pointed to Jinwoos food, telling him with his eyes to eat whilst his mouth was preoccupied.

They ordered more food after that and Myungjun excused himself from the table to find the nearest toilet when he was finished. He was disappointed to see that there wasn’t a toilet in the restaurant itself, so he went further into the crucible to find one.

It didn’t take too long and he was finished and washing his hands in no time. He was just leaving when a voice he’d recognise anywhere stopped him in his tracks. He looked down the corridor to see a group of girls heading his way.

Lead by Ahn Hyejin.

She stopped in front of him with an unsettling smile. “Kim Myungjun, fancy seeing you here.” Every bad memory of Hyejin and her tortuous bullying flashed through his mind. He immediately tried to step around her, but she blocked his path. “Stay for a chat. What’s the rush?”

“I’m busy.” Myungjun said stiffly, trying to step around her again. Her fire stopped him this time.

She grinned at the look of fear that crossed his face as she made the flames dance across her hand. “Well you’ll just have to unbusy yourself. We need to have a nice little chat. You got me kicked out of the academy and ruined my life.”

“I didn’t do anything.” Myungjun growled angrily. “That was your fault. Stealing my identity and trying to steal Jinwoo away from me. You make me sick.”

Hyejin whistled low between her teeth looking impressed. “Wow Myungjun. You’ve finally grown some balls. How is your delicious boyfriend anyway? Does he still think about our kiss?”

Myungjun wanted to smack her. He nearly smacked her. But the deep voice floating down the corridor towards them stopped him.

“Myungjun?” He looked over to see Donghan walking towards them with his greatsword strapped to his back. He didn’t look happy. “What’s going on?”

A chorus of excited squeals filled the air as Hyejin, and her gaggle of girls, caught sight of the older boy.

“Is that who I think it is?” One of them whispered.

“It’s really him.”

“Do I look okay?”

“Yes do _I_ look okay?”

Myungjun rolled his eyes and watched sickened as Hyejin swept over to him with her head held high, swaying her hips seductively from side to side. She stopped Donghan in his tracks with a hand on his stomach looking comically small in front of him.

“Hello. You’re Donghan right?” She asked playing coy.

Donghan looked down at her with disinterest. “Move out of my way.”

Myungjun saw the way she tensed and held back a smile. She didn’t like being ignored. “I asked you a question. You’re one of the twins, aren’t you? From Dragon Blades?”

“So what if I am?” Donghan asked sounding bored. “Want my autograph? Get in line.” He pushed her aside and walked over to Myungjun. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing.” Myungjun muttered, suddenly not able to look him in the eyes. He felt Donghan digging around in his mind and didn’t bother trying to fight it. He just let him see everything she’d done.

Donghan turned to Hyejin with a frown a few seconds later. “Ahn Hyejin. Fire User. Extremely talented and deadly.” She beamed nodding her head. “You bullied Myungjun and shapeshifted to look like him to steal his boyfriend? I know I’m evil but you’re just downright twisted.”

The smile was wiped clean off her face. “Why do you care about what I did to him? How do you even know this loser anyway?”

“This _loser_ is a member of my guild so I suggest you watch that pretty little mouth of yours princess before I tear your arm off and gag you with it.” Donghans voice was low and sweet. Myungjun felt just as terrified as Hyejin looked and the threat wasn’t even directed at him for once.

Hyejin turned to Myungjun instead, masking her fear up with anger. “You’re a member of Dragon Blades? How did _you_ get chosen? You’re not good enough for a guild like that.”

“You’re looking at the guild master’s son, so I suggest you talk to him with a bit more respect.” Donghan spat down at her. “I can see inside that head of yours. I know how much you want to join Dragon Blades. Its laughable really. You’ll never step foot inside our guild. We don’t let any old trash in. Now get lost before you make me angry.”

Hyejin looked back at Myungjun with tears in her eyes. “If you think you’re safe because you’re hiding behind this brute, you’re mistaken.” The threat was there but she didn’t sound so tough anymore. “You might be the son of some fancy guild master but you’re nothing special. You’re just a worthless piece of-”

Donghan stepped forwards and backhanded her across the face with a loud crack. She stumbled into her friends, who held her up, looking dazed. Myungjun knew that would leave a nasty bruise behind.

“I said _get lost_.” Donghan seethed. “Next time I won’t be so nice.”

Hyejin looked like she was going to fight back some more but her friends dragged her away looking shocked and more than a little scared. At least they were smart enough to know when to back down.

“Oh and try not to steal anyone’s boyfriend on the way.” Donghan called out to her retreating back.

Myungjun sighed in relief as they disappeared around the next corner and looked up at the older boy cautiously. Donghans ears were still a mess from ripping his piercings out, even though he could have healed them in a second. The sight made Myungjuns heart clench painfully. “Donghan I-”

“We’re not friends remember?” Donghan interrupted sounding angry. “I just didn’t want you getting beat up by a girl and embarrassing our guild at such an important competition.”

Myungjun didn’t have anything to say in response. He just stood there feeling sad and played with the scarf around his neck nervously. The confrontation with Hyejin would have ended violently eventually, he’d already been on the verge of hitting her himself, but he wouldn’t have let her beat him up. He was severely outnumbered by her friends but he knew now that he had a lot of power simmering beneath the surface so he wouldn’t have gone down without putting up a good fight at least.

His scarf was suddenly yanked off of him and he jolted in surprise as Donghan grabbed him by the chin, forcing his face up to bare his neck.

“These marks. Who did this?” He sounded even more angry and Myungjun tried to pull away, remembering Gikwangs threat.

_I don’t know what the fuck you’ve done to my brother but if I see you anywhere near him outside of training, I’ll snap your scrawny neck. Understand?_

If he saw them together then Myungjun was in trouble. Big, big trouble. Donghan frowned at the look on Myungjuns face. “Why do you look so scared?”

Myungjun forced his psychic shield up and snatched his scarf back before running away. He ignored Donghans confused shouts and covered his neck up as he made his way back to the restaurant.

He needed to stay away from Donghan. Far, far away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To explain a few things:   
> 1\. Hyejin and her friends were not competing in the competition, so they didn’t see Myungjuns match=they didn’t know he was from dragon blades. By their reactions to seeing Donghan we can assume they came for the last match of the day to watch the twins fight.   
> 2\. The twins have only just shown up as well. Myungjun thought they were in the stands watching him, but they weren’t, so they have no idea about how he snapped the last chapter. It would have been cool to see their reactions but it’s not yet time for them to see Myungjun that way.
> 
> BUT  
> Donghan is killing me. 'Want my autograph? Get in line.' 'so I suggest you watch that pretty little mouth of yours princess before I tear your arm off and gag you with it'  
> Help I love him


	147. Twin Dragons-Part 1.

After finishing up at the restaurant, Myungjun and the others went back into the arena to watch the last match of the day. The twins. Myungjun tried not to fiddle with his scarf again. If Donghan was able to see Gikwangs marks because of his fiddling, then he needed to be extra careful not to let Jinwoo see too. Which meant keeping his hands firmly in his lap.

**“Now ladies and gentlemen, it’s the match we’ve all been waiting for. These two young men have made quite a name for themselves over the past couple of years. Not only in the crucible but in the guild district too. At eighteen years old they’re the only twin S Rank magic users in the land. They also make up two thirds of Dragon Blades anomaly population. They’re strong contenders for the most powerful duo in Aredrinnor and they’ve proven that twice already in the monster brawl. They set the record for the highest number of monsters killed here, a whopping total of fifty-five thousand, four hundred and sixteen. An impressive feat. But what we’d all like to know, is can they set a new record here today? Let’s find out shall we? Let’s give it up for the Twin Dragons!”**

The crowd roared in excitement as the two boys walked out into the arena. Gikwang was one for fan service it seemed as he waved up at the audience around them, bowing a few times and even blowing kisses which had people swooning. Myungjun wanted to gag. He didn’t know Gikwang could be like this. It was a far cry from his threatening to snap Myungjuns neck persona.

Donghan was less enthusiastic. He stomped across the floor in his boots looking disinterested and drove his greatsword into the ground to lean on it. His eyes lazily scanned the crowd and stopped at the competitor’s section. Myungjun knew he wouldn’t be able to recognise individuals properly from all the way down there, but he still sunk down in his seat to hide from Donghans gaze anyway.

**“Wave one incoming. Sirens again. We gave sirens to the Baby Dragons of their guild so let’s see how they compare.”**

Myungjun sat back up straight to watch with interest as the water burst free from the gates. Donghan summoned his metal golem and signalled for his brother. Gikwang grabbed him around the waist from behind and lifted them both into the air. Donghan looked perfectly comfortable in his brothers’ arms as they watched the water flood the arena below them. His golem was hit with the full force of it but didn’t budge an inch.

“It’s interesting to have a birds eye view.” Jinwoo commented absentmindedly as he leaned forwards in his seat to get a better look. “The waters really clear, look you can see how many sirens there are. Were there that many when we fought them? That’s a lot.”

Myungjun looked too and there did seem to be a great deal more than what they’d fought previously. He didn’t think that was particularly fair considering it meant more points for the twins but like Wonho had said, the twins were the main selling point of the day, the biggest money makers, so of course they’d have to put on a good show.

When the water level had stopped rising, the crowd gasped as Gikwang let Donghan go. He plummeted into the water and grabbed the nearest siren by the neck, snapping it in half and grabbing its trident. The drag of the water didn’t even seem to affect him as he speared the next siren effortlessly. His golem was finally fighting, running across the floor attracting great numbers of them and absorbing their tridents whenever they poked his metal body. He grew bigger with each one he absorbed and begun grabbing and crushing them like they were nothing more than pesky flys.

Myungjun looked up to see Gikwang watching it all unfold below him. He looked almost bored whilst his brother fought for his life against a group of enemies surrounding him. With Donghans magic type, he should have been a liability underwater, but he was using his brute strength alone to get them through this. Myungjun couldn’t help but feel a little impressed by that.

The wave ended quickly despite the sheer number of sirens that had been released and the water was quick to drain away. Gikwang landed on the dry ground beside his brother and looked him over. They exchanged a few words and Gikwang smiled at him. _Smiled._ Myungjun couldn’t remember ever seeing Gikwang smile. It was strange and the older boy looked almost kind for the couple of seconds it was on his face.

Then the smile was gone, and the next wave of monsters was introduced. They worked better on dry land and tore through the waves. Their points racked up fast. Every time Myungjun looked up at the scoreboard above them, they’d overtaken another team. Then another and another and another.

When the first boss was introduced, they were given a dragon too. Whoever was handling the monsters seemed to like the irony of making Dragon Blades guild members fight dragons. But there was a stark difference between how the twins fought one, to how Myungjun and his team had fought theirs.

For starters, there were only two of them compared to the ten on Myungjun team, so they were limited to two types of magic. But what they lacked in magic they made up for in strength and skill. Gikwang showed off by shooting two arrows from his bow at once. He held the bow horizontally instead of vertically like Myungjun had always been taught and let the two arrows loose. Myungjun was left speechless when both arrows hit their marks, taking out the dragons’ eyes and rendering it blind. Myungjun had found it hard enough taking out one of the dragons’ eyes before but Gikwang had taken two with barely any effort. He even _yawned_ straight after and put his bow on his back to watch his brother deliver the final blow. Donghan drove his great sword through the dragon’s chest with an audible grunt of exertion. It must have pierced the beast’s heart because a second later it slumped down dead.

Donghan tore his sword free and wrinkled his nose in disgust at the blood coating it. He didn’t like his companion getting dirty apparently. He walked over to Gikwang and exchanged a few more words before sitting down in the middle of the arena and pulling a cloth free from his coat.

Then he started to clean his sword. Right in the middle of a brawl. Like his life wasn’t in danger. Myungjun was stunned.

The next wave was released and Gikwang took them on alone as Donghan focused solely on removing all the blood. It took three waves before he was satisfied, and he finally tossed the cloth aside and stood back up with a visible sigh.

“He’s incredible.” Jinwoo said shaking his head sounding just as stunned as Myungjun felt. “Who just sits there and cleans their weapon amidst a brawl? It’s like he knew Gikwang would be able to take on the waves by himself. They have a lot of trust in one another. It’s nice to see actually. You’re lucky to have such cool teachers Junnie.”

Myungjun hummed in agreement, not trusting himself to talk. Jinwoo didn’t know about what they were really like. He didn’t hear the threats or see how Myungjun was constantly being hurt in training or see the way Gikwangs eyes would flash with pure anger and rage at every wrong move or word. He didn’t know about the bruises around Myungjuns neck or the fact Myungjun and Donghan were currently fighting. Jinwoo just saw the side of the twins they liked to portray. Cool, calm and strong. No doubt everything Jinwoo wanted to be himself.

A part of Myungjun wanted to tell him. To tell him what the twins were really like and how they treated him. But he knew it wouldn’t end well. And his father was right, they _were_ the best teachers for Myungjun despite how violent and unpredictable they were. He’d grown so much stronger under their guidance and knew he would continue to do so.

So, he kept his mouth shut and watched the twins rack up even more points.

They cleared waves and bosses like it was nothing more than a simple workout. Gikwang became more and more arrogant, flicking the monsters away with his air magic where they landed impaled on Donghans raised sword. It felt more like a show then an actual fight. Myungjun started to lose interest in watching them. What was the point in watching when they clearly wouldn’t fall? Donghan hadn’t even used his magic yet and Gikwang was becoming an insufferable show off.

Myungjun focused on watching the scoreboard instead. The twins had far surpassed his own team and were now sitting in first place. The numbers ticked up incredibly fast as he watched, and the score jumped up by five hundred points with every boss killed.

He didn’t know how long he had been staring at the board when the crowd suddenly gasped. He quickly looked down into the arena to see what had happened.

Gikwang was storming across the arena towards his brother looking thunderous. He grabbed Donghan by the lapels of his coat and yanked him forwards until they were toe to toe. Myungjun could see blood dripping from Donghans fingers and wondered what had caused it. He couldn’t even tell what monsters they’d just fought considering the mountains of bodies surrounding them.

**“Trouble in paradise this year? It seems Donghan wasn’t paying enough attention. I wonder who in the crowd stole his concentration. It definitely cost him.”**

“Hyung I think he was looking at you.” Sanha mumbled under his breath on Myungjuns other side.

Myungjun looked at him surprised. “Really? I don’t think so. You know as well as I do you can’t pick anyone out in the crowd from down there, it’s just a sea of bodies up here.”

“Well he was looking this way and who else would he be looking at? You’re his student, aren’t you? And you weren’t paying attention to the match. He probably thinks you were being rude.”

Myungjun grimaced and sat back in his seat. If he was really the one Donghan was looking at then he was in trouble. Gikwang already looked angry and it would be easy enough for him to find out why Donghan had gotten hurt, then Myungjun would be blamed for that as well.

He focused on watching the match from then on, waiting to see if Donghan would look back up at the stands, but he never did. He was more focused after his scolding and started to use his magic too. Gikwang lifted him into the air again and Donghan turned the floor to quicksand, effectively wiping the floor clean of bodies and enemies alike.

“You should learn how to do that.” Sanha said to Rocky as he pointed to the floor. “Next time we come back that would be useful.”

“If I turned the floor to quicksand, you’d all be dragged under too.” Rocky said with a sigh. “Gikwangs carrying Donghan so he won’t get sucked away. But there’s ten of us and only one of you. And you can’t even fly properly.”

Sanha huffed and cuddled up to Myungjun to sulk. Myungjun patted his arm sympathetically.

“Sanha you know I didn’t mean it in a bad way. Don’t be grumpy with me.”

“Go away Minhyuk.”

“Fine, I’ll go and sit somewhere else.” Rocky got up to leave and Rocky Jr slid off of Sanhas lap to follow him.

“Wait!” Sanha called out desperately, pulling away from Myungjun to stop them. “Don’t go. I still want to cuddle him.”

Rocky turned back to look at Sanha with a frown. “You only ever want me around for him I swear.” He looked at Sanhas pout and groaned. “Fine.” Rocky Jr climbed back into Sanhas lap looking happy and cuddled up to his chest as Rocky slumped back down in his seat with a scowl.

It was silent between them for a few seconds before Sanha hesitantly reached out to poke Rockys cheek. “Cheer up Hyukkie. You’re ugly when you scowl.”

A smile tugged at the corner of Rockys lips, but he tried to hold it back as he spoke. “Are you saying I’m not ugly when I’m not scowling?”

“Of course you’re not ugly.” Sanha replied confused.

Rocky looked over at him with his eyebrows raised, clearly expecting a different, more sarcastic answer like Myungjun had been expecting. It was definitely more entertaining to watch these two boys than the match below them.

“You don’t think I’m ugly?”

“Have I ever said you’re ugly?”

Rocky nodded. “On about five hundred different occasions.”

Sanha blushed and looked down at the little rock cuddled up to his chest. “I only say it when I’m angry at you. You shouldn’t make me angry so often…but I’m sorry.”

“Apology accepted Ddana.” Rocky said quietly. “So do you think I’m handsome then?”

“Watch the stupid match Minhyuk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The twins are powerful enough to take down a whole ass dragon in two hits? wowz
> 
> (I had to throw in some Socky okay?)
> 
> BUT MY FIC IS OVER 400,000 WORDS NOW I DIDNT REALISE BEFORE SKSJSKSJSK  
> (the word document I write my fic on is slowly approaching 1000 pages soooo.....)


	148. Twin Dragons-Part 2.

The twins match went on for hours. Whenever they’d get tired Donghan would boost them with the herbs in his coat and they’d be ready to fight again. Myungjun could see the sun setting through the domed glass roof of the arena and he was beginning to think it would be night before they fell.

However, things started to get interesting again as a boss crawled out of the giant gate. Sanha squealed in fear and made a noise of disgust at the creature below them. It looked like a giant bronze centipede, with sharp scales like blades sticking out of its sides. Donghans sword hit it with a loud clang but nothing happened and even he looked momentarily surprised.

“Does that creature really have metal scales or is it wearing armour?” Jinwoo asked curiously. He was leaning so far forwards in his seat to look, that Myungjun grabbed him out of sheer anxiety that he’d fall down into the arena himself.

“JinJin please sit back it’s a long drop.” Jinwoo quickly sat back and apologised.

**“Have the twins finally met an opponent they can’t defeat? Oh, what’s this? Donghans up to something. He’s really trying to warp that creature with his magic? Although it may sound like metal, it’s not, so that won’t work.”**

Donghan let go of the creature with a scowl and dived aside as it lunged at him.

“TRANSFORM BROTHER!” Gikwangs voice rang clearly through the arena. “I’LL DISTRACT IT.”

Gikwang loosed an arrow from his bow, boosted by his air magic, that bounced off the creature loudly. He did it again and again and again. None of them broke through its armour but it didn’t need too. It was the noise he was after. It stole the monster’s attention and it skittered towards Gikwang instead at a creepily fast pace.

Whilst it was distracted Donghan whipped his coat off with a flourish. Myungjun had never seen Donghan take his coat off before and he was momentarily confused at what he was seeing. Donghan was very clearly wearing a tank top underneath it, but his arms were covered in black patches too. Myungjuns eyes widened in shock when he realised they were demon blood burns. Exactly like he had on his own arm. The crowd gasped at the sight and Myungjun could visibly see how uncomfortable Donghan was.

_He hates his burns too._

Myungjun felt sorry for him. He knew what it was like. He had to look down at his own every day. Myungjun knew his own burns made his skin ugly. Jinwoo told him often enough that he was still beautiful with them whenever he caught Myungjun frowning at them, but Myungjun couldn’t believe him. He rarely wore tank tops himself, only on days he knew he’d be too hot with anything else on and even then, he tried to hide his arm as much as possible. So it was no wonder Donghan was never seen without his coat.

Donghan without his coat, burns aside, was a sight to see. The muscles that always strained against the material were suddenly out on display and Myungjun thought he looked even scarier like this. He thought Wonho was big. But even from a distance he could tell Wonho would look positively small beside him. The hulking muscles in his arms ran under his skin like thick ropes that flexed and rippled as he moved.

“Whatever that boy is eating, I want some.” Wonho joked from his seat behind them. Jinwoo agreed before staring pointedly at Myungjun.

“What? I don’t know what he eats either.”

“But you’re with him enough.” Jinwoo pointed out.

“Yes, but I’ve never actually seen him eat.” Myungjun replied suddenly realising how strange that was. “Wow I’ve never actually seen him eat. I bet he eats metal or something. That would explain a lot.”

Jinwoo snorted in amusement before gasping. “Look Junnie he’s shifting! He’s a shifter too!”

Myungjun watched as Donghan began to transform into stone. His form was different from what Myungjun had been taught. He had big, black, sharp objects sticking out of his back that Myungjun recognised immediately. Donghans rock golem looked the exact same. He’d seen it with his own eyes in Whitebrook.

“What ARE those things?” Sanha asked sounding mildly terrified. “That’s not normal is it Hyung? You don’t look like that when you turn to stone.”

Myungjun couldn’t answer. He just stared. This was the first time he’d seen Donghan shift and he was stunned to see how quickly he achieved it. It couldn’t have been more than five seconds before he was running towards the bronze beast.

“TURN IT AROUND BROTHER.” Donghan bellowed out.

Gikwang was quick to oblige. He raced around the arena until the monster’s giant mouth was in Donghans path. Donghan brushed past his brother…and dived straight down its throat. Myungjun gasped and stood up from his seat alongside the rest of his friends.

“What the HELL is he doing?” Dongmin asked incredulous. “He just killed himself!”

“He’s not dead.” Myungjun turned at the sound of a girl’s voice to see Mei walking towards them with a smile. Her team would be finishing at seventh place today. Myungjun had watched her fight before lunch and she’d seemed pretty skilled. Jinwoo gestured to the empty seat beside him and she stood in front of it to watch with them.

“He’s not dead?” Dongmin asked in disbelief. “He just jumped into its mouth!”

“Just watch.”

Myungjun did. He watched closely and was confused at what he was seeing. The monster stopped dead in its tracks. It stood there for a few seconds before letting out a high-pitched squeal that had everyone covering their ears with expressions of pain. The ground underneath the giant centipede started to flood with a black liquid. Gikwang raced down its side until he reached its middle before putting his hands under its giant body and _lifting_ it off the floor. He rolled it onto its back as Donghan burst out of its stomach gasping for air. Gikwang grabbed his hand and yanked him free.

“How the hell did he lift that so easily?” Myungjun asked, completely amazed at his strength.

“He’s shifted too!” Youngjae shouted excitedly.

It was only when Myungjun looked closer that he realised it was true. Gikwang was shining in the light, a different metal to Myungjuns shifted form that apparently made him really strong. Where had the twins learnt these different forms? They weren’t taught at the academy.

_Wait. Did the twins even attend the academy?_

Myungjun had never asked but now he was dying to know. Finding out Gikwang was a shifter too was just another shock. The twins were always surprising him.

*

Myungjun had been right. Night did come before the twins fell, and when they did, it was by doing something Myungjun would have never thought possible.

If they killed the boss they were fighting, they would set a new record, only by one point but it would be a new record all the same. And they intended to go out with a bang apparently.

The boss was vile. A giant blob of rotting flesh that drenched the arena in its foul scent. Myungjun had fought something similar in the obstacle course exam for his practical skills class in the academy and it had smelt just as bad back them.

The twins were tired. Myungjun could see them struggling and it seemed Donghan had run out of energy revive herbs to use. Gikwang called out to him and Donghan jogged over to talk as the giant blob slowly oozed towards them. It was a scary sight, but it moved awfully slow.

Gikwang and Donghan exchanged a few words and Donghan nodded tiredly before grabbing his brothers’ hand. They turned to face the monster head on and lifted their free hands towards the monster palms out.

**“It’s finally time ladies and gentlemen. The Twin Dragons incapacitate themselves the same way every year. Together. A touching display. This year is no different it seems. We are about to witness something special everyone so pay attention.”**

Myungjuns eyes were glued to the older boys backs as the air in the arena suddenly thickened with magical energy. It made the hair on Myungjuns arms stand on end. He’d learnt in communications how to see people’s auras, but he didn’t need to use the spell to do so now. Their auras became visible to the naked eye and glowed around them. Both of them different colours to what he was expecting. Gikwang was air, his was supposed to be white and Donghan was earth so his was supposed to be brown. But they were both black. A black so thick and dense it swallowed the light around them.

Myungjun had never seen a black aura before. He didn’t even know that was possible. A person’s aura was supposed to match their magic, shining brighter with how strong that magic was. It worried Myungjun to see. As much as it had worried him upon finding out about Jinwoos black fire and Camellias black petals. Something terrible must have happened to the twins to make them this way.

Myungjuns eyes widened as he watched their auras merge, increasing their magical power tenfold. This was their true power. A twin merge. The crowd cheered as they unleashed their attack, a mixture of their magic that was so intense Myungjun shied away. The air was so thick with magic it was suffocating.

Myungjun quickly excused himself, desperate to get out into normal air again so he could breathe. He couldn’t understand how no one else around him was as affected by this as he was. He hurried up the steps to the arena door and took one last look over his shoulder at the twins.

Gikwangs aura completely engulfed Donghans and in that moment he knew Donghan was dead.

*

Myungjun and his team finished in twentieth place. Myungjun had screamed excitedly along with the rest upon receiving the news. They were sitting around one of the tavern tables when Hani handed over the results scroll. It had been a week since their attempt at the brawl and they were all stunned at the fact they’d done so well.

“There were over a hundred teams competing!” Moonbin exclaimed excitedly. “I can’t believe we made the top twenty!”

Myungjun grinned widely. “We won a prize too remember. One hundred thousand coins. That’s ten thousand each when we split it. It’s not much but it’s still something. I can’t wait to tell Sanha and Wonho when we get home.”

“Speaking of going home, do you want to leave now? We’re done for the day.” Jinwoo said, standing up to stretch.

Myungjun nodded and stood up after him. “Come on Rocky. Its Saturday. Time for your date with my little brother.”

Rocky blushed and stood up quickly. “It’s not a date it’s a sleepover. We’re just friends. Hold on down here, I need to go and get my bag.” He rushed off upstairs as Myungjun and Jinwoo exchanged grins.

Since Christmas day Rocky had been sleeping over every Saturday after he revealed to Myungjuns mother that he and Moonbin had been staying in the guilds temporary accommodation since joining, as it was too far of a journey home. His mother had been mortified at the thought of him living in such a cramped room and with Sanhas permission, had invited Rocky to stay once a week at their house. She did offer to have Moonbin once a week too but when Myungjun had offered he’d been turned down. Moonbin would much rather stay with Dongmin apparently.

Myungjun didn’t mind having Rocky over every weekend. In fact, he loved it because it meant Jinwoo had to sleep in his room as Rocky took Jinwoos bed on the bottom bunk in Sanhas room. He also liked it because it was fun having more friends around him at home and his mother doted on Rocky and Rocky Jr as if they were her own children. Sanha seemed happier too even though he was reluctant to admit it at the beginning. He got to see Rocky Jr a lot more and they’d grown impossibly closer.

Rocky came thundering down the stairs carrying his bag in his hand and Rocky Jr on his back. “Let’s go Hyungs.” He always sounded excited when it was time to leave and Myungjun tried not to coo at him.

“The quicker we get home, the quicker you can see your boyfriend.” Jinwoo teased as they left the guild.

“He’s not my boyfriend.” Rocky mumbled. “And don’t you dare say that in front of him either.”

Jinwoo promised not to and smiled as he took Myungjuns hand.

*

“TWENTIETH?” Sanha shrieked excitedly as they relayed the news over dinner later that afternoon. “I can’t believe it!”

“I wish I’d been there to see it.” Myungjuns mother spoke up sounding sad.

“No. You really didn’t want to.” Myungjun replied. “It was brutal.”

“I got decapitated.” Sanha said happily. “It was cool.”

Myungjun just shook his head. Sanha said some worrying things sometimes.

“This also means we won ten thousand coins each.” Rocky added.

Sanha gasped dramatically and slammed his hand down on the table. “I’m rich.” Myungjun snorted in amusement as the others laughed. “Mother I’m giving it all to you.” Sanha said determinedly. “The others pay you rent so I should too.”

“And me.” Rocky said happily. “I stay here weekends now so I should as well.”

She firmly denied them. “No boys you earned that money. Sanha that’s the first coin you’ve ever made, and I want you to keep it. And as for you Rocky, I’d never ask for rent from you. You’re our guest it’s not happening.” They tried to argue it and she smiled. “How did I end up surrounded by four lovely young men who always put me first?” Rocky Jr garbled from his seat and his mother laughed. “Sorry dear. I meant to say _five_ lovely young men.” Rocky Jr looked a lot happier after that, much to everyone’s amusement.

“Well if we can’t give you our coins then we’ll do the washing up at least.” Rocky said standing up and collecting everyone’s empty dinner plates. “Can someone look after Rocky Jr though? The last time I asked him to help wash the dishes in the guild he broke four of them. Hani wasn’t very happy.”

Myungjun offered and took the little rock into the living room whilst Sanha and Rocky got to work. Jinwoo came into the room a few minutes later with a book and squeezed onto the chair beside Myungjun.

“What chapter did we get to last weekend sunshine, do you remember?”

“Chapter six.” Myungjun said happily, snuggling up to him. Rocky Jr curled up in his lap to listen, looking up at Jinwoo with big owlish eyes. He liked this book apparently.

Myungjun let Jinwoos calming voice wash over him as he read.

He didn’t realise he was asleep until Jinwoo was shaking him awake.

“Sunshine come on, let’s go and get ready for bed.” Myungjun whined and tried to curl up further into the chair feeling the absence of Rocky Jr immediately. Jinwoo chuckled and grabbed his hands. “You either stand up or I’ll pull you up. Then you’ll be going straight over my shoulder and I’ll carry you up the stairs that way.”

Myungjun shot up out of the seat. “I don’t like it when you do that. It feels like you’re going to drop me.”

“I know you don’t like it. That’s why I said it.” Jinwoo said cheekily. “Now let’s go. If you’re quick I might let you wear one of my tops to sleep in. I just washed a load this morning, so they smell really good.” Myungjun was already moving before he could finish talking.

When they were changed and washed up, Myungjun offered to go down the stairs and get them some water. Jinwoo told him to be quick because he wanted to cuddle so Myungjun hurried from the room.

He paused outside of Sanhas. The door was slightly ajar, and he could hear the boys whispering inside. He knew it was rude to eavesdrop, but he couldn’t help himself.

“Was it really cool to be decapitated like that or were you just saying that?”

“It WAS cool. I swear I could still see for a few seconds afterwards. It didn’t hurt that much either.”

“You’re crazy.” Rocky said with a sigh. “But thank you for saving me Ddana. That should have been me.”

“It’s okay Hyukkie. You saved me before remember.” Rocky Jr garbled loudly and Sanha giggled. “I know you’d save me too little one. Now go to sleep or I’ll make you sleep down there with your father.”

It was quiet for a few seconds so Myungjun nearly walked away but Rockys voice made him pause.

“Sometimes I feel like you’re his other parent.”

“Me too.” Sanha replied quietly. “I don’t mind. He’s cute.”

“You’re cute.”

“Shut up and go to sleep Minhyuk.”

Myungjun could hear how flustered Sanha was and grinned to himself as he closed their door. They were terribly endearing sometimes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOCKY PARENTS CONFIRMED BY THE BOYS THEMSELVES *sCREAMS*
> 
> Important things to take away from this chapter:  
> 1\. The twins are both shifters.  
> 2\. A twin merge kills Donghan but not Gikwang.  
> 3\. The twins auras are black.  
> 4\. Donghan has demon blood burns.  
> 5\. Socky has sleepovers every weekend UWU  
> 6\. Myungjin babysit Rocky Jr at some point every weekend so Jinwoo can read him books UWUWU


	149. We're Not Friends Remember.

It was two weeks before Myungjuns birthday when his father entered the tavern and called for everyone’s attention. He’d never done that in the whole time Myungjun had been at the guild, so he was interested to find out what it was about.

His father looked happy as he jumped up onto the bar to be seen properly. Hani grumbled behind him and he threw her an apologetic smile. Myungjun knew Hani adored her bar more than anything.

“I have a special announcement to make. It’s my sons seventeenth birthday in two weeks’ time and in true Dragon Blades tradition, we’ll be leaving the guild to hunt and kill his first dragon.” Myungjuns mouth dropped open as his friends exclaimed excitedly around him. His father looked at him and smiled. “Every Kim, at the age of seventeen, kills their first dragon in honour of the Dragon Blades name. However, my son will not strike it down with a blade, he’s an archer and I’ll respect that. Myungjun, we’ll be leaving in a week.”

His father jumped down off the bar whilst everyone rushed to congratulate him. He was stunned. He was actually going to hunt and kill a dragon? With his father? An ACTUAL dragon? He felt dizzy just thinking about it.

“Wow Junnie I’m so jealous!” Hoseok whined, patting him on the back. “You’re going to have so much fun!”

“Fun? You do realise I could die right?” Myungjun asked faintly. “This isn’t like the dragon we fought in the arena, and even then, there were ten of us and all I did was blind it in one eye. If I die, I can’t be revived.”

“I won’t allow you to die Myungjun.” Myungjun turned at the sound of his father’s voice to see him smiling close behind. “I’ve killed hundreds of dragons; I know how to handle them. All you need to do is deal the killing blow.”

“You’ll be FINE sunshine.” Jinwoo said from his seat beside him. “If its tradition then you should follow it. It will be a cool story to tell us when you get back. Mr Kim how long do you expect to be gone?”

Myungjuns father hummed thoughtfully. “A week or two. We received a request this morning about a dragon terrorising a town a few days from here and I think it’s one we should take. The dragons lair is somewhere in the surrounding mountain ranges so it will take a few days to track down I’d assume. So we may not be back in time for his actual birthday, which is why I’ve given you a week to celebrate early. Now Myungjun, I need to speak to you alone.”

Myungjun got up to follow him and was led into the guild greenhouse. The planters closest to the door were all full and flourishing with Myungjuns plants. He’d planted and grown all of the medicinal plant seeds his father had given him for Christmas and added a couple more of his own, on top of the two he’d purchased to begin with. The seed he’d received from Rocky for Christmas turned out to be a strawberry plant and still hadn’t flourished properly yet.

His father stopped at one of the planters and touched the nearest plant delicately. “Are these ready for harvest?”

“In a few days they will be. They can be harvested now but I prefer to wait to give them some more time. They’re happier that way.”

His father turned to look at him with curious eyes. “You’re very in tune with plant life.”

“I know.” Myungjun said happily. “My herbology teacher told me I have a gift. I didn’t believe her at the time, but the more plant users I speak to, the more I start to believe her. Nearly everyone I’ve spoken to has said that they can only sense a plants emotion, but they can’t understand them. I only know of one other boy like me who can understand and speak to them fluently. My friend Park Jimin. He has the gift too, he developed it long before me and said it was because he grew up in his grandmother’s flower shop. It might even be here in the city. I haven’t really had the chance to go and look.”

“You keep on surprising me Myungjun.” His father said quietly, looking back at the plant. “You have so much talent, so much potential. I want to help you achieve all you can in life.” He sighed and pulled away from the plant with a smile. “But for now, we should focus on our dragon. I would like for you to harvest as many herbs as you can for the journey. You still have a week, so celebrate your birthday with your friends whilst you can.”

*

Myungjun received another surprise later that afternoon. He was sitting at the bar drinking a cup of moonshine alone when someone cleared their throat behind him. He turned to see that it was Donghan who was looking strangely uncomfortable.

“Myungjun I know we’re not friends, but I’d like to speak to you. Somewhere that isn’t here.”

Myungjun bit his lip nervously. It wasn’t a good idea to go anywhere with Donghan when Gikwangs threat was still looming above him. The bruises had faded but the fear hadn’t.

“I don’t think we should be speaking at all Donghan I’m sorry.”

“Please?”

Myungjun raised his eyebrows in shock. Did Donghan just say please? He never said please, mainly because he never asked for anything, he always just took it with brute force. He looked around the tavern quickly to make sure Gikwang wasn’t there.

“Where’s your brother?”

“Why do you care about my brother?”

Myungjun sighed and downed the rest of his drink before setting his cup back down on the bar. “I need to know where he is so I know whether I can come with you or not.”

“That makes zero sense Myungjun.”

“I don’t care whether it makes sense or not. Is he around, or isn’t he?”

“He’s at home.”

Myungjun breathed out lightly in relief. “Let’s go then. But quickly. I said to Jinwoo I’d be here when he got back from his job.”

Donghan nodded stiffly and led him outside. “We’re terraporting so hold on.” He didn’t give Myungjun time to reply. He just pulled him up against his stomach and opened the ground beneath them.

Myungjun clutched his coat tight and closed his eyes. The fall seemed longer this time around and he felt positively nauseous by the time their feet hit solid ground again.

“I’m gunna puke.” Myungjun groaned, pulling away from him and crouching down on the floor with his head in his hands.

“We probably shouldn’t have come this far with you drunk.”

“I’m not drunk.” Myungjun muttered, staring at the grass beneath his feet and trying to distract himself by counting the blades. “I only had a few cups.”

“You’re a lightweight. I see you get wobbly off of one all the time and now you’ve had a few which means you’re drunk. Why did you drink so much?”

“Careful Donghan. You’re starting to make me think you do care about me after all.”

Donghan snorted in amusement above him. “Stop stealing my lines little dragon. Now get up we don’t have a lot of time remember.”

Myungjun reluctantly got to his feet, feeling a bit lightheaded. When he managed to focus on their surroundings properly, he gasped in awe.

They were standing beside a beautiful lake surrounded by an array of plants and flowers that seemed to stretch endlessly. The sun was setting over the crystal-clear water making it glisten prettily in the light. There was a wooden dock that led out onto the lake and Donghan gestured towards it.

“Go and sit at the end and try not to fall in. I’ll be back in a second.”

Myungjun was too entranced to question where he was going and walked slowly out onto the dock instead. He could see it was in mild disrepair and crouched down to warp the wood back into shape.

When he reached the end of the dock, after stopping a few more times to repair more sections of it, he sat at the end and took off his shoes and socks to dip his feet in the water. It was warm and felt like silk between his toes.

“You fixed my dock?” Donghan asked from behind him a few minutes later.

Myungjun just hummed. “It’s yours?”

“Might as well be. I’m the only person who comes here.” Donghan sat down heavily beside him and looked at his feet. “You’re making yourself at home already I see.”

“The waters nice. I want to swim in it.”

“Not whilst you’re drunk you’re not.”

Myungjun pouted and looked up at him. “Can’t you just watch me and make sure I don’t drown? I really do want to swim; I haven’t been swimming in ages. You could always swim with me?”

“Not a chance. My clothes will get wet.”

“That’s why you take your clothes off first you idiot.” Myungjun giggled at the way Donghan froze. “I didn’t mean _all_ of them.”

“I know what you meant.” Donghan scowled, his ears turning red. “But it’s still not happening. I never take my clothes off.”

“Because of your burns?”

It was silent after that. Myungjun watched emotions flickering through Donghans eyes. Sadness, anger…fear?

“You don’t have to be scared.” Myungjun said quietly. “I have them too.”

Donghan looked down at him with a frown. “You have demon burns?”

Myungjun rolled up his sleeve to show him. “I didn’t know demon blood burned this badly. It was my first ever fight outside of the academy. My town was overrun with them. Me and my little brother Sanha left my mother to go for a walk and noticed the town was too quiet. No people or animals. When we found out what was happening, we rushed back to save my mother and saw my street covered in this fog. Then the demons started materialising. I’d never been so scared in my life. They were terrifying. Their eyes, their teeth, the smell of death that lingered around them. They still haunt me in my sleep sometimes.”

“What happened?” Donghan asked, fiddling with the sleeves of his coat.

“We saved my mother of course.” Myungjun said with a smile. “Not that she really needed saving. I didn’t know at the time, but she used to fight alongside my father in Voredans competitions. She would have been fine without us. But we still saved her anyway and I sent her to help Sanha and had to face the rest alone. It was scary but I held on as long as I needed to. This guild came to kill the demon queen who was birthing all the demons. They were led by Bane the Giant Slayer.”

“I know him.” Donghan interjected. “We fought against each other in a different competition once. I almost swapped my greatsword out for a hammer after seeing him use his.”

Myungjun laughed and dragged his feet through the water again. “I do like him. He offered me a place in his guild after I saved his life.”

“You saved his life?”

Myungjun nodded happily. “He crashed through a window of someone’s house, someone who used to bully me no less, and the house was overrun by demons a second later. I don’t know why I started running towards it, I knew it was dangerous and the others tried to stop me, but I couldn’t let him die. Not at the mercy of those monsters. So I lured them away and gave their healer enough time to get to him.”

“How did you get burned then?”

“I got a little too excited holding a metal sword for the first time and chopped a demons head off.”

Donghan laughed and shook his head. “Unbelievable. Your first fight and you decapitated a demon. That’s pretty badass.”

“I didn’t really mean to. It just popped up in front of me. Scared the life out of me honestly.”

“But you still did it though. I wish my first fight was as cool as that. And before you ask, no I’m not telling you about it.” He grinned at Myungjuns pout and nudged him gently. “Don’t pout, your face will get stuck like that.”

“Then I’ll just be cute forever.” Myungjun replied sassily, giggling as Donghan rolled his eyes. “So now you know how I got burned can we go for a swim?”

“I thought you said your boyfriend would be back soon.” Donghan pointed out. “You don’t want to make him wait.”

“JinJin won’t mind. Especially when I tell him about how beautiful this place is. Where are we anyway?”

“A few miles outside of Voredan. It’s my favourite place to come to when I need to think.”

“Less thinking more removing your clothes.” Myungjun said, climbing to his feet.

Donghan grabbed his arm to stop him. “Myungjun you really need to think about how you phrase things. You sound awfully suggestive right now.”

“I don’t care how I sound. You know what I meant anyway, and I really do just want to swim.”

“We can swim after I tell you the actual reason we came out here in the first place.”

Myungjun sat back down with a sigh. At least Donghan had said they’d swim eventually. That was all he really cared about right now.

That was until Donghan revealed the object he was hiding. “This is for you. I told you we’d win it for you.”

Myungjun just stared at the bow in his hands. The grand prize the twins had won at the monster brawl. It was gorgeous.

“It’s made from blackwood that was imported from one of the foreign lands. The string is made from magically enhanced plant fibres. It’ll never snap. Not to mention all of the other enchants the bow has. I carved the symbols that’s on it myself. I did the same to Gikwangs bow when we won it for him. The symbols ward of evil spirits. At least they’re supposed too but I doubt they really work.”

Myungjun took the bow and ran his fingers up the carved wood. “Why are the symbols red if the wood is black?”

“I painted them to make them stand out. Do you like it?”

Myungjun nodded and looked up at him. “Why are you giving this to me? You said you’d win it for me if I joined your team. But I didn’t. You should be giving this to Gikwang instead.”

“Gikwang doesn’t want it. He has his own bow. Just think of it as an early birthday present.”

Myungjun looked back down at the bow wondering what he had done to deserve it. He knew already it would work so much better than his monster bone bow and it was nowhere near as heavy so it would be easier to carry around. It was worth a lot too. Probably more money than Myungjun would make all year.

A symbol caught his eye on the inside of the arc and when he looked closer, he smiled. It was shaped like his guild mark. A dragon with two sets of wings. An anomaly. He looked at its chest, expecting to see the ‘A’ but saw ‘LD’ instead.

“LD?”

“Little dragon.”

Myungjun looked up in surprise. “What would you have done if I didn’t accept this?”

“Chucked it in the lake or something, I don’t know.” Donghan said sounding unbothered as he shrugged.

Myungjun gasped and clutched the bow tight to his chest. “You monster! You can’t chuck something this beautiful away. This is worth more than my house.”

Donghan grinned at the look on his face. “I have plenty of money. I can afford to throw it away. Which is what I’ll do if you don’t accept it now.”

“I’m accepting it.” Myungjun said quickly, horrified at the idea of it going to waste. “And I’ll use it well. I’ll even take it with me when I kill my dragon.”

“When you kill your dragon?”

Myungjun nodded happily and twanged the bow string a few times. The noise was pleasant. “Father told me its tradition for a Kim to hunt and kill their first dragon when they turn seventeen. So, he’s taking me on a request next week to find one that’s been terrorising a town.”

“How long will you be gone?”

“A couple of weeks maybe. Why, will you miss me?” Myungjun asked teasingly, bumping his shoulder into Donghans arm.

Donghan snorted and climbed to his feet. “Not a chance. We’re not friends remember. I only miss my friends. Now are we going swimming or what?”

Myungjun grinned and stood up, placing his new bow gently on the dock. “I can’t believe you agreed to swim with me.”

“You said I didn’t have to be scared about showing you my burns, so I won’t be. And if you even THINK about looking at me with disgust on your face, I’ll rip it off. Understand?”

Myungjun giggled and nodded. He knew the moonshine was dulling his sense of reason. If he was sober, he’d be terrified by Donghans threat, but he didn’t seem threatening at all through the nice warm haze in his mind.

“I wouldn’t look at you in disgust anyway, it would be awfully hypocritical of me considering my skin is just as damaged.”

Donghan shrugged his coat off, laying it down carefully behind them and bent down to untie his boots. Myungjun had the sudden urge to just push him in and nearly did.

“Little dragon I can hear your thoughts. If you push me in, you’re dead.”

Myungjun giggled some more and got undressed, until he was standing in nothing but his underwear. Donghan pulled his last shoe off and looked up at him before quickly looking away again.

“Bloody hell Myungjun, I didn’t think you’d take that many clothes off.”

“Well we ARE going swimming. It would be silly to get in with more…You’re blushing. Why are you blushing? Haven’t you ever seen another person in their underwear before?” Myungjun teased, poking Donghans red ear.

He screamed a second later as Donghan shoved him off the edge of the dock. The warm water hit his back and engulfed him completely. It felt nice and he grinned happily as he broke through the surface.

However, his smile faltered when he looked up at the older boy.

He’d taken his trousers off and was pulling his shirt off over his head. His body had good proportions, lean and muscular with a slim waist, wide shoulders and long legs, but it was also covered in demon burns. It wasn’t just on his arms. They were smattered over his chest and stomach, and covered one of his thighs too. The sight made Myungjuns heart clench painfully, but he tried not to stare as Donghan removed his shirt completely.

“You shoved me in you meanie.” He pouted instead, kicking against the water to stay afloat.

“Next time don’t tease me.” Donghan said simply before jumping in.

He came up to break through the surface a few seconds later and brushed the black hair back from his forehead. The water glistened prettily on his eyelashes and Myungjun tried to count them. “You’re staring Myungjun. Don’t make me splash you.”

“Wow that was a lot less violent then I expected. I half expected you to say you’d gouge my eyeballs out or something.”

Donghan grimaced. “That’s disgusting. Who gouges eyeballs out?”

“You probably.”

“Guilty.” Donghan flashed him a wicked grin and Myungjun splashed him with water. Donghan looked positively shocked. “Oh you’re going to regret that little dragon. You better get swimming.”

Myungjun squealed and kicked away through the water. He valued his life and wanted to live another day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dongjun are thriving in this chapter wow.


	150. Medication And Spell Creation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last double upload for a while, I spoil you too much~~

Myungjun walked up the steps to the guild hall laughing with Donghan, dripping wet still from their swim at the lake. It had been refreshing and relaxing. It was a break Myungjun never knew he needed.

“Myungjun your jokes are terrible.” Donghan groaned, holding back a smile.

Myungjun made an offended noise and tried to push him. He didn’t budge an inch. “My jokes are _hilarious_. All my friends love them. Here, let me tell you another one.”

“Do I have to hear it?”

“Definitely.” Myungjun said stubbornly, pulling him to a stop outside the tavern doors. He could hear the music and chatter coming from inside and spotted his boyfriend at the bar. He wanted to run over and hug him, and maybe ask him to dry him off a bit, but first he needed to blow Donghans socks off with his joke.

“What do you call someone who talks through their trees?” Donghan raised an eyebrow and waited for his answer. “A ventreeloquist. Get it? VenTREEloquist, like ventriloquist.” He laughed loud and bright and was happy to hear Donghan splutter out a strangled laugh in return.

“That was awful. Please find a new hobby.”

“Please find a sense of humour.”

Myungjun squealed and tried to run as Donghan lunged at him but he didn’t get very far. Donghan bent down and grabbed him around the waist from behind, lifting him high off the floor to spin him around dizzyingly.

Myungjun smacked at the arms around his waist feeling nothing but regret. “Put me down! I really will be sick this time.”

“Good you deserve it.” Donghan said huffily, lowering him to the floor. “I have an excellent sense of humour I’ll have you know. Your jokes are just shit.”

Myungjun turned to look at him with a scowl, trying to see past the way the world was spinning. “Don’t be mean.”

“I haven’t been mean to you all afternoon. You have to give me SOME credit for that.”

Myungjun just sighed and held out his hand for the bow on Donghans back. “I’m tired and cold and want to hug my handsome boyfriend. Hand it over and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“You’re getting awfully mouthy with me. I’ll just pretend it’s the moonshine and let it slide this time. Have your stupid bow.” Donghan spat, pulling it off his back and thrusting it at him roughly with a scowl. “Now piss off. We’re not friends remember.”

Myungjun looked up at his angry expression for a few seconds before stepping forwards and hesitantly wrapping his arms around his waist. He hugged him quickly, resting his cheek against his stomach, before pulling away. Donghan hadn’t moved at all and looked stunned when Myungjun chanced a look up at him.

“Thank you for the bow and thank you for today. I had-”

“What the FUCK is going on here?” Gikwangs voice was filled with venom and Myungjun squeaked in fear as he turned around to look up at the blonde twin who was standing just inside the tavern doors glaring angrily at them both.

“Brother it’s not what it looks like.”

“It’s exactly what it looks like.” Gikwang hissed, taking a step towards Myungjun. Myungjun backed away and bumped into Donghan behind him. “What did I tell you Myungjun? Didn’t I speak clearly enough?”

Myungjun wanted to cry. Gikwang was going to snap his neck and his boyfriend was sitting at the bar oblivious to the whole situation.

“What are you talking about?” Donghan asked sounding confused. Myungjun was still pressed up against Donghan so he made a link with his mind and showed him what Gikwang had done, the threat, the bruises, all of it. Donghan tensed behind him and Gikwang growled in front of them angrily.

“You little snitch.” Gikwang reached out to grab Myungjun with murderous intent in his eyes but Donghan pulled Myungjun aside to stand in front of him.

“Calm yourself brother. I know you didn’t mean to threaten him. You’re not thinking straight; you haven’t had your medicine.” Donghan reached inside of his coat and pulled out a tin of white tablets. Myungjun had found them in his coat before when they were under Whitebrook. He hadn’t had the time back then to figure out what they could be for and had forgotten all about them.

Gikwang smacked the tin out of his hand where it hit the ground, bursting open and spilling the pills all over the floor. “I don’t need them.” He spat. “What I NEED is for you to make up your fucking mind.”

“Don’t do this brother.” Donghan said, voice almost pleading.

“Pick.” Gikwang said bluntly, eyes filled with anger. “Me or him.” Donghan didn’t answer and just held his ground. For a second, hurt flashed across Gikwangs face before being replaced immediately with pure rage. “I see. You’ll regret this brother.”

Gikwang pushed past them and disappeared down the dark street. Myungjun could feel the sadness rolling off of Donghan and looked up at him biting his lip nervously.

“What’s going on? What are those pills for?”

Donghan looked down at him, expression cold and distant, a far cry to what it had been a few minutes earlier. “That’s none of your business. Now leave. We won’t be seeing each other for a while.” He didn’t speak again and just bent down to pick up the pills. Myungjun tried to help but Donghan told him to get lost so he did.

He trailed into the guild feeling his good mood from his swim fizzle out and disappear and approached his boyfriend who was sitting on one of the bar stools talking to Hani.

“…scouting this year. I want to go back to the academy and see Mrs Ko.” Jinwoo finished, sipping his drink.

Hani shrugged as she buffed a glass. “Usually the guild leader goes alone but he might take you with him if you ask.” Hani saw Myungjun approach and smiled. “Jinwoo you can stop sulking now your boyfriends here.”

Jinwoo turned around quickly and frowned when he took in Myungjuns appearance. “Why are you wet? And why do you look so miserable? And where have you been?”

“I went swimming.” Myungjun mumbled, not waiting for permission and just sliding straight onto Jinwoos lap. “Dry me JinJin I’m cold. I don’t want to talk. I just want to go home.”

Jinwoo sighed and hugged him tight as he heated up. He ran his hands through Myungjuns hair to steam it dry and rubbed Myungjuns back when he was done. “Better now sunshine?”

Myungjun nodded and kissed him softly. “Let’s go.”

*  
Myungjun sat in his father’s office a few days later picking the soil out from under his fingernails as he waited for the man to come back. He’d been down in the greenhouse tending to his plants and harvesting their herbs and had come straight up here without washing his hands. Which he was now regretting. They’d been in the middle of a conversation about the upcoming job when Hani interrupted them, telling his father that she needed to speak to him. Myungjun wished his father had sent him from the room instead of just leaving it himself. At least then he could have gone to the nearest toilet to wash up.

The office door opened, and his father stepped back inside looking apologetic. “Sorry about that. Urgent business. Now, where were we?”

Myungjun watched him take a seat again before talking. “You were telling me about what type of dragon it was.”

“Oh yes. I’ve spoken to the people who posted the request and the way they described it to me indicates its nothing more than a common species that will take a few minutes at most to dispatch of. I know it’s nothing big or exciting like you were probably expecting, so I was going to ask if you’d rather deny the request and we can go and hunt something bigger off the books?”

Myungjun quickly shook his head. “The request will do. It is my first time fighting one without the opportunity for revival after all. I’d rather take things a step at a time. We can always go out and hunt something larger when I’ve gotten stronger.”

“That’s fine. I’ll send the reply tonight to say we’re taking the job then. It will be easy, but I guess it doesn’t really matter. It’s a rite of passage for us Kim’s. It’s a ceremony that marks an important stage in your life. You’ll leave a boy and come back a man. After the beast is dead, you’ll collect its teeth and you can do with them as you wish. I had the dragon teeth from my first kill made into a necklace, so maybe you’d consider doing that too.”

Myungjun asked to see it and his father unbuttoned his shirt at the top to show him. The teeth were each the size of Myungjuns fingers.

“Wow that’s cool. You weren’t magic when you killed it were you?”

His father shook his head and buttoned his shirt back up. “I wasn’t. It was a hard kill, but it was worth it. My father said he was proud of me and that was all that mattered to me at the time.” He cleared his throat awkwardly and pointed to the bow resting beside Myungjuns leg. “That’s the grand prize from the monster brawl. How did it fall into your possession?”

“Donghan gave it to me for an early birthday present.” Myungjun explained, looking down at it and stroking the wood with a small smile. “He asked me to join his team for the brawl and said he’d win it for me, but I turned him down. I wanted to go with my friends instead and we had a bit of an argument, but he still gave it to me anyway. He can be nice sometimes.” Myungjun looked up at him and sighed. “I have lots of questions about the twins. But I know they wouldn’t answer me if I asked.”

“You can ask me, and I’ll answer as best as I can.” His father offered. “However, some things are off limits. They have their own secrets that I’ve been entrusted with and I will not break that trust, not even for you.”

“I understand that. I guess my first question relates to them being shifters. I didn’t know they were like me in that sense. But somehow, they’re different. My class in the academy were taught certain forms and we ALL learnt how to shift like that. However, the twins look different when they shift. Donghan has these black objects sticking out of his back which I noticed keeps his back protected, like an extra line of defence and Gikwang turns to a paler metal that makes him really strong. I’m sure their other forms are different too and I want to know why. Didn’t they attend the academy?”

“The twins do not talk about where they came from. Even I’m not entirely sure myself. So, whether they attended the academy or not is a mystery. I could, of course, go to the academy and ask to see their records as their guild master to see if they studied there or not. But I won’t. They’ll tell me when they deem it necessary to do so. In regard to their shifter forms, the boys travel overseas a lot on jobs, and those lands beyond our own are full of different magical practices. The boys no doubt learnt how to shift that way during one of their jobs. Maybe someone taught them or maybe they even came up with it themselves.”

“You can do that?” Myungjun asked wide eyed. “Make your own forms?”

His father nodded and sat back in his chair with a small smile. “Aredrinnor itself is a structured land, full of rules and laws, many of which restrict a person’s magic. It’s always been this way. But the foreign lands are different. They have no Kings or magic counsels who tell them what they can and can’t do. They have the luxury of freedom that we do not have. However, with a freedom like that, comes danger. Here in Aredrinnor, all of its problems aside, we’re safe. We learn how to release and nurture our magic in a safe and stable way. But out there, beyond the sea, they don’t have that specific luxury. They learn through unstable means and even practice the art of creating magic. Spell creation is a lost art in Aredrinnor but still thrives outside of it. I’ve not been to many of the foreign lands beyond the sea myself but from everything I’ve seen and heard it’s all the same.”

Myungjun was stunned. It was crazy to think people could just _create_ magic. And it also sounded awfully dangerous. “So, the twins know how to create spells?”

“In terms of their shifter forms yes. You are free to ask them about it yourself, and maybe they’d even be willing to share that knowledge.” Myungjun somehow couldn’t see them being very willing but nodded all the same. His father cleared his throat again and leaned forwards in his seat to rest his elbows on his desk. “Myungjun there’s something I need to tell you.”

The way he said it made it seem like something bad was coming so Myungjun immediately tensed. “What is it?”

“As I’m sure you are aware, you were offered a place in your shapeshifting class per someone’s request. That someone was me. I requested that you have a place in that class and asked Miss Hwang not to tell you. If you knew at the time that I was the one who helped you get a place, you wouldn’t have accepted, and I wanted you to be as diverse as possible in terms of magical skills.”

Myungjun was quiet for a while as he mulled over his words. He remembered asking Miss Hwang why he was in that class when there were other people who were smarter and more capable. He didn’t get a complete answer then, but he had it now. “I’m…glad she didn’t tell me it was you. You’re right; I wouldn’t have accepted, and that would have been a shame. I love being a shifter and I loved learning in her class.”

“I’m glad to hear it. I just wanted to give you the best possible chance in life. I admit it was more out of guilt than anything else at the time. I left you and took a huge chunk out of your childhood with me. I denied you all the pleasures of growing up with two parents and I wanted to make up for that by making your future brighter.”

Myungjun gave him a small smile. “I’m not angry at you anymore for leaving, and I understand why you did it. I can’t say I would have made the same choices as you, but I think I can forgive you now.” Myungjun looked away when he saw the wetness of his father’s eyes.

“Thank you Myungjun. I don’t really feel like I deserve it yet, but I promise I’ll try my hardest to live up to it. I never wanted to be a father you’d be disappointed in, it’s just a shame it turned out that way. I’ll cherish your forgiveness…unless you’re only saying it because I’m finally taking you out for some father-son bonding time?”

Myungjun laughed at his joke and grabbed his bow before standing from his seat. He looked at his father again to see his eyes were no longer teary. “Hmm I guess that could be the reason I said it.” He joked back, flashing him a cheeky grin. “I’ll see you in a few days father. I’ll be staying at home from now until the job.”

“That’s fine. Remember to pack your bags and get plenty of sleep. And tell your mother I’ll make sure you come back in one piece, I know how she worries.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Donghan: Is clearly angry, scowling, telling Myungjun to piss off and that they’re not friends.  
> Myungjun: You know what he needs? A hug. Let’s hug him and hope we don’t get killed YEEEE
> 
> But Gikwang takes 'medication'?? Hmmm
> 
> Also...150 CHAPTERS SDKJKSJKDJF WHY IS THIS DAMN FIC SO LONG xd


	151. How To Hunt Your Dragon.

Myungjun clutched Jinwoos face tight in between his hands. Jinwoos cheeks squished together making his lips pouty and he was looking mildly embarrassed about it.

“Junnie ple-”

“Shh. I’m memorizing.” Myungjun scanned Jinwoos face for the fifth time. He still had the scar on his eyebrow and his lip from Myungjun attacking him before and he frowned at them again before moving to look at the slope of his nose. A perfect slope, very handsome. He moved up to his eyes, counting as many of his eyelashes as he could before moving back down to his lips. They weren’t as full as Myungjuns own but he had a pretty cupids bow that Myungjun wanted to kiss. So he did, ignoring the way Jinwoo was whining quietly in embarrassment. Myungjun kissed him again, but properly, before pulling back to look at him for the sixth time.

“Junnie seriously everyone’s looking at us. Aren’t you done yet?” Jinwoo was bright red at this point and Myungjun was loving it.

“I don’t care if people are looking. I’m only looking at you. I won’t see you for weeks, so I need to look at you as much as possible now.”

“Myungjun it’s time.” His father’s voice carried across the tavern towards him and he sighed and let go of Jinwoos face.

Jinwoo pulled him in for another kiss anyway, a firm press of their lips, nothing less and nothing more. “I love you sunshine. I’ll miss you terribly, but you’ll come back to me, you always do. I can’t believe I’m sending you off to kill a dragon. This is beyond crazy. Be good for me okay?”

Myungjun nodded happily and hugged him tight. “I’ll be back before you know it and then I expect _at least_ a thousand kisses. Understand?” Jinwoo pulled back to salute dutifully making Myungjun giggle. “Bye JinJin.”

Myungjun stepped away and weaved through the tavern tables saying his goodbyes to the others until he reached the doors. He turned back around to wave at Jinwoo, who waved back cutely with both hands.

Myungjun turned to leave before remembering what he needed to say. “JinJin don’t let Hyungwon-hyung drink-”

“Too many cups of coffee in the mornings because he gets sick.” Jinwoo finished for him with a grin. “Don’t tell Hoseok-hyung to shut up or he gets sad. Keep Youngjae and Moonbin out of trouble. Give Rocky Jr AT LEAST three hugs a day from you and look after your mother and Sanha. Am I missing anything?”

Myungjun grinned and nodded. “Look after yourself too JinJin. Our kids come first but you’re a close second.” Jinwoo picked up the nearest fork to throw at him and Myungjun dodged it with a giggle. “Love you handsome.” Jinwoo blushed as people around the tavern whistled and laughed and Myungjun waved goodbye before leaving.

Donghan and Gikwang were walking up the steps and they all froze as they looked at each other. Myungjun was happy to see they were together again. Whatever weird argument they’d had, had obviously been resolved and Myungjun was relieved.

“You’re leaving now?” Donghan asked.

Myungjun nodded and gave him a small smile. “You can have a few weeks off from training with me now, lucky you.” Gikwang mumbled something under his breath and Donghan elbowed him in the ribs with a scowl. Myungjun didn’t want to know what he had said and just descended the steps towards them. He brushed past Donghan muttering goodbye.

“Little dragon?”

Myungjun stopped at the carriage door and turned to look at him. “Yes?”

“Be careful. And don’t lose that bow.”

Myungjun grinned and patted the wood. “I won’t. I’ll look after it I promise. See you soon.”

He finally climbed up into the carriage and sat down against the leather seats with a sigh.

“Are you ready to go?” His father asked from the seat opposite him.

“As ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s go kill a dragon.”

*

The carriage rides with his father were a lot better than the ones with Gikwang. His father liked to talk and laughed at Myungjuns jokes no matter how terrible, even going as far as cracking some of his own. He’d packed lunch for them the first day and the following days after that they stopped whenever they could for food. They didn’t stop at any inns to sleep, they just slept in the carriage and by the time they got to the town they needed to be in, Myungjun was desperate for a nice warm bath, or a shower at the very least.

“We’ll stop here.” His father explained as he paid their carriage driver his fair. He handed the rest of his coins to Myungjun after. “I’ll get our bags; you go and get us some rooms.”

Myungjun accepted the task happily enough and skipped up the path to the small, white inn they’d pulled up in front of. The nice-looking man behind the front desk smiled up at him and revealed he had two rooms left. Myungjun handed over the coins and accepted the keys.

“Oh Mr Kim, I haven’t seen you in a long time. How have you been?” The innkeeper suddenly asked, looking over Myungjuns shoulder.

“I’ve been fine, it’s nice to see you again. How is your son?” Myungjuns father asked as he stepped inside with their bags.

“He’s growing well. Soonyoung will be graduating the academy this year, so we’ll have something to celebrate.”

“That’s good news. He was tiny when I first saw him. How old is he now? Twelve, thirteen?”

“Sixteen.”

“Wow has it really been that long? Time flies. Anyway, did you have any rooms?”

“All bought and paid for. There’s hot water and I can cook you some breakfast if you’re interested?”

“That would be great thank you. Let’s go Myungjun.”

*

Breakfast was delicious and filling, the perfect fuel for the day ahead and Myungjun was feeling better now after his shower. His father finished off his food and sat back with a content sigh.

“It’s about time I showed you the request.” He pulled the parchment out and handed it to Myungjun who took it eagerly.

**Help Wanted! Dragon Sighting.**

Myungjun read through all the details quickly, about the location and information concerning the mountain ranges where the dragons lair was supposed to be. It would take a few days on foot but Myungjun had come prepared with his comfiest shoes.

His eyes widened when they reached the bottom of the parchment.

**Reward: 1,000,000 coins**

“A million?” He squeaked. “That’s crazy!”

“Being a dragon slayer is risky business, so the reward is always high. That’s only for a common dragon too. The bigger ones reward a lot more.” Myungjun was stunned and his father laughed at his face. “It’s your rite of passage so the money is all yours at the end of it. I’m sure you have a few things you’d like to buy.”

Myungjun nodded slowly, trying to accept the fact he was about to be a million coins richer. “I’m saving up to move out with Jinwoo. I love being at home with mother and Sanha but the carriage rides to and from the guild take up time.”

“You want to move out already? You’re still very young.”

“You got married at seventeen remember. I bet you moved out with mother then as well.”

Myungjun grinned at the uncomfortable look on his father’s face. “I guess I can’t argue with that. I did marry your mother very young. We were perfect together and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her, so I didn’t see the point in waiting.”

“Do you still love her?” Myungjun asked cautiously.

His father sighed and poured himself some water. “We’ve spent nearly seventeen years apart. People change, feelings change too. I don’t love your mother anymore, but I will shamelessly admit it would be easy enough to fall in love with her again. However, that ship has long since sailed.”

“Have you been with anyone since my mother? I’ve never heard you talk of anyone else before.”

“I have the guild and now I have you. I do not need anything else. No-one else has caught my attention like your mother did all of those years ago and I don’t think anyone else will. I’m not sad about that either. I’m happy enough with how things are now.”

Myungjun finished off the rest of his meal in silence, feeling a bit disappointed at his father’s words. He knew there was no chance of his parents getting back together but it would be a lie to say he hadn’t entertained himself with those thoughts once or twice.

“What about you?” His father spoke up after a while. “Is Jinwoo the one you want to be with for the rest of your life?”

Myungjun nodded happily. “I love him. More than I’ve ever loved anyone. I think I fell in love with him the moment I laid eyes on him, but I just didn’t know it at the time. He says we’re soulmates and I believe him. We go well together, fight well together and enjoy each other’s company. He’s brave and strong and selfless and always puts me first. I admire him and look up to him more than anyone else. He’s so dedicated to what he likes and what he wants, he always pushes himself to do better even when he has bad days. He just tackles everything with such passion, and I know that’s partly due to the effect of his magic but it’s also just who Jinwoo is as a person. He’s passionate in fighting, passionate in working hard and passionate in loving me. No-one else could love me the way Jinwoo does and I wouldn’t want them too anyway. I only want Jinwoo. It will always only be Jinwoo.”

His father had watched him talk patiently, his expression growing fonder as the seconds passed. He was smiling softly as Myungjun finished and it made Myungjun look away in embarrassment. Had he said too much?

“I admit, when I first saw you together, I was…surprised that you liked boys, and a bit apprehensive if I’m going to be completely honest. But I can see now that there was nothing for me to worry about. I’ve been keeping a close eye on Jinwoo and I approve of everything I’ve seen so far. He’s everything I wanted to be when I was younger, minus the fire magic, so I do admire him too in some ways. He’s lucky to have you as well. I’m sure he’d have a million things to say about you in return if I asked to hear them. But like you said, he’s passionate, he’d probably talk my ear off.”

Myungjun laughed and couldn’t disagree. Speaking about his boyfriend with his father in such a way made his heart warm. It was relieving to hear Jinwoo had his father’s approval. He could now be happy in the knowledge that both of his parents accepted him and accepted their relationship.

“Will you ever get married?” His father asked, pulling him out of his thoughts. “Have you spoken about it?”

“We’ve been speaking about it for a while.” Myungjun admitted. He felt the usual butterflies erupt in his stomach at the thought of it. “Jinwoo said that that’s what he’s saving up for. Our priorities are a bit different it seems. I want to move out, but he wants to get married.”

“They’re both big steps to take and big commitments to make. All I can ask is that you make sure you only do them when you feel ready. You’ll regret it if you rush things for the sake of obtaining them. With that being said, we should really leave. This dragon has been terrorising this town long enough.”

*

They’d been searching for the dragon in the mountain ranges for three days before his father finally picked up a trail. Myungjun followed close behind as his father pointed out all of the details.

“These are the tips my father taught me. When tracking a dragon, it’s always the most obvious clues people miss. You need to rely on your senses and your gut instinct because nine times out of ten they’re right. Let your body be your guide, not the surroundings. People try to track dragons on the ground like they would normal prey, but dragons are far from it. The dragon is the predator, WE are the prey and we need to think like it. Look around you, what do you see?”

Myungjun looked through the dense forest they were surrounded by and frowned. He saw nothing. Oh. “It’s not about what we see. It’s about what we DON’T see. There are no animals.”

“Exactly. Our first sign that something is amiss. Animals, upon sensing a greater predator, take flight to preserve their lives. They may not see the predator, but they use their senses to locate them. We can do the same. Our first one is sight. As humans we rely on this the most but there is looking and there is _seeing_. You can look for signs of dragon activity but that doesn’t necessarily mean you will see them. Most people would look through this forest and see the trees, but we see the lack of animals. Our next sense, hearing. Just because we can’t see the animals, doesn’t mean they can’t still be here. So, listen and tell me what you hear.”

Myungjun closed his eyes to focus solely on the noise around them. “It’s silent. No leaves rustling on the floor or in the trees. But I don’t trust myself enough. I can hear the whispers of the trees and the plants around us, it may be covering up the noise.”

“You hear the whispers of plants without the need for touch?” Myungjun opened his eyes and nodded. His father hummed thoughtfully. “That’s unusual and unfortunately in this type of terrain you can’t escape it. Nevermind, my ears work well enough alone. Our next sense, smell. When tracking a dragon, the most obvious scent is objects aflame. In this case, burning wood maybe. Also, the smell of smoke from the beast itself is always very prominent, but it will have an underlying odour. Can you guess what that might be?”

Myungjun thought hard for a few seconds. The dragon he had raised in the academy had always had a smell when she blew smoke in his face. “It’s usually whatever they’ve consumed recently. Smoke is breathed out of a dragon’s nose to cool the fire in their throat, so they’re connected.”

“Correct. So, we’d assume when tracking one we’d be able to smell burning food. Whether it be animal or human. It would be stronger the more recent the dragon’s meal. And for us, we would want it to be as strong as possible. A hungry dragon is a great deal more dangerous as you can probably imagine. In terms of the other sense, touch, that would depend on your magic type. You, for example, could touch the trees and the forest floor to sense where they’re in pain if there is fire. Whereas I, a fire user, will touch the floor and sense where there is heat. This is a skill that needs to be practiced well, so I doubt you would be able to achieve it first time. Taste is the last sense. How does the air taste? Thick? Smokey? A strange concept but a necessary one. Senses aside, there are less obvious things to look out for. A heavy atmosphere. You’d sense this more in your chest. A heavy atmosphere promising danger. It’s something lesser animals would be able to sense too and it’s how they know when to flee. The atmosphere gets heavier and the uneasiness in your gut grows as you approach a predator. Even if you look, and there appears to be no danger, that doesn’t mean you’re _seeing_. I know some of this may seem silly to you, silly and a little obvious, but they’re important. It’s because they’re so obvious that people overlook them. However, overlooking the obvious can get you killed and that is not the plan today. Now we’re going to carry on walking and the second you sense something I’d like for you to tell me. Think of it as part of your training.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Myungjin=soft  
> Myungjun being the embarrassing boyfriend in the beginning and then gushing about Jinwoo to his father is the content I like to create oof~~
> 
> Also I re-read this chapter (the dragon hunting tips part) and I realise how much sh*t I talk. Like I can literally make anything up and it would be believable because it's obviously my world xd   
> Would these tips work in real life though? pftt


	152. A Mother Of Dragons.

It took another day of searching before Myungjun sensed anything. They’d been inside the forest, that sloped up the mountain ranges, for the last four days and Myungjun was beginning to miss his bed. He grew moss with his magic for them to sleep on, but it wasn’t the same.

It was a smell he picked up on first. When he first breathed it in, he was confused. It smelled like campfires and spice. It smelled like Jinwoo. It smelled so similar his brain short circuited and he stopped dead in the middle of the trees.

“Myungjun?”

Myungjun snapped out of it and looked at his father who was watching him with hopeful eyes. “The smell. I smell it now. Its strong, burning wood.”

His father nodded with a smile. “I was wondering when you’d pick up on it. I had the scent yesterday and was beginning to wonder if your nose actually worked at all.”

Myungjun snorted in amusement and started walking again. “I think it’s because I’m around Jinwoo so much that I’ve gotten used to his smell. He smells like burning wood too.”

“Well the smell is so strong now I’d say five more minutes and we’ve found our dragon.”

Five minutes later and they DID find their dragon. His father told him to wait whilst he crept ahead, and he came back a minute later to talk.

“There’s a clearing just through those trees.” He whispered lowly. “I was right, it’s a common species, green in colour about the size of a carriage. We’re in luck, its sleeping and the area is littered with bones, some fresh so it’s eaten recently enough. If you can get a good enough shot, you can end it with one arrow. We may not even have to fight at all. And wouldn’t that be a story to tell?”

Myungjun grinned at the idea. He could already imagine how impressed Jinwoo would be and he wanted that. Jinwoo would tell him how amazing he was and call him his good boy and shower him with kisses. He’d be proud of him and that’s all that Myungjun wanted.

So, he pulled his bow from his back, relishing the weightlessness of it for a second before loosely nocking an arrow on it and gesturing for his father to lead the way. They crept through the forest until they came out at the edge of the tree line. It led to a clearing like his father said and Myungjun immediately saw the dragon.

He was startled to see it was the exact same species of dragon he had fought in the crucible. Jinwoo had run up its wing to blind its other eye and Rocky had ended its life. This one was much smaller, but the spiked tail wrapped around it looked just as deadly.

Myungjun took a deep breath before getting into position. He weighed up his options, deciding straight through the eye would work best, especially with his new powerful bow, and lifted it up in front of him keeping his arm steady. He took longer than usual getting it positioned as he wanted it to be the perfect shot before pulling the string back taut.

Myungjun loosed and the arrow tore through the air at a faster rate than what he was used too in comparison to his old bow. It hit its mark and the sleeping dragon was dead in an instant. Myungjun cheered excitedly and performed a little victory dance, much to his father amusement, before racing out into the clearing to retrieve his arrow and his teeth.

His father helped him knock them free from the dragon’s jaw and Myungjun petted it scaly head feeling a little bit sad.

“I’m sorry for killing you. You’re beautiful and I know you were just hungry which is why you terrorized the town. Thank you for helping me become a man. I won’t forget you.” When Myungjun looked up he noticed his father was watching him curiously. “What?”

“You’re very kind-hearted. I always said you let your emotions get the better of you, but I see they make you better in some ways as well. I’ve certainly never thanked any of the dragons I’ve killed.”

“Well you should.” Myungjun huffed lightly. “Even if you just thank them for the thrill of the hunt. They’re living creatures too. They might be more dangerous than us, but they still deserve our respect.”

“I will make note of that.” His father said amused as he handed the rest of Myungjuns teeth over. He stood up to stretch but froze as a breeze ruffled his hair. “Myungjun we have a problem.”

“What?” Myungjun asked, quickly climbing to his feet after him and instinctually pulling his bow off his back again. “Are there more?”

His father nodded and pointed towards the trees. “North of here. I’m almost certain there’s a nest.”

“A nest?” Myungjun squeaked fearfully. “But where there’s nests there’s-”

A giant black shape swept over the clearing, brushing the tops of the trees surrounding it and completely blocking out the sun.

“…a mother.” Myungjun finished weakly. The dragon let out an angry, deafening screech before disappearing over the trees and revealing the sun. “Is it leaving? Are we safe?”

“No. We’re far from safe. That’s no ordinary dragon. The nest nearby is of a different species, a deadlier species that cannot be harmed by fire.” Myungjuns stomach dropped. His father was the strongest of them both but if his magic was rendered useless then they were as good as dead. “We need to leave Myungjun. Right now. Run and don’t look back.”

They tore off across the clearing. It was a big clearing and seemed to stretch endlessly in Myungjuns panicked mind.

He screamed as the dragon appeared above the trees a second later to land heavily in front of them with another awful screech, shaking the ground under its weight. It was gigantic, the biggest dragon Myungjun had ever seen, bigger than the one he had taken on alone in the crucible. It was pitch black in colour and its scales looked deadly sharp when the sun glinted off of them. Myungjun could see its teeth. Sharp and deadly and each one of them bigger than Myungjuns bow.

“Myungjun run. I’ll buy you some time.” His father ordered, using his leader tone as he pulled his battered sword free from his belt. Myungjun had seen that weapon the first ever day he had laid eyes on the man in Voredans coffee shop. A battered sword versus a dragon of that size? He’d die. And Myungjun knew that they both knew it.

 _I’ll buy you some time_.

His father was going to sacrifice himself for him. Myungjun wouldn’t allow it. He watched his father run ahead and pulled his bow free. I’ll just do what I did for Jinwoo, Myungjun thought desperately, I’ll blind it.

He nocked, drawed and loosed. The arrow tore through the air and bounced off of its eye.

_It bounced off._

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion after that. Exactly how time had slowed when he watched Jinwoo and Rocky be murdered right in front of his eyes.

The dragons tail whipped around and hit his father full force. He flew across the clearing and crunched sickeningly against a boulder.

Myungjun knew no one could survive that. He stared up at the dragon as his grief hit him so hard it knocked the air out of his lungs.

Then he felt the power shift. He let it happen, welcomed it, relished it, NEEDED it.

He pulled his vines through the floor with a pained scream, hundreds of them bursting free as dirt sprayed up in chunks. He wrapped them around every inch of the gigantic beast he could reach. It screeched furiously and tried to fight it but Myungjun wouldn’t give it room to move.

He forced his magic through them and squeezed. He squeezed until he heard the sickening crunch of its bones. If his fathers’ bones had to break, then so did hers. The dragon looked down at him, opening its mouth to breath one last flame.

Myungjun focused on transforming to metal and was satisfied to see he shifted immediately. Even the twins hadn’t shifted that fast.

The dragon fire washed over him and he felt nothing. He wasn’t sure his normal metal shift could withstand such heat, but with this added power boost it was easy enough.

He squeezed one last time and the dragon exploded.

He let go of his vines and scrubbed the tears and blood from his face before ripping a strip of material from his shirt. He found a lump of the dragon’s flesh and scooped up some blood to use as ink.

He sent his makeshift note through the floor and stumbled across the clearing to his fathers’ body, feeling the grief wash over him in unrelenting, suffocating waves. He fell to his knees and uncrumpled him, using his new power to fuse all of his bones in a matter of seconds and sealed all of his wounds. He looked better now, almost healthy.

Until Myungjun looked closer and he saw it. Signs of internal bleeding. Something he didn’t know how to heal. He felt his heart break looking at the tiny rise and fall of his father’s chest as he struggled for breath. He really would die. All because Myungjun was a terrible healer.

The sob he let out was broken and defeated. He brushed the hair off of his father’s forehead. The man who left him. The man who damaged him beyond repair. The man he hated all his life.

The man who never stopped loving him.

“Father no.” Myungjun choked out. “Please don’t leave me I just got you back. You can’t leave. We have so many things to do together still. Don’t you want that? Don’t you want to do more together? Like go for coffee and take walks and go for picnics in the park. I can’t cook very well but Jinwoo can. I’ll ask him to cook for us when we get back so we can go for a picnic okay? We’ll even invite Jinwoo too. And mother and Sanha. We can all go. Because we’re a family still. We’re a family and we need you there to complete it so you can’t die. You just can’t. Who’s going to teach me how to shave? I don’t need to yet, but I will one day. I need to look good for when I get married. Don’t you want to see me get married? Don’t you want to walk me down the aisle? Mother said she would do it but that’s your job. You can’t die just to get out of doing it. That’s a bit overdramatic don’t you think?” He laughed thickly, wiping the tears out of his eyes. It was ineffective, they just kept falling, thicker and faster. “Please don’t do this. This is all my fault. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for being a bad son. I’m sorry for being a bad healer. I’m sorry I can’t save you.” Myungjun leaned forwards to rest his forehead on his father’s chest. He could feel the weak beating of his heart underneath it. “I forgive you. I already told you that so why wasn’t that enough? Are you going to die just to spite me? I promise I’ll be better. I promise I’ll be better if you just come back to me. Please don’t leave me alone, I can’t do this without you.”

He felt his father’s warm arms wrap around him and cried harder. “Myungjun.” His voice was as weak as his heart. “It’s okay. Don’t cry. I won’t leave you; I’ll never leave you. I’ll always watch over you, to see how you grow, to see you get married, to see you become a father of your own. I love you. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone else before and I’m sorry too. Be strong for me. Your mother needs you. Jinwoo needs you. And the guild needs you.”

Myungjun looked up at him to see his smile. “I don’t want to be strong. I just want you.”

“You have me. Always. My beautiful, kind-hearted boy. You’ll be okay.”

Myungjun watched his eyes flutter shut and felt the power shift inside of him again. He didn’t need it anymore. He didn’t need anything anymore.

He just lay there against his father’s chest and let the darkness take him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> …


	153. The Letter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always write notes in **BOLD** , so this letter is in **BOLD** too, sorry if that annoys you lol

**JinJin. It’s me. Well of course you know who it is. Me and father are okay. He’s alive thanks to you. You sent Gikwang and he found us in time. An hour later and my father would have died. I owe you so much and I’ll never be able to repay you.**

**My father is coming back to the guild but I’m not. I couldn’t save him myself and if Gikwang hadn’t saved him then he would have died because of me. Because I’m not a good enough healer. I haven’t learnt enough yet. I don’t KNOW enough yet.**

**I’m aware that the twins could teach me. But they have their own lives, their own requests to complete, they already help me enough. I also don’t want their help because that would require me to come back to the guild and I’m not worthy of doing that anymore. I wasn’t worthy of it to begin with.**

**The whole guild nearly lost their leader because of me. I can’t face them, I can’t face our friends, our family, I can’t face you. I’m ashamed JinJin. I’m ashamed of how weak I am. I have all this power and I still couldn’t do the one thing I’m supposed to be the strongest at.**

**So, I’m accepting the Kings offer. I’m accepting his golden scroll. He told me to keep them in case I changed my mind and I guess that time has come. I’m going to become an apprentice healer. I’m going to learn all there is to know from the best healers in Aredrinnor. I’m going to become one of the best healers in Aredrinnor so I can come back to Dragon Blades with my head held high. I need to do this. Not just for me, or my father, but for everyone. For everyone in the guild, my mother, for everyone I’ll ever meet in the future and most importantly for you. I won’t risk your life by being a weak healer anymore. I’ll become strong so I can protect you properly.**

**But the offer comes with a condition. I have to stay in the castle. The castle only opens its gates once a year to the public, so you understand what that means don’t you? Of course you do. I won’t be seeing you for a while. A long while. I don’t know how long it will take for me to learn. A long time maybe. But I’ll work as hard as possible to get back to you JinJin I promise.**

**You’re probably sitting at our table in the tavern right now, worried about how me and father are doing. Wondering if Gikwang got to us in time. You’re probably looking at the doors right now waiting for us to come back. To come back home. The thought breaks my heart. I’m so sorry for doing this to you. We’ve been apart for so long already and now I’m making you wait even longer. I always told you I was a selfish brat didn’t I? I can almost hear you laughing now.**

**But I also have my own conditions. For you. I can’t have any distractions. I need to focus solely on doing this and doing it well. So, I don’t want you to send me any notes. I don’t even want you to send me one in reply to this letter. I don’t want you to try and see me either. I don’t want you to come to the castle on the day the gardens are open. I don’t want you to come and see the Kings appearance. If I see you or hear from you it’s just going to make this harder. I’m going to want to change my mind and come back to you and I’ll never get stronger. You’ll just be holding me back Jinwoo. Please don’t hold me back. Let me go and let me do this.**

**I know you’ll let me do this. You always put me first. You always listen to what I say. You always give me everything I want. And I’m selfishly using that to my advantage now. I’m sorry for being this way. I’m a horrible, horrible boyfriend I know. You’re going to be angry at me. Angry that I’m asking all of these heart-breaking things of you. Angry that I’m asking you through a letter. But most of all you’ll be angry because I’m not coming to say goodbye.**

**I want you to be angry. If you’re angry you won’t want to see me or send me notes. Your anger will fuel you to work harder, to take on more jobs, to get stronger too. Then the time will fly. You’ll hardly notice the days go by and then all too soon I’ll be back again. I’ll come back and I’ll make it up to you I promise.**

**You’re the love of my life Jinwoo. You’re not just my boyfriend, you never have been just my boyfriend. You’re the one I was meant to find and fall in love with. The one I’ve spent a thousand lifetimes with before and the one I’ll spend a thousand lifetimes with after this one too. My soulmate. My handsome, strong, selfless, brave soulmate. My heart, body and soul will ache every single day until I’m back in your arms again. I’ll miss you terribly. I’ll miss everything about you. Your gorgeous smile, your bright laughter, the scent of your skin. I could list a hundred things I’ll miss, and I still wouldn’t have covered everything. I know you’ll miss me too. I know you’ll wait for me as I will wait for you. I’m just sorry you have to wait at all.**

**I wish I didn’t have to do this. I wish I was strong enough and skilled enough already. But I’m not. ******

********

**I must ask one more thing of you. I know. You’re probably reading this thinking ‘what more could my annoying selfish bratty boyfriend possibly want?’**

********

**I want you to tell everyone that I’m sorry. Tell all of our friends that I’m sorry I’m not coming back, not yet anyway. Let them know that just because I’m gone, it doesn’t mean they can wreak havoc and cause lots of trouble. ESPECIALLY Moonbin and Youngjae. Tell them they’ll get a terrible beating if I come back and find out they’ve stepped out of line.**

********

**The only relief that I can offer you is that you don’t have to break this news to my mother. I’ve already explained everything to her. In fact, I’m sitting in your bed right now as I write this. It smells just like you. Your pillow is a bit wet and snotty now though, so I’m sorry about that as well.**

********

**I’m leaving my ring behind. Because I want you to give it back to me when I come home. I want you to tell me that you still want to be my boyfriend when all of this is over. So I know you’ve forgiven me.**

********

**This letter isn’t a goodbye Jinwoo. Goodbyes are too final. This is just a see you soon. Stay safe, eat lots of good food and get plenty of sleep.**

********

**I love you Park Jinwoo. Always and forever.**

********

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SCREAMING  
> I ALWAYS reply to your comments when I can but the last chapter I couldn't reply to any of them because I knew if I tried I'd end up trying to reassure you that HE'S ALIVE!!! Could you imagine if I actually killed him off when they'd only just reconciled?? That would have been disgustingly cruel >.<
> 
> The last chapter had an added scene which I deleted. When Myungjun died in the academy (if you even remember that far back) I added the scene right at the end where he got resurrected so everyone wouldn't freak out and think I actually killed him. I did the same thing in the last chapter. I wrote the scene where Gikwang came to the rescue but ultimately decided to cut it. I wanted his fathers 'death' to hit harder and I'm sorry for that lmao
> 
>  
> 
> **A summary of the deleted scene:**
> 
>  
> 
> I basically googled how long it took for a person to die from internal bleeding and depending on what type of bleeding it is, it can take up to a couple days. So Myungjun would have obviously woken up after blacking out from his power shift to see his father was, in fact, still alive. He would have tried everything to save him (pumping him full of magical energy etc etc) and it would have been terribly depressing that he couldn't help him even then. He would have stayed beside him overnight, talking to him even though he was in no condition to talk back and at some point the next day he would have heard a noise and looked up to see Gikwang falling out of the sky.
> 
> The thing about Gikwang is he's nasty and hates Myungjun and is downright evil sometimes, but he also wouldn't let his father die. In my chapter 'The Twins' when I first introduced them, Gikwang clearly didn't want to help Myungjun and tried to decline but when Myungjuns father ordered him too, he obeyed. Even though the power difference is so obvious between them (Gikwang could literally kill Myungjuns father in the blink of an eye) Which means he has some respect for his guild leader (and maybe cares for him a bit??) So Gikwang would have healed him, bringing him back from the brink of death which would have drained him considerably.
> 
>  
> 
> **But how did Gikwang know where to find them, they were in the mountains?**
> 
>  
> 
> Well Jinwoo clearly went to ask Gikwang for help after receiving the note and Gikwang would have gone to Hani and asked to see the form Myungjun and his father filled out when accepting the job (with the location, reward, their signatures etc) so he would have known the town. He got there so fast because he flew all the way there using his magic instead of getting a carriage (which would have taken 3-4 days) and that would have already drained him quite a bit. Finding them in the mountain ranges would have been trickier but he has his hearing and he could have heard Myungjun talking to his father.
> 
>  
> 
> **Where the hell was Donghan?**
> 
>  
> 
> He literally could have terraported to the town with gikwang and it would have only taken a few minutes to get there at most instead of Gikwang flying for over a day. Well we all know by now how Donghan would have rushed to their aid, which meant he didn't hear about it, which meant he wasn't at the guild when Jinwoo went to look for one of the twins. Gikwang didn't even contact him after finding out either which means he was busy. He might have been on a job.
> 
> But anyway, LEO RETURNS NEXT CHAP IM SO EXCITED  
> And poor Jinwoo receiving this letter after that bloodied note :(


	154. The Return Of The King.

The carriage ride to the castle was long and lonely. He took carriage rides into Voredan every day to get to the guild but this one was by far the longest. It was the longest because he didn’t have Jinwoo to talk to, to joke around with, to tickle or kiss or cuddle. And he wouldn’t have that again for a long time. The thought was heart-breaking.

Part of him wondered if this was a big mistake. Not going to the castle and learning, because he needed to do that regardless, but a mistake to leave without saying goodbye.

The letter had been gut-wrenching to write, and he could only imagine how Jinwoo would feel reading it. He was probably on his way back home now, trying to catch Myungjun before he left but it was too late. He’d already been waved through the city gates and he could see the giant white and gold castle looming above him.

Thinking about how much time they’d spend apart brought tears to Myungjuns eyes. He’d spent two years studying healing at the academy and it felt like he’d hardly learnt anything at all. So how many years would it take to actually learn the important stuff?

Myungjun wanted to cry at the thought. So, he did. He knew now how much of a mistake it had been to send that letter. He should have spent the day with Jinwoo, explaining exactly why he needed to do this and having a proper, healthy goodbye. But now he’d ruined it. He’d been selfish enough to deny Jinwoo that decency.

And how much more of his selfishness would Jinwoo be able to withstand before he grew annoyed and left him? He couldn’t blame him if he did. He WAS selfish. After dying at the academy, he’d promised himself that he’d be a better boyfriend. He wouldn’t take so much from Jinwoo and he’d always give back in return. But had he done that enough? No. And now he wouldn’t be able to do it at all. Not for a long, long time.

The carriage pulled up outside the castle and Myungjun scrubbed his eyes dry before grabbing all of his things and handing over some coins for his fare. He transported all of his stuff to the main golden gates and presented his golden scroll. The guards opened the gates and a woman came rushing out to help him with his things.

“MYUNGJUN! WAIT!”

Myungjun spun around wide eyed at the sound of his boyfriend’s voice. Jinwoo was running for his life down the street towards him, and even from a distance Myungjun could see how swollen his face was. He’d been crying, a lot by the looks of it, and Myungjun felt his heart break all over again.

Jinwoo reached him in record time, and instead of hugging him like Myungjun was expecting, Jinwoo just shoved the letter against his chest with an angry growl, the force of his shove sending Myungjun stumbling backwards a step.

“Kim Myungjun you absolute ASSHOLE. You horrible, selfish, bratty idiot. I hate you. I hate that you were going to do this to me. I’m so ANGRY. Who do you think you are doing this to me? You were just going to leave without saying goodbye? And through a LETTER? Are you _insane_?”

“JinJin I-”

“No, you’re not allowed to say anything. You’re going to listen to me and you’re going to listen to me well. I am NOT letting you do this to me. You can’t leave me like this. I haven’t seen you for WEEKS already and now you want to leave me for months? YEARS? Do you know how worried I was when I received your note asking for help? It was written in blood Myungjun, BLOOD. I didn’t know whose it was. It could have been yours. I THOUGHT it was yours.” Jinwoo was openly crying at this point but pulled away when Myungjun reached out for him. “Don’t. I’m angry at you and I don’t want you to make me feel better. You said you wanted me to be angry remember? So now I’m angry. No, that’s not enough. I’m FURIOUS with you. I can’t believe you sent me that stupid letter. I don’t care how ashamed you are. You should have come to me, come to your friends. You didn’t even need to step foot inside the guild, we could have met elsewhere. You even went home to pack. We could have met there and spoken about this but no. And don’t you DARE say that you’re doing this for us. You’re doing this for yourself, you’re running away instead of facing your problems AGAIN. What happened the last time you did that huh? The last time you ran away from me? You DIED Myungjun. You actually died and I STILL blame myself for that. And now you want to run away again without saying goodbye? You’re horrible, selfish, nasty, the world’s biggest JERK.” He screamed in frustration and tore the letter in half, throwing it at Myungjuns chest where it fell to the ground and fluttered away in the light breeze.

“JinJin please, I have to-”

“I know.” Jinwoos tone was suddenly soft, pleading, he grabbed Myungjuns face to stroke his cheeks with his thumbs. “I know you have to do this. I know you have to get stronger. I want that for you. I want you to learn and grow and become so strong you can save us all when we need saving. But you didn’t have to do it this way sunshine. You should have come back to me first. I nearly went home to look for you there, but I _know_ you. I knew you’d leave straight away so I came here instead and I’m glad I did. How can I live without you and let you go if I don’t even know if you’re okay or not? I can see now that you are, but I didn’t know that did I? You were really going to put me through that? How could you?”

“I’m sorry.” Myungjun choked out. “I knew it was a mistake. I knew it the second I entered the city. I shouldn’t have done that to you and I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry JinJin. I’m horrible. I know I’m horrible, and nasty, and selfish and the world’s biggest jerk. Everything you said is true.”

“You’re not.” Jinwoo laughed wetly. “Well you kind of are, but I only said it because I was angry. I just needed to let it out or I was going to combust. You’re going to leave me, and I’m not allowed to see you or send you notes or come anywhere near the castle. I understand why, but that doesn’t make it any easier. And it’s just like you said, I always put you first, I always give you everything you want, no matter how painful or upsetting it is for me. I’d do anything for you sunshine.”

“You’re letting me go?” Myungjun asked quietly in disbelief. “I thought you were coming here to stop me.”

“I’d never stop you from doing something you needed to do. If you think this is the best thing for you, then I support it. Because I just want you to be happy and I know you can’t be happy at the guild like this anymore. So, I won’t hold you back. I’m not as selfish as you are. I’m selfless like you said and stupidly so. And I’m also stupid because I love you too much. You were right. You ARE the love of my life and I’ll wait a hundred years if I have to for you to come back to me. And you will. You’ll come back, strong and clever and skilled and you’ll put all the healers in our guild to shame. And I’ll do what you asked. I’ll tell everyone that you’re sorry because I know you are. I’ll tell them you’ll be back soon, and I’ll make sure to keep the others out of trouble for you. It’ll be hard being a single parent to eight kids, but I’ll do it.”

Myungjun laughed and wiped the tears from Jinwoos face whilst Jinwoo wiped his. “You’ll do an excellent job JinJin. You’re a lot more responsible than I am anyway. I’ll come back and they’ll be well behaved I just know it.”

Jinwoo grinned before letting his face go and pulling the ring off of his finger. He took Myungjuns wrist gently and put it on him instead. “You’re leaving yours with me, so I’ll leave mine with you. I can’t let you go without something to remind you of me. You might forget about me otherwise.”

“I could never forget you.” Myungjun gasped in offence before lowering his voice. “And anyway, I already have half of your clothes in my bags, so I have plenty to remind myself of you.”

Jinwoo laughed loud and bright, shaking his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you robbed me as well. I’m going to have to buy new ones now.”

“Well I left plenty of coin behind to repay you.” Myungjun admitted with a grin. “I made a lot of money killing that dragon. I’ll tell you all about it when I come home. But I really should go now JinJin.”

Jinwoos face fell and he nodded his head sadly. “You should. It’s going to be hard whether we do it now or in a few hours’ time. I just want you to be sure about this Myungjun. Tell me you’re sure you need to do this. I don’t want you to go unsure and then end up regretting it. Our lives are too short, I don’t want you to waste the time we have left together.”

“I’m sure.” Myungjun replied quietly. “I can’t NOT do this. I need to be better, and stronger, and more skilled. He nearly died JinJin. I thought he had, and I’ve never felt grief like it before. I can’t go through that again. Just promise me you’ll wait for me, that you won’t give up on me or move on. I’ll come back to you, that I can promise, and I’d die if I came back and you weren’t there for me.”

“I promise sunshine. I swear it, on the deity and on my own life. I love you. My whole heart belongs to you and always will.”

Myungjun kissed him. He kissed him like it would be their last and linked their minds to flood Jinwoo with the love he felt for him in return. He tried to memorize the feel and taste of Jinwoos lips before pulling away with a pained gasp for air and taking a big step back to put distance between them.

Jinwoo reached out his hand shakily and Myungjun took it, threading their fingers together one last time and giving them a gentle squeeze.

“I love you Park Jinwoo.”

“Always and forever sunshine.”

Myungjun pulled his hand away and rushed through the open gates trying to hold his emotions in. He heard the gates close behind him and looked back through the golden bars to see Jinwoos soft smile.

He could do this.

He had to do this.

They’d see each other again one day.

*

Myungjun stared around his new room with wide eyes. “Are you sure this is mine?” He asked the maid with a squeak. “It’s gorgeous.”

“The King requested you sleep in this wing with him. You were supposed to be housed in the apprentice living quarters, but the King would not hear of it. He also asked me to relay a message. He said to make yourself at home and that he would be finished with his duties within the hour. He requested you get changed into some of the clothes he has provided, and I myself will be back to collect you for dinner. Is there anything else you need?” Myungjun shook his head, still staring dumbly at the space around him. “Very well. If you ever need something, do not be afraid to ask. You are a guest here and we are happy to serve.” She bowed to him before disappearing from the room.

Myungjun was awe-struck. The room was _huge_. Bigger than any room he’d ever slept him. It was probably bigger than the entire ground floor of his mother’s house. And just like the rest of the castle, everything was white and gold. It looked _expensive_. Myungjun almost felt guilty for ruining it with his less than expensive appearance.

The floor was white marble, polished and clean. The walls were the same white stone the castle was built from and when Myungjun looked closely enough he could see the presence of magical energy from the castles protective spells and enchants. He had three big open windows which he was delighted to see overlooked the Kings garden. He couldn’t wait to go out there again. A set of gold accented doors led out onto a balcony, with golden spiral railings to keep him from falling and a small white table and chairs for him to sit on. He wanted to grow plants out there too.

The most impressive piece of furniture was his bed. He’d never seen a bed so large. A grand, four poster, oakwood bed that was covered in white and gold silk sheets. He walked over to it and ran his hand over the beautiful fabric. It felt amazing against his skin.

A quick look around the rest of the room revealed he had his own fireplace, with a blue fire already burning in the grate and a set of comfy white and gold chairs in front of it. He was surprised to see his own bookshelf already stocked with books. Jinwoo would love it here, he thought sadly before turning to find a chest of drawers to unpack his clothes.

Except there wasn’t a chest of drawers. He was confused. Where was he supposed to put his clothes then? Where were the clothes Leo had apparently provided for him? Maybe he should have asked that first. The only other furniture in the room was a pretty dressing table with a golden mirror and a high-backed chair for him to do his hair in the morning. He couldn’t put his clothes there either.

Then he noticed the strange number of doors in his room. One he knew led out into the corridor. One must lead to a bathroom which he was excited to see. So, where did the other one lead?

He went to the closest one and froze when he saw what was beyond it.

_You’ve got to be kidding me._

“This is where I’m supposed to keep my clothes?” Myungjun muttered to himself in disbelief. “Who the hell needs a whole room as a wardrobe?”

He stepped inside shaking his head and went towards the nearest rack. He ran his hand over the expensive fabric and quickly checked the size.

“They’re my size? How did he even know what size I am?” Myungjun asked to no-one in particular. “This is insane. Absolutely bonkers.”

He walked around the rest of the room, finding silk shirts, tailored trousers, jackets, coats, a rack of shoes that probably cost more than his new bow with each pair and the most shocking of all, a cabinet full of jewels.

“Who does he think I am? I can’t wear this I’ll look ridiculous.”

The only jewellery he was comfortable wearing were the pieces Jinwoo gave him. He left the room shaking his head and looked into the bathroom next.

It had more of the white marble flooring and white stone walls with a smaller version of the golden chandelier that was in his room hanging from the centre of the ceiling. His bathtub stood proudly on four golden legs with a pretty golden tap and white crystal handles to turn the water on and off. One of the walls had a mirror running from the ceiling to the floor and he flushed at the thought of getting out and seeing himself exposed that way.

He snorted in amusement when he saw the toilet. A golden toilet seat. Really? Why was that even necessary? He sighed and moved to the glass shelves lined with bottles. He’d seen this brand of toiletries before. Ridiculously overpriced for the tiny amount of product you received. He opened up one of the bottles of shampoo and sniffed it. He couldn’t deny that it smelt beautiful.

However, he wouldn’t be using it. He’d taken Jinwoos bottle of shampoo from home as well as some of his clothes and was determined to use that from now on. It was half empty so it wouldn’t last very long, but he could always ask to be provided with another bottle. The maid _had_ said that if he ever needed something, he just needed to ask for it.

Myungjun squealed and hid his face in his hands. He was really doing this. Really living here, in this beautiful room, with its beautiful bathroom and its beautiful walk in wardrobe. Part of him wished Leo hadn’t requested he live in this wing with him. He would have been fine in the apprentices living quarters. The thought of sharing anything with the _King_ made his head dizzy. He wasn’t royalty, far from it, even if Leo had insisted the last time they met, that they were most likely somehow related. It just didn’t seem possible.

Myungjun pulled his hands away from his face with a sigh and exited the bathroom to get changed. Leo wanted him to wear some of the clothes he provided for dinner, but he couldn’t bring himself to do that today. He wanted to change into some of Jinwoos clothes and just hoped the King would understand.

*

“Sir, the King requested you wear something from your new wardrobe. It would be…inappropriate for you to attend dinner with him dressed in your current attire.”

Myungjun looked down at Jinwoos comfy black hoodie and shorts with a frown. “You don’t need to call me Sir. Myungjun is fine. And I insist that I wear these clothes. I need them.”

The maid sighed and guided him over to the chair in front of his dressing table. Myungjun could now see that it was covered in combs and other items to style his hair. She picked one up and began to brush it for him, taming it into something more acceptable.

“The King did tell me you were likely to refuse some of his orders. But I need to brush your hair at least. You are in the _castle_ after all Mr Kim.”

Myungjun didn’t bother correcting her on his name again and just sat back and closed his eyes. The brush felt nice in his hair and if he tried hard enough, he could almost believe it was Jinwoo doing it for him again. It was upsetting to think Jinwoo wouldn’t be looking after him anymore. He wouldn’t be brushing or washing his hair, brushing his teeth, helping him get dressed or putting extra food on his plate. He’d have to get used to doing it all himself again. He’d have to be independent and grown up and he didn’t like that very much.

“All done. There is a drawer of perfumes in here if you’d like to pick out a scent.”

“No thank you. It will ruin the smell of my clothes.” Myungjun replied with a small pout. They smelt like Jinwoo and he didn’t want to change that.

“Very well. Follow me and I will take you to the banquet hall.”

Myungjun dragged his feet behind her, looking around at all of the paintings and sculptures and suits of armour that lined the corridors. An array of people were hurrying about, either muttering to themselves or muttering to each other. Myungjun thought their behaviour odd but the maid didn’t seem fazed, so he guessed this was normal.

They’d been walking for a few minutes before she stopped in front of a giant pair of white doors with golden handles.

“The banquet hall is just through here.” She gave him one final inspection before nodding approvingly and opening up the doors.

It was a large room with a high ceiling and gorgeous long windows, their heavy velvet curtains pulled back to reveal the setting sun. It had three giant chandeliers that hung from the ceiling sparkling prettily. Despite the sheer size of the room there was only one long table in the centre. It had ten chairs around it, four on each side and one at each end.

Leo was sitting at one end of the table with a book in his hand, but he looked up as Myungjun approached. His eyes scanned Myungjuns outfit and he looked almost amused.

“Hello Mr Kim. I’m glad you decided to join me. Are you hungry?”

“A little.” Myungjun admitted feeling awkward. He didn’t know what to do, where to sit or how to act. Leo was dressed smartly and looked very Kingly and he just looked…common. Part of him wished he’d listened and dressed up too. He stuck out shockingly in this room of finery and grace.

The maid tried to lead him to the other end of the table, but Leo stopped her. “He can sit next to me. That’s too far away to converse properly and much too informal. Please go and ask the chefs to bring in our meal.”

The maid showed Myungjun to his seat and bowed politely before hurrying from the room.

Myungjun cleared his throat nervously and chanced a look up at the man. He was watching him with a small smile.

“Umm…you have a nice castle.”

Leo laughed and Myungjun felt himself relax a little at the sound. “Thank you Myungjun. I have a question, if I may.” Myungjun told him to go ahead and Leo stared pointedly at the hoodie string he was currently playing with. “Did you not like your new clothes?”

Myungjun took the time figuring out how to word his answer. He didn’t want to come across as rude or ungrateful. Leo had obviously spent a lot of money getting everything for him. “They’re very lovely. I’m just not used to wearing such fine clothes and jewels. But I will wear them. Just not today. And maybe not tomorrow either.”

“You’re sad.” Leo observed quietly as his eyes trailed over Myungjuns face. “Is this because of your boyfriend? Are they his clothes?” Myungjun nodded, feeling the tears well up in his eyes and he quickly looked down at the tabletop, trying to blink them away.

He was relieved to hear the door opening and the gentle clinking of the plates being brought into the room. Leo was momentarily distracted telling the chefs where to place them and it gave Myungjun time to collect himself.

When the food was finally placed in front of them, and they were left alone once again, Myungjun looked up at him. “Thank you for having me here. And thank you for giving me such a lovely room and such lovely things. I would have been perfectly fine in the apprentice’s quarters though.”

“Nonsense. You’re practically family. I couldn’t let you have anything less. Now let’s eat before the meal gets cold. I promise you my chefs make only the best food.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm too soft. I couldn't let Myungjun leave without them saying goodbye >.<
> 
> Leo lavishing gifts on Myungjun the second he enters the castle??? Mood.


	155. Royal Lessons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some chapters from now until Myungjun leaves the castle will have the month stated in **BOLD** at the beginning. 
> 
> For example, the next three chapters are set during the final-ish week of March and only the first of the three chapters states the month.
> 
> Some months are also skipped all together. (If I remember I'll write notes at the beginning to notify when ones are skipped)

**March**

Myungjun was pulled out of his sleep by the sound of someone opening his curtains. He groaned and buried down further beneath his covers.

“JinJin give me five more minutes I’m tired.”

“I’m sorry Mr Kim but you need to get up. The King wishes to eat breakfast with you.”

Myungjuns eyes flew open and he sat up quickly, feeling the silk sheets run down his skin to pool at his waist. Why was he…oh. He looked up at the maid and mumbled an apology.

“That’s perfectly fine Mr Kim. Would you like me to pick out some clothes for you to wear today?”

“No thank you. I’ll be wearing my own things today as well.” Technically Jinwoos things but he didn’t think that important enough to share.

He ignored her sigh and slipped out of bed to visit the bathroom. He had a quick bath, scrubbing his hair furiously with Jinwoos shampoo to try and ingrain the smell into his hair as much as possible, and used one of the provided bottles of body wash to clean himself with. When he got out and pulled the plug, he wrapped one of the big fluffy towels around his waist and brushed his teeth before stepping back into his room.

The maid was still there, waiting patiently at his dresser to dry and style his hair. He let her do it, still feeling too sad to do it himself and couldn’t deny that he was happy with the result when she was done. Wavy and bouncy, just how he liked it. He thanked her quickly before asking for some privacy and pulled on some more of Jinwoos clothes, burying his face in the fabric to smell Jinwoos washing powder. It made his heart hurt but he did it anyway.

“Mr Kim are you ready to attend breakfast?” Her voice floated through the door. Myungjun sighed before sliding Jinwoos ring back onto his finger and stepping outside.

He expected her to take him down to the banquet hall again, but she led him outside instead. They walked across the castle grounds until they reached a sheltered patio situated by a pond with a few lily pads and ducks floating on the surface. Myungjun immediately perked up at the sight of the little ducklings. All yellow and fluffy and cute. His favourite combination.

“Good morning Mr Kim. I hope you slept well.”

Myungjun looked over at Leo who was standing in front of a table covered in an array of breakfast dishes. He nodded shyly and made his way over to sit down on one of the chairs. There was a light breeze in the air, and he could smell the approach of spring.

“Eat first and then we’ll discuss your lessons.”

Leo waved the maid away who tried to serve Myungjun food so he could serve it himself. Myungjun felt awkward to have the King of all people putting food on his plate and quickly did the same for him in return.

They ate in silence. Leo seemed comfortable with the arrangement but Myungjun wasn’t quite there yet. He ate as fast as he could, without seeming rude or unmannered, and when he was finished Leo pushed his own half-eaten plate of food away too.

“You’re here as my guest, but you’re also here to learn, which is something I assume you’d like to start straight away?” Myungjun nodded eagerly. The quicker he started, the quicker he would finish and the quicker he would get back to Jinwoo. Leo smiled knowingly and gestured for a waiter who was standing nearby with a golden platter. The waiter stopped in front of Myungjun and opened the golden lid to reveal a piece of parchment. Myungjun took it nervously and looked it over.

It was his timetable and it was also very, very empty. He had a healing lesson every Saturday and Sunday morning but that was it. He frowned down at it before looking up at Leo.

“Why is it so empty?”

“Were you expecting more?”

“Well…yes.” Myungjun admitted. “How am I supposed to learn quickly if I have only a couple of hours a week?”

Leo sighed and leaned back in his chair. “I promised you that you would have the best teacher in the land. My own personal healer. However, she is a busy woman. That’s all the time she could spare I’m afraid.”

Myungjun felt the burden of time weigh down heavily on his shoulders. “How long am I going to be here Leo?”

“Most apprentices are here for five years. Some leave earlier if they are fast learners.”

It was like a punch in the gut. Five years. Five years without Jinwoo. He’d be twenty-two by the time he got back to him. No. He couldn’t allow that.

“I’m a fast learner. The fastest you’ll ever meet.” Myungjun said determinedly. “And I’m not like most apprentices either. I have power. Lots of it. I haven’t learnt how to control it yet, but it’s there. I won’t need five years, even with the amount of time to learn that I’ve been given.”

Leo just stared at him, looking lost in thought. He stared for so long that Myungjun was starting to get embarrassed.

“Myungjun I know you want to get back to Jinwoo, but you shouldn’t rush this. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and if you try to speed through it, you’ll make mistakes and end up regretting it. I have no doubt in my mind that you will not be here for the five years most others are, but if you think you’ll be finished in a few months’ time you’re mistaken. I’m not saying this to dishearten you, I’m just trying to be honest. But this power of yours, what do you mean you have a lot of it?”

“My father first told me about it, and I didn’t believe him. He told me he believed the power he was supposed to be born with was passed along to me to carry alongside my own. It seemed impossible. Until I watched my friends die in the crucible. Their bodies weren’t taken away like I was used to and when Jinwoo finally fell, something inside of me…snapped? Shifted? I don’t really know how to describe it well, but something changed and suddenly I had all of this power. I could only summon seven vines at the academy, and I increased that to ten after training with the twins of our guild but when I was flooded with power, I could suddenly summon hundreds. I was thinking, if I had my fathers’ power, then surely my vines would have only doubled in number? So why did I have hundreds? It happened again when I went on a job with my father. I thought he died so I snapped again and was flooded with the magical energy. It shimmers and pours out of my skin and I killed a fully-grown dragon using my vines alone. Then when I went to help my father, I fused all of his broken bones and sealed all of his external wounds in a matter of seconds.”

Leos eyes widened in surprise. “Seconds?”

Myungjun nodded and turned his head away from him to look at the pond. He watched the ducks swim along for a few seconds before talking again. “I know it’s hard to believe. But I’m telling the truth. There’s something inside of me that I can’t control. And it always knocks me unconscious when it goes back to being dormant. I came here not only with the hope of learning to become a better healer, but with the hope that someone here would be able to help me uncover the truth about why I am the way I am. Why I can do all of these things normal people cannot. I shapeshifted in an instant too. When the dragon was going to kill me. I transformed to metal in the blink of an eye. Not even the twins can do that, they take five seconds at least and they’re the strongest magic users I know. I can also hold fluent conversations with plants and that’s apparently a rare gift. The only other boy I know who can do that too is my friend Jimin but even then, I’m different from him as well. I can actually hear the whispers of the plants around me without needing to touch them. I can hear them now. A quiet hum in the background that gets louder the more I concentrate.” He looked back at Leo who appeared stunned into speechlessness. “I’m different. And I don’t know why. Is there anyone here who can help me? This isn’t something I can be taught in the guild. I’m starting to think it’s something I can’t be taught at all.”

Leo finally cleared his throat to speak, composing himself quickly like a true King. “I’m glad you told me your reasoning for being here. It will make things a great deal easier in terms of your lessons and I’m happy to say I may have a few people who can help you. I’ve never heard of such power before and the way you always fall unconscious afterwards is very worrisome, however the people I have in mind may know a great deal more about it than me.”

“Who?” Myungjun asked, hope welling up inside of him.

“My magic counsel. Eight members, one of every magic type. One of them must know something. They deal with all of the magical affairs in the land after all.”

Leos words confused him. “Eight? There aren’t eight magic types. There’s only six. Plant, ground, ice, water, air and fire.”

“You’re a healer and you’ve forgotten what magic you use for that?”

Myungjun instantly realised his mistake and mumbled embarrassed. “Light too. I forgot. Which means the other is dark magic I’m guessing?”

“Correct.” Leo said with a small smile.

“Wait…you have a _dark_ magic user on your magic counsel? Isn’t that…I don’t know, _dangerous_?”

Leos smile widened and he nodded his head. “Extremely. But I trust her as much as the others. As she specialises in this type of magic, she can handle all of our dark magic related issues well enough. She’s saved this land countless times already. We are all indebted to her. Every single person on Aredrinnor, including yourself, even though only a handful of people are actually aware of her bravery and selfless acts. She is not an evil person, far from it, and I would advise you to remember that in case she is the one who holds the answer to your power.”

Myungjun swallowed thickly. “You think my power comes from dark magic?”

Leo sighed and sipped at his water. “I would have no clue on the matter. I’m not magic myself remember. I am unclear on how this whole magic business even works. But from the things I’ve seen and heard in my short life, I’ve learnt to accept that anything is possible. So yes, maybe you have dark magic too. Maybe it wars with the light magic inside of you which is why it always renders you unconscious after it is released. Who knows? Hopefully one of my counsel will. I will send for them this weekend and hold a meeting which I would like for you to attend. Maybe then you will have some answers. Until then, do you have any further questions regarding your timetable?”

Myungjun looked back down at it with another frown. “Can’t I learn other things alongside healing? I can’t spend five days a week sitting around doing nothing. Especially as I can’t leave the castle grounds. I’d like to train with my bow at the very least.”

“I will speak to the captain of my Kings guard. He may be willing to teach and train you alongside the rest. He’s strict but he’s my captain for a reason. You’ll learn well from him. As for the other things you could learn, I myself am taking classes in fine arts, and I would be happy to have someone to learn alongside.”

“Fine arts?” Myungjun asked, his interest immediately peaked. “I like art. I even brought my sketchbook with me from home.”

“Fine arts contain an array of different artistic practices. For example, I take classes once a week in painting, playing the piano and ballet.”

Myungjun stared. “You do ballet?"

Leo nodded with a small smile. “It’s harder than it looks but has helped me build a grace I couldn’t have achieved alone. A must for a King of my stature. So, will you be joining me for any of those classes?”

“Well I’m definitely interested in painting, and I’d like to try the piano but I’m not so sure about ballet.”

“Maybe you should attend one lesson and see how you feel at the end. Maybe you’ll like it.”

“I…suppose I could do that.” Myungjun answered reluctantly.

Leo looked somewhat relieved and flashed him his pearly white teeth. “Excellent. Are there any more of your skills you wish to practice or enhance? If I do not have the teachers here, I could always send for them.”

Myungjun thought long and hard, knowing this would be his only chance to learn from the best. “I’d like to improve my telepathic skills. My psychic shield isn’t strong enough.” He remembered all the times the twins were able to bypass it with a simple sweep and grimaced. Then he remembered something else about the twins and knew what else he wanted to learn. “I want to improve my shapeshifting too. My father told me that it’s possible to make my own forms and I want to know how.”

Leos frown made Myungjuns stomach sink. “I can definitely get you a telepathy teacher but I’m sure your father also told you about how we have rules here in this land. Creating magic is strictly forbidden. I cannot bend that rule, not even for you. If I got you a shapeshifting teacher, they would only improve upon what you learnt at the academy and nothing more. With that being said, are you still interested?”

Myungjun was disappointed by his words but nodded anyway. He wanted as many lessons as possible to fill up his days. The busier his days, the less time he’d have to miss his family and friends. The less time he’d have to miss Jinwoo.

“I will also speak to my herbologists and florists for you to see if you could learn more in that field. I did offer you a golden scroll for herbology as well and I can see you’re determined to learn as much as possible.”

Myungjun perked up immensely at the idea and he was quick to accept. “Yes please.”

“Well in that case. We’ll take your timetable back and make the necessary changes and arrangements. You’ll have it back by the end of the night. But for now, I’ll take you on a tour of the castle. There’s a lot to see and a lot I’d like to show you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I missed making timetables for ASTRO at the academy so I made one for Junnie here. Like I made an _actual_ timetable so I know what classes he has on what days. I spent hours making new ones every year for ASTRO honestly xd
> 
> Myungjuns current classes:  
> Healing (apprenticeship [golden scroll])  
> Herbology (apprenticeship [golden scroll])  
> Kings guard training (apprenticeship [golden scroll])  
> Telepathy  
> Shapeshifting  
> Painting  
> Piano  
> Ballet


	156. The Return Of A Friend.

Exploring the castle with Leo was nice. But his guards following them everywhere was beginning to get a bit suffocating. Myungjun was trying extra hard to be on his best behaviour and kept a careful distance from the older male. So much of a distance that he didn’t enter the kitchens when Leo took him there. He didn’t want the guards to think he was going to stab him with a fork or something.

Eventually Leo had enough too. “I wish to be alone with Mr Kim.”

“Your majesty you know we can’t do that.”

Leo sighed irritably. “I’m perfectly safe with him. Now leave before I find a new pair of guards who will actually listen to their Kings orders.”

The two men exchanged looks before walking away and Myungjun and Leo both sighed in relief. The minute they were out of sight Leos personality switched.

“Thank the deity. I never thought we’d see the end of that suffocation.” Leo looked down at him with a grin. “Let’s go little brother, I have something to show you.” He rushed off with an excited squeal and Myungjun followed close behind in a daze of sorts.

_Little brother? A squeal?_

Leo was definitely a puzzling person. How he could go from being well-spoken and grown up and Kingly, to down to earth and kind and childish in a matter of seconds was beyond him.

_I suppose I can be like that too. Just less of the Kingly and more of the Dragon Knights son._

Leo led him through the maze of white and gold halls until they had gotten so deep into the castle that all the people disappeared. Then the corridors grew thinner and shined less brightly. Leo stopped in front of an old, brown, wooden door and turned to him with excitement burning in his eyes.

“No-one else knows this is here. So you can’t tell anyone okay?” Myungjun nodded quickly, feeling his excitement and Leo opened the door with a flourish. “Welcome little brother, to my secret garden.”

Myungjun stepped out into a courtyard full of plants. All different colours standing out brilliantly against the greenery. Myungjun had never seen anything like it. The royal gardens had been shocking enough but this…this was breath-taking. It was so full of life. A little stone path led them down to the centre of the courtyard where a giant tree was growing. Myungjun saw something hanging off it and squealed excitedly.

“A swing!”

Leo laughed and walked over to it. “Have you been on one before?”

Myungjun shook his head and rushed over to sit down. “I always saw other kids playing on them in the playground of my school, but I didn’t play with them. I was a bit of a loner back then.”

“Why?”

“My mother used to give me these pills to supress my magic. I didn’t feel…whole without it. It felt like a piece of me had been taken away and left me feeling hollow and empty. And I pushed everyone away because of it.”

“That must have been lonely.” Leo observed quietly. “Loneliness is a terrible thing.”

Myungjun turned to look up at him to see a sadness etched onto his face that he hadn’t seen from him before. “You say that like you’re lonely too.”

Leo gave him a small smile and shrugged. “I’m not lonely anymore. I have you now little brother. Now hold on and I’ll give you a push. Then afterwards I’ll show you the fountain tucked away in the corner over there. It’s very pretty. I’m sure you’ll like it.”

*

Leo spent the day with Myungjun. Showing him everything the castle had to offer and running away with him when the guards were spotted nearby. It was childish at best but Myungjun felt himself relaxing more around him. He’d been apprehensive around him to begin with given his status but the more time they spent together the more Myungjun realised he was just another person like him.

They were catching their breaths and hiding behind one of the corners from the guards walking their way when Leo suddenly spoke.

“We’re close to the training grounds for my Kings guard. I can show you it if you’d like? People are probably still training now. I picked up some new recruits last year who are very promising. I could introduce you to the captain and arrange your lessons with you there.”

Myungjun quickly agreed and they snuck away.

When they reached the training grounds, they were looking down at the people fighting over a marble half wall. There was a wide marble staircase leading down onto the grounds, but Leo didn’t descend them. He just rested his elbows on the half walls golden ledge to watch.

“The people with red cloths tied around their biceps are the new recruits.” Leo explained. Myungjun counted three of them. “My Kings guard has six members right now. But the counsel insisted I train more.”

“Why? Is something terrible going to happen?” Myungjun joked weakly.

Leo just sighed. “They seem to think I’m going to be assassinated. They have good reason to be wary, my parents, the King and Queen before me, were killed inside these very walls.”

Myungjun stared at him not knowing what to say. That was terrible. Terrible and morbid. “Don’t you hate being here then?” He eventually asked.

“I do.” Leo admitted quietly. “I hate it more than anything. But I’m trapped. I have no successor so I can’t step down.” He turned to Myungjun with a smile. “But I’m okay. I’ve dealt with it for fourteen years already. I can deal with it for more.”

Myungjun looked away from him feeling terribly sad. Leo was trapped and Leo was lonely. No wonder he’d attached himself to Myungjun so quickly. He decided in that moment to put Leos title aside and befriend him. Not just out of pity but because he could genuinely see them becoming good friends.

Myungjuns attention was stolen completely a second later by one of the recruits. He was fighting well, shockingly so, with a body that moved quickly and lightly. He parried an attack by one of the King’s guard and spun away. He had a metal helm on so Myungjun couldn’t see his face but something about his figure was awfully familiar.

It was only when he overstepped and had the helm knocked off of him that Myungjun saw who it was. His heart lept into his throat and he shouted down at him, startling Leo and the rest of the fighters.

“GREY!”

Grey looked up with wide eyes and Myungjuns distraction cost him. He was swept off his feet with the blunt edge of his opponents’ sword and his head hit the ground with a thud. Myungjun tore down the steps and across the grounds towards him.

When he reached him, he dropped to his knees beside him and lifted his head up gently to feel underneath. No blood.

“Junebug?” Grey asked with wide eyes. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see you of course.” Myungjun joked before helping him to sit up. “I’ll be staying here for a while. Why are _you_ here? You’re training to be a Kings guard? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was going to send you a note when I finished my training.” Grey explained, looking him over with his piercing blue eyes. “You look good little prince.”

“Little prince?” Leos amused voice came from behind them.

Grey quickly climbed to his feet before kneeling and bowing his head respectfully. “Your majesty.”

“Rise.” Leo commanded kindly. “You do not need to kneel to me yet. You are not yet part of my guard.”

Grey stood up and pulled Myungjun to his feet.

“You two know each other?” Leo asked looking curious.

Myungjun nodded happily and linked arms with the older boy. “He’s my friend. A good friend.”

Leo made a noise of understanding. “And why do you refer to him as little prince?” He asked directly to Grey who was quick to look away from him.

“A joke. Nothing serious your majesty.”

“I think it’s rather cute.” Leo mused.

Myungjun giggled at the taken aback expression on Greys face. He probably never expected the word cute to come out of the Kings mouth.

“It’s a fitting title for my little brother.”

Now Grey looked even more thrown. “Little brother?”

“That’s _our_ joke of sorts.” Leo explained, smiling down at Myungjun. “Well I’ll leave you two to catch up whilst I go and speak to the captain. I’ll call you over when we are ready to discuss your lessons Myungjun.” He left them to it and walked across the grounds with his golden cloak flapping gently behind him.

Myungjun turned to Grey with a grin on his face. “Surprised to see me?”

“Surprised is an understatement.” Grey replied. “Where’s my hug?”

Myungjun was quick to give him one, standing on his tiptoes to wrap his arms around his neck and humming happily as the familiar scent of his skin washed over him. He remembered back to when he used to think Grey was tall. It was laughable now after seeing the twins.

“I missed you Junebug.” Grey muttered, squeezing him tight. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”

“I missed you too. I can’t believe we’re meeting again here. In the _castle_ of all places.” Myungjun let him go and stepped away. “When you told me you were going off to put your fighting skills to good use, I thought you meant you’d join a guild.”

“I nearly did.” Grey admitted, sweeping the sweaty silver hair from his forehead. “But fate had other plans for me it seems. What have you been doing since we last spoke? The last note I received from you was before the scouting.”

Myungjun smiled at him feeling a little guilty. “I’m sorry. A lot has happened since then. Like…A LOT and I don’t even really know where to begin.”

“Well we have a lot of time little prince.”

They didn’t. Leo chose that exact moment to call Myungjun over and he said a quick goodbye and gave Grey one last hug before hurrying away to discuss his lesson plans.

He was feeling a lot happier now after seeing the boy who had looked after him during his darkest days. Who had made him cupcakes and lemon tea every day without fail. Who had managed to convince him to eat when he had no appetite. Who he had told all of his worries and fears to.

Perhaps his time here wouldn’t be so hard after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grey is back and we got to hear a tiny bit about Leos backstory~~


	157. The Magic Counsel.

Before Myungjuns timetable was put into action, Leo called a meeting with his magic counsel like he promised he would and Myungjun attended feeling nervous. His father had told him before that all eight of the members on this counsel were S Rank magic users, and he knew they’d have to be as strong, if not stronger, than the twins to serve alongside the King.

His suspicions were confirmed when he walked into the meeting chamber and was immediately assaulted by the sheer amount of magical energy in the room. He stopped momentarily trying to get used to it and Leo looked back at him with concern in his eyes.

“Mr Kim, are you okay?” Leo had taken to calling him that in the presence of the castles staff, but he would call him little brother or Myungjun when they were alone.

Myungjun nodded and took a deep breath before following him to the long table and sitting down in the empty chair beside him. Everyone greeted him with a polite bow of their heads, but no-one returned his smile. If he wasn’t already intimidated before, he was now.

“I would like to thank you all for gathering here today on such short notice.” Leo began. Myungjun was surprised to see the signs that Leo was feeling uncomfortable. He was covering it up well, but it was easy for Myungjun to see now. “We are here today in regard to this young man. If you’d like to introduce yourself.” Leo added quietly, looking at Myungjun.

Myungjun quickly stood up and bowed. “My name is Kim Myungjun, son of the Dragon Blades guild master. It’s nice to meet you all.” He sat down quickly, face flush with embarrassment as he tried to return Leos encouraging smile. It felt weak on his face.

“Ah. The Dragon Knights son. We’ve heard plenty about you.” A woman spoke up from opposite him. She had pure white hair and white eyes but looked young. “We have no names here, but you may refer to us by our magic types.” She held out her wrist to show her snowflake shaped birthmark. “However, I do prefer to be referred to as Snow rather than Ice. Its prettier.” She offered him a smile then, the first one to do so and Myungjun found it easier to smile at her after that. “Is it true you killed a thousand demons to save your town?”

Myungjun snorted in amusement before remembering his place and covering it up with an awkward cough. “That’s far from the truth. I did kill demons but not that many. Forty at most.”

She sighed disappointed and sat back in her chair. “That’s a shame. The people in this land are always gossiping and blowing things out of proportion. However, we’ve also heard you took down a dragon alone in the crucible. Is that true?”

“That’s actually why we are gathered here today.” Leo interjected, saving Myungjun the embarrassment of having to explain he’d gone completely insane before doing so. “He came here to become an apprentice, but also to receive help with his…condition. He has explained to me about an unnatural magical power residing inside of him, a power so great it renders him unconscious after he uses it.”

“How much magical power are we talking here?” A man with bright red hair asked in a thick accent, leaning across the table and staring directly at Myungjun. His eyes were bright red too, passionate and Myungjun knew he was their fire user.

“Umm…a lot.” Myungjun answered nervously.

The man made a noise of impatience. “You need to be more specific boy.”

“Well with my current amount of magical energy, I can summon ten vines and shapeshift in twenty seconds. But when I feel the power shift, I can summons hundreds and shift in an instant.”

The room was suddenly filled with murmurs and Myungjun jumped when the red headed man barked out a laugh. “Preposterous, outrageous, absolutely absurd. You expect us to believe this rubbish?”

Myungjun bristled at his words. “It’s not rubbish.” He said through clenched teeth. The whole table fell silent. “Why would I make up something like this? Even I don’t understand how it’s possible. That’s why I’m here. I have all of this power and I don’t know how to control it. I wanted your help but if you’re just going to laugh at me, I’ll happily take my leave.” He knew he probably shouldn’t be talking in such a way to a room full of the most powerful people in the land, but he couldn’t help himself. If there was one thing he hated being called, it was a liar.

“Hundreds you say?” A wispy voice carried down the table.

Myungjun looked around to see it had come from a young man, no more than a couple years older than Leo it seemed. He had bright green hair and bright green eyes. Myungjun was starting to see a pattern. Their plant user.

“Yes, hundreds. They come out of the ground like a thick jungle and from what I’ve seen they’re unbreakable and fireproof.”

The murmurs ignited again, louder than before and Myungjun caught onto some of their conversations.

“…can’t be true…”

“…when was the last time?”

“…we need to see it…”

Myungjun cleared his throat to get their attention again. “It’s not something I can just show you. It’s only ever happened twice. Once in the crucible after I watched my boyfriend die and once when I was hunting a dragon after I thought my father had died.”

“You are triggered by death child.”

Everyone turned at the sound of the woman’s voice. It was piercing and sent a shiver down Myungjuns spine. He followed everyone’s gaze to see her sitting at the other end of the long table, opposite the King himself. The way she spoke made her sound ancient, but she was surprisingly young too. She had hair as black as coal, pale white skin and dark purple eyes. Their dark magic user.

Myungjun couldn’t answer, the words wouldn’t leave his mouth, so he just nodded instead. It made sense in his head, but he still wanted to know _why_.

“Your emotions are why.” She answered his unspoken question. That was even more terrifying. Myungjun hadn’t felt her reading his mind but she’d done it anyway. “You have been told this countless times by your father already. You are ruled by them. You feel things on a level most humans do not. This allows you to feel a greater happiness, a greater love, a greater excitement. But it also forces you to feel a greater pain, sorrow and grief. I can see you’ve had problems with your emotions in the past, and you’ve been resurrected once because of it.”

Myungjun heard the sharp intake of breath from Leo beside him but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the woman.

“I died.” He admitted quietly. “I died because my emotions built up and stopped my heart. I didn’t know how to let them go.”

“But you know now.”

Myungjun nodded slowly. “The power shift.”

“Now hold on for a second.” The fire user spoke up with a scoff of disbelief. “You’re telling me this kid is speaking the truth? Impossible. Even Leaf over there can’t summon that many vines. And I’ve never heard of a shifter who can shift instantaneously.”

“If you don’t believe me read my memories.” Myungjun replied firmly. “I’m no liar.” He focused on pushing his aura towards the older man and when they touched, Myungjun showed him what exactly had happened. He knew the others were reading his memories too, he could feel them digging around in his mind and left himself open.

A few seconds later and gasps filled the room.

“He’s telling the truth.”

“This shouldn’t be possible.”

“We’ve not had one of them in over a hundred years.”

“Not had one of what?” Myungjun asked the woman with long blue hair who could only be their water user.

“Your power, your dormant power, is only achieved by those ranked SS in this land. Transcendence.”

An argument erupted around the table as Myungjun sat there frozen. SS Rank? Was that even possible?

“You’ve all seen his memories!” The blue haired woman snapped. “He healed his father’s broken body in a matter of seconds! He may only know the basic spells right now, but he can be taught. Imagine the things he could do.”

“He’s a danger.” The dark magic user spoke up. Everyone around the table fell silent again as she looked pointedly at Myungjun with her arms crossed. “You’re a danger.” Myungjun stumbled over his denial but she stopped him. “You’re a danger because you cannot control it. You’re a ticking time bomb that’s waiting to go off. Death may be the trigger right now, but you’ve had other triggers in the past. Your father for example. We don’t know what else could cause you to explode. And when you do, you’re a danger to those around you. You lost control in the dungeons of the academy when you were burned by demon blood and you killed the friend you call ‘Rocky’. You were triggered by the fear of disfiguration. That’s completely random. Try and deny it.”

Myungjun swallowed thickly and stayed quiet. She was right. Everything she had said was right. He was a danger. And he’d continue to be one unless he could find a way to control his power.

“Help me.” He said quietly. She quirked an eyebrow but stayed silent. “Please help me. I don’t know what to do. I can’t control it. I don’t know how. But I don’t want to be dangerous. I never wanted this power to begin with and I want it even less now. Isn’t there a way to get rid of it?”

“The only sane way to get rid of magical power is death. However, I have a demon at my disposal which will gladly take it away for you.”

“No.” Leo hadn’t spoken up in a while, but he did now. His voice was powerful, and firm and he stood abruptly from his seat, sending it scraping along the floor. He didn’t have magic but Myungjun could feel his aura. It was strong. “That’s not an option. It will drain him completely; every last drop and he needs his magic. It makes him whole.”

“But if he is a danger _your majesty_ then maybe its best he have no magic at all.” The woman said curtly.

“I said NO.” Leo growled. “He’s only a boy, he’s too young to make-”

“He’s not a boy.” She interrupted sharply, looking at Myungjun again. “He’s had his rite of passage. He’s a man now. He can make his own decisions. If he wants to get rid of his power, I’ll gladly take it. If not, we’ll have to decide on what to do with him. Before you argue with me, he’s a magic user, he falls under our command. You have no say in the matter.”

Leo made a noise of pure rage. “I’m the King. You can’t undermine me.”

“You may be the King, but we’re your counsel for a reason.” She said, standing from her own chair. “You have no idea about magic Leo. You’ve only seen what we’ve allowed you to see. His magic is beyond anything you could even comprehend and that’s _without_ him knowing a lot of spells. We call SS transcendence for a reason. It transcends all reason, all planes of existence. If he unlocked that power, trained and harnessed it properly, he could grow entire forests with the flick of his wrist, cure incurable diseases that have long since baffled the greatest healers throughout our history. He could do great things. But he could also use that power against us. He could summon a whole army of plants to fight and kill for him. Use that army to take over Aredrinnor. Kill every single person here without needing to bloody his own hands. Even in his recent episodes he’s only used a _fraction_ of that power. There’s so much more inside of him. Are you beginning to understand yet? The deity doesn’t give magical power like that to just anyone. There’s a reason he’s here and none of us know yet whether it’s for a good reason or not.”

Leo briefly looked down at Myungjun, with something akin to worry in his eyes, before it was gone again. He looked back at the woman and frowned. “He’s not a threat. You know I’ve never been wrong about these things either. I understand the gravity of this situation now, but it has not changed my mind. You’re not taking his power away. You’ll have to kill me first.”

Another argument erupted around the table and Myungjun felt the first of his petals falling down from above him. He wanted to cry. He wasn’t stupid. He knew what they thought of him. They thought he was a danger to life. A monster with too much power who would kill when he snapped. And the worst part of all, was that what they thought was true. He’d already killed, wounded and died because of it. He didn’t know it at the time, that it was because of this power inside of him. But he knew it now.

Myungjun stood up abruptly from his seat, silencing them all, and scrubbed at his wet eyes as his petals swirled around him.

“Even his petals are black.”

Myungjun ignored the comment and looked up at Leo with a trembling lip. “I’d like to be excused your majesty.”

Leo was quiet for a few seconds before nodding and Myungjun wasted no time in running from the room. He needed time to think. He needed to think about whether it was truly the right thing to do to keep his power. It certainly wasn’t safe. Not without the proper help and guidance. But who would be up to the challenge? Who would be able to help him if his power truly ranked at SS? They’d already said there hadn’t been another SS Rank in over one hundred years. So, if it was true, there was no-one stronger than him.

The thought wasn’t comforting. It was terrifying. He was lost and alone and had no idea what to do with the information he’d just been given. All he wanted to do now was cuddle his boyfriend and cry until he could cry no more.

But he couldn’t even do that.

So, he went to find the next best person.

He ran all the way to the apprentices living quarters that Leo had pointed out on their tour of the castle and knocked on all of the doors until the person he needed opened his up with a smile.

It faltered as he looked him over with his piercing blue eyes. “Junebug?”

“Can we cuddle?” Myungjun sniffled, wiping his nose on the sleeve of Jinwoos jumper. “I need to cuddle. I know we haven’t done that before, and I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, but I really need it. Please let me in.”

Grey opened the door and stepped aside and Myungjun went straight over to his bed to burrow under the covers. Grey climbed in after him looking unsure but opened his arms as an invitation all the same. Myungjun cuddled up to him, apologising quietly about the mess of his petals before letting go and crying against his chest.

He wasn’t Jinwoo but he was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Myungjun is a special boy wbk.  
> In this chapter we're starting to see that Leo doesn't have as much power as would be expected of a King. He certainly doesn't sound like he's in charge at some points...~~


	158. A False Image.

**April**

Myungjun winced as he landed on the hard floor after being knocked off of his feet by Greys weapon. He accepted Greys outstretched hand and let himself be pulled to his feet. Grey twirled the pole around a few times before gesturing for him to attack again.

Myungjun swung his pole hard and fast, and with a flick of his wrist, Grey blocked it. Myungjun saw the returning blow coming but couldn’t stop it. He hadn’t trained with wooden poles in a long time and it showed. The heavy wood thumped into his ribs. He grunted in pain knowing full well that it would leave a nasty bruise behind and spun away to dodge the next swing of Greys weapon.

However, Grey was fast. Faster than the rest of Myungjuns friends and Myungjun felt the pole connect with his wrist a second later. He cried out in pain and dropped his own pole with a pout.

“Grey you’re so mean.”

Grey laughed and stepped over to take his wrist gently. He poked it a few times before deeming it okay.

“I know my wrists okay you idiot. I’m a healer remember?”

“Idiot? Do you have a death wish little prince?” Grey asked with a quirk of his lips. He picked up Myungjuns pole before tossing it to him.

Myungjun caught it and sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m just cranky. All of my lessons have been a lot harder than I was expecting. Learning here is nothing like learning at the academy. I thought my final year at the academy was hard enough, but this is so much worse. I’m starting to realise why Leo said people take five years to complete their apprenticeships here.”

“Well I’ve been here ever since I left the academy and I’m still no-where near being ready to join the Kings guard.” Grey said with a shrug. “But it’s easier for me because I have no family to go home to like you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I live alone in Aredrinnor. The rest of my family live across the sea.” Grey answered, spinning his pole around. He looked at the surprised expression on Myungjuns face and laughed. “I don’t know why that surprises you. Don’t I look different from the rest of the people here? Have you ever seen anyone with silver hair and blue eyes before?”

“That’s your real hair?” Myungjun asked sceptically walking over to him to run his fingers through the soft strands.

Grey smiled down at him. “Of course it’s my real hair. I’m not a fancy shapeshifter like you. I can’t just change my hair whenever I wish.”

“You shouldn’t change it anyway.” Myungjun said, stepping away from him. “My friend Youngjae once said it made you look hot and mysterious.”

Grey snorted in amusement. “Do you agree with him? Do you think I look hot and mysterious?”

Myungjun looked him up and down and hummed thoughtfully. “Well you do look mysterious, but I wouldn’t say you look hot. You look more like you’re cold actually.”

Greys eyebrows furrowed together. “What? Hot doesn’t literally mean hot. You’re the real idiot here.”

Myungjun gasped offended. “I’m not an idiot! Of course hot means hot. What else would it mean?”

Grey groaned and shook his head. “You’re still just as innocent as I remember you being. Hot means attractive but in a sexy way.”

Myungjun blushed and looked away from him. That explained a lot. Now he knew why Jinwoo didn’t want him to eat that cupcake.

“So do you think I’m hot?” Grey asked teasingly.

Myungjun looked at him again. “You’re definitely handsome but I’m not attracted to you. I’m only attracted to Jinwoo. He’s…hot. Very hot.” Myungjun giggled and tried to hide behind his pole. It sounded funny saying that about Jinwoo when he was _literally_ hot like fire.

Grey laughed and took Myungjuns pole from him. “I’ll accept that. Let’s just finish here for today. You still need to tell me what you’ve been doing since leaving the academy.”

Myungjun watched him put their poles back on the weapons rack before following him to the showers. He felt disgusting with how much sweat had poured off of him during training. He’d trained with the Kings guard first and then stayed behind to practice more with Grey. He knew he stank and couldn’t wait to wash it all away.

“I still don’t know how you can just shower out in the open like that.” Myungjun said after turning away from Grey who was stripping down. “Isn’t it embarrassing?”

“We’re all men aren’t we? What’s there to be embarrassed about?”

“You’re _naked_.”

“Haven’t you ever seen a naked man before? What about Jinwoo?”

Myungjun rushed into his cubicle and closed the door blushing furiously. “No.”

“Don’t you _want_ to see Jinwoo naked?”

“Is this really an appropriate conversation to have whilst we’re showering?”

“When else would we have this conversation?”

“I don’t know. Never would be a good start.”

Greys bright laughter bounced around the walls. “You’re also just as shy as I remember Junebug. Now hurry up and get washed. I’m hungry and want something to eat.”

*

Myungjun and Grey were sitting out on the balcony connected to Myungjuns room. The moon was high in the sky and they could hear the hum of the insects down in the royal gardens below them.

“I can’t believe you have such a nice room.” Grey sighed, sipping at his glass of wine. “The King has a thing for you it seems.”

Myungjun giggled into his glass. He’d already drunk way over his limit after such a stressful day but it felt nice, so he kept going. “The King doesn’t have a _thing_ for me. He’s like six years older than me.”

“Age doesn’t matter.” Grey said, looking over at him. “I’m older than you too and I still think you’re cute.”

Myungjun picked a grape from their bowl and chucked it at him. Grey just caught it and ate it. “You only think I’m cute because you’re drunk.”

“Maybe.” Grey shrugged. “But I thought you were cute back then too. Especially when you used to style your hair in those buns. The green ones were my favourite.”

Myungjun sighed and sipped at his drink again. “I haven’t done that in a long time.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m the guild master’s son. I can’t go around dressed or styled like that anymore. I can’t wear my hair in buns or do my make-up or paint my nails or dress how I like.”

“But do you want to?”

Myungjun pouted and put his glass down on the table. “Yes, all the time.” He admitted quietly. “I know I’m a boy, but I like being pretty. I think that’s why Camellia is my companion. I take more after my mother than my father anyway.”

“Well then you should just do it.”

“But everyone expects me to be tough and live up to my father’s name. The Dragon Knights son.” Even he was surprised at how bitter he sounded.

Grey was suddenly kneeling in front of his chair and tilting his chin up. “You’re not your father though. You might be his son, but you are your own person too. You can be strong and tough and brave and still dress how you like. The way you look doesn’t define who you are as a person. Remember the day I got fired? You were dressed up prettily then and you still stood up to those bullies, didn’t you?”

Myungjun nodded and gave him a small smile. “I suppose I did. You reassured me back then and now you’re doing it again. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome little prince.” Grey said returning his smile before going to sit back in his seat. “You shouldn’t deny or try to suppress who you are. It’s not healthy. People either love you for who you really are or they’re not worth your time. I bet Jinwoo still loves you regardless.”

Myungjun nodded happily and picked up his glass again. “JinJin learnt how to tie my hair up for me and he even tied up my hair before taking me on a picnic date when we left the academy.”

“Exactly. He wouldn’t have learnt that for you if he didn’t like seeing you that way. And if Jinwoo likes you like that, then it shouldn’t matter what anyone else thinks right?”

Myungjun sipped at his drink feeling better after hearing his reassuring words. He hadn’t realised how much pressure he’d been under to maintain an image he wasn’t particularly fond of for the sake of his father’s reputation and the guilds. It felt like a weight off his shoulders to admit how he felt, and he was starting to feel glad about taking this break from the guild after all.

“I know it will be hard to completely change when you go back there, so maybe you should get used to it here in the castle.” Grey suggested. “You won’t see a lot of people here and they all keep to themselves anyway. And you already know that I don’t care how you look, and we both know Leo is whipped for you so he wouldn’t mind either.”

Myungjun giggled into his cup again. “Stop it. Leo is not _whipped_ for me. He’s just lonely and needs a friend.”

“A friend with all the added benefits you mean.” Grey said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Myungjun squealed and stood up, wobbling slightly on his feet. “That’s it. Get out of my room. You’ve entertained me for long enough and the alcohol is clearly making you delusional.”

“I’m only joking.” Grey said rolling his eyes. He stood up and drained the rest of his wine. “I really should be going though. We should do this again it was nice.”

Myungjun nodded and saw him out before going back to his bed and falling down against the silk sheets. Even though today had been so stressful, he was finishing it feeling happy. Today was also the first day he hadn’t cried over missing Jinwoo.

_Maybe I can do this without him after all._

*

Myungjun woke up the next morning with a groan as the maid opened his curtains, flooding the room with light.

“Mr Kim it’s time to wake up. You’ll be late for your first lesson otherwise.”

“Can you get me a pain relief herb? My heads pounding.” Myungjun asked as he forced himself up. Maybe drinking that wine was a bad idea.

“I can get that for you. Would you like for me to tell the King you cannot attend breakfast? I can bring it up here for you instead.”

“Yes please. Can you also get me some water? My mouth is dry.”

The maid bowed and stepped out of the room. Myungjun stared down at his silky bedsheets for a few seconds before sighing and getting out of bed. Maybe a nice cold shower would help.

Ten minutes later, when he was feeling a bit better and a lot cleaner, he exited the bathroom to see his breakfast already being set up at the table on his balcony. He felt a bit guilty seeing the woman cleaning up his and Greys mess from last night but had to remind himself it was her job.

He’d been reluctant at the beginning to have her do so much for him, but she always insisted and ended up getting annoyed at him if he tried to help. It was just best to leave her to it.

She noticed his presence and rushed into the room. “Would you like for me to pick out some clothes?” She looked hopeful, as she always did, hoping that Myungjun would one day say yes.

He had told Leo that he would wear the fine clothes he provided, but it had been weeks and he was still wearing Jinwoos.

But today was different.

After last night’s talk with Grey, he’d decided to take his advice. He was wearing Jinwoos clothes for comfort. Not because they were his style. The style he wanted was different, so it was about time he embraced it. Grey was right. There was no better place to wear what he wanted than the castle. It was closed off from the outside world and the only people he saw often enough to be concerned about were Leo and Grey. Grey had already seen him that way and he knew Leo was openminded enough not to care.

So he nodded.

The maid’s eyes widened in surprise. “Are you sure Mr Kim?”

“Please. I trust you’ll pick me out something nice.” He smiled to himself as she raced towards the door to his wardrobe and he went to sit at the dressing table.

She came back five minutes later and laid his outfit out on the bed before hurrying over to dry his hair. When she moved to pick up the comb Myungjun stopped her.

“I’ll be doing my own hair today. Thank you for the breakfast and for picking out my outfit. I’d like to request one more thing if I may. I’d like an assortment of nail polishes and a stick of eyeliner brought to my room. A yellow nail polish in particular, it’s my favourite colour. Oh, and if you can find a sparkly one that would be even better. I love sparkles.”

The woman stared at him looking confused. “May I ask why Mr Kim?”

“So I can wear them of course.” Myungjun said happily, giggling at the look of horror on her face. “If I could have them before lunch, I’d be grateful. I have a bag of coins on my bedside table you can use. I wouldn’t expect the King to pay for such things. That will be all.”

She accepted her dismissal and Myungjun heard the clinking of his coins as she left the room. He sighed happily and got to work on his hair. He hadn’t changed it in so long it felt almost strange. He grew it out to his required length and coloured it to the brightest yellow he could muster. If he was going to really do this, he might as well go all out.

When he had finished tying his hair up, he moved over to his bed to inspect his outfit. As expected, she’d done a good job. His silk shirt was white with ruffled sleeve cuffs and golden buttons. His trousers were a simple, black pair of tailored slacks which he already knew would fit him perfectly and the shoes placed on the floor were shined with polish and adorned with gold eyelets for his laces and gold heels that would increase his height by an inch.

He quickly changed into the clothes and went to stand in front of the mirror to see how he looked. The silk of his shirt felt amazing against his skin and flowed nicely as he moved. He giggled to himself as he shook the ruffled cuffs. As expected, his trousers clung to him but in a way that complimented his legs. They were not tight, but they were not loose either. He looked down at the gold heels of his shoes and smiled. He was beginning to grow fond of the colour.

“Maybe I should make my hair gold.” Myungjun muttered to himself as he looked up at it. He’d never tried gold before but there was always a first time for everything. He moved his magic up to his head and focused on the colour he wanted. It slowly began to change and Myungjun grinned at how close the colour was to what he had envisioned. He knew he wouldn’t get it first time, but it was good enough.

He went back to the bed to see what jewellery she had picked out and slid all of the rings onto his fingers first. He didn’t even want to think about how much each ring was worth. He put the necklace on last. A simple golden chain that sat around his throat.

After one final look in the mirror he went out onto the balcony to take his herb and eat his breakfast. He was relieved to see a jug of water on the table too. The ice cubes inside of it were melting but he didn’t mind.

He ate quickly, watching the castle staff watering the plants in the royal gardens with their water magic below him before tidying up as best as possible and rushing inside to check the time and grab his timetable.

It was a Monday, so he had telepathy first and herbology in the gardens after lunch. He had every evening free apart from on Saturdays. He’d attended ballet with Leo for the first time a few weeks previous and decided it wasn’t so bad after all. So he had decided to stay. Leo had been ecstatic.

He made his way down to the room he practiced telepathy in and was greeted curtly by his teacher. A man named Mr Yun who didn’t ever seem particularly happy to be there. Today was no different.

“Mr Kim you’re late.”

“Sorry.” Myungjun muttered, taking a seat at the table opposite him.

“Have you been practicing what I asked?” Mr Yun asked, drumming his fingers against the wood.

Myungjun nodded quickly. “I’ve been practicing with my friend. He says my shield is getting stronger every day.”

“Well then let’s test it.” The older man said, pushing his glasses further up his nose.

Myungjun forced his shield up and focused his mind entirely on keeping Mr Yun out. He could feel him prodding around and strengthened each area he tried to enter. But eventually he broke through.

Mr Yun sighed. “It’s stronger but not by much. I expected you to hold out longer than that. You need to practice more. You told me when we first met that you’re a fast learner but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”

Myungjun pouted at his words. He really had been trying hard. “Maybe it’s not as strong today because I have a bit of a hangover.” He admitted sheepishly.

“You thought it wise to drink knowing full well you had this lesson today?” Mr Yun asked with a scowl. “Mr Kim that’s irresponsible at best. If you’re not going to take these lessons seriously, I’d rather not waste my time. I’m a busy man.”

“I do take them seriously.” Myungjun said quickly. He didn’t want the man to refuse to teach him anymore. He needed to get better with his telepathy spells, they were important. “You’re right. It was irresponsible. I apologise. It won’t happen again.”

“I hope not. Telepathy isn’t something to be taken lightly. As humans our minds are our control centres. Creating a strong enough shield to protect them is the most important spell of all. If an enemy were to manipulate your mind in battle, they could do terrible things with your body. You’d be their puppet. I’ve seen people turn on their own friends and murder them in cold blood because they were being controlled by an outside source. I doubt you want that to happen to you, so I suggest you practice harder. After this we’ll be moving onto strengthening your hallucinations. So concentrate. We still have an hour and a half of our session so we can practice some more now. Try again. Block me out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to make is explicitly clear: Leo does NOT have a thing for Myungjun. Grey was literally just joking. Leo only sees Myungjun as his little brother, nothing more lmao
> 
> Also, if anyone trashes Myungjun for how he wants to look I'll fight them. No one will escape my wrath.


	159. The Contract.

Myungjun walked down to the banquet hall for dinner after a successful herbology lesson. He’d learnt about more of the plants in the Kings garden and had added their sketches to the ones he had already created from his time at the academy. He was slowly building his own compendium of plant information and he was extremely pleased with it.

During his lunch break he had gone back to his room to retrieve his new make-up. He’d lined his eyes and painted his nails with the yellow sparkly polish he’d requested, and he felt giddy with excitement and nerves at the thought of Leo seeing him this way.

He approached the doors and nodded politely to the guards standing watch before taking a deep breath and stepping inside.

Leo was sitting at his usual seat at the head of the table with another book in his hands. He didn’t look up immediately this time, clearly intent on finishing the page he was reading, but when he did Myungjun giggled at the look on his face. He was clearly stunned.

“Mr Kim?”

“The one and only.” Myungjun said happily as he made his way over to sit beside him. He looked up to see Leo staring at him. “What’s wrong your majesty? Do I have something on my face?”

Leo cleared his throat and collected himself. “My apologies. It was rude of me to stare. Are you hungry?”

Myungjun nodded and reached out for his glass of water. He saw the way Leos eyes were drawn to his nail polish and held back the urge to giggle again.

Leo quickly looked around the room to make sure none of the staff were within hearing distance before lowering his voice. “Little brother you look…different.”

Myungjun lowered his voice too so they could speak properly. “I know. This is how I _want_ to look. It’s how I’ve always wanted to look but I was too afraid to style myself this way at the guild. Do I look okay?”

Leo finally smiled. “You look wonderful. I’ve never seen anyone with gold hair before. You’re even wearing the clothes I provided you I see. It’s about time.”

Myungjun wanted to reply but they were interrupted by the arrival of their food. It smelt and looked delicious and instantly stole all of Myungjuns attention. He still couldn’t believe he was able to eat such divine food and he wished Moonbin were here to try it. He’d be in his element.

They ate in a comfortable silence until all of the food was gone. Leo gestured for the plates to be cleared away and when they were alone again, he finally spoke.

“How are your lessons going?”

“They’re hard.” Myungjun admitted with a sigh as he wiped at the corners of his mouth with a linen napkin. “I can keep up with your Kings guard when we’re training with the bows, but I’m struggling with the poles and the swords. I’m an archer at heart so I guess it’s to be expected. Shapeshifting is hard too. I asked my teacher if there were any other spells I could legally learn, and she said yes. She’s been teaching me how to camouflage myself using my surroundings ever since. It’s difficult to achieve. Herbology was my favourite class in the academy and it’s my favourite here too. I love learning about all the plants and their uses. But it’s made me sad.”

“Why?”

“Well I left my greenhouse at the guild unattended. I asked Jinwoo to water my plants every day, but he doesn’t know how else to look after them. I just hope he asks Youngjae at least. If not, I’m going to go back to a wild forest that will take days to tame. Or even worse, I’ll go back, and they’ll all be dead.”

“Can’t you just ask my herbologists to teach you how to revive dead plants?”

Myungjun looked up in surprise. “Is that possible? In the academy I only learnt how to revive withering plants from the brink of death. I didn’t think you could fully bring them back.”

“I’ve seen them do it before.” Leo said with a smile. “It’s heart-warming to see. The way they begin to flourish and thrive with life is fascinating. You should ask them to teach you. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind. What about your other lessons? How is healing? That’s your main lesson after all.”

“Healing is the hardest.” Myungjun whined with a pout. “It’s so difficult. I asked to learn how to fix internal bleeding first, but the spell is really complicated. I have to be able to detect it first and there’s not a lot of opportunities to actually practice. Your healer did mention the possibility of sending me to train at the nearby infirmary, but she said she’d have to talk to the magic counsel to get permission first.”

“Speaking of the magic counsel.” Leo suddenly spoke up. “They’ve called for another meeting.”

Myungjun tensed. It had been nearly a month since his confrontation with them. They’d told Leo after Myungjun had left that they needed time to discuss what to do with him in terms of his power. Myungjun had been dreading the day they would reach their final decision. Were they going to help or were they going to take his magic away?

“The meeting is this weekend. You do not have to worry. I will not allow them to take your magic.” Leo said quietly. “I know you do not feel whole without it. If they refuse to help you, I will use everything in my power to find you someone who can. Even if it means sending you away to one of the foreign lands.”

“And what happens if they refuse to help, and deem me too dangerous to be let out? Will they put me in a cell?” That was Myungjuns biggest fear. Being locked away. It was a fate worse than death.

Leo reached over to take Myungjuns hand. “I’m the King. I have the final say on who ends up in one of my cells and you are the last person I would put there. Look at me little brother.” Myungjun looked up at him with wet eyes. “You are not dangerous Myungjun. You are kind and gentle and care a lot about the people around you. They have seen all of your memories now. They know who you are as a person. So I am almost certain they will help you. Just try not to worry. I know that’s easier said than done but you need to focus on your other lessons right now, because after this weekend is over, your timetable might fill up even further with extra training.”

Myungjun nodded and tried to smile when Leo gave his hand a squeeze. “Thank you for looking after me. I’m just sorry I’ve caused you so much trouble.”

“Do not apologise to me. You know that sorry is my least favourite word. I _still_ hear it at least fifty thousand times a day.” Leo said with a roll of his eyes.

Myungjun laughed and gave his hand a squeeze in return before letting go and standing up. “I should take my leave. I said to Grey I would train with him again this evening and I need to go and get changed.”

“Forget training for today.” Leo said standing up too. “I’d like to show you something. Follow me.”

Leo led them out of the banquet halls doors and told his guards to stay put. He swept through the gold and white corridors until they entered the wing of the castle that they both slept in. Leo took him up a staircase he hadn’t seen before that was tucked away out of sight around one of the corners and when they reached the top, Myungjun was stunned to see that it led out into a library.

Leo had told him before when they had bumped into each other in the academies library that his library was better, and he wasn’t lying. The room was circular so Myungjun guessed they were in one of the castles spires and the walls were lined with books. There was a wooden staircase that led up to a raised platform that allowed them to reach the books higher up. Two giant windows on either side of the spire flooded the room with light from the setting sun. A big fireplace, with a blue fire burning in the grate, was located to one side and had an array of white and gold comfy chairs placed in front of it that sat atop a plush white carpet.

Leo went to select a book from a nearby shelf and sat down on one of the chairs. Myungjun sat down on another one and sunk into it with a happy sigh.

“This is beautiful Leo.”

“That’s Hyung to you.” Leo said as he opened his book.

Myungjun still found it a bit embarrassing to call him that, but it was easier now that they were friends. “This is beautiful _Hyung_.” Myungjun repeated, grinning at the way Leo perked up.

“It’s exciting having someone call me that. I’ve never been anyone’s Hyung before.” Leo said happily. “Would you like for me to read you a story? This book is really rather good. It’s one of my favourites.”

Myungjun nodded eagerly and let his gentle, soothing voice wash over him as he curled up further into the chair.

*

“Thank you for meeting with us again Mr Kim.” Snow said, offering him a smile as he sat down at the table. “How have you been?”

“I’ve been okay.” Myungjun mumbled, not feeling particularly okay at that specific moment. “I don’t mean to be rude, but can we skip the small talk? This is about my magic after all and I’d rather get straight to the point.”

“As you wish.” said Snow with a small quirk of her lips, luckily not looking offended at all. “We’ll let Shadow do the talking. She’s the most articulate.”

Myungjun looked down the table to see their dark magic user sitting in the exact same seat she’d been in the last time, opposite the King. Her piercing purple eyes held no warmth but didn’t look unkind.

“Mr Kim we’ve decided to help you.” Myungjun blinked. That was…definitely straight to the point. “But under a few conditions.”

Myungjun looked at Leo who appeared just as oblivious. “Uhh…conditions?”

“We have a contract here that you need to sign.” Shadow snapped her fingers and the scroll landed on the table in front of Myungjun in a puff of purple smoke. “Condition one: You will not use your newfound power against the kingdom. If you take up arms against us and threaten the lives of any innocents, you will be dispatched of immediately. Condition two: If there is a great threat to the kingdom, one we cannot handle alone, you will be called upon to aid us in the fight. You will come immediately, regardless of where you are or what you are doing. Condition three: You must not tell a single soul about your power. This is not just for our sake but for yours as well. If word gets out that you are a magic user of SS Rank you will be hunted and assassinated in your sleep. People will want to get rid of you for a multitude of reasons. Jealousy or fear to name a couple.”

“Wait.” Myungjun interjected. “You want me to keep this a secret from my friends? My family? My _boyfriend_? How will that even work? You can’t hide magical power. They’ll be able to sense me from a mile away.”

“SS Rank is called transcendence because it is not bound by magical laws or rules. Anything is possible. We can help you hide it I’m sure of it.” Shadow answered. “And yes. You WILL hide it from your loved ones. No-one can know. Only the people inside of this room are aware of your power and it will stay that way. Your father has a clue, but you must not confirm his suspicions. You are taking telepathy lessons and I’m sure your teacher has explained the risks of telepathy magic. Minds can easily be manipulated and read. All it would take, is for one random stranger to read your loved one’s minds and your secret would be out. It’s simply not safe. Condition four: upon leaving the castle, you will be marked with a magical tracker. We will know at all times where you are on Aredrinnor. The tracker will unfortunately deactivate outside of Aredrinnor but across the sea you are no longer our problem.”

“Are you serious?” Myungjun choked standing up from his seat. “That’s a total invasion of my privacy!”

“Sit down child.” Shadow snapped. Myungjun did as he was told, trembling with anger. They couldn’t do this to him. He couldn’t just be _tagged_ like some wild beast. “You can be tagged, and you will be. We must know where you are at all times.”

Myungjun clenched his jaw and flexed his fingers under the table in an attempt to contain his anger. “Will you be able to see what I’m doing?” Shadow shook her head and Myungjun breathed out lightly in relief. It didn’t make marking him okay, but it made it more bearable. “If you mark me, I need to at least tell my boyfriend that much. He’s with me most of the time, it’s not just an invasion of my privacy but his as well.”

“Very well. You may tell him, but you will have to lie as to why you are marked. We will leave it up to you to decide on what you will say but it has to be believable.”

“So I either have to hide the fact I’m being tracked or I have to lie?” Myungjun didn’t know which was worse. “Are there any other ‘conditions’ to this contract?”

“One final condition. Condition five: You will not leave the castle until you have your power under full control. Whether it takes one year or ten. If you are going to learn, you are going to learn until you master your magic. We will not take any shortcuts and risk making any mistakes.”

Her words stole Myungjuns breath. This was the trap. If he wanted help he couldn’t leave until they deemed him ready to do so. But if he refused their help then they’d take away his magic all together.

“That’s a bit extreme don’t you think?” It was the first time Leo had spoken. He’d just been quietly listening the whole time. “He has friends and family who are already awaiting his return. Must you really go as far as to keeping him trapped here too?”

Shadow sighed and sat back in her seat. “Let’s not make this personal Leo. You know why you can’t leave. In regard to Mr Kim however, it is necessary for him to master his magic before he departs from the castle. We will be unlocking all of his power first and if he leaves after having it all out in the open, without the proper controls, he’ll be even more dangerous than he is now. You know we always do what is best for this land. This IS best. This IS the only way.”

“I understand that.” Leo said stiffly. “But keeping him trapped here without visitation for that many years is too much. His mental health would not be able to take it. You have already said yourself how he feels things stronger than most humans. He’ll miss them terribly, get terribly depressed and how do you think his training will go when that happens?”

“The gardens are open to visitors once a year. He can see them then.”

“Once a year?” Leo scoffed.

“Yes. Once a year. You are lucky we opened them up to the public at all.”

“You told me not to make this personal but you’re making it extremely difficult.” Leo spat. Myungjun was shocked, he’d never seen him so angry.

“We let you visit the academy and the crucible too Leo. We shouldn’t be letting you out at all. We shouldn’t be opening the gardens at all. But we let you have those little bits of freedom. You should be grateful.”

“Grateful?” Leo laughed in disbelief. “Even when I’m allowed out, I have to suffer the suffocating presence of my guard. That’s not freedom. I’m trapped wherever I go and for what? I know why I must be kept safe. I’m the King, the last son of my bloodline. I know you fear my assassination after what happened to my parents. But at this point I’m more of a danger to myself than anything else. I’ve been putting up with this for fourteen years and I will NOT allow you to put Myung- Mr Kim through that too. Its torture and he will not survive it. I’m barely managing as it is.”

Myungjun tried to swallow past the lump in his throat. Was Leo hinting at what he thought he was hinting at?

“Leo.” Shadows voice was suddenly soft, caring. “We know it is hard on you. But you are indispensable. With you gone the Kingdom would fall. We’ve been over this a hundred times already. You promised us that you would be able to handle this when you swore your oath.”

“I was nine when I swore that oath.” Leo said, unshed tears swimming in his eyes. “At nine you think you are invincible. I didn’t know what my oath would entail. What it would do to me and how it would affect me now. It’s crippling. So, I’m ordering you, as your _King_ to change his final condition. He’s not a danger. He should be allowed visitation once a month at the very least.”

Murmurs filled the room as the magic counsel discussed his request and Myungjun reached out to take Leos hand under the table. Leo looked at him, giving him a small smile that exuded sadness. It made Myungjuns heart hurt to see him this way. He wanted to wipe the tears from his face but knew it would be inappropriate, so he just clutched his hand tightly instead.

“We will change his final condition if he begins to show signs of having some form of control over his power.” Snow finally spoke. “We will not bend any further than that.”

Leo looked like he was going to argue again so Myungjun cut in. “I’ll accept.”

“Mr Kim you-”

“It’s fine.” Myungjun said quietly, looking up at Leo and offering him a weak smile. “They’ve already said I’ll be unlocking all of my power first before I can learn to control it and I don’t wish to be around my friends and family if it would put them in danger. You don’t need to worry about me. I’m a fast learner remember? I’ll have it under control in no time at all.”

Myungjun let his hand go and reached for the pen he’d been provided with. He unrolled the contract and read it three times over before signing. He pushed it away and stood up from his seat.

“Thank you for offering to help me. I came here in the hopes of getting this help and you’ve been kind enough to give it to me. I’ll work hard and prove to you all that I’m not a threat. And then when I’m strong enough, I’ll be able to escort Le- the King to all of the places he wishes to go and all of the places he wishes to see, and you’ll never have to fear for his assassination because I’ll be there to protect him.” When he looked, Leo was staring at him with wide eyes. “You can’t keep him locked up forever. He’s a human being like the rest of us. He’s our King and deserves more respect than this. Now if you’ll excuse us, me and the King have a ballet lesson to attend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Leo :( Poor Myungjun :( both of their lives bound to the confines of the castle walls.


	160. Camellias.

**May**

May brought with it the height of spring. The flowers in the royal gardens, and in Leos secret garden were flourishing brilliantly. Myungjun spent a lot of his breaks between lessons hiding away in Leos garden with him, helping him care for his flowers and teaching him everything he knew about them. Leo already knew a lot and sometimes he would teach Myungjun things too. His breaks were meant for food so Leo would always have a picnic basket prepared to eat amongst the flowers.

When Myungjun wasn’t spending his breaks there, when Leo was too busy with his Kingly duties, he’d spend his time with Grey instead, either sparring or practicing his magic with him. Myungjun learnt that the people of the land Grey was born in specialised in telepathic magic, so with Greys help he was able to advance quicker in his telepathy lessons.

However, the lessons he worked the hardest in were his SS power training lessons that he had every evening. The magic counsel members would rotate every lesson and they’d each tried different ways to help him release his hidden power. It had only worked once after Shadow created a hallucination of Myungjuns mother dying that was so convincing Myungjun snapped. The room in the castle that they were practicing in had been destroyed by his vines and they’d moved his lessons outside after that. He was still angry with Shadow for tricking him that way, it had been traumatising, but it had worked nonetheless.

After she’d calmed him down, she’d told him to hold onto his power for as long as possible and to try to fight against the darkness that would inevitably take him when the power went dormant again. It had been a struggle but had worked for a few seconds and the sense of achievement afterwards made it all worth it.

*

Myungjun was walking to the sheltered patio outside to have breakfast with Leo when he decided to summon Camellia. He hadn’t seen her in the longest time and missed her dearly.

She landed on the floor with a tinkle and unfurled her pitch-black petals. “Hello Myungjun. You’re not summoning me to make me fight? How unusual.”

“I’m sorry.” Myungjun pouted, tickling her stalk gently. “I’ve missed you a lot. Let’s spend the whole day together.”

Leo looked up from his book when they approached, and his eyes widened in shock. Myungjun knew if his guards weren’t there he’d be squealing in excitement and rushing over to touch her, but he had to keep up appearances, so he just put his book down and collected himself.

“Please take a seat Mr Kim. May I ask who this is?”

Myungjun sat down and patted Camellias waxy leaves fondly. “My companion Camellia. A female companion, not male. She gets upset if she’s referred to as a ‘he’ so please try not to make that mistake. Do we have any fruit? She enjoys it.”

Leo handed him a bowl, his child-like curiosity shining in his eyes. Myungjun placed the bowl by her roots and they crept into the bowl to wrap around one of the grapes. She crushed it and absorbed it, humming happily. Myungjun grinned at the look on Leos face. He was entranced and Myungjun felt proud of his pretty companion.

“I have an hour until my first lesson.” Myungjun said, hoping the King would catch onto his hint. “Breakfast will only take ten minutes.”

To his relief, Leo was quick to catch on as usual. Myungjun could see the smile he was holding back. “Well in that case would you like to do something afterwards Mr Kim?”

“I’d be honoured your majesty.” Myungjun said, bowing his head respectfully.

They finished eating in record time and raced back into the castle. Leos guards gave up chasing them after a while and they ran through the halls towards Leos secret garden giggling hysterically.

“Your guards must hate me.” Myungjun said, gasping for air as they reached the wooden door. “I bet they’ve never had to do so much running in their life.”

Leo laughed and ushered him into his garden. Myungjun went straight over to sit on the swing attached to the big tree in the centre and Leo began to push him without hesitation.

“They’ve certainly never been so disrespected by me.” Leo said from behind him, pushing him higher. “I almost feel bad.”

Myungjun snorted in amusement and watched the way the ground rushed under his legs. “I doubt they really care anyway. They must get bored following you around all day.”

Leo stopped pushing him and made a noise of offence. “Are you saying I’m boring little brother?”

Myungjun lept off the swing as it swung him forwards, something he knew Leo hated, and landed heavily on his feet. He turned back to see Leo pouting at him and grinned.

“ _I_ don’t find you boring, but they might. I’m the only one that’s seen the real side of you Hyung. You have to be all Kingly when they’re around and being the King doesn’t look very fun.”

Leo gestured for him to follow and walked through his garden touching all of the plants and flowers. “My father always made it look enjoyable, so I assumed I’d like it too. I was very much mistaken. The title of King fell on my shoulders when I was just nine years old. I had to grow up fast, so I didn’t really understand the concept of fun again for a long time. But now you’re here and I have fun every day.”

Leo turned back to smile at him and Myungjun smiled in return before summoning Camellia again. He’d made her disappear before when they’d run away from the guards, knowing she’d just slow them down, but he wanted her out now. It was the whole reason he’d hinted for Leo to take them here in the first place.

Leo gave the excited squeal that he’d been expecting before when he saw her again. “Wow I’ve never seen anything like it! She walks and everything!”

“She’s the flower I summoned in the royal gardens, when we first met, that knocked the garden pest unconscious. She was a lot smaller back then, so I’m not surprised you didn’t see her properly. But I usually always summon her my height like this. She’s my other half so it only feels natural this way.” Myungjun explained. “You can touch her if you’d like. She won’t mind.”

Camellia ruffled her petals happily as Leo hesitantly reached out to stroke them.

“This man has lovely hands.” Camellia said leaning into his touch. “Very soft.”

“Can I tell him that?” Myungjun asked her. She hummed in agreement, so he turned to look at Leo instead. “Camellia said she likes you touching her.”

Leo grinned and stroked her some more. “It’s very interesting to see you converse. You both sound like windchimes when you talk. It’s lovely. If I had magic, I’d want it to be plant too and I’d love to have my own companion. I’d never be lonely then.”

“I’m glad I’m a plant user.” Myungjun mused, going to sit down on the edge of the marble fountain. The running water behind him was pleasant to his ears. “Other magic types have their own perks, but I enjoy mine the best.”

“Like what?” Leo asked sounding curious as he walked over to sit beside him.

“Well air users can fly. Ground users can terraport. Fire users can create pretty fireworks. Water users can create cute bubbles from their fingertips. Ice users can make it snow and as a plant user I can make flowers bloom wherever I walk. There are plenty of other perks but they’re my favourites from each type.”

Leo hummed thoughtfully and ran his fingers through the fountain water. “Even after hearing those I’d still choose plant. Although air is very tempting. I’d love to take off and touch the sky. That’s why all of the fire in this castle is blue. I requested it be that colour. Blue is the colour of the sky and represents freedom. It’s my favourite.”

“Yellow is mine.” Myungjun said happily, flashing his yellow nails. “It’s the happiest colour and reminds me of sunshine. I want to be as bright and cheerful as the colour yellow. That way I know I’ll always be happy.”

“Well I know of a way to make you happy.” Leo said making Myungjun look up at him expectantly. “I’ve cleared out some space in my garden here so you can plant your own flowers.”

Myungjun gasped excitedly and grabbed Leos hands. “Really? I can really grow flowers here?”

Leo nodded quickly and pulled him to his feet. “It’s not a lot of space but it’s enough. You can grow flowers with your magic or from seeds, right?”

Myungjun let Leo pull him through the garden. “Yes. I prefer growing them from seeds though, even if it takes ages for them to bloom, they stay alive for longer. I already know what seeds I’m going to plant. I read a book on flower companions and I found out Camellia can shed seeds. I tried it once and planted them in my mother’s garden and they grew into little camellias! So, I’d like to do that here. They are my favourites after all. And this way there will always be a part of me left in the castle when I eventually leave.”

*

A few weeks later, Myungjun found himself making great progress in shapeshifting. He was learning how to camouflage himself into his surroundings and had finally managed to camouflage the whole bottom half of his body.

He squealed excitedly when he looked down. “I did it! I look exactly like the marble floor!”

His teacher smiled. “You’ve done an excellent job today Mr Kim. Before I dismiss you, I would like for us to revisit your shifter profile and make the necessary changes.” Myungjun followed her to the table and watched her pull out the folder of notes she had made on him. “Now then, we’ll go through all of your spells again and you’ll tell me how you’ve improved them over this last month. Have you been practicing them all like I asked?”

“Most of them, not all.” Myungjun admitted. “I spend most of my time practicing…other things.” He wasn’t allowed to tell anyone else of his hidden magical power, but he’d been finding it hard. He’d nearly told Grey on a handful of occasions but always managed to stop himself just in time.

“Well we’ll start with the basics. I can see you’re still finding it easy to colour your hair.” She said with a small smile as she looked up at the bright pink curls. “How do you find this spell now?”

“It’s my easiest shifter spell still.” Myungjun said proudly, playing with the soft strands. “I can change the colour of my hair in around three seconds now. A second quicker than last month. I avoided colouring my hair for so long I had almost forgotten how to do it. Also, I’ve since remembered another spell I taught myself in the academy. To do with my hair.”

“You taught yourself a spell?” She asked with her eyebrows raised.

Myungjun nodded proudly. “I learnt how to colour my hair more than one colour at a time, highlights to be exact. And recently I’ve been trying to colour one half of my hair a different colour to the other half. Both spells still aren’t perfect, but I can show you if you’d like?”

She nodded so Myungjun quickly showed her what he had so far, and she looked impressed which made him happy.

“That’s impressive. Did you learn how to do them from a spell book?”

“No. I just guessed. But I’ll admit I was worried about telling you today. I know creating spells is forbidden in this land. I didn’t know that was a law when I first made the highlights in my hair, but I DID know when I tried colouring my hair half and half. Am I in trouble?” He felt bold enough to admit the truth after seeing her immediate reaction was a good one.

She laughed and reached across the table to pat his hand. “You are not in trouble. These are spells that have already been created by other shifters in the past. This is why I asked if you had read them from a spell book. There is a spell book on all different kinds of spells created by shifters that have been made legal to use. These two you taught yourself, luckily enough fall under that category. However, you’ve been lucky this time. I would not advise trying to create anymore without first hitting the books.”

“Where can I find this spell book?” Myungjun asked excitedly. “I’d like to learn more if I can.”

“As far as I’m aware, you cannot leave the castle to purchase your own copy, but I can bring you one for our next lesson.” She answered kindly.

“Would you like for me to provide the coin?” Myungjun offered.

She just shook her head. “Think of it as a reward Mr Kim. You’ve made excellent progress in my lessons. Now I can see you’re excited, but we still need to discuss your other spells. Let’s move onto changing the length of your hair.”

Myungjun tried to push his excitement away to answer her questions seriously. “I can grow my hair all the way down to my waist but no further. It seems to slow down the further it gets down my back before stopping completely. No matter how hard I try it refuses to go lower.”

“That’s perfectly normal.” She reassured him. “If you grew your natural hair out longer, you’d be able to make it go further. And speaking of growing, how are your other growth spells?”

“I find it easier to shrink then I do to grow taller, but I can do both easier now after practicing so much. My friend measured me, and I can grow to around eight foot before it stops, and I can shrink down to four right now, but I know I can get further if I try.”

She made notes on her parchment. “Impressive, you’ve improved by a foot upwards. You said to me in the beginning that you were a fast learner, but I wasn’t ready to believe you. However, I can see you were being truthful. Now what about changing your facial features?” Myungjun replicated her face perfectly and she laughed. “Impressive. It’s still rather strange to see my own face on someone else.”

Myungjun let go of the transformation and grinned. “I like replicating people’s faces. It’s fun. I replicated the Kings face and scared his guards the other day.”

The woman looked shocked for a second before laughing. Myungjun giggled along with her until she’d calmed down enough to speak.

“You’re very mischievous young man. I bet they weren’t very happy with you.”

“They certainly weren’t. But it was still funny all the same. What spell do you want to hear about next?”

She scanned the list humming thoughtfully. “You told me when we first began that you had only attempted a gender swap once and that was when you first learnt the spell. Have you tried it recently?”

Myungjun shook his head. “That’s the one spell I haven’t had the time to attempt. As I’ve only done it once, it would drain me too much. All of my days are packed with lessons, I need my energy for them instead.”

“You should consider requesting some energy revive herbs. That way you can practice without the need to worry. I’m sure you’d appreciate them for use with your other lessons as well.”

“I…didn’t even think of that.” Myungjun admitted feeling terribly stupid. “I’d probably work better and make more progress in my other lessons with them. I’ll ask, thank you for reminding me.”

“You do not need to thank me Mr Kim. You cannot expect to remember everything when your head is filled with all of the spells you are currently learning and practicing. You are under a lot of pressure as it is taking on all of your different classes. If you ever need a break do not be afraid to let me know. But before I can let you go today; I need to ask about your body enhancement spells. How are they coming along?”

“I find it easiest to turn to stone because I’ve done it more. Metal and wood are trickier, but glass is by far the hardest. I still don’t understand how glass is supposed to help when it comes to combat.”

“Maybe you’ll sparkle so brightly in the sun you’ll blind your enemies.” She joked as she made more notes. “Well that is all for today Mr Kim. We will work some more next lesson on camouflaging your torso. I will get you the spell book and you also need to remember to request those herbs. You are free to go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Every time I talk about the gender swap spell my brain is screaming at me to write a chapter with girl Myungjun ughhhhh.
> 
> Also, Camellia being able to shed seeds for Myungjun to grow baby camellias is so cute to me??  
> I agree with Leo, if I could choose any type of magic I'd want plant :']


	161. A Blocked Heart And A Lonely Heart.

Myungjun walked into the room for his SS power training to see that Leaf was his teacher today. Myungjun thought his pseudo name suited him well. With bright green hair, bright green eyes and his bright green cardigan he definitely had the colouring down. His voice was wispy, and he was as frail as a leaf too despite his young age. Myungjun always tried to be extra careful when shaking his hand.

“Hello Mr Kim. Today we will be getting straight to the point.”

“Just how I like it.” said Myungjun offering him a small smile. “Are you going to make me snap again today?”

“You’ve snapped enough recently to know what it feels like.” Leaf said, picking absentmindedly at the sleeves of his cardigan. “Today I would like for you to focus on that feeling and try to replicate it without a trigger.”

“Replicate the power shift?” Myungjun asked feeling a bit confused. “I can try but I don’t think that will work.”

Leaf looked him directly in the eyes. He always seemed nervous to do so. “Do not be so sceptical Mr Kim. You know how it feels when the power shifts inside of you. Where does it start?”

“In my chest.”

“Exactly, because all magical energy pumps from your heart. Stronger magical energy is more concentrated which is why people can sense it. For example, my magical energy is more concentrated than yours when you’re in this state. So, if we both walked into a room, the other magical occupants inside would sense me first. The mystery with your magical energy, is why it switches concentrations. I have done my own research behind it and I believe you have a blockage in your heart that only allows your magical energy to trickle out. If my theory is correct your magic isn’t pumping like it should.”

“A blockage in my heart?” Now Myungjun felt even more confused.

Leaf nodded, pushing his circular glasses further up his nose. “You are triggered easily by death. Your heart aches when you see the bodies of your loved ones. When you had violent outbursts that were triggered by your father in the academy, that made you ‘slip’ into your other mindset, it happened because your heart felt betrayed by the man who was supposed to care for you and love you. We know now that your violent outbursts were just a side effect of your pent-up magic because you didn’t know how to release it. Now that you’ve learnt to release it through your power shift it is important that we start there, at your heart. Everything always leads back to it. Its why you feel things stronger than the average person. It is why your heart stopped when you couldn’t release your emotions. Your heart is the key. We need to figure out a way to unblock it. Once it is unblocked your power will pump normally and then you can learn to control it.”

If his theory was correct it would explain a lot. “So, you think I should begin by trying to replicate the power shift without a trigger?”

“It would be best if you could achieve that. You’ve seen enough death over the past couple of weeks in our hallucinations, I fear you will grow to have nightmares and explode with power in your sleep. I can see you are fond of having sleepovers with the Grey boy. If your power exploded during a nightmare you could kill him.”

Myungjun gulped. He hadn’t thought of that before. He’d been putting Greys life in danger this whole time. It made him more determined to try harder today. “I understand. You were right, I do know how it feels. I don’t know whether I can physically make my heart feel that way, but I can try.”

“Start with some meditation, clear your mind. A clear mind will mean a clear heart. You learnt about that enough during the meditation and discipline classes in the academy. If you feel the power shift do not forget to speak up. You ruined a perfectly good sweater of mine last time. I struggled to remove all of the blood.”

*

Myungjun sighed happily as Leos soothing voice washed over him as he read. They were hiding away in his library again but Myungjun had foregone his usual comfy chair to stretch out on the carpet in front of the blazing fireplace instead. He needed the warmth. He was used to being drenched in heat around Jinwoo, so his days now seemed a lot colder despite spring being in full swing and the winter months long gone.

“…she took his hand. ‘Even in death you are beautiful.’ She took next the dagger and ended her own life, slumping over his body. Eternally bound by love.” Leo snapped the book shut and sighed. “We’ve finished yet another book little brother.”

Myungjun hummed as he watched the blue fire dancing in the grate. “It was a touching story.”

“You think she did the right thing ending her life?” Leo asked curiously as he went to put the book back on the shelf. “She was only young. She had her whole life ahead of her.”

“She loved him.” Myungjun said, reaching towards the fire. It tingled against his fingers and he pulled his hand away when it became too hot. “If Jinwoo were to die, like really die, I wouldn’t want to live on either. It’s funny, when I died in the academy, he tried to end his life and I scolded him for it. But now after witnessing death so much I understand. My life wouldn’t be completely meaningless without him, but it would be far too empty for me to ever be truly happy. I do not think I could survive a life without happiness.” Leo sighed and came to sit beside him on the carpet. Myungjun looked up at him and smiled. “Have you ever been in love Hyung?”

Leo played with the rings on his fingers, frowning down at them. “I’ve not had the chance. My counsel are always advising me to find a Queen to birth sons to carry on my bloodline but I’m…reluctant. I do not wish to find a Queen.”

“Why?”

“Why would I subject another person to this suffocating existence?” Leo asked instead of answering.

Myungjun sat up properly, their knees knocking together. “I told you I’d get you out of here Hyung. You just have to be patient. Once my power is under control, I’ll be the strongest person in Aredrinnor. No-one will be able to harm you with me around, and in turn the counsel will have no reason to keep you locked in here.”

“You have your own life to live little brother.”

Myungjun clutched Leos hands and smiled bright and wide. “You’re part of my life now too. I do have my guild to get back to, jobs to do, lands across the sea to explore, but I’ll always make time for you. I made time once a week for my grandmother, to do her shopping and keep her company. I can make time for you too. I’ll take you wherever you would like to go, all of the places you wish to see, I’ll help you find your true love so you can have sons. The counsel will be more lenient knowing the bloodline will not end with you. You’ll be able to open the castle grounds all year round, meet all of the people in the city, make lots of friends and have lots of fun. I’ll do it all for you Hyung. You’ve given me so much already. You’ve given me the opportunity to learn how to control this power inside of me, that’s ruled over me my whole life making me a danger to my loved ones, even if I didn’t know it at the time. I’ll be able to protect everyone now thanks to you. Not just from the bad people in this land, but from me too. I have a lot to repay you for.”

Myungjun wiped the tears off of Leos face and hesitantly leaned over for a hug. He’d never hugged him before, but it felt like the right thing to do now. Leo didn’t move for a few seconds and Myungjun nearly backed away thinking he’d overstepped a boundary but then Leo was clinging to him and crying harder and he knew he wouldn’t be moving for a while. He didn’t want to think about when the last time Leo would have received a hug was and just shushed him gently as he ran his hand through Leos soft hair.

“You’ll be okay Hyung. We’ll both be okay. You’re not alone anymore and you’ll never be alone ever again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short but sweet.


	162. A Royal Sleepover.

**June**

“Excellent Mr Kim!” Mrs Choi, the Kings personal healer, said as Myungjun stepped away from the infirmary bed in front of him. He was shaking from relief and from how drained he was. “You’ve saved his life.”

Myungjun looked down at the man on the bed and then up at the family surrounding him who were crying and hugging each other. He’d just saved a life. An actual life. He’d healed before plenty of times, but he’d never saved a life to this extent before and the feeling inside of him was indescribable.

“Thank you.” The man’s wife came around the bed to hug him tight. “Thank you so much. We have children. They would have been distraught if their papa couldn’t come home.” She pulled back to look at him and kissed his cheek before hurrying back to the bed.

Myungjun looked over at Mrs Choi who was smiling and gesturing for him to follow her from the room. Myungjun shut the door quietly behind them before letting his emotions out. His petals rained down from above and he laughed loud and bright, feeling nothing but pure happiness. He’d done it. He’d mastered the spell. The healing spell he’d been desperate to learn after seeing his father close to death.

“Congratulations Mr Kim. We can add fixing internal bleeding to your list of known spells. I do however have to interrupt this joyful moment to remind you that we need to be back in the castle within the hour.”

Myungjun didn’t mind. Nothing could ruin his good mood. He’d been let out of the castle grounds to practice his magic properly in the nearest infirmary for the past three weekends and it had finally paid off. He followed the woman outside and climbed up into the royal carriage they’d been provided.

“We’ll be moving on next weekend to a different spell.” Mrs Choi explained as the carriage began to move. “You have a choice. Would you like to learn how to remove large scars or large areas of bruising first?”

“Your husband gave us the same choice in the academy.” Myungjun said amused. He’d recently learnt that Mr Choi, his healing teacher and the man who brought him to the academy in the first place, was actually the husband of the Kings personal healer and it was a strangely comforting thought. “Like last time, I’ll choose scarring first. I had my own personal reasons for choosing scarring when Mr Choi first taught us the spell. I was going to remove the scars on my boyfriend’s eyebrow and on his lip from when I attacked him after losing my mind. However, he turned me down. He said he didn’t want them removed and that he’d grown ‘fond’ of them. I just think he’s an idiot.”

Mrs Choi laughed and tucked her blonde hair behind her ear as she flicked through the notebook in front of her. “I understand how you feel. My husband is an idiot too. He has a scar on the top of his arm that I unfortunately caused during an incident in the kitchen and he refuses to have it removed. I asked him why and he said it makes him look more manly. I will never understand.”

Myungjun giggled and turned away from her to gaze out of the window at the city passing by. The first time he’d been let out he’d been ecstatic, hanging out of the carriage window and waving at everyone who looked his way but now the novelty had worn off a bit. He was content to just watch behind the window now.

“What other spells will I be learning with you?” Myungjun asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

“Well I have a list. You can tell me which ones you wish to learn.” Myungjun already knew he’d want to learn them all, no matter what they were, but he just let her list the options anyway. “I can teach you how to cure common poisons, cure common diseases, reattach or regrow lost limbs and when your telepathy is strong enough, I can teach you how to cure mental ailments such as emotional pain or depression. Do any of those interest you?”

As expected, Myungjun wanted them all. He told her as much, and she made a few quick notes before the carriage pulled to a stop. They stepped out and said goodbye to one another. Myungjun rushed up the castle steps, nodding politely to the guards who opened the doors for him and ran all the way to his room.

He burst through the door screaming excitedly and dived onto his bed. He could proudly say he was a proper healer. He’d saved his first life and he couldn’t wait to tell Leo and Grey. So, he didn’t. He scrambled out of bed to find some parchment and a pen and wrote them both notes telling them to meet him in his room.

Grey replied back saying he’d see him tonight instead but a knock at the door revealed Leo ten minutes later. He looked worried but he relaxed at the grin on Myungjuns face. He sent his guards away and stepped into the room. Myungjun led them to his fireplace and they sat down in the white and gold chairs in front of it.

“I will make an educated guess and say that your healing lesson went well?” Leo asked with a smile.

Myungjun nodded quickly, bouncing up and down on his chair excitedly. “I did it Hyung. I saved a man’s life! He was dying from internal bleeding and I FIXED it. ALL of it and he’s going to make it! I can’t BELIEVE it. My father nearly died because I couldn’t do it but now I can! I’m so happy I think I might combust.”

Leo laughed loud and bright. “Congratulations, I’m very proud of you. I can see you are excited too. I followed your shedding through the halls to your room and you’re creating a bit of a mess now.”

Myungjun looked around the room surprised to see it littered with his black petals. “Oh. Sometimes I don’t even notice when I’m shedding. I’m sorry, I’ll clean it up.”

“Nonsense. We have cleaning staff for a reason. I’ve already sent for your maid anyway. She will no doubt be here soon. But before she arrives, I would like to ask you for a favour of sorts, if I may.” Leo looked nervous and it made Myungjun smile.

“Anything Hyung. You don’t have to be afraid to ask me for anything. I’d be happy to help if I can.”

Leo cleared his throat and sat up straight. “The royal gardens are being opened to the public next week for the yearly viewing. I also have my Kings speech that day which you’re already aware of I’m sure. I would like for you to be there when I give my speech. You do not have to stand with me, well you _shouldn’t_ stand with me because that would be terribly inappropriate, but I would like for you to stand near me with my guard.”

Myungjuns smile widened. “You were nervous about that? Of course I’ll stand near you. I’ll even stand in the crowd if you wanted to see me.”

Leo quickly shook his head. “I do not need to see you. I would just like to know that you are there. For…support I guess. You are free to decline.”

“I’m not declining. I’ll stand back with your guard and cheer you on silently. I would say I’d use my telepathy magic to make you hear my cheers in your head but that would be a bit distracting.”

Leo finally relaxed back into the chair and grinned. “It would be distracting you’re right. I’d probably be so shocked I’d stumble over my words and people will wonder if their land is being ruled by a drunk.”

Myungjun giggled before gasping. “Are you doing anything tomorrow? I’m seeing Grey tonight and I want to celebrate todays success. We’ll no doubt be having something to drink and it would be fun to have you there too. We can turn it into a sleepover!”

Leos eyes widened and he sat forwards quickly in his chair. “A sleepover? I’ve never had a sleepover. I don’t care if I have plans tomorrow, I’m cancelling them. Can we all fit on your bed though?”

They both looked over at it and burst into giggles. “Hyung we could fit _ten_ people in my bed. It’s ridiculously over-sized. I can’t wait to see Greys face when I tell him you’re sleeping over too. He still acts too formal around you, although it shows his dedication to wanting to become one of your Kings guard.”

“I like Grey. I’m glad I scouted him.” Leo said happily. A knock on the door interrupted them and Leo quickly lowered his voice to a whisper. “I’ll provide the drinks for tonight’s celebrations. Do I need to bring my pyjamas?” Myungjun nodded. “Okay do we need anything else?”

“Snacks. Lots and lots of snacks. Oh and glitter. I have an idea.”

*

Leo was already in his pyjamas when he turned up later that night carrying a bottle of moonshine and a paper bag with a pretty logo on the front. Myungjun let him in grinning at the sight and pointed to the balcony.

“Greys already out there. He freaked out when I said you were coming but I managed to convince him to stay in his pyjamas. He wanted to go back to his room to change into something more ‘appropriate’ but I said there’s nothing more appropriate for a sleepover then what he was already wearing. Wow that bottle of moonshine looks expensive. What’s in the bag?”

Leo chuckled. “I’m glad Grey stayed in his pyjamas. _I_ would have felt terribly underdressed otherwise. This moonshine was expensive, but we should have only the best for our first sleepover. And the bag contains the glitter you requested and other things for our makeovers. My butler looked taken aback when I requested these items.”

Myungjun giggled and led him out onto the balcony. Grey whipped around and was out of his chair and kneeling on the floor in an instant.

“Your majesty.”

“Rise Grey, I’m not your King right now, I’m just Leo. I mean look at my pyjamas, they’re not very ‘Kingly’ are they?”

Grey looked up at them and spluttered out a laugh. “Ducks?”

“I happen to adore them.” Leo said with a smile, taking a seat and setting the bottle and the bag down on the table.

“What’s that?” Grey asked suspiciously. “That logo…makeup?” He looked at Myungjun and groaned. “Junebug no. I’ve told you a thousand times you’re not doing my makeup. I have a reputation to uphold here.”

Myungjun whined cutely and gave him his best pout. “Pleaseeee. I really want to give you a makeover. I did it with my friend Youngjae once and we had lots of fun even though he _insisted_ that he didn’t want it done either. Tell him Leo. Tell him he has to do it.”

Leo looked amused as he poured them all a drink. “Okay I’m taking my Kingly status back for a second. Grey, as your KING I command you to appease my little brother. He’s awfully cute and this is his night of celebrations after all. I’m even letting him give _me_ a makeover, and my reputation is more important than yours…no offence intended.”

Grey sighed and downed his whole glass in one shot, grimacing at the taste. “Fine. This is the _only_ time you’ll ever give me a makeover Junebug. And you’re forbidden from letting this slip to the Kings guard. If you do, I’ll have no choice but to pack my bags and leave. I’d never hear the end of it.”

Myungjun squealed excitedly and clapped his hands. “We’re going to have so much fun I promise. Let’s drink some more first.”

Grey refilled his glass and held it up for a toast. “To Kim Myungjun. For saving a man’s life and for convincing me, the inconvincible, into having a makeover.”

Myungjun laughed and raised his glass. Today was a good day indeed.

*

“What’s this?” Myungjun asked confused an hour later. He’d emptied out the paper bag of supplies Leo provided onto his bed and was currently holding up a slim black tube.

Leo shrugged and took it from him, unscrewing the top to reveal what looked like a fluffy brush. “Maybe it goes in your hair.”

Before Leo could brush his hair with it Grey quickly stopped him. “That’s not for your hair you idiot. That’s mascara for your eyes.”

“You just called the King an idiot.” Myungjun pointed out absentmindedly as he shook the pot of silver glitter he picked up. It was pretty.

“Don’t worry I’ll behead him tomorrow.” Leo said casually before laughing at the horrified look on Greys face. “I’m only joking. I’ve never been called an idiot before. I like it. Maybe you should call me that all the time.”

“I’m never calling you that again.” Grey mumbled, crawling over the bed to sit in front of Myungjun. “I think I’ve had too much to drink. Look up Junebug.”

Myungjun looked up to see the brush coming towards his eye and squealed leaning back. “What are you doing? You’ll poke my eye out!”

“I will if you don’t sit still.” Grey scolded, pulling Myungjun forwards again. “Just don’t move. This will make your eyelashes longer, not that you really need it anyway.”

Myungjun whined fearfully as Grey leaned in again but it wasn’t so bad in the end. Grey was quick to finish and when he handed Myungjun the mirror he decided it looked okay. But was it worth the fear of being blinded? Probably not.

When Myungjun looked up again Leo was wielding lip-gloss like a knife in Greys direction. “This is for your lips correct?” Grey looked down at it warily and nodded. “Good. Come here then, I’ll do yours.”

Myungjun giggled as Grey backed away up the bed looking terrified as Leo waved it around menacingly. He left them to it and went to find some hair bands on his dresser. The other two didn’t have hair long enough to put up in proper buns so he decided to do to them what he had done to Jinwoo. He thought they’d look cute with little plant sprouts on the tops of their heads.

Half an hour later when they were finished, Myungjun made them sit together facing the mirror whilst he sketched their reflections in his sketchbook. Grey whined the whole time but sat there anyway and Myungjun was happy with the end product. They looked pretty silly, especially with all of the glitter Myungjun had dumped in their hair, but he thought the picture portrayed how much of a good time they’d had.

“How am I supposed to get this rubbish off of my face?” Grey scowled looking extra grumpy. The amount of blusher Leo had put on Greys cheeks made him look like an apple.

“Wash it off I assume.” Leo said, standing up to stretch when Myungjun closed his sketchbook. “I’m bathing first. The glitter is making my scalp itchy.”

Myungjun and Grey watched him disappear into the bathroom before looking at each other.

“I can’t believe we just did this with the King.” Grey whispered shaking his head. “He’s…different to what I was expecting. He literally just did my makeup Junebug. The _King_.”

Myungjun giggled and started to clear off his bed. “He’s lovely. He has so much love to give and no-one to give it too. I’m just glad I accepted the golden scrolls. I’ve made a new friend for life and reconnected with you. I’m sad about not seeing Jinwoo. I miss him so much sometimes that I feel my heart will break, but I have you two here to help me through it. If I were alone, I would have given up and gone home already.”

“I’m glad you’re here too Junebug. It’s going to be terribly quiet when you’re gone.”

“You’ll have to look after Leo when I leave.” Myungjun said, placing the paper bag on his bedside cabinet when he was done. He sat down next to Grey and bumped shoulders with him. “I know you’ll be his Kings guard but you’re his friend now too. I’ve already told him that I’ll come to see him often and take him out of the castle myself but sometimes I might not be able too. I’ll have jobs across the sea when I’m promoted high enough in the guild and I’ll be away for months at a time. That’s when he’ll need you.”

Grey looked down at him with a soft smile on his face. “He’s a grown man Junebug. He’s the _King_ but you’re talking about him as if he’s your child.”

“I treat all my friends that way.” Myungjun shrugged. “I like looking after people, regardless of how old they are and regardless of their status. Everyone needs someone to look out for them, to care for them and to make them happy. Leo only has the staff in this castle and the magic counsel. He respects them but he doesn’t see them as friends, and he doesn’t open up to them the way he’s opened up to us. I’m just worried that when I leave, he’ll close up again and become depressed. He’s already admitted he’s struggling to cope with being trapped here. Even _I_ find it difficult and I’ve spent the last few weekends going outside of the castle for my healing lessons. Just promise me you’ll look after him when I’m gone.”

“I promise. How long do you think you’ll be here for anyway? Most apprentices are here for five years but you’re learning so quickly.”

Myungjun couldn’t tell Grey about his contract with the magic counsel. He couldn’t tell him that he was stuck here until he learned to unblock his heart and control the flood of magical power inside of him.

So, he just shrugged and plastered a smile on his face. “I don’t think I’ll be here for too long. Like you said, I’m learning fast and I have a good reason to leave. The love of my life is just across the city waiting for me to come home and I intend to get back to him as soon as possible.”

He could do it. He _would_ do it. He’d push himself to his limits in all of his lessons every single day if it meant getting back to Jinwoo before too much time had passed. His father had once said that people and feelings can change over time. He couldn’t allow that to happen between them too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am HOLLERING at Leo thinking the mascara was for his hair and Grey straight up calling him an idiot. Help I love them xd


	163. Friends?

Myungjun stood proudly beside the Kings guard a week later as Leo gave his speech. His speech was a lot different this year. With talk about hope and freedom. It made Myungjun smile as he listened to him. He could see people in the crowd staring his way curiously, no doubt wondering who he was. He definitely looked like royalty. His maid had picked out his outfit that morning and spent time doing his hair and fixing his complexion and he could happily say he looked like Leos little brother now. A prince. The thought made him squeal inside.

Leos speech carried on for a long time and Myungjun soon found himself listening less and looking around more. He scanned the crowd knowing full well Jinwoo wouldn’t be there. He was just about to look away when someone else caught his eye.

He was pushing his way through the crowd, standing a lot taller than the rest. Donghan.

Their eyes met and Donghan frowned at him as he looked him up and down. It made Myungjun shift uncomfortably and he tore his eyes away from the older boy and tried to focus on the end of Leos speech instead.

When Leo finally said his goodbyes, Donghan pushed the rest of the way through the crowd and stomped towards Myungjun looking angry. The guards were quick to react thinking he was a threat and Myungjun rushed to placate them before hurrying over to him and dragging him to the side. The crowd was murmuring curiously and Myungjun shot a quick apologetic look to Leo for the trouble.

“Donghan what are you doing here?” Myungjun asked, looking up at him. “Is something wrong? Is everyone at the guild okay? Is my father okay? Is Jinwoo okay?”

“I’m here to take you back.”

“You’re…what?”

“I’m here to take you back. You don’t belong here. You’re a member of Dragon Blades not some pampered prince. Why the fuck are you dressed like that anyway? Like royalty? You look like a pompous twat.” He sniffed the air around them and grimaced. “Are you wearing perfume?”

Myungjun flushed and stepped away from him feeling angry and mildly offended. “I’m an apprentice here Donghan. I can’t just leave. I’m learning how to become a better healer. Didn’t anyone tell you?”

Donghan scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. “Jinwoo told me. I saw him crying after you sent him that letter. I read it and even I was surprised. Dick move Myungjun.”

Before Myungjun could reply, Leo walked over to them looking at Donghan apprehensively. “Hello Donghan. It’s been a while. Are you two friends?”

Donghan stared pointedly at Myungjun waiting for him to answer. Myungjun didn’t know how to.

Donghan saw his hesitation and growled angrily. “We’re not friends then. Stay here Myungjun, forget I even came. Dragon Blades doesn’t need a failure like you around anyway. You’ll just drag the place down.”

Myungjun groaned internally as Donghan turned on his heel and left. He knew him well enough by now to know he was only lashing out because he was hurt. And he’d already hurt Donghan enough times to just let him leave again.

“Leo, I need to go after him.” Myungjun said looking up at the older man desperately. “Buy me some time with the guards. Please.”

Leo looked worried but nodded and Myungjun turned around to rush after the leather clad back that was disappearing amidst the crowd of people. Myungjun heard Leo shouting behind him and knew the guards would be distracted enough not to notice him slipping out of the castle gates.

He pushed through the crowd, feeling relieved that Donghan was as tall as he was for once. It meant he was easy to follow and when he got close enough, he grabbed onto the sleeve of his coat…at the exact moment Donghan terraported. Myungjun screamed and grabbed him tight as the ground opened up beneath them.

They landed in a field full of flowers that were flourishing brilliantly. The bright colours were almost shock inducing. Donghan looked even more shocked as he stared down at Myungjun with wide eyes. Myungjun quickly let go of him.

“Myungjun what the-”

“What is this place?” Myungjun asked, looking around awe-struck. It was beautiful. And it was also the last place Myungjun would have ever expected to see Donghan. The bright colours didn’t quite match his appearance OR his personality. Donghan tried to grab him but Myungjun quickly backed away. “Donghan please I just want to talk. I know you’ll just take me back to the castle and run away again. You never stay and give me time to explain myself. We’ll never sort out this confusing mess between us if we carry on like this.”

Donghan looked conflicted as he let his hands fall back down to his sides. “You want to talk?” Myungjun nodded quickly. Donghan was quiet for a few seconds before speaking again. “Somewhere else. Not here. Let me take us somewhere else.” Myungjun was startled to hear the desperation in his voice. “Please Myungjun not here.”

Myungjun nodded slowly, wondering why this place was so important to him. Donghan stepped towards him before pausing. Myungjun realised he silently asking for permission to touch him and just nodded again. Donghan sighed lightly in relief and pulled Myungjun up against himself with an unusual gentleness before opening up the ground.

Myungjun recognised the next place they landed. The lake they’d swum in together all of those months ago. Donghan quickly let him go before striding down the dock and sitting down heavily at the end. Myungjun went to sit beside him keeping a careful distance between them this time.

“Talk.” Donghan commanded in his usual curt tone that Myungjun was more used to hearing.

Myungjun cleared his throat nervously as he looked across the crystal-clear water. “This…relationship between us is confusing. But I feel like it’s about time I clarified how I feel about you.” He turned away from the water to look up at the older boy beside him who was staring at him with his eyes narrowed. “I’ve only ever seen you as another guild member or my trainer. I’m reluctant to be your friend because you’re a bad person. You kill people without good reason and you’re rarely ever nice to me. You always say horrible things to me and push me around. I’ve been hurt so many times in anomaly training because of you and I know you enjoy it. I can see it in your face. You like causing me pain and I don’t know why. I’ve only ever tried to be nice to you and I’ve kept quiet and not tried to fight back but there’s only so much I can take.”

Donghan swallowed loudly and looked away. “I don’t enjoy hurting you. That’s not…me. I’m not like that.”

Myungjun sighed and looked back at the water. “The strangest thing is I believe you. And that’s why I’m confused. I know you’re a good person too. You gave me the bow you and Gikwang won in the competition and spent time personalising it for me. If you didn’t like me, and you weren’t a good person, you wouldn’t have gone to all of that effort. You also saved me from Hyejin despite telling me you were only doing it because you didn’t want me to embarrass the guild. And not to mention the fact you took me on that ring request just so I could buy Jinwoo his Christmas present. You have these moments of kindness that make me wonder if we could actually be friends after all but then you just go straight back to being nasty again. You might have done those nice things for me, but they don’t make up for everything else. You treat me badly the other ninety percent of the time so how can you expect me to be your friend? I’ve always been told I’m too kind-hearted and that I let people take advantage of that, so I won’t let you do that to me too. I can’t ask you to change who you are just to be friends with me either because that would be wrong. You’re you for a reason. But I’d also rather not fight with you about this anymore.”

“I’m sorry little dragon.” Donghan apologised quietly. “I know I’m mean to you. It’s just easier that way. I have this…urge to be nice to you, but when I do you have this habit of trying to get close to me, like asking me to go swimming with you or hugging me outside of the tavern. And I don’t want that. I don’t want you to get close to me. I don’t want anyone to get close to me.”

Myungjun looked up at him confused. “How are we supposed to be friends if I’m not allowed to be close to you? Why are you scared of that happening?”

Myungjun had been in this situation before. Jinwoo had been the exact same four years ago, too afraid to let people close because of his fire. The thought that Donghan felt a similar way made Myungjuns heart clench painfully. He knew how hard it had been for Jinwoo to let him in and now the boy in front of him was finding that difficult too.

“I don’t know how we’re supposed to be friends.” Donghan replied, looking back down at him. “I’m confused. I haven’t felt this way before. People are scared of me; they run away from me and look at me with fear in their eyes because of the way I look. But you’re not like the others. It’s like you can see what’s past my appearance and that, to me, is terrifying. I look this way because I WANT people to be scared of me. I want people to stay away from me because when people get close to me bad things happen to them. But even when I’m mean to you, you’re always smiling or trying to cheer me up and like you said you never fight back. It’s not…normal for me to deal with something like this.”

“What happened to you Donghan?” Myungjun asked quietly. “What happened to you to make you this way? Your brother too. I’ve seen your auras. They’re black. Black like Camellias petals. Something terrible has happened to you I can tell. You say bad things happen to the people who get close to you. Did something happen to someone you care about? Is that why you can’t let people in?”

Donghan clenched his jaw tight and shook his head, not wanting to explain. Myungjun sighed unhappily but didn’t push. He was just relieved Donghan was opening up somewhat to him. It didn’t explain much but it was enough for now. Jinwoo had also needed time to open up to him. He’d asked for that time before eventually explaining about his parents, so maybe that’s all Donghan would need too. Time.

“You want to be my friend.” Myungjun said offering him a small smile. “I know you do but you’re struggling with something that’s happened to you in the past, that much I can understand. But I’ll give you some advice I’ve given plenty of times before to my struggling friends. Everything happens for a reason. Every good or bad thing that’s happened in your life has led you to this moment. You’re here with me now because of what has happened to you. You said you’ve never felt this way before so maybe this is life’s way of telling you to _allow_ yourself to feel this way now. With me. Maybe you should try to be my friend. Even if it’s just for a little while. You don’t have to tell me all of your secrets, but we can be friendly enough to be nice to one another, and maybe go swimming again, or drink together. We can do all the things friends do without actually having to talk about what’s really going on with you. Do you think we could do that? I’d like to try. It’s much better then fighting with you all the time.”

Donghan shifted uncomfortably and pulled nervously at the sleeves of his coat. “We can be friends without being close?”

“Of course. There are levels to friendship you know.” Myungjun answered, holding back a smile at the hint of hope he could hear in Donghans voice. “We can start at the bottom.”

“How do we do that?”

“We can start by being nice to one another. That’s already a big step within itself. I’ll accept it if you can’t be nice to me all the time, but I’d like for you to try at least.”

Donghan blinked a few times. “I can…I can do that. Try I mean.”

“Good.” Myungjun said happily, swinging his legs over the edge of the dock.

“So, does this mean we’re friends now? I can call you my friend?” Donghan still sounded nervous and unsure and it made Myungjun smile.

“Yes. We’re friends.” He answered before humming thoughtfully as he looked up at the older boy. “Does this mean I can call you Hyung?”

Donghans shy and timid persona suddenly switched. He was back to normal as he scoffed. “Hyung? No chance. If you’re going to try and be my friend, then I want a nickname like the rest of them.”

Myungjun grinned. “Sorry, nicknames aren’t available at our current friendship level.” Donghan growled angrily. Myungjun didn’t think he was scary. He just thought he was cute. “Okay fine. Do you have any nicknames already? Does Gikwang have one for you?”

Donghan shook his head. “I used to have a nickname but not anymore. And before you ask, no, I won’t tell you what it was. Make me one.” He ordered sharply.

Myungjun pretended to think long and hard. He knew he shouldn’t tease him, but he couldn’t stop the names spilling out of his mouth. “I could call you Dongie or Hannie. They’re like my friends Seokkie and ‘wonnie and Minnie and Binnie.” Myungjun held back the giggle he wanted to let out at the look of disgust on Donghans face. He knew they were too cute for him to like. “Or maybe something like JinJin or JaeJae? DongDong or HanHan? What about Handong?”

Donghan snorted, pushing him away.

Except they were on the edge of the dock.

Myungjun screamed as he fell into the water. It was warm but…“My clothes!” Myungjun whined as he broke through the surface. “My hair! Donghan bloody hell why did you do that?”

Donghan was laughing as he leaned down towards the water, offering Myungjun his hand. Myungjun took it, realising briefly how small his looked in Donghans before he was being hauled out of the lake and dumped on the dock like he weighed nothing at all.

“Sorry little dragon. I forget my own strength sometimes.”

Myungjun sighed and looked down at his soggy clothes. “Its fine. Everything’s ruined now anyway so there’s no point moaning about it. But I don’t trust sitting here with you anymore. Let’s go back over there to dry land.”

As they were walking back down the dock Donghan cleared his throat to speak. “I like Dongie the best.” He said stiffly. He was staring pointedly ahead of them and Myungjun could see his ears turning red. He wanted to coo. “Don’t you dare call me cute. I only like it the best because it’s the first one you said. Nothing more.”

Myungjun kept quiet, trying to keep a straight face. They made it off the dock and stopped to look at one another.

“So is this where we hug or…”

Myungjun raised an eyebrow. “You want to hug me? I thought you said you didn’t want to be that close.”

“It’s not like I _want_ to hug you.” Donghan scowled. “But you hugged me outside the tavern, and I didn’t hug you back so it’s like…not fair or whatever.”

Myungjun couldn’t hold back the laugh anymore. Donghan just looked annoyed. “You don’t have to make up excuses. If you want a hug just say.” Donghan hesitated. Myungjun didn’t. He just closed the distance and wrapped his arms around Donghans waist. “You know hugging usually involves two people.” He said after a few seconds of Donghan not moving.

Donghans hands found their way to Myungjuns back and they felt warm. “I see you hug your friends all the time, so this is nothing special.” Donghan grumbled. “Don’t get the wrong idea. We’re not going to be cuddle buddies or something disgusting like that. I’m only doing this to pay you back for the hug you didn’t get back then.”

“Sure you are Dongie.”

“Shut up. Hugging you is shit. You’re too short you midget.”

Myungjun pulled away with an offended noise to see Donghan grinning down at him. He focused on making himself a few feet taller until he was eye level with the older boy who looked taken aback at the change.

Myungjun hugged him again with his arms tight around his neck this time. Donghan smelled metally, like a blacksmiths, with the underlying scent of the earth. Myungjun liked it.

“Hug me back then. I didn’t grow this tall for nothing.”

Donghan forced a sigh before wrapping his arms around him. Myungjun hummed happily when Donghans hand moved up into his wet hair, stroking it softly. It was comforting.

“I should go. I’ve been gone for too long and I need to get changed out of these wet clothes. I’m not supposed to have left the castle grounds.” Myungjun muttered into his neck.

Suddenly the ground opened up beneath them as Donghan terraported and the shock made Myungjun let go of his transformation. He squealed as he shrank back down.

A few seconds later and they were standing outside of the castle gates with Myungjun left hanging from Donghans neck. Donghan was laughing as he peeled Myungjun off.

“Why did you do that?” Myungjun whined feeling embarrassed after his feet were on solid ground again. “You scared me!”

“It was funny.”

“It wasn’t.” Myungjun scowled, crossing his arms and glaring up at him. “You’re a giant. I nearly fell like fifty foot off your neck.”

Donghan snorted in amusement and gestured to the gates. “Get lost little dragon. I have stuff to do.”

Myungjun rolled his eyes. “Fine. Have fun with that.” He walked towards the gates shaking his head.

“Get strong and come back to us.”

When Myungjun turned to look, Donghan was gone. “I will Dongie. See you soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some content for us Dongjun supporters
> 
> 'Dongie' *screams*  
> Myungjun was sure 'Dongie' was too cute but Donghan picked it anyway??   
> Okay we get it Donghan, you're a secret softie and now Myungjun knows it too pfttt


	164. Grey Medicine.

**July**

Myungjun was five months into his stay at the castle and he was struggling. He was struggling with the fact he hadn’t seen his boyfriend in so long. They’d never been apart for this long before and it had been made worse by seeing Donghan.

Living in the castle felt like a whole new life. He had a new home, a new set of friends to see every day, new things to learn and new goals to reach. But seeing Donghan had reminded him that his old life was just outside of the castle walls. His old home, his old friends, his old training and his old goals at the guild.

And it wasn’t just Jinwoo he was missing. He was missing Sanha, his mother, his father and the rest of his friends. He was missing Hani at the bar and his grandmother in her little house. He was even missing Donghan again and he’d only just seen him a few weeks ago.

It was hard, so so hard. He missed all of their smiles and laughter and the sounds of their voices. He missed playing and fighting and exploring the city. He missed the cuddles his friends would give him and the naps he would take curled up against Hyungwons chest. He missed eating and drinking with them in the tavern and falling asleep beside Jinwoo when he’d sneak into his room late at night.

He wanted nothing more than to just run away. To run back to guild to pick up where he left off. To do his four local requests a month and to take on C Rank requests outside of the city so he could spend a few precious nights alone with Jinwoo.

Missing Jinwoo was like being starved of air. It was getting harder and harder to breathe without him and was made increasingly worse by the suffocating confines of the castle.

He loved the castle though. Loved how pretty and magical it was. Loved hearing the hum of energy from the white stone walls. Loved the gardens and the ponds and the little ducklings that waddled around all yellow and fluffy and cute. He loved being surrounded by all of the white and the gold and the silks and the jewels. He loved spending time with Leo and seeing Grey when they were both free from their own duties. He loved his classes and learning new spells and getting help with his power.

He loved his new life, but he missed his old one. And he didn’t know how to handle feeling both at the same time.

His contract had bound him to the castle. He couldn’t leave. He was lucky they had let him off with only a light scolding after leaving the city with Donghan. But he knew if he did that again he’d be punished properly. He didn’t know how he’d be punished, but he knew it wouldn’t be pleasant.

That was the only thing that was really stopping him from leaving. It was helping him hold back the urge to just run back into his boyfriends’ arms. That and the fact he knew he was still dangerous to be around. No matter how much he missed everyone, the desire to keep them safe was stronger. He could keep them safe by learning how to be a better magic user, and he could keep them safe by staying away from them.

As promised, Jinwoo hadn’t sent him any notes. _No-one_ had sent him any notes or made any attempts to see or communicate with him whatsoever and he was grateful. Receiving anything would just make him miss them more. It would be a painful reminder that they were still out there waiting for him to return. He already thought about them enough. Especially Jinwoo.

Sometimes he’d find himself sitting at his dressing table with his pen poised against some parchment, wanting nothing more than to just send Jinwoo a note telling him about his day, about how his training was coming along, or simply to tell him that he loved and missed him. But he knew if he started, he wouldn’t be able to stop. And then he REALLY wouldn’t be able to stop himself from running away to see him.

So, he’d toss the pen aside and screw up the parchment before he could do anything stupid. Then he’d go and find comfort elsewhere.

Which is what he did now.

He growled in frustration at seeing the parchment beneath his pen again. When had he picked up these writing tools? When had he sat down at the dressing table? Why was the parchment addressed to Jinwoo? He didn’t remember sitting down to write. It just happened. And he was furious with himself for yet another moment of weakness.

He threw the pen across the room with an angry grunt and screwed up the parchment before tossing it into the fireplace. This was the third time this week alone. He had to stop this. And the only way he knew how to do that was to not be alone.

So, he got up, crossed the room to his door and left. He walked through the white and gold halls until he reached Greys room in the apprentices living quarters. He rapped his knuckles against the wood three times and waited patiently for Grey to open the door.

When he did, he looked down at Myungjuns face and sighed. “Come in Junebug.”

Myungjun made it three steps into his room before bursting into tears. Grey was already used to this by now, so he just held him and rocked them gently from side to side as Myungjuns petals swamped the ground at their feet in a soft, black sea.

“I can’t do this.” Myungjun choked out against his chest. “I can’t do this Grey. I can’t. My heart is going to break I can feel it. I miss him. I miss him so much. _So much_.”

“I know Junebug.”

“No you don’t.” Myungjun growled, pushing him away. “You don’t know anything! You don’t know how I feel. How hard this is for me. You’re not in love. You’ll never be in love the way that I’m in love with him. He’s my life. My reason for existing. The reason I _breathe_.” Myungjuns voice cracked and a fresh wave of tears fell down his cheeks. “I can’t breathe Grey. I’m suffocating. It hurts. It hurts so bad. Make it stop. Please make it stop. _Please_.”

Grey shushed him gently before crouching down to his height and pressing their foreheads together. Myungjun felt the calm spread through his body, bringing the air back into his lungs and dulling the ache in his heart as Grey worked his telepathy magic.

When Grey pulled away, he was smiling softly. “Feel better now little prince?”

Myungjun nodded, breathing out shakily in relief before looking up at him shyly. “I’m sorry for snapping at you. I always snap at you when I get like this and I shouldn’t. It’s not your fault.”

“I don’t mind. I know you don’t mean it.” Grey reassured him quietly. He offered his hand and Myungjun took it, allowing the older boy to lead him to his bed. They always cuddled after. It helped somewhat. It helped just to have that comfort, that warmth. It wasn’t the comfort or warmth he really needed, but it was enough.

“Can I be the little spoon?” Myungjun asked, burrowing under the covers.

“You’re _always_ the little spoon.” Grey pointed out amused. “What happens if one day I say no, and that _I_ want to be the little spoon for once?”

“Then I’ll just shrink down until I’m too small to spoon you at all.”

Grey gasped. “You cheeky boy! Now get over here so I can make you feel better.”

Myungjun sighed happily as Grey wrapped around him from behind and he let his eyes flutter shut. “Let’s have a nap.”

*

Myungjun was rushing down to breakfast on a sunny Saturday morning with a skip in his step. Something was going to happen today, he didn’t know what, but he could feel it in his bones. Something different. He liked different, it kept him entertained.

Leo greeted him underneath the sheltered patio beside the pond and Myungjun waved his way before rushing to see the ducklings first.

“Hello little fluffy bundles of joy.” He cooed across the water. “You’re growing so fast. I hope I’m growing too.”

“The only way you’ll grow is if you come and eat breakfast with me Mr Kim.” Leo called out. Myungjun could hear the smile in his voice.

He said a quick goodbye to the ducks before skipping over to his seat. “So, _your majesty_ , what’s happening today?”

Leos eyes widened slightly. “How did you know something was happening today?”

“I have a sixth sense for these things.” Myungjun grinned as he spooned food onto his plate.

“Well I’ll get straight to the point then, because I know you like it when I do that.” Leo said returning his grin. “From today onwards, we’ll be stopping ballet in favour of a new class.”

Myungjuns spoon paused on its way to his mouth. “We’re stopping ballet? Why?”

“Our ballet teacher is retiring. And I do not wish to learn from anyone else, so I decided on a change. Change can be good sometimes. Which is why I’ll be teaching you how to ride a horse instead.”

Myungjun choked on his food and one of the waiters rushed forwards to smack him on the back. When he’d finished coughing his lungs up, he thanked the man and took a great big gulp of his water.

“You’re going to teach me how to ride a horse?” He eventually asked through his burning throat.

After making sure Myungjun was definitely okay, Leo nodded eagerly. “Horse riding is something I’m good at. My master of the hunt taught me when I was just a boy. It’s my preferred means of travel, when I can convince my guards to let me travel on horseback that is. It’s a lot better than sitting in the back of a stuffy carriage.”

“Your carriages aren’t _stuffy_.” Myungjun giggled after getting over the initial shock at the news. “They’re spacious and grand. You should see the carriages I used to ride to and from the guild. They weren’t anywhere near as nice as the royal ones.”

Leo just shrugged. “Riding on the back of a horse beats them all trust me. After dinner tonight, I will take you down to my stables to pick out the horse you want. A few of my younger ones have just been broken-in to ride.”

“I can pick one?” Myungjun asked with wide eyes. “Really?”

“Of course. I have a feeling I know which one you’ll choose Mr Kim. I’d say she was meant for you.” The excited gleam in Leos eyes made Myungjun excited too.

They finished breakfast and Myungjun said his goodbyes before skipping all the way to his healing class feeling full of energy and ready to face the day ahead.

Myungjun opened the door to the room he always practiced healing in, ready to say his greetings, when he spotted who else was there with Mrs Choi. Her husband was sitting beside her and the sight of him flooded Myungjun with memories of his time at the academy. He missed it dearly.

“Myungjun it’s nice to see you again.” Mr Choi said, standing up to shake his hand. His wife elbowed him, and he cleared his throat awkwardly. “My apologies. It’s nice to see you again _Mr Kim_.”

Myungjun grinned and shook his hand before taking a seat opposite them. “Myungjun is fine. You were my teacher once, and the first magic user I ever met so there’s no need to be so formal.”

Mr Choi visibly relaxed and sat back in his chair. “Well I’ve been told you needed someone to practice your removing bruises spell on. I remember teaching you how to remove smaller ones, you learnt really fast. The spell is still the same, you just need to put more magical energy behind it. So, I’ve brought along some energy revive herbs and some large bruises of my own.”

Myungjun laughed and accepted the wooden box. “Let’s see them then.”

Mr Choi unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged it off before turning around to show Myungjun his back. Purple and blue bruises blossomed over the skin. There wasn’t a lot of undamaged skin left.

Myungjun gasped and walked around the table to get a closer look. “How did this happen?”

“My idiot of a husband conveniently can’t remember.” Mrs Choi said huffily, eyeing his back with narrowed eyes. “This is why you shouldn’t stay out so late when you drink with your friends.”

Myungjun giggled at the exasperated expression on the man’s face.

“Let’s not talk about this in front of Myungjun dear. He’s only here to remove my bruises, not to be our marriage counsellor.”

Mrs Choi huffed again in response, crossing her arms over her chest but ultimately decided to keep quiet.

“So how would you like me?” Mr Choi asked. “Sitting down or standing up?”

“Standing up.” Myungjun decided after a few seconds of thought. “But I’d like your chair beside me so I can sit down when I get dizzy. I’m just glad spells get easier the more I practice them. I’ll start with the bruises at the top first and work my way down. I have two hours so that should be enough time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Junnie missing his JinJin :( He's only five months into his stay how is he going to cope?  
> But Leo teaching Myungjun how to ride a horse? Iconic.


	165. Prince And Princess.

Myungjun was sitting in front of his easel on one of the castles balconies for his painting lesson before dinner. He was mixing a bit of white paint into his blue, trying to capture the colour of the sky in front of him when Leo sighed.

Myungjun looked over to see he’d dropped paint down his trousers and held back a smile. Leo was covered in paint; he always was when they had these lessons. Myungjun and their teacher were constantly telling him to come in different clothes when attending this specific class, but he always refused, declaring that he still needed to look like a King, even though he left every lesson saying he regretted not listening to them.

Today was no different it seemed. They said their thanks to their teacher before walking to the wing of the castle where they slept.

“I regret not listening to you now.” Leo sighed as he looked down at his white silk shirt that was covered in green and blue paint. “Next time I’ll attend the lesson in more appropriate clothing.”

“You said that last lesson your majesty.” Myungjun pointed out after looking back and seeing Leos guards were too close for them to speak informally. “And the lesson before that, and the lesson before that, and the lesson before that. You say it after every lesson, but you never do.”

Leo looked up and grimaced. “I do say it often, don’t I?” He sighed again. “How do your clothes remain paint free? Your face is covered Mr Kim. You even have some in your hair, yet your clothes always avoid getting soiled. What’s your secret?”

Myungjun laughed and shrugged. “I have no idea. It even shocks me to see how much I get everywhere else. Look, my hands are a mess too.”

Myungjun held out his hands to show him the rainbow of colours painted over his skin in messy streaks and the King finally smiled again.

“Well it looks like we both need to bathe before dinner. I shall come and collect you myself Mr Kim, we can walk down to the banquet hall together. Get changed into something comfortable, you’re meeting the horses today remember.”

Myungjun said his goodbyes before stepping into his room and going straight to the bathroom to run a warm bath. He selected rose scented bubbles and pulled down one of the shampoos from the glass shelf. He’d stopped using Jinwoos shampoo, like he’d stopped wearing Jinwoos clothes. It was too overwhelming smelling the familiar scent of his hair or feeling the familiar brush of fabric over his skin. The less he surrounded himself with Jinwoo the easier it was to cope.

He sunk down into the bubbles with a content sigh and let himself relax for five minutes before working on scrubbing the paint from his skin. It always took longer than he expected, so he scrubbed his hair quickly with the flower-scented shampoo afterwards, not wanting to still be half dressed by the time Leo showed up.

Myungjun stepped into his wardrobe a few minutes later, looking through all of the clothes to find something suitable for his next lesson. He decided on a simple cotton shirt that laced up at the top and one of the looser fitting pairs of black slacks, not too loose that it would look ridiculous, but loose enough to move comfortably.

He was tying his hair up in a bun at the back of his head when a knock at the door signalled Leos arrival. “Mr Kim are you ready for dinner?” His voice floated through the door and Myungjun took one last look in the mirror of his dressing table before hurrying over to it.

He opened it up to see Leo in a similar outfit and they exchanged grins. “What a coincidence your majesty.”

“Great minds think alike.” Leo said with a wink before gesturing for Myungjun to follow him. “Let’s hurry. I asked the chef to prepare your favourite meal and we do not want it to go cold.”

*

“I knew you’d pick her.” Leo said happily as he watched Myungjun run his hand delicately over the snow-white horse in front of him.

“Her?” Myungjun asked with a smile. “She’s very beautiful. How old is she?”

“A filly. A couple of years old. Not only is she beautiful but she also shares a trait with you. She’s a fast learner too.” Leo said proudly. “You won’t be riding her just yet though. You should get to know each other first. I shall show you how to groom and care for her for today’s lesson. That way you can form a bond. It’s important that she trusts you first.”

“I never would have expected you to know so much about horses.” Myungjun mused. “Do you have a favourite in these stables?”

Leo nodded. “A stallion of six years old. The complete opposite of our filly here. He’s black and has a bit of a temper but I love him all the same. I had another horse before him who sadly passed a few years ago. It made me reluctant to get attached to another to begin with, but my Prince stole my heart. That’s his name. Prince. My master of horses believed I should have named him better, but I quite like it.”

Myungjun grinned and fed the filly another carrot. “Does this one have a name?”

“You can name her if you wish.”

“Well if yours is Prince, can I name her Princess? She does look like one.” Myungjun said fondly, looking up into her blue eyes. “I think she’s the most beautiful horse I’ve ever seen. Her mane is lovely. It feels like silk.”

“I think Princess is a wonderful name. Now that you’ve named her, we’ll get on with the actual lesson.” Leo said suddenly sounding like a true teacher. “Let’s start by grooming her coat first. It’s important to do this because it allows us the chance to check on her health. Does she have any cuts or swelling for example? It also helps to maintain the health of her skin and decreases the chance of her developing skin related problems. Next, we’ll move onto cleaning her hoofs. That requires a pick to remove any mud, manure or stones. If left to build up it can cause lameness and it would be a shame to subject her to such a thing. Lastly, we’ll work on her mane and tail. They’re both very long, so they can get tangled easily. We’ll use a comb to detangle them. That way they’ll remain feeling that silky. Do you have any questions?”

Myungjun quickly shook his head. “You explained well enough. I think this may become my favourite lesson after today.”

*

Myungjun woke up on the day of the academies scouting with a tired yawn. Leo always attended the scouting’s to recruit new staff or apprentices. He’d offered to take Myungjun but Myungjun had refused. He remembered Jinwoo talking to Hani at the bar about attending the scouting with his father this year in the hopes of seeing Mrs Ko whilst they recruited new members for Dragon Blades. _If_ they recruited new members for Dragon Blades. Dragon Blades didn’t accept many new people after all. Myungjun knew him and his friends were the only exception.

He wasn’t surprised Jinwoo wanted to go back to see the academy guesthouses matron. Mrs Ko had raised him there since he was a baby after all. She was the closest thing he’d had to parents growing up. Myungjun knew his own mother loved Jinwoo like her own too but it wasn’t the same.

Leo had looked disappointed when Myungjun had turned him down, but after Myungjun explained why he didn’t want to go Leo seemed to understand. Myungjun had his lessons today anyway and he didn’t want to miss them. He had telepathy and herbology before his SS power training later in the evening after dinner. Leo told him he’d be back by then to eat with him and Myungjun couldn’t wait to hear about any new people he scouted.

Myungjun forced himself out of bed and stretched with a groan until he felt a satisfying click in the base of his spine. He was just crossing the room when his door opened, and his maid stepped inside.

She looked surprised. “You’re already awake Mr Kim. Are you feeling okay?”

Myungjun smiled and nodded. “I just decided to wake up a bit earlier that’s all. I’m going to brush my teeth. Could you pick me out some clothes? You’re much better at that then I am. I always just pick the same outfits you put together for me anyway.”

“Of course Mr Kim. I’ll have them ready for you in a few minutes time. What nail polish would you like today?”

Myungjun could still remember her first ever reaction to him asking for his makeup. She had looked horrified at the idea, but he’d slowly won her round and now she had taken to painting his nails for him some mornings. She always did a much better job then he could alone.

“Pink. It’s a pink day.” Myungjun said happily before stepping inside the bathroom and going through the motions of brushing his teeth. He took his time and washed his face afterwards with something that smelled like lemons. A refreshing scent that he found suitable for the mornings.

When he went back into his room, he saw his outfit on the bed and his maid turned her back on him to give him privacy to change. She’d picked out rings studded with pink gemstones and a pretty silver bracelet. He asked for her help to clasp the silver chain around his neck and went to sit at the dressing table to change his hair. Pink and curly. Jinwoos favourite.

She made quick work of painting his nails and led him down to the banquet hall. He usually ate outside under the sheltered patio near the pond with Leo in the mornings, but he’d left early for the scouting to make sure he’d be back in time for dinner.

Myungjun ate alone at the head of the long table as the staff fussed around him. He’d grown used to their presence now. He didn’t mind asking for things he wanted or needed. He’d been too shy to do so at first but now it was as natural as breathing. He knew he was becoming the pampered prince Donghan had accused him of being, but he couldn’t find it within himself to care. This was his life now, so he may as well just embrace it.

When he’d finished eating as much as he could stomach, he thanked them all with polite bows, complimenting the chefs once again, before setting off for his first lesson of the day.

Mr Yun opened the door after he knocked a few minutes later and showed him into the room. “Good morning Mr Kim. You look especially…pink today.”

Myungjun smiled at him and sat down in his usual seat. “It’s a pink day.”

Mr Yun took the seat opposite him. “It’s also the day we test your psychic shield again. We’ve been practicing this since March.”

“It’s been a long time.” Myungjun admitted. “But I know for a fact I’ve perfected it now.”

“Let’s test that shall we?” Mr Yun said not sounding particularly convinced. However, his face wore an expression of shock a minute later. “It’s perfect.”

“You sound surprised.” Myungjun said amused. He’d never shocked Mr Yun before so it was a nice change. He felt like he’d achieved something great.

Mr Yun coughed awkwardly. “Never in my years have I taught someone who has created the perfect psychic shield. There has always been some flaw or other, some weakness. But your psychic shield is flawless Mr Kim. May I ask how you have achieved such a thing?”

Myungjun had a feeling it had something to do with the fact he’d finally been making progress in his SS Power training. He’d been successfully unlocking more of his power and that increased flow was more than likely the reason for his strengthened shield. However, he couldn’t admit that to the man. It was forbidden by his contract.

So, he just shrugged with a small smile. “I’ve been practicing hard. That’s my secret.”

Mr Yun stared at him with narrowed eyes for a few seconds before sitting back with a sigh. “Practice does make perfect after all. It seems we can finally move on to strengthening some of your other spells. First, I think we should work on strengthening your hallucinogenic spell. After that we can work on increasing the distance you can read another person’s mind from. This requires you to stretch your aura further. Also, you know how to dream walk correct?”

Myungjun nodded. “I practiced that a lot in the academy. I can dream walk easily enough.”

“Well the next stage to that spell is the ability to manipulate the dreams of the person who’s mind you are walking in. Manipulating dreams can be useful in different ways. I use it to soothe the nightmares of my children, changing their bad dreams into something more enjoyable for example. However, you can also use it in the opposite way. Say you have used your flower companion put an enemy to sleep. You can then enter their dreams and manipulate them into nightmares. It is a form of mental torture that can be quite effective.”

Myungjun shivered at the thought. He didn’t like the sound of that very much. However, the idea of being able to soothe nightmares made him smile. “That’s a handy extension to the spell. Are there any other spells I could learn?”

“One last one that I could teach you when you’ve mastered the rest. Manipulating a person’s emotions.”

Myungjun suddenly remembered his conversation that he’d had with Mrs Choi on the day he’d saved his first life. “My healing teacher told me that when my telepathic skills were strong enough, I’d be able to cure mental ailments such as emotional pain or depression. Is this what she meant?”

Mr Yun nodded. “Manipulating emotions can be used in that way. It can also be used to bring a mood down. For now though, let’s spend the rest of the lesson strengthening your hallucinogenic spell.”

*

Leo found Myungjun curled up with a book in his library in the spire. Myungjun was reading his shapeshifting spell book that his teacher had purchased for him as his reward for making progress with his camouflaging spell. It was interesting to see the spells that other shifters had created that had been made legal.

He looked up at the sound of Leos approach though and smiled. “Hello Hyung. Did you have a good day?”

Leo sighed and sat down on the white and gold chair nearby. “There were no students this year who fit the criteria to become one of my staff.” Leo made eye contact with him and seemed nervous. “I spoke to Jinwoo.”

Myungjuns heart immediately picked up speed and he closed his spell book. “You did? How is he?”

“He’s doing well. He’s been promoted to C Rank within your guild.”

Myungjun smiled. He was glad Jinwoo was doing so well. It was only a matter of time before he was promoted. “Did he say anything else?”

“He asked about you. I told him you were making good progress in your lessons and that you have been reunited with Grey. He seemed relieved and told me to pass on a message.”

Myungjun froze. A message? He’d asked Jinwoo not to send him notes for a reason. Hearing anything from him would just make Myungjun miss him more. But a part of him was desperate for it. Desperate to hear anything he wanted to say. So, he swallowed thickly before opening himself up for the inevitable pain.

“What was the message?”

“He wanted me to tell you that he was proud of you for doing so well. He said, and I quote, ‘You’re my good boy sunshine. Keep working hard and I’ll see you soon’.” Leo grinned at the blush on Myungjuns face. “Your boyfriend blushed a great deal harder than you did saying that to me.”

Myungjun patted his cheeks to calm them down. His heart was racing, and he was barely managing to hold back from shedding petals everywhere. It would hurt eventually when he thought about it alone in his bed later that night. But right now, he was just feeling flustered and giddy with happiness at hearing those words again.

“Thank you for telling me.” Myungjun said, failing to hold back the smile on his face. “I needed to hear that. It’s made me want to work ten times harder to get back to him now.”

Leo chuckled. “I do not think it’s possible for you to work any harder. I do not think I have ever seen anyone work as hard as you do. But I can already see the motivational glint in your eyes, so you will no doubt prove me wrong.”

Myungjun felt the heat in his cheeks finally disappearing and sighed happily. “Did you see my father? Did he look okay?”

The last time he had seen his father, he’d been recovering in the back of the carriage after being healed by Gikwang.

Leo nodded. “He looks good. Better than good in fact. They had some luck at the scouting. They picked up a new recruit for the guild. A boy around your age I believe.”

Myungjuns eyebrows raised in surprise. “They did? Wow he must be talented. My father rarely recruits anyone. He’s turned plenty of people away who have come to apply at the bar.”

“Your father showed me the memory crystals of this boys time fighting in the dungeons and the battledome. From what I have seen he wields his magic well and his hand to hand combat is impressive. I would have scouted him for my Kings guard, but your father told me he’d already accepted the Dragon Blades guild offer.”

Myungjun hummed thoughtfully. “What type of magic does he use? I’d like another plant user. We don’t have a lot of those in the guild.”

“He’s fire I’m afraid. Jinwoo was happy. He said there were not a lot of fire users in the guild either. So, he’s happy to have someone to train with after the boy has had his initiation ceremony. His name is Soonyoung I believe.”

“Soonyoung? I’ve heard that name before.” Myungjun said with a frown, trying to remember. It took a few seconds before it hit him. “I think his father owned an inn in the town me and my father visited when I killed my first dragon. The innkeeper said his son Soonyoung was graduating the academy this year and that he was sixteen. My father knew him when he was just a little boy too. This land isn’t as big as it seems apparently.”

Leo smiled. “Fate works in funny ways little brother. I’m sure he and Jinwoo will become good friends.”

Myungjun wanted that for him. He wanted Jinwoo to make more friends. He knew he was the centre of Jinwoos world. Jinwoo wasn’t as close to their other friends as Myungjun was and he spent nearly all of his time either by Myungjuns side or waiting for Myungjun to come back so he could be by his side again. Myungjun knew that wasn’t very healthy for their relationship so he hoped this Soonyoung boy would be able to provide him with a new type of company.

He tried to ignore the part of his brain that was telling him it wasn’t a good idea. He didn’t know what this boy looked like. What if he was drop dead gorgeous? What if Jinwoo thought he was prettier, or more handsome, or more attractive than Myungjun himself? What if Jinwoo decided he couldn’t wait around for Myungjun any longer? What if they spent so much time together, got on so well with each other, that they fell in love?

Myungjun took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. Jinwoo wouldn’t do that. Jinwoo loved him. Jinwoo said he would wait for him. Jinwoo swore it on the deity and on his own life. Jinwoo wouldn’t break his promise like that.

He wouldn’t.

He wouldn’t.

He couldn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet Jinwoo died of embarrassment trying to tell Leo that message lmao
> 
> But Myungjun sweetie...your boyfriend is whipped for you he's not going to fall in love with anyone else -.-


	166. Gabriel.

**August**

Myungjun walked into his healing class on a Saturday morning to see Mrs Choi accompanied by a member of the magic counsel. He was the tallest member on the counsel, as tall as the twins, with a clean-shaven head and one eye that glowed a brilliant white. He wore a white and gold set of healer’s robes and any part of his body that was exposed was covered in white tattoos of an array of runes that stood out brilliantly against his ebony skin. Their light magic user.

“Mr Kim.” His voice was deep and heavily accented. It carried a lot of warmth and the man offered him a bright smile. He was Myungjuns favourite member. He was lovely and kind, even though he’d appeared scary at first. Myungjun was fascinated by the colour of his skin and even more fascinated by his white tattoos that glowed brightly whenever he used his magic.

“It’s nice to see you Gabriel.” Myungjun said, crossing the room to shake his hand. “What brings you here to my healing lesson today?”

Mrs Choi answered instead when they were all seated. “Mr Kim you are powering through this class at a startling speed. I was almost concerned by how quickly you were learning. I’ve been reporting your progress to the counsel and Gabriel here has come to offer you special training which I’d advise you accept.”

Myungjuns interest was immediately peaked. “What training?”

Gabriel smoothed down the front of his robes before talking. “I would like to train you to become one of Aredrinnors resurrectors.”

Myungjuns mouth dropped open in shock. “A resurrector?” He squeaked. He only knew of one other. The nurse in the academy who had brought him back to life. “Are you serious?”

Gabriel grinned widely, showing off his pearly white teeth. “There are only three other resurrectors in the land. Me, Mrs Choi and the academies nurse. This is a great honour. You’re making good enough progress in your healing lessons, so I will be taking over your healing lesson every Sunday morning from now on to train you myself. You can of course turn me down, but like Mrs Choi said, I advise you accept. You have the potential to succeed and this is a sacred spell which must not be forgotten. You are the next generations healer and-”

“I’ll do it.” Myungjun said, unable to contain himself any longer. He didn’t need them to convince him. “I’ll do it. I want to do it.”

“I told you he’d say yes.” Mrs Choi said happily. “This means we will only have one lesson a week from now on Mr Kim, however we only have a handful of spells left. Your apprenticeship with me will be coming to an end a lot sooner than expected. You’ve been the best student I’ve ever had and the only one who has perfected this many high-level spells. There is no-one better to become Aredrinnors fourth resurrector. You’ll be going home soon enough.”

Myungjuns heart clenched painfully and he exchanged knowing looks with Gabriel. He might be finishing his apprenticeship soon, but he wouldn’t be going home. Not for a long time. He’d been slowly unlocking more of his power, but he was nowhere close to unlocking it all, and he _still_ had to learn to control it afterwards.

So, he just smiled. “I’m glad I’ve been your best student. I really have tried hard. It helps that I’m passionate about healing and about going home. Although I have become rather fond of the castle so maybe I’ll stick around for a while longer when my apprenticeship is finished. That way I get to see my favourite teacher some more.” He grinned at her flustered state.

“Mr Kim you flatter me.”

Myungjun giggled and turned to look at Gabriel. “Are we starting tomorrow then?”

“Yes, we will be meeting in this room still. But for now, I will leave you to your lesson. I have taken up enough of your time.”

Myungjun said goodbye and sat back in his seat breathing out heavily. He was really doing this. He was really going to learn how to bring another person back to life. He’d only just learnt how to bring plants back to life in his herbology lessons but now he was moving onto actual people? The thought rendered him speechless.

"I know you are most likely overwhelmed with the good news you have just received Mr Kim,” Mrs Choi spoke up from the other side of the table. “but we really should begin our lesson now, regrowing limbs is a complicated and lengthy spell.”

*

Myungjun was sitting on his balcony with Leo sipping on a glass of wine. He was taking it slow. He knew well enough to not get drunk by now. His days were packed with classes and he couldn’t afford to lose focus, especially when he was making such good progress in all of them.

“I heard from Gabriel about the offer he made you this morning.” Leo spoke up after a few minutes of comfortable silence. “Resurrection is one of the things I have never been able to wrap my head around. It just seems absurd. It doesn’t seem possible to bring someone back from the dead.”

Myungjun hummed in agreement. “I know what it’s like to be brought back to life. It was painful and I felt terribly uneasy afterwards. I couldn’t accept for a long time that I had actually died, and if it wasn’t for Jinwoo who reminded me about it so often, I would have most certainly convinced myself that it was all a dream.”

“Why did Jinwoo remind you of it so often? Surely that’s something you both would have liked to forget.” Leo asked confused.

“It’s because he blamed himself for my death.” Myungjun sighed. “He couldn’t get over it. He’s still not over it. He still blames himself. He has nightmares about it often. I’d wake up some nights and he’d be sneaking into my room to check on me. He would say it was because he wanted to cuddle but his mind was always vulnerable with worry, so I’d hear his thoughts. It wasn’t just during the nights either. If I took too long to reply to any of his notes whilst we were apart on jobs, he’d flood me with them and be angry with me when we saw each other again. He was never angry for long but that wasn’t the point. He’s terribly anxious about me now, which makes me feel even guiltier for the letter I sent him before coming here. I’d sent him a note when I thought my father was dying. I used dragons’ blood as my ink and wrote it on a torn piece of my shirt. I can only imagine how much that affected him and then I made the mistake of trying to leave without him seeing if I was really okay or not. I’ve never felt so guilty about something before. Yet he still let me off so easily. I wish he’d been angrier at me.”

“Love is strange.” Leo observed making Myungjun laugh quietly. “But I can see why he would be anxious. When I first heard that you had been resurrected once already, I was shocked. You’re so young and you’ve already faced death.” Leo was quiet for a few seconds. “What was it like? Dying I mean.”

Myungjun took the time to sip on his wine so he could gather his thoughts. “It was…strange. I was standing beside my body, watching Jinwoo be dragged away by Grove kicking and screaming. The look of grief on his face is one I’ll never be able to forget. That’s when I really began to understand just how much he loved me. I hadn’t been sure because we were going through a rough patch at the time. I thought he didn’t love me anymore but, in that moment, I knew he did. When I turned to look at my body, I didn’t really recognise myself. I looked awful. I looked like death. But I didn’t feel anything. No emotions. I couldn’t speak either, so I couldn’t comfort Jinwoo. Then a mark on the back of the nurse’s neck started to glow and she looked up at me. Not my body but at me beside the bed. She told me to take my hand and held it out towards me. But I hesitated.”

“Why?” Leo asked with wide eyes. “You said you knew in that moment that Jinwoo loved you. Didn’t you want to get back to him?”

“It wasn’t that.” Myungjun said, struggling to find the way to explain it. “I had this…urge of sorts. The urge to just _leave_. I still don’t understand it. Where would I have gone? Jinwoo is religious. He told me it was a calling to go to Eden, but I’m not so sure.”

“I would like to think there is an Eden.” Leo said quietly. “I hope my parents are there. I hope they’re living in paradise, happy and still in love. I think about them a lot. I hope I get to see them again someday.”

Myungjun swallowed thickly. Jinwoo had admitted to wanting the same thing. “Leo can I ask you a question about them?”

Leo looked up from his cup and offered him a small smile. “Of course.”

“Why didn’t they get resurrected? Why didn’t Gabriel bring them back? Or Mrs Choi?”

Leos eyes filled with tears and he quickly looked away. “Their bodies were found too late. Their souls had already departed so they couldn’t be brought back. They were murdered in their bed by their butler who turned out to be an assassin from a dark guild who had served them for years to gain their trust. I found them the next day. I’ll never forget it, all of the blood. I didn’t understand death at the time, but I understood that they wouldn’t be waking up. I had to swear my oath in front of the city a week later. I had to be strong but everywhere I looked I saw them.”

Myungjun reached over to grab Leos hand, giving it a squeeze. “You don’t have to tell me anymore. But thank you for opening up to me. I’m sure your parents are out there somewhere. Their souls have to be. And I’m sure they’re together and happy and watching over you. I’m sure they’re proud of you for being such a good King. You’re a beacon of light Leo. Not just for me but for the whole of Aredrinnor.”

He let Leo cry and moved around the table to hug him tight. Leo had suffered horrors no child should ever be subjected to and Myungjuns heart went out to him. It made him want to look after him more. He _would_ look after him more. And he’d start by gaining control of his power and getting Leo out of this place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The more I write about Leo the sadder it gets omg


	167. A Beginners Guide To Resurrection-Part 1.

Myungjun woke up on Sunday morning brimming with energy and excitement. He had his first ever resurrection lesson after breakfast and he couldn’t wait to begin.

He sprung out of bed and was showered and dressed before his maid had the chance to walk through the door. She looked at his excited expression and smiled, offering to take him out to the sheltered patio for breakfast with Leo.

Myungjun left with her after she helped him pick out some jewels to wear to match his orange hair. The second he saw Leo sitting at the table he raced over and sat down heavily in the seat beside him. He wanted to make sure he was okay after last night’s conversation.

Leo looked perfectly fine as he looked up from his book. Myungjun recognised the book. It was one of Leos favourites. He was sure Leo had read it over a hundred times by now, but he never seemed bored when doing so.

“Your majesty.” Myungjun greeted him politely, spooning food onto Leos plate for him. “What are you plans for the day?”

Leo closed his book and set it gently on the table. “My first duty is tending to Prince. I prefer to do his grooming myself on the weekends. Then I have a meeting with my master of coin before lunch. After lunch we have our piano lesson. You have your…special lesson after dinner.” Leo said referring to his SS Power training with the counsel. “Whilst you are training, I have another meeting to attend.”

“Sounds fun.” said Myungjun, a hint of sarcasm to his tone.

Leo laughed and started on his breakfast. “Sometimes I feel like I live my life in my meeting chamber. But that’s why I value the time I spend with you so much Mr Kim.”

“I feel the same way your majesty. Except I live my life in the classroom.” Myungjun mused. “We’re busy men apparently.”

“Very busy. So hurry up and eat your breakfast.”

*

Myungjun greeted Gabriel who was all smiles as per usual. Gabriel showed him to his seat before sitting opposite him and clearing his throat to talk.

“This is going to be a long and tough journey.” He began in his deep voice. “Resurrection is the hardest spell you will ever learn. Everything I said yesterday was true. You have the potential to become a resurrector, but this class is also just an excuse for you to stay behind when your healing apprenticeship is over. You still have your herbologists apprenticeship to complete, and your training with the Kings guard. However, everyone in the castle knows you are here mainly for healing. So, this class is giving you a ‘reason’ to stay when it is over. We both know of course, that you are really staying behind for your power training, but this is what you will tell everyone you are studying instead when all of your other classes have finished.”

“This is a good cover up then.” Myungjun said, drumming his fingers on the table. “My classes with Mrs Choi will probably end next year and my herbologists apprenticeship too. I will have a lot of free time during the week when they’re over, so I was wondering if I would be able to spend more time with you and the rest of the magic counsel. I would rather spend my days with more power training classes than doing nothing at all.”

“When the time comes, we will see what we can do.” Gabriel said offering him a smile. “But for now, we should focus on this spell. Tell me, in as much detail as possible, what you remember about being resurrected Mr Kim.”

Myungjun had had this conversation with Leo last night, but he hadn’t gone into all of the details. “I was standing by the bed, my soul I mean. The academies nurse had a mark on the back of her neck which started to glow. I can now take an educated guess and say that’s her resurrectors mark.” Gabriel nodded so Myungjun continued more confidently. “She looked up at me and told me to take my hand. I did and she clasped the hand of my soul, and the hand of my actual body together in her own and started to chant. It sounded weird to my ears. But what I found weirder at the time was how I seemed to melt back into my body. It became much too painful at the end and I blacked out.”

“That’s normal.” Gabriel said, sitting back in his chair. “I’ll explain it to you as well as I can so listen carefully. The first part of a resurrection spell is opening your third eye to see the plane that souls exist on. You need to be able to see the soul before you can interact with it. It can be dangerous to open yourself up to that plane for too long though, which is why resurrection is done relatively quickly. I will go into more detail about that plane and about souls themselves in our next lesson. Bur for now; the next part of the spell is achieved by creating a point of contact between the body and the soul. The nurse asked you to take your hand because of this. However, you had to be willing to do so. She could not have grabbed the hand of your soul to force them together as her hand would have gone straight through you. Your soul only solidified when you touched your body again which is why, at that moment, she was able to clasp them both to start the most important part of the spell. The reason her chanting felt weird to your ears is because she was speaking in the language of the Ethereals. A language you will need to learn. Resurrection is the second branch of light magic. Like how plant and ground are branches of earth magic, healing and resurrection are branches of light magic. The chant is a prayer of sorts. A prayer to the Deity to allow you to bring that person back.”

Myungjun shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I feel bad saying this, but I’m not entirely sure I believe in the Deity.”

Gabriel stared at him for a few seconds before laughing heartily. “A healer who does not believe in the very being who allows him to have his power? Very interesting.”

“Well I’ve never been given reason to believe she exists.” Myungjun admitted truthfully. “I’m not religious, neither is my mother and she raised me alone. I was raised off of her beliefs. Everyone always speaks of the Deity, but no-one is able to tell me that they have ever actually seen her or heard her voice.”

“Mr Kim you learnt a valuable lesson from your father during your dragon hunt in the mountains. He taught you that just because you look for signs of dragons, it doesn’t mean you will necessarily _see_ them. You view the Deity in a sceptical light. You are reluctant to believe she exists and because of that you have allowed yourself to become narrow minded. You look for her existence, but because of this shortened range of sight you do not see. If you open up your mind and your heart to the possibility that she may in fact exist, you may begin to see the signs that us religious folk do. There is no greater sign for her existence then what you will see in the mirror. Your body is the vessel you were granted by her to walk this land in. A body filled with light magic and an incredible amount of magical power. Shadow said in our first ever meeting that the Deity didn’t give such power to just anyone.”

“I remember.” Myungjun said quietly, looking down at his hands. “She said I was here for a reason and that we didn’t know yet whether it was for a good reason or not.”

“Leo also told us that you were not a threat.” Gabriel said kindly, making Myungjun look up at him again. “We trust in Leos words. He has a good eye for seeing those sorts of things. Reading your mind now I can also see that Leo has confided in you the sad truth behind his parent’s deaths. Leo could even tell back then who was good and who was bad. He told them about the threat their butler posed, the one who ended their lives, but they were reluctant to believe it. He’d been with them for so long, served them well, so why would such a good man pose a risk to their lives? They died because they didn’t listen to Leo and that is a mistake everyone has learnt from since. We trust Leos words; we trust that you are not a threat. If you are here for a reason, it is a good one, there is no doubt in my mind.”

Myungjun wanted to feel reassured by his words but something wasn’t adding up properly. “You can read my mind easily enough. Shadow reads my mind without me even feeling it. The telepathic skills of the magic counsel are unparalleled. So why didn’t you use those skills to read the butlers mind and see his intentions, even just as a precaution?”

Gabriel sighed. “We do not meddle in the affairs of the castle and it’s staff. We deal with the magical side of things only.”

That made even less sense to Myungjun. “But Shadow reminded Leo that you are the ones who closed the castle and its gardens. How is that not meddling?”

“Let me rephrase that then. We do not meddle in the affairs of the castle and the staff unless absolutely necessary. It is of the utmost importance that we keep Leo safe. Aredrinnor would collapse without him.”

“I get that.” Myungjun said stiffly, feeling his irritation spike. “But I’d say that being warned of a threat to the King and Queens life was of the utmost importance too. You should have listened to him. He lost his parents, found their dead bodies and is subjected to living life contained in the very walls they were slaughtered in because none of you listened.”

Gabriel didn’t look angry at his outburst or his accusations, he just looked sad. “I am aware of our mistakes Mr Kim. He was just a little boy. No-one believed him. We looked at the man, but we didn’t _see_ the truth behind Leos words. It is a great guilt that we will all carry to our graves and we will never be able to make things right with Leo where their deaths are concerned.”

“Letting him out of this hell hole will be a good start.” Myungjun said still irritated. “How would you feel if you had to walk the very halls your parent’s murderer walked in. Eat in the same room he served their food. Sleep in the same bed they died in. He hasn’t told me that he stays in their room, but I’ve read his mind. He sleeps there Gabriel. Its sick. I’m surprised he hasn’t gone insane yet because of it. You think you’re keeping him safe in here but you’re not. You’ll be the cause of his death I can guarantee it.” Myungjun growled angrily and stood up. “I’m sorry. I know I have no right to tell you how to run things, but I think you and the counsel are the ones who are looking and not seeing. I don’t think I can carry on with this lesson today, I’m much too wound up now. May I be excused?”

Gabriel nodded, expressionless for once, and Myungjun didn’t wait, he just took off out of the room feeling his petals fluttering behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Example #394857 of me talking a load of sh*t. Would resurrection really work that way? Who knows. but it sounds believable so...  
> I just love making new magic wow its so fricking fun lmao
> 
> I am also the biggest idiot to ever exist.  
> I was freaking out all week about not being far enough ahead in my fic (i need to be AT LEAST 10 chapters ahead) but after i finished writing my last chapter today i went to check what one I'd just written...192. I just wrote 192, 25 chapters ahead, and I've been freaking out about it?????? Why i didn't just check how far ahead i was to begin with i will never know -.- but it doesn't matter because it made me panic write so many GOOD chapters like wow. I never praise my fic properly because I'm secretly super critical of it but wow...I've written some good stuff xd


	168. The Assassin.

Myungjun woke up in the middle of the night with a gasp for air. He was shaky and sweaty and scared. He’d had a terrible nightmare. A nightmare of dead bodies in a bed and a little boy crying and covered in blood. Leo.

Myungjun gulped down the sickness in his throat and looked around the dark room. He couldn’t stay in here tonight. Not in this wing of the castle. Not where the King and Queen were murdered mercilessly a few floors above him.

He reached for his stuffed bird toys that he kept hidden under his pillow and clutched them tightly against his chest as he left the room. The halls were dark, lit only by the blue fire torches on the walls.

He looked down at what he was wearing, briefly wondering if it was inappropriate to be roaming the halls in just an oversized t-shirt to cover his underwear, but he realised he didn’t care much as images of his nightmare flooded his mind again, making all of the dark corners and crevices seem scarier and more threatening. He picked up speed, clutching his stuffed birds tighter and scrubbed at the fresh tears falling down his face.

He found the room he needed and knocked loudly on the door, hoping he would hear it and wake up. He sniffled a few times when he didn’t answer before trying again.

“Grey?” Myungjun called out softly.

He sighed in relief when he heard movement behind the door. A lot of bumping and a lot of cursing.

Grey opened it up and looked down at him with a frown. “Junebug? What are you doing here? It’s really late.”

Myungjun flushed as he took in Greys appearance. He was in nothing but his underwear, hair haphazard and Myungjun could see the smattering of fresh love bites over his chest.

He quickly looked away before speaking. “I had a night-”

“Grey? Who is it?” Myungjun looked up with wide eyes at the sound of a new voice and froze as one of the other Kings guard trainees came up behind him, wrapping his arms around Greys waist from behind and hooking his chin over his shoulder. “Oh Mr Kim. What are you doing here? Are those stuffed toys?”

Myungjun quickly backed away. “Umm…I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were…I’m just going to…I’m sorry.”

Myungjun quickly took off down the corridor, ignoring Greys shouts behind him and didn’t stop until he was out in the cool night air.

“That was so embarrassing.” He whined to himself quietly as he walked aimlessly across the grounds. He didn’t want to go back to his room, he _certainly_ wasn’t going to Leos and now Grey was occupied too. He didn’t even want to think about what he’d just interrupted and tried to cool down the heat in his cheeks.

His feet took him to the royal gardens. He didn’t know why, he could see his room from there and it wasn’t exactly helping his anxious state, but his feet led him there all the same and he sat down on one of the marble benches near a planter of rose bushes.

The whispers of the plants were loud tonight. He always heard them like a hum in the background, but they were shockingly prominent now. Myungjun reached out to touch one of the roses, to ask what had gotten them so riled up, but before he could make contact, he heard them loud and clear.

_Danger. Danger. Danger._

Myungjun didn’t know what made him look up, but he looked up at the castle and his heart seized with fear at what he saw. A shape. A black shape scaling the wall leading to… “Leos room.” Myungjun whispered.

His whole body reacted. He dropped his stuffed birds and raced over to the castle wall, tearing his vines out of the ground in an attempt to capture the intruder. They didn’t get anywhere close and the black shape kept moving slowly upwards. From below, Myungjun could see the glint of metal.

A weapon.

An assassin.

Myungjun raced to the nearest door leading into the castle, screaming at the top of his lungs for the guards. He ran through the halls before finding the staircase leading up to the higher floors. His blood was rushing loudly in his ears and his heart was thumping wildly in his chest. Leo was going to be murdered in the same bed his parents had died in.

People spilled out of the rooms muttering and asking what was wrong.

“GET THE GUARDS! THE KING IS IN DANGER!” That made people move.

Myungjun took the stairs two at a time, ascending the floors until he reached Leos. The guards stationed outside his room looked startled when Myungjun tore down the corridor towards them.

“Mr Kim what-”

“ASSASSIN. HELP HIM!”

They weren’t quick enough to react, clearly still too shocked, so Myungjun pushed past them and kicked Leos door open.

Leo sat up fast in his bed, ripped out of his sleep and rubbing his eyes. “Little brother? What are you doing here?”

Myungjun wasn’t listening. He was too busy staring wide eyed at the man crouched on Leos window ledge beside his bed. His eyes were purple, like Shadows, and Myungjun knew he used dark magic.

The man lifted his hand towards Leo and Myungjun did the only thing he could. He ran across the room and dived at the man, using all of his strength to bodily tackle him and sent them both back out of the window.

He heard Leos scream behind him before the air whistling in his ears blocked him out as they both fell. It was a long drop. One Myungjun knew he wouldn’t survive. But he’d done it. He’d saved Leos life and that was all that mattered.

Myungjun grunted in pain and looked down to see the assassins knife sticking out of his stomach.

_We’re falling to our deaths and he’s still trying to kill me anyway?_

He was stabbed again and again and again, each pain tearing through his body worst then the last.

_I’m going to be dead before I hit the floor._

Myungjun had nothing to fear now. He knew it was over. The ground was rapidly approaching, his stomach was burning and the assassin beneath him was chanting under his breath. Myungjun could feel his dark magic oozing out of his skin.

So, he let go. He let go of all of his fears, all of his worries, all of his negative feelings. He didn’t need them anymore. He wouldn’t feel them in death anyway so what was the point? Leaf had once said a clear mind is a clear heart and he wanted his heart to be free before he died.

So, he let everything go and felt it trickle away like water until it was gone. He smiled. His heart was free. Clear and free and unblocked.

Unblocked.

Myungjuns eyes snapped open as he felt the shift. It was different. It was unlike all of the other times. His heart pumped painfully three times as it got used to the new power before settling down.

And in that moment Myungjun knew it would never be blocked again.

He sealed all of the wounds on his stomach and shifted to metal in an instant. The dark magic sent his way bounced off of him.

They hit the ground a second later. A crunch of bones and a loud metallic clang. Myungjun felt the impact reverberate through his body and had to close his eyes as the world shook. He rolled off of the splattered body beneath him with a grimace and kept his eyes closed. If he looked, he was sure he was going to be sick.

He sat there for a minute, waiting for the vibrations to cease in his body before he let go of the transformation and opened his eyes. He was momentarily confused. It was past midnight, so why was the world so bright?

It was only when he looked down at his body that he realised why. It was him. His magical energy was shimmering and shining as it poured out of him.

“YOUR MAJESTY YOU SHOULDN’T-”

“LET ME GO!” Leos scream was filled with pure grief and Myungjun looked up over the nearest planter to see him struggling against his guards as he tried to fight his way outside. Myungjuns heart clenched painfully. Leo had obviously run all the way down the stairs in his duck pyjamas to see him.

“HE’S DEAD YOUR MAJESTY PLEASE-”

Leo screamed again, the tears rolling down his face as he broke free and tore across the gardens towards Myungjun and the dead body beneath him.

Myungjun sprung up, revealing himself from behind the planter and he saw the way Leo stumbled to a stop, eyes wide and disbelieving.

*Little brother?*

Myungjun could hear his thoughts clearly despite the distance. He could hear everyone’s thoughts, everyone in the castle. A clamour in his brain that was suddenly so loud he had to cover his ears in an attempt to block them out.

It didn’t work. They grew louder and more jumbled together as more thoughts filled his mind. People from outside the castle’s walls. He shouted out in pain and felt the ground rumble beneath his feet.

_My vines._

Leo was still staring at him, his concern ringing around in Myungjuns head louder than the rest. So Myungjun reached out to him.

*Stay back. Get the counsel. I’m losing it*

Leos eyes widened, no doubt shocked by hearing Myungjuns voice in his mind and he stumbled backwards before turning on his heel and rushing back toward the castle doors shouting for his guards.

Myungjun tried to hold it in. He tried to hold the magical power back that was spilling out of him and he succeeded for a time. But then it became too much. He could hear the voices of humans and plants alike, all warring to be heard in his mind. He could feel all of the plants surrounding him in the garden. He could feel exactly what they all felt. Every petal that fluttered lightly in the breeze, every breath of life, every tickle of the bugs crawling up their stems.

He’d never been so overwhelmed and his body, sensing that he was in danger, reacted. Where there was danger, there were his vines. They burst out of the ground around him, hundreds, _thousands_. He knew all of his power was unlocked; every last drop was coursing through his veins. He hadn’t believed Shadow when she said during his previous power shifts that he’d only unlocked a fraction of his power. It didn’t seem possible. But he had to believe her now as he watched thousands of his vines tear up the garden around him, ripping all of the plants to shreds and decimating everything in their path. He looked over at the castle to see his vines creeping up the walls, turning the white stone green until the castle was engulfed completely.

He tried to rein them in. But they wouldn’t listen. He had no control. He just hoped no-one was outside. If they were, they were dead.

*Calm yourself child*

Myungjun froze as Shadows voice cut through the noise in his head, rendering everyone else silent.

*Shadow?*

*Focus on my voice. You need to calm down. You cannot control it if you are not calm*

*I’m trying*

Myungjun found it easier to breathe without the suffocating noise in his head. He slowly let his hands drop back down to his sides and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm the beat of his heart.

When he opened his eyes again, he was relieved to see the vines pulling away from the castle walls. The structure was damaged, and he felt an immense guilt for destroying Leos home and for annihilating all of the plants in his royal garden.

*Control your guilt Myungjun, you’ll lose it again*

Myungjun swallowed thickly and tried to supress it.

*Shadow where is Leo? Is he safe? Is everyone safe?*

*Leo is here. He was able to get everyone back inside in time. You have not killed today child*

Myungjun sunk down to his knees feeling nothing but relief. He hadn’t killed anyone. Everyone was alive. Everyone was safe. He wasn’t a murderer.

He looked over to see his stuffed birds discarded by the marble bench and crawled towards them, clutching them tight to his chest as he curled up into a ball. A ball of shimmering light that refused to dull no matter how hard he tried.

_I’m okay, you’re okay, we’re all okay._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Junnie started off this chapter as a whole baby boy cuddling his toys and rushing to Grey for comfort after a bad dream. So uwu
> 
> BUT HIS POWER IS UNLOCKED AND HE NEARLY DESTROYED A WHOLE ASS CASTLE. THIS TINY CUTE BABY BOY DID: THAT.
> 
>  
> 
> Sidenote: There's only a couple of castle chapters left D: Myungjin reunion imminent.


	169. A Beginners Guide To Resurrection-Part 2.

**Four months later: December**

Myungjun looked out of the bars on his window to see it was snowing outside. The first snow of the year. He smiled bright and wide, wanting nothing more than to just go out there and play. He loved the snow almost as much as he loved the spring and he was desperate for some hot chocolate to warm his tummy too.

The door to his cell opened and he looked over to see his guard smiling his way. “You have a visitor Mr Kim.”

Leo swept past the man carrying a bag of gifts. “Merry Christmas little brother.” He said cheerfully, placing the bag on Myungjuns bed and pulling him in for a hug.

Myungjun hugged him back, smelling the familiar scent of his perfume and sighed happily. “Hello Hyung. It’s good to see you again. How have you been?”

Leo let him go and pulled away to look him over. “I’ve been fine.” He muttered absentmindedly, clutching the tops of Myungjuns arms tight as he leaned down to peer into his face. “You look better than the last time I saw you.”

“Well I’d hope so. It’s been a month since then after all.” Myungjun laughed, gently removing Leos hands and gesturing for him to take a seat on his bed. It was small but comfortable.

Leo took a seat at the end and sighed as he leaned against the white stone wall. “I’m sorry it’s been so long. I’ve argued with the counsel every day since they put you in here to let me see you more, but they won’t listen.”

“It’s because I told them not to.” Myungjun explained again. “I’ve told you before it’s not safe. You shouldn’t even be in here now Hyung. The enchants on this cell might dull my power somewhat but it can’t be completely contained. My skin still glows slightly, look.” Myungjun held out his hand that was still radiating a gentle light.

Leo pouted and crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s Christmas, I had to see you today. I even bought you some new clothes, and a new stuffed toy and a few books.”

“Thank you.” Myungjun said quietly, offering him a small smile. “I’m sure I’ll love them all. I have a gift for you too.”

Myungjun held his empty palm out, taking a breath before waving his other hand over it. A miniature version of Camellia bloomed through his skin and unrooted itself before stumbling over his palm on its tiny roots.

Leo gasped in shock before looking up at him. “How did you do that?”

Myungjun grinned and handed the animated flower over. “My first lesson with the magic counsel went well yesterday. Leaf came to see me and told me they were ready to begin my training now. He started me off with this simple spell. He said he’d read about SS Rank users being able to grow plants from their bodies and he was curious to see if it was true. I succeeded in the spell on my third try. We were both shocked. It will only stay animated for a few hours. I’ll have to practice it some more if I want to animate plants for longer. I flooded my room with mini copies of Camellia yesterday when I came back here. It was fun.”

Leo returned his grin and stroked the flowers petals gently. “I was wondering when they’d begin your training. You’ve been in here for long enough.”

“I’ve been meditating and practicing the techniques Shadow gave me for gaining control.” Myungjun said proudly. “I’ve been settling my mind and fighting against the power surges. I haven’t destroyed my cell at all since you last saw me.”

Leo squealed excitedly but quickly apologised to the little flower who cowered at the noise. “That’s wonderful news little brother! If you can fight the power surges, then you’ll be let out of here in no time!”

Myungjun sighed happily and propped his pillows up to lean against them. “I can leave this cell when my skin stops glowing, and I’ve managed to successfully cover up my magical presence. They’re the obvious signs of my power so they need to be hidden before I can leave. Then I’ll be able to walk the castle grounds with you again, and eat meals by the pond, and tend to Princess, and moan at you for covering yourself in paint every Saturday afternoon.”

Leo snorted out a laugh before falling silent. Myungjun could sense his sadness. “I miss you a lot you know.”

“I know.” Myungjun replied quietly, looking up at him. “I can feel it. I miss you too. And Grey. How is he?”

“He’s fine. His memories of that night have been wiped alongside anyone else who saw you. He still believes that you are out of castle grounds learning how to become a resurrector.”

Myungjun sighed in relief. “Good. How are the castle repairs coming along?”

“The royal garden is flourishing again and the castle itself will be as good as new in a few months’ time. I don’t care about the castle though. I care about you little brother. Are you sure you’re okay in here? Is it warm enough?”

Myungjun looked up to give Leo a reassuring smile. “I’m fine Hyung honestly. It was…hard the first few months not being allowed out at all, but I was pretty much used to it already with not being allowed out of the castle grounds. And now that my lessons have started, I’m feeling even better. It’s warm enough in here and I get plenty of food. You just need to remember I’m not a prisoner. I’m a danger Hyung. Its best that I’m down here. I WANT to be down here. I nearly took down the whole castle when I lost it. The whole _castle_. And even then, I didn’t lose it that badly. I was just scared because of all the voices in my head. I can’t imagine how dangerous I’d actually be if my life was in real danger. I’d probably wipe out the entire city. I need to get it under control, and then when I have control, I’ll be free to leave.”

Leo was silent for a while, watching his flower walk across his hands. “I still can’t believe it. I was sure you were dead. You sacrificed yourself to save me and I will forever be indebted to you little brother.”

“You’re not indebted to me at all. Saving you helped me unlock my magic, it helped me take the next step and in turn it’s helped me get closer to returning home. If anything, your near assassination was a gift for me.” Myungjun grinned at the laugh of disbelief that Leo gave. “So, stop feeling guilty. I’m alive, aren’t I? I’ve had so many brushes with death I fear I’ve grown used to it.”

Leo rolled his eyes. “You say some worrying things sometimes. I have to leave now, so open your gifts.”

Myungjun tore into them eagerly, grinning at the pyjamas covered in ducks that matched Leos own. He squealed in pure delight after unwrapping the yellow, fluffy duckling and was quick to put it beside his other stuffed birds. The last gifts were some new books on plants he hadn’t read, and he leaned over the bed to give Leo a hug, being mindful of the little flower that was currently crawling up his arm.

“Thank you Hyung these are perfect. I’ll look after them well.”

Leo hugged him back briefly before getting off the bed and smoothing down his clothes. “I shall see you next month little brother. When I come back, I expect to be told you’ve made good progress in your lessons. I want you out of here as soon as possible.” Leo swept out of the room teary eyed before Myungjun could reply.

*

Later that day, when Myungjun was curled up in bed, hugging all of his stuffed toys to ward off the loneliness, he was surprised by the sound of something rushing past his ear. He swallowed thickly when he smelt the burnt parchment and tried to fight against the magic thrumming under his skin as he opened up the note.

**Merry Christmas Sunshine**

Myungjuns petals were swirling thick and fast as he read the note a hundred times over. He traced the letters. Three simple words. Three simple words that meant the world to him. He was still Jinwoos sunshine, Jinwoo was still thinking about him, Jinwoo still loved him.

He pulled out a pen and some parchment from his bedside table. He’d told Jinwoo not to send him any notes, but today, he’d make the exception as well.

**Merry Christmas JinJin. I miss you too**

*

Myungjun sat opposite Gabriel who was fiddling with one of the rings on his fingers whilst he talked.

“We can continue with your resurrection lessons now Mr Kim. However, we will be delving more into the theory behind it as it is still too dangerous for you to perform spells, especially one of this nature. It has been quite some time since we’ve discussed the theory behind resurrection, so I’d like for you to give me a summary of what you can remember.”

Myungjun hummed thoughtfully for a few seconds. It really had been a long time since they last spoke of it. “I remember you saying about opening your third eye to see the souls so you can interact with them. But you can’t touch souls until they solidify by creating a point of contact between a soul and its body.”

“Excellent. Do you remember what the main part of the spell is?”

“The chant.” Myungjun answered confidently. “It’s the prayer to ask the Deity for permission to bring them back.”

“And the language it is asked in?”

“The language of the Ethereals.”

“And have you been reading the book I gave you on their language?”

Myungjun nodded. “Every day since I received it. Some of the words and symbols still confuse me but I believe I have the basics of their language covered.”

“That’s good to hear.” said Gabriel, offering him a smile. “Before you go back to your cell today, I’ll test you on that. But for now, we’re going to expand on what you remember, so listen carefully. During our first ever lesson you told me that when you had been resurrected it had felt like your soul was melting back into your body. There is an explanation as to why it felt that way. Your soul breathes life into your cells, spreading through them and causing the ‘melting’ sensation. That is the reason why resurrection is so complicated and the reason as to why it takes a long time to achieve. You must breathe life into all of the individual cells of the body. You also told me that it had become painful towards the end. Pain is caused by the triggering of nerve cells. As you breathe life back into those cells it stimulates them and causes the pain which made you black out towards the end. Do you understand?”

“Yes. That makes sense. I do have a question though. I was told that resurrecting a person shortens the life of the resurrector. Why? And how much does it shorten their life by?”

“A soul needs the help of another life force to reconnect with its body. If it could do it alone then no-one would die. You’d just see your body and melt back into it yourself. A resurrector provides that extra life force and in turn their own is shortened. However, it is still unclear as to the amount the resurrectors life will be shortened by. A great deal of research has been put into this field of work over the years and many resurrectors, not just from Aredrinnor but the surrounding lands too, have contributed to it. Through recorded resurrections and the overall life spans of those resurrectors we have been able to narrow down the possible boundaries of time. The current conclusion, is that saving one life could shorten your own from anywhere between one day to one year.”

Myungjun gasped. “One year? That’s so long!”

Gabriel nodded looking serious. “It’s an incredibly long time. It’s only an estimation of course, but this is why the spell should only be used when absolutely necessary. Say you went on a job for your guild, taking ten people with you, if they all died and you were to resurrect them all, that would be ten years off of your own life gone just like that.” Gabriel snapped his fingers loudly making Myungjun jump. “However, like I said, it is still uncertain as to the actual length of time your life would be shortened by and maybe it is different for every magic user. For example, one person could resurrect ten people and only lose ten days of their life, whereas another could lose ten years. Unfortunately, in our lifetime, we’ll never find out the exact numbers, but this is why it is paramount that if you ever brought someone back, you remember to record all of the details and submit them to me. We can help contribute to future resurrectors this way.”

Myungjun was still stunned at the thought of losing a whole year of his life, a whole year with Jinwoo, just to bring another person back.

“How many people have you resurrected?” Myungjun asked out of curiosity.

“A few.” Gabriel answered vaguely. “That is unimportant. However, what _is_ important is the fact that resurrection tiptoes the line between good and evil. Resurrection can happen by using two different types of magic. We would use light magic to bring someone back. But you can also bring someone back using dark magic. Necromancy. That specific type of resurrection is Shadows specialty not mine so I wouldn’t be able to teach you about it.”

“I know a little about that.” Myungjun said making Gabriel look up from his ring in surprise. “You fiddling with your ring has reminded me of it. I went on a request to find a lost ring with Donghan.”

“Ah, one of the twins.”

“Yes. We went to the town of Whitebrook to find a ring that turned out to have the ability to capture souls. A woman from one of the foreign lands killed all of the people there and stole their souls to use in a ritual to summon or resurrect a demon King. I didn’t even think it could be possible to capture souls in objects.”

Gabriel pulled his ring off of his finger and placed it on the table between them. “This ring also captures souls. It has been enchanted with an ancient spell which allows such a thing to happen.”

Myungjun tensed as he looked down at it. “Why would you want it? Manipulating souls is evil.”

“Not necessarily.” Gabriel said simply making Myungjun look back up at him. “When a person dies their soul either departs to Eden, or to the Underworld, or it is subjected to walk the plane that exists between them. I told you that you need to open your third eye to see the souls that linger on that plane. If a soul is not permitted entry to Eden or the Underworld, then it is subjected to walk the land for eternity. These souls have no purpose.”

“And what purpose could they possibly have trapped in your ring?” Myungjun asked with a frown. “Surely it is better to walk free than to be confined to a jewel.”

“Trapping them in my ring _gives_ them purpose.” Gabriel explained as he smiled at the confused look on Myungjuns face. “Souls can be manipulated for combat purposes. I can temporarily move a soul from my ring to another object to fight for me. For example, I have moved a soul into a sword. That sword will then move by itself and strike at the heart of my enemies. If the sword is destroyed the soul comes straight back to my ring. I can also call it back at any time.”

Myungjun had never been so confused in his life. “Inanimate objects can be animated by souls?”

“Your body is inanimate without a soul.” Gabriel pointed out. “When your soul departs your body, you are dead correct?”

Myungjun nodded, understanding a little better. “So, you give a soul purpose by making it fight for you? What if it doesn’t want to fight? Are you forcing it to?”

Gabriel was quick to shake his head. “Of course not. The soul has to be willing to help to bypass the enchant and enter my ring. Think of it as a contract of sorts. First, I open my third eye to see the souls who are left to wander this land with no purpose. Second, I approach a lost soul and I offer them a purpose, or they approach me and ask for it, the purpose to fight again, to be useful again-”

“Wait.” Myungjun interrupted. “When I died, I couldn’t talk. How can they ask to fight for you?”

“You couldn’t talk because you didn’t know how at the time. You hadn’t existed on that plane for long enough. Also, you had a calling to go elsewhere so you wouldn’t have had the time to learn anyway. You were not destined to walk the plane between Eden and the Underworld. You were meant to depart to one of them.”

“I could have gone to the Underworld?” Myungjun squeaked fearfully. “I nearly accepted the calling. I nearly went!”

Gabriel chuckled. “There’s no need to be so scared. I’m almost certain your true calling was to Eden. I have seen all of your memories remember and I can conclude that you have not committed sins evil enough to be allowed access to the Underworld. The Prince of Darkness is picky about those he chooses to reside in his Kingdom.”

Myungjun shivered at the sound of his name. His mother had told him stories when he was a child of the eternal battle between him and the Deity of Eden, and he always saw that battle depicted on the giant stained-glass windows at the front of the castle. It looked gruesome and the Prince himself was terrifying on the battlefield surrounded by demons and other monstrous entities.

Myungjun attempted to rid his mind of such images by asking a new question that would hopefully lead the conversation elsewhere. “So, manipulating souls to fight for you, doesn’t that shorten your life too?”

“No. You put the souls temporarily into objects, so it only drains your magical energy. Manipulating souls in this sense is not evil. You are gaining their permission to give them a new purpose to their existence and by helping their summoner, they are able to gain access to one of the superior Kingdoms. For example, I’m a light magic user, so if a soul worked with me to defeat evil, the Deity would open her Kingdom to that soul when she deemed them worthy. It could happen after one battle or a thousand battles, it is entirely up to her. On the other hand, if a soul agreed to work with a dark magic user and they were to fight against the good, then the Prince of Darkness may deem them worthy and offer them a place in his Kingdom.”

“So, I could help souls get into Eden because I use light magic too?” Myungjun asked wide eyed. “I could save them from being stuck wandering the plane between?”

Gabriel’s smile was radiant. “Exactly. However, I must make it explicitly clear that just because a person may use light magic, doesn’t mean they always fight evil, You could use your magic to fight against the good and get your souls access into the Underworld, much like how a dark magic user could fight evil and get their souls into Eden. Using light magic doesn’t necessarily mean you are a good person and using Dark doesn’t make you evil either. Take Shadow for example. She’s not evil yet she uses dark magic. This is where the lines between good and evil and light and dark blur. It’s a difficult concept to wrap your head around I’ll admit, it took me a long time to understand myself. But the point is, capturing souls in rings can be a good thing as much as it can be a bad thing, it depends on who is forming these agreements or _’contracts’_ with them. There are only five recorded rings in all of Aredrinnor that capture souls. I have one, Shadow has one, Leo has one, the Lady of Whitebrook who requested your help has one, and a guild leader in Zepheholde has one.”

“Leo has one?” Myungjun asked with wide eyes. “Why? He’s not even magic.”

“It has been handed down through the royal family for centuries. How it fell into the royal family’s possession in the first place is still a mystery, but he still has it all the same. Now I believe our time is coming to an end Mr Kim. Our last part of the lesson is your test. It’s time to see how much of the Ethereal language you can speak. Are you ready?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leo must be so lonely now that Myungjun isn't around :( Grey better be looking after him!!


	170. Confessions Of A Shadow.

**January**

Myungjun was waiting patiently on his bed for Leo to arrive. Leo always came to visit him down in his cell on the same day every month, with the exception of Christmas day.

Myungjun made sure his clothes were neat for the fifth time and checked his hair in the mirror again feeling nervous.

When the door finally opened, Leo stepped inside looking confused. “You asked for a meeting with the magic counsel?”

Myungjun nodded and stood up quickly. “Do I look okay?”

Leo looked him over. Then again. And then his eyes narrowed before widening comically large. “Your skin! It’s not glowing anymore!”

Myungjun offered him a small smile. “It’s finally back to normal. It feels strange seeing my skin this way again. I have more good news though. You wanted to hear that I’ve been making good progress in my lessons and I have. I have enough control to be let out of here for this counsel meeting and I was told if I continue to progress this quickly, I’ll be out of here by my birthday.”

Myungjun giggled as Leo raced forwards to sweep him off his feet, hugging him tight as he spun him around with exclamations of joy.

A cough from one of the guards at the door interrupted them and Leo quickly put Myungjun down seemingly embarrassed. “My apologies Mr Kim. Should we go?”

Myungjun nodded eagerly and followed Leo out of his cell. They walked through the darkened halls until coming to the staircase that led them out onto the castle grounds. Myungjun took a deep breath before ascending the steps. He hadn’t stepped foot outside in nearly six months and when the door was finally opened up in front of them Myungjun nearly cried at the sight.

The air was crisp and fresh, and it was snowing. He reached out to grab one of the flakes and shivered as it hit his skin before melting away. He wanted desperately to run around and build a snowman or have a snowball fight with Leo, but they didn’t have time. He’d only been allotted one hour out of his cell for this meeting and he knew he’d need every second of it.

The journey to the meeting chamber took a few minutes and Myungjun was hidden from view by the guards. They didn’t want anyone seeing him there when he was supposed to be out of the castle grounds for his resurrection training. That was still the current excuse for his absence at least.

He entered the meeting chamber behind Leo and heard the scraping of chairs as the magic counsel stood up to greet them. Myungjun returned their greetings before sitting down with Leo. The rest sat down soon after. Myungjun had been seeing the counsel members regularly for training so he was happy to just get straight to the point.

“I called for this meeting to discuss the King and his near assassination. I know I’m nearly six months late on the subject and you’ve clearly already discussed it before, if the added guard is any indication, but I feel like I need to get my opinions across on the matter.”

Leo looked stunned. “Mr Kim what are you doing?”

Myungjun smiled at him before turning to look at the others. “The reason you trapped him in these walls in the first place is because you thought he wasn’t safe outside of them. This attempt on his life has since proven that he’s not safe within them either.”

“He’s safer now that we’ve increased his guard.” Snow pointed out, nodding her head towards the swarm of them standing behind Leos chair.

“Giving him more guards isn’t the answer.” Myungjun replied, sitting up straighter. “That man scaled the castle wall to break into his room. What are you going to do? Station guards under all of the castle windows too?”

“If we must.”

Myungjun scowled at her. “That’s ridiculous and you know it. Increasing the guard will only increase Leos suffocation and in turn increase his depression and the risk he poses to his own life.”

“Mr Kim with all due respect you’re not his therapist.”

“With all due respect _Snow_ , neither are you.” Myungjun threw back. “However, neither of us have to be his therapist to know that this isn’t healthy for him. It’s gone on long enough and I’ve come here today to request you lift his confinement altogether. He might not be safe outside of the castle but he’s not safe inside either. Even if you increase the number of his guard, more attempts will be made on his life and they will just get more and more creative with how they slip through his line of defence.”

“Mr Kim I really don’t think-”

Myungjun turned to Leo and smiled again. “Hyung it’s okay.” He saw the way Leos eyes widened and reached out to grab his hand on the tabletop. He knew he shouldn’t be treating him so informally in front of the others but no doubt they already knew of their close relationship so there was no point in hiding it anymore. “Hyung you need to tell them how you feel. Tell them _exactly_ how you feel. Don’t be afraid, I’m here now.”

Leo looked away from Myungjun and turned his attention to the people surrounding the table. He swallowed loudly and clutched Myungjuns hand tight. “I can’t do this anymore. I can’t be trapped here. I love this castle and I love this Kingdom, but I need to love myself more, take care of myself more. You’ve ignored all of my cries for help, stopped all of my attempts to take my own life and I’ve finally reached my limit. This increased guard has been the final straw.” Leo let go of Myungjuns hand and stood up, unclipping the heavy golden cloak from around his shoulders and letting it fall to the floor to pool at his feet. “I’m stepping down as King.”

Noise erupted around the table and Myungjun looked up at Leo who was grinning at him.

“Now hold on a second. You can’t just step down!” Flame raged, slamming his fist down on the table. “You have no successor. The Kingdom will fall!”

Leo shrugged. “Fuck the Kingdom.” Myungjun held back the most insane urge to giggle but Leo didn’t. He laughed loud and bright as gasps filled the room. “I’ve always wanted to say that. Now if you’ll excuse us, me and my little brother have a date with the snow.” Leo pulled Myungjun to his feet but the icy cold voice that floated down the table towards them made them pause.

“Leo, Myungjun, sit back down.”

Myungjun turned to see Shadow glaring their way, her piercing purple eyes sending a shiver down his spine.

“No.” Leo said stubbornly. “It’s over.”

“I suggest you sit down before you make a very big mistake.” Gabriel was the one to speak up next and Myungjun was surprised to hear his voice. Gabriel had never once spoken up in their meetings before. Leo seemed surprised too. They exchanged looks before taking their seats.

Shadow drummed her nails against the arm of her chair as she smiled. Not a malicious smile but a genuine smile full of warmth, something he’d never seen before either.

“I have two confessions to make.” She began, looking pointedly at Myungjun. “Confession one: the assassin was a fake.”

Myungjun blinked. “A fake?”

“A fake.” Shadow confirmed. Everyone was staring at her with wide eyes now. “He was a demon of mine, shapeshifted to look like a man.”

“You tried to have me killed?” Leo asked quietly after a few seconds of tense silence. “Why?”

Myungjun couldn’t believe this. He’d expressed his concerns about her being dangerous to Leo when he first found out there was a dark magic user on his counsel, and Leo had told him that he trusted her as much as the rest. That trust had nearly killed him. And she was admitting to that treason with a smile on her face.

“It wasn’t you I was trying to kill. It was Myungjun.” Shadow said, dealing yet another twist.

“Me?” Myungjun spluttered. “Why me? I haven’t done anything to you!”

“Calm yourself child. I did it for your training.”

Myungjun just stared. She’d done it for his training? She sent a _demon_ to kill the _King_ for his training? Was she insane? “I nearly died.” He said through gritted teeth. “I destroyed the castle. I nearly killed everyone. And now you’re telling me it was part of my training?”

“I knew you’d risk your life for Leo, and I knew death was the answer. I always said death was your trigger, and whose death would be more impactful then your own? There is no use in getting angry at me. It worked and that’s all that should matter. You will be leaving here soon to get back to your family because of the trick I played.” She sighed. “I can see that you both will not be forgiving me anytime soon so let me tell you my second confession first. Gabriel spoke to me about the conversation you had with him during your first resurrection lesson, about keeping Leo trapped here and us looking at him but not seeing his condition. Gabriel was moved by your speech and requested a revaluation of Leos confinement. I was going to bring this up when you were officially released from your cell Myungjun, but your display of rebellion with the King just now has made me realise it cannot wait.”

The grip Leo had on Myungjuns hand tightened. “What are you trying to say?” He asked quietly.

“I believe wholeheartedly that you meant what you said Leo.” Shadow said turning to look at him. “You’ll step down as King and leave Aredrinnor in ruins. I couldn’t say I’d entirely blame you either. So, to prevent that from happening, as we can all see you’ve finally reached your limit, I’m hereby lifting your confinement to the castle.” Myungjuns breath caught in his throat and he whipped his head around to look at Leo with wide eyes. Leo was frozen. “On one condition.” Shadow added. “You keep your increased number of guard.”

Myungjun watched as the tears welled up in Leos eyes. “Is this really happening? Are you really letting me out?”

“As long as you come back to us and fulfil your duties as King everyday then yes.” Shadow stood up from her chair and cleared her throat. “King Leopold of Voredan city, second of your name and ruler of the mainland, from this day forth you are free to leave the castle grounds.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LEO IS FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE *SCREAMS*  
> Now Myungjun won't have to escort him everywhere because he can do it himself :') omg
> 
> Also...this is the LAST full castle chapter. Myungjin reunion in the next one!!!!!!!!  
> The next one contains the biggest time skip I've ever done for this fic but it felt like the right thing to do after dropping such good news for Leo.


	171. Myungjin Reunion-Part 1.

**One year and two months later**

Myungjun woke up to the smell of burnt food. He opened his eyes tiredly to see Leo waving a plate under his nose.

“Happy birthday little brother!” Leo squealed excitedly when he realised he was awake.

Myungjun sat up so fast he knocked the plate flying and Leo whined unhappily as the food spilled down the white and gold silk sheets. Myungjun couldn’t feel bad about the loss. Not only was the food burnt to a crisp but today was also a special day. A very special day and he had no time to eat.

“I made you that!” Leo huffed.

Myungjun grinned as he jumped out of bed. “It looked absolutely disgusting Hyung. Never try to cook again.”

Leo gasped in offence as Myungjun brushed past him. “I was up for hours making that AND I burnt myself four times!”

“Stay out of the kitchens then.” Myungjun called back to him as he made his way into the bathroom. “You have chefs for a reason.”

“Well forgive me for wanting to do something nice.” Leo muttered sarcastically. Myungjun heard him sigh as he scrubbed furiously at his teeth with his toothbrush. “I can’t believe this day has finally come.”

Myungjun spat his toothpaste into the sink and rinsed his brush before carrying it back into his room to add to his bags that were packed by the door. There were a lot of them, a lot more than he’d brought to the castle to begin with and he knew the majority of them contained his new clothes.

“I can’t believe it either.” Myungjun admitted feeling giddy with excitement. He turned to see that Leo was watching him with a soft smile. “I’m going home Hyung. I’m really going home.”

“You won’t be going anywhere looking like that.” Leo said, gesturing to his ruffled appearance. “The maid left you out an outfit on your chair over there and she left some of your makeup on the dresser for you to wear. She asked if you would want her to do it, but I said I would do it instead. Oh, and I asked her to send for someone who should be arriving any second now.”

As if on cue, there was a knock at the door and Leo opened it to reveal Grey who was beaming widely. “Happy birthday little prince. I’ve come to help make you pretty for your boyfriend.”

Myungjun giggled and rushed over to drag him into the room. “Let’s hurry. Jinwoo doesn’t know I’m leaving today. I sent a note to my father who said he’d distracted Jinwoo at the guild for me. I’m _dying_ to see him.”

Grey and Leo both turned away quickly when Myungjun started to undress. He looked at the outfit the maid had picked and whined happily. A ruffled white and gold blouse, his favourite tailored trousers which hugged him in all of the right places and a pair of knee-high boots that laced all the way up with golden laces. He got dressed quickly and looked at the jewels she had paired them with. Six gold rings and the necklace Leo had gifted him on his eighteenth birthday last year. It was a delicate golden chain which held a beautiful flower pendant engraved with his name.

He slid all of the rings onto his fingers, giggling at how different they looked to Jinwoos black band that had been permanently glued to his finger, and he told the others they could turn around again.

Leo made a noise of approval before helping him put his necklace on and leading him to the dressing table. “What colour are you having your hair?”

“My natural colour.”

Myungjun had already decided this. He’d first met Jinwoo with his naturally brown hair and it felt fitting after spending so much time apart for them to meet again that way.

“How would you like it styled?” Grey asked, coming up behind him with a comb.

“Tied up at the back of my head I think.” Myungjun said as he transformed his hair. “I’d like some of it to come out at the front to frame my face. Leo could you do my makeup whilst he does that? I’ll do my nails.”

“You really are in a rush aren’t you?” Leo mused as he watched Myungjun snatch up his yellow sparkly nail polish. “I’ll do your makeup, but you need to sit still. I’m just glad we’ve had enough sleepovers for me to know how to actually do it now. Do you remember the first one we had? I put so much blusher on Grey he looked like an apple.”

Grey snorted in amusement as he combed Myungjuns hair. “You nearly ripped my lips off putting that lip gloss on me.”

“You called him an idiot.” Myungjun said absentmindedly as he painted his nails.

“Junebug I said we needed to forget about that.” Myungjun looked up into the mirror to see Greys scowl behind him and grinned.

“Little brother I said to sit still, or I really will rip your lip off with this lip gloss.”

*

“Are you _sure_ I look okay?” Myungjun asked for the twelfth time as he stood outside of the royal carriage that would be taking him to the guild.

“You look beautiful Junebug.” Grey reassured him as he loaded the last of his bags. He came back around to face Myungjun and pulled him in for a hug. “You’ll come back and visit me, won’t you?”

Myungjun looked up at him and smiled. “Of course. I’m sure Leo will want to visit the guild anyway and you _are_ part of his guard now so we’ll see each other again.”

Grey let him go and stepped away. Myungjun was immediately pulled in for another hug. “Little brother I’ll come and see you tomorrow.”

Myungjun laughed and pushed him away. “It doesn’t have to be that soon!”

Leo pouted down at him. “Are you saying you need a break from me?”

Myungjun rolled his eyes and climbed into the carriage beside the two guards who were escorting him to the guild per Leos request. He hadn’t wanted guards, but Leo told him he wouldn’t let him leave otherwise and Myungjun could see the seriousness behind that threat. He’d been fully convinced however, when Leo told him they’d help carry his mountain of bags inside too. He didn’t want to carry them all himself.

Myungjun shut the carriage door but opened the window to wave at them both. “Be good and look after each other!”

“Yes mother!” Grey called out cheekily as the carriage pulled away. Myungjun giggled as he watched Leo grab Grey in a headlock.

“See you soon little brother!” Leo called out before dragging Grey inside and no doubt scolding him for his cheekiness.

Myungjun sat back in his seat with a content sigh as they left the castle grounds.

*

When the carriage pulled up outside of Dragon Blades, Myungjun had to take a minute to calm his nerves. He was about to see Jinwoo again after two years of separation. A part of him couldn’t believe it had been that long. But the other part had felt every single torturous second. It was an ache in his very bones that had been impossible to cure.

He got out of the carriage and thanked the guards who were already gathering his bags. He could see people walking past looking at his royal appearance curiously, but he couldn’t think of much else other than the fact his boyfriend was just inside.

Looking up at Dragon Blades again was enough to make him choke up. It had been his second home. Everyone inside had been his second family. The building looked the same, it was just as big and intimidating as it had been the first time he’d seen it. The big black stone blocks it was built from still swallowed all the light around it and Myungjun could hear the hum of magical energy as he got closer. The Dragon Blades crimson banners, that hung from the top floor all the way down to the bottom, were flapping in the breeze. The large wooden sign that hung above the door boldly stated the name in gold lettering and he smiled up at it for a second before approaching the stairs.

He could already hear the din of laughter and chatter from inside the tavern and he suddenly felt the nerves kick in.

_Maybe I should go home first. Maybe I should send Jinwoo a note and let him know I’m on my way._

He hovered at the bottom of the stone steps feeling conflicted before growling in annoyance at his behaviour and ascending them quickly. He was a man now, not a weak boy and he’d waited long enough for this moment.

With one final breath he reached the top and stepped through the doors. He looked around and his eyes fell on Jinwoo immediately.

His heart stopped in his chest at the sight. That was definitely Jinwoo behind the bar serving drinks and laughing. But it also wasn’t him at the same time. Jinwoo wasn’t the boy Myungjun had left behind either.

All of the youth had disappeared from Jinwoos face. His features were sharper, stronger, more prominent and his loud laughter had a deeper undertone that made Myungjun weak at the knees. He’d dyed his hair back to black and it was longer now. Even from a distance Myungjun could recognise the necklace he was wearing. The green and black gemstone Myungjun had given him for their first ever Christmas. It looked nice against his throat. Myungjun looked down to see what he was wearing. His legs were covered by the bar, but his chest was visible. A little _too_ visible. He was wearing what Myungjun assumed was a tank top Jinwoo had cut all the way down the middle to be left wide open displaying his whole chest and stomach. Jinwoos guild mark stood out proudly above his heart and Myungjun couldn’t tear his eyes away from how _muscular_ he was now. He thought Jinwoo was strong before but this…he whined quietly to himself at the sight. He wanted nothing more than to just run over there and trail his hands down his chiselled figure.

Jinwoo was a man now too. A solid, handsome, _sexy_ man and Myungjun felt the time they’d been apart smack him like a stone wall. He’d missed out on so much. Jinwoo had grown up without him and that realisation made him choke up a second time.

Jinwoo finished serving the last drink before looking around the tavern with a small smile on his face. Myungjun froze when his eyes swept over him. Jinwoo carried on looking around before freezing too. His eyes snapped back over to the doors and Myungjun saw the exact moment he recognized him. He was too far away to hear what Jinwoo said but he saw his lips spell out his name.

_Myungjun?_

That was all it took. Myungjun burst into happy tears as his petals fluttered down around him. He watched Jinwoo leap over the bar, startling the other guild members who were enjoying their drinks.

“DON’T JUMP MY BAR YOU IDIOT WALK AROUND!” Hani screeched behind him.

Myungjun knew Jinwoo hadn’t heard her. Jinwoo was too busy running towards him, pushing people aside and closing the distance in a matter of seconds. Jinwoo slammed into him, a massive wall of muscle that knocked the air out of Myungjuns lungs and he felt his feet leave the ground as Jinwoo picked him up with the arms around his waist.

Myungjun wrapped his own arms and legs around him and cried harder as he buried his face in Jinwoos neck. He’d waited so long for this, _so long_ to be back in Jinwoos arms again. His warm, strong arms that promised safety and felt like home.

Myungjun breathed in and nearly choked as he was hit with the heady scent of Jinwoos skin. It was overwhelmingly good. Campfires and spice. His favourite scent. Jinwoo just squeezed him harder. They hadn’t even spoken yet and Myungjun knew everything was going to be okay.

“Is it really you?” Jinwoo finally asked. His voice was definitely deeper than before and it made Myungjun shiver from head to toe.

He pulled his head back to give Jinwoo a watery smile. “It’s me JinJin. I’m home.”

From this close he could see how much Jinwoo had changed. His cheekbones were sharper, he had a new scar on the bridge of his nose and Myungjun could see the dusting of unshaven stubble on his chin.

_Jinwoo shaved now?_

Myungjun wanted to cry again. They’d been apart for too long. Much too long.

“I can’t believe it’s really you.” Jinwoo said quietly, eyes scanning his face. He reached up with one hand to wipe at Myungjuns tears. “You look so different, so beautiful. I didn’t think it was possible for you to get any prettier, but you have.”

Myungjun flushed at the compliment and sniffled a little. “You’re different too. You’re a man now. You shave?”

“You don’t?” Jinwoo grinned at Myungjuns resultant huff. It took Myungjuns breath away all over again. Jinwoos smile was very much the same as before. His eyes still crinkled at the corners and he saw the laughter shining bright inside of them. Jinwoo looked him over again before stopping at one of his ears. “You pierced your ears?”

Myungjun sighed. “A drunken endeavour.”

“I think they look great sunshine.” Jinwoo said quietly, tearing his eyes away from the small golden hoops to look into Myungjuns eyes instead. Myungjuns heart skipped a beat at the nickname.

He saw Jinwoos gaze flicker down to his lips and gulped. Jinwoo was going to kiss him. He _needed_ Jinwoo to kiss him. He needed it desperately.

“Mr Kim?”

Jinwoo pulled back startled before their lips could touch and Myungjun groaned internally before unwrapping his legs from around Jinwoos waist. Jinwoo put him down and Myungjun turned to the guards who were placing his bags by the door.

“These are all of them Mr Kim. Would you like for us to put them somewhere else?”

“There are some rooms upstairs on the fifth floor. One of them will be empty I’m sure, so you can move them up there for now.”

The guards bowed to him before leaving and Myungjun turned back to look at Jinwoo. Except he wasn’t looking at his face, he was looking at his exposed chest. Myungjun looked up at Jinwoo to see him staring at him with wide eyes.

“You have guards?” Jinwoo asked stunned. “Wow you really did come back a prince.”

Myungjun couldn’t even answer. He was too busy looking up at Jinwoo. _Up_ at Jinwoo. “JinJin?”

“Yes sunshine?”

“Why are you so tall?”

Jinwoo looked confused for a second before realisation dawned on him and he grimaced. “You really don’t want to know. It’s not a pleasant story.”

“I do want to know. Tell me.”

Jinwoo sighed. “Fine. In short, I was on a job and got crushed. It broke a lot of my bones and when I woke up with them all fixed, I was suddenly a lot higher off the ground then I was used too.”

Myungjun was horrified. “You were _crushed_? You broke _bones_? When? Why didn’t you tell me? Bloody hell I leave you for two years and this is what happens? You should have been more careful! You’re huge now! I’m a midget!”

Jinwoo listened to his angry squawks trying to hold back a smile but when Myungjun finished he burst out laughing. “You are a midget now aren’t you? Very cute.”

Myungjun whined unhappily. This isn’t how he wanted things to be. He and Jinwoo were supposed to be the same height. They’d _always_ been the same height. Now he was the shortest amongst their friends and he knew he’d never hear the end of it.

“Hyung?” Myungjun turned startled at the voice to see Dongmin frozen in the door looking at him. Even _he_ was taller now which made Myungjun pout. He was more handsome too with the youth fading from his face. “Bloody hell, GUYS MYUNGJUN-HYUNG IS BACK.”

He heard a thundering of steps as Hoseok and Moonbin ran into the guild and squealed as he was engulfed in a pair of wet arms.

“JUNNIE YOU’RE HERE.” Myungjun winched as Hoseok screeched in his ear but laughed all the same. He’d missed his loud mouth.

“Ew Seokkie why are you so wet?”

“We’ve just been on a job together.” Moonbin explained happily. Myungjun almost didn’t recognise his voice it had changed so much. When Hoseok let go of him he hugged the others quickly before sighing as he looked down at his damp clothes.

“I’ll have to go and change.”

“You’re hardly wet at all, don’t be so fussy.” Hoseok scolded him lightly. “I think Donghan was right.”

Myungjun looked up at him confused. “Right about what?”

“He told us he went to see you on the day of the Kings speech.” Dongmin answered. “He said you looked like a pampered prince.”

Myungjun gasped in offence and scowled up at Hoseok who was grinning. “I am NOT a pampered prince!”

And because life hated him, his guards chose that exact moment to come back down to receive their dismissal. “Mr Kim your bags are upstairs. Will you be needing anything else?”

“No that will be all thank you.” Myungjun muttered, hearing his friends snigger beside him. The guards bowed before disappearing and Myungjun watched them climb back into the carriage before he turned back to look at them all. “I am NOT a pampered prince.”

“Sure you’re not Hyung.” Moonbin said sarcastically, dodging Myungjuns fist with a cackle. He was still just as mischievous as ever it seemed.

Myungjun looked back up at Jinwoo who was smiling softly at him. Butterflies erupted in his stomach as he looked at his handsome face again and he knew it would take a long, long time for him to get used to the sight.

“Let’s go and have a drink to celebrate your return AND your birthday.” Dongmin said happily. “The others will most likely be back soon.”

*

The drinks flowed well into the night as the rest of Myungjuns friends trickled in. They all looked older, more mature and it made Myungjuns heart hurt every time he looked at them. He’d missed out on so much.

The biggest shock was Sanha. Myungjun had completely forgotten that he would be a trainee at the guild now, so he was startled to hear his bright laughter from the tavern doors. He looked over from his old seat at their table to see the younger boy carrying Rocky Jr on his shoulders. Rocky was laughing at something Sanha had said but when his eyes met Myungjuns he froze.

Sanha turned back to look at him confused before following his gaze and seeing Myungjun himself. His eyes widened and Myungjun stood up with a trembling lip. Sanha looked older. _Sanha_. It wasn’t right. He was supposed to be their baby, but he’d grown at least another foot and looked so strong now.

Rocky Jr waved frantically from atop Sanhas shoulders with both hands and Myungjun choked out a laugh and waved back.

Then Sanha was giving Rocky Jr back to Rocky and racing across the tavern towards him. Myungjun opened up his arms feeling overwhelmed with love for his little brother and Sanha picked him straight up off the floor with a shriek and hugged him so tight Myungjun feared his bones might break.

“Hyung you’re back! I can’t _believe_ it.” He put Myungjun down and Myungjun reached up to wipe at Sanhas face.

“Hey Sanha. You’re all grown up now.”

Sanha beamed proudly through his tears. “I’ll be a fully-fledged member later this month and I’ll finally be able to drink with you all.”

Myungjun felt that like a punch in the gut. Their baby was nearly old enough to drink. He was nearly _sixteen_. He tried not to think about the ages of the others.

Myungjun was greeted next by Rocky and Rocky Jr who were just as ecstatic at his return. Myungjun held out his arms so he could hold Rocky Jr, who conveniently decided to make himself heavy again right at that exact moment. Myungjun stumbled under his weight and cursed loudly as the little rock chuckled in his gravelly voice.

“You cheeky boy!” Myungjun scowled at him, trying to hold back a smile. He’d missed his little laugh. After a quick scolding from Sanha, Rocky Jr made himself light again and Myungjun picked him up to look at him properly.

“He grew his first tooth.” Rocky said proudly.

Myungjun asked Rocky Jr to open wide and looked, perplexed, at the shiny white gemstone in his mouth. “He grows teeth?”

Sanha bent down to whisper in Myungjuns ear. “I asked Rocky Jr to grow it. Rocky was sad one day, so I wanted to cheer him up by saying his son was still growing. Don’t tell him though.”

Myungjun held back the laugh he wanted to let out and cooed at Rocky Jr instead, tickling his stony belly. “You’re so cute buddy. I can’t believe you grew your first tooth without me there to see it!”

Rocky Jr garbled happily in his arms for a few seconds before trying to wriggle free, staring pointedly at Sanha. Myungjun got the hint and handed him over to the younger boy before sitting back down in his seat beside Jinwoo.

He hadn’t looked at Jinwoo much. He was too scared. Jinwoo was so different and he didn’t know how to deal with that. So, he didn’t. He just sipped at his fruity drink as he watched the friends he loved laugh and joke around the table as they steadily became more and more drunk.

Myungjun wasn’t drinking himself and he’d realised Jinwoo wasn’t either. He didn’t feel like drinking. He wanted to remember this night, every single moment. He’d missed them all so dearly and he was finally back with them again. The feeling was indescribable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Takes a deep breath* MYUNGJINNNNNNNN
> 
> Me: How can I make Jinwoo seem so much more different to really highlight the passing of time?  
> Also me: Make him taller. Do it. It makes no sense at all but do it. No-one is expecting it.  
> ~  
> Me: How can I make Rocky Jr seem so much more different to really highlight the passing of time?  
> Also me: Give him his first tooth. Just do it. It makes no sense at all but do it. No-one is expecting it.
> 
> I love being able to write such random stuff xd


	172. Myungjin Reunion-Part 2.

Myungjun excused himself from the table at around midnight, telling his drunk friends that he was tired and wanted to rest, not that they heard him anyway. Dongmin was too busy sitting in his boyfriends lap sucking his face off, Rocky and Sanha had disappeared hours ago, Hyungwon was fast asleep with his hand in his drink, Hoseok was singing at the tops of his lungs as he swayed in his chair and Youngjae was laughing and trying to throw food into Hoseoks mouth.

Myungjun got to the bottom of the stairs before he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see it was Jinwoo looking down at him nervously.

“Are you okay JinJin?”

“Yeah I just…are you really going to sleep?”

Myungjun nodded, his yawn conveniently timed. “I’m tired. I’ve had too much excitement.”

“Can we sleep together?” Jinwoo blurted out before coughing awkwardly. “I meant sleep in the same bed.”

Myungjuns heart picked up speed at the thought of sleeping next to Jinwoo again and he nodded shyly, holding out his hand. Jinwoo looked relieved and took it with a smile before they ascended the stairs.

When they got to the fifth floor, Myungjun went to find the room with his bags but Jinwoo stopped him.

“There’s something I need to tell you.”

Myungjun hated it when people said that, it always made him anxious. But with Jinwoo it made him EXTRA anxious. “What is it JinJin?”

Jinwoo hesitated for a few seconds. “Uhhh…I’d rather show you.”

He led Myungjun down to one of the rooms at the very end of the hallway. He opened the door and Myungjun was temporarily confused at what he was seeing. All of Jinwoos stuff was in this room. His green fluffy blanket full of Myungjuns petals was laid out on the bed, the walls were covered in all of the drawings Myungjun had done and he even had the portrait of them together from their trip to Voredan that had been hanging up in Myungjuns room at home. He looked further around the room to see all of Jinwoos aftershaves and books lining the shelves and he knew, without having to check, that the bathroom attached to this room would be full of Jinwoos stuff too.

“You moved out?” Myungjun asked looking up at him with a frown. “Why?”

Jinwoo led him over to the bed and sat down on the edge. Myungjun sat next to him and waited for him to collect his thoughts.

“I moved out a couple of months after you left. I couldn’t stay there anymore. Not because of your mother or Sanha or anything, I still visited on weekends when I could. I just couldn’t stay there because everything reminded me of you. I slept in your bed for the first month and then it stopped smelling like you and…I just couldn’t do it.” Jinwoo choked up and quickly looked away. He breathed out shakily. “This doesn’t feel real. It doesn’t feel like you’re really here. I’ve been watching you all night and I still can’t believe it’s you.” He turned back around to look at Myungjun with watery eyes. “I missed you so much. It was so bad I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I still feel that way. I can’t breathe and I don’t know how to fix it.”

Myungjuns heart ached. Jinwoo looked so so sad. He knew how he felt. It was how he felt too. “I’m sorry for leaving you for so long JinJin. I worked so hard to come back quickly but it feels like I’ve been gone for too long. You’re so different now. So tall, so handsome, so mature. I’ve missed out on too much.”

Jinwoo smiled down at him and reached out to cup his face gently. His hands were rough but Myungjun didn’t care, he leaned into the touch and whined quietly.

“I’ve missed out on a lot as well.” Jinwoo sniffled. “Look at you. You say I’m handsome but I’m positively revolting compared to you.” Myungjun giggled and he watched as Jinwoo melted at the sound. “Bloody hell I’ve missed hearing that. It’s my favourite sound in existence. Everything was so quiet without you.”

“Even with Seokkie here?” Myungjun teased lightly.

Jinwoo nodded. “Even when everyone was being loud is was quiet. So quiet. I just…I know I’ve said this already, but I missed you.” Jinwoo cursed as he burst into tears. “I’m sorry. This is so embarrassing.” He let go of Myungjuns face to scrub at his own.

Myungjuns heart swelled with love for him. He didn’t think it was embarrassing at all. He was just relieved to see that Jinwoo was still able to let his feelings out in front of him. Myungjun moved over on the edge of the bed until their thighs touched. He cuddled up into Jinwoos side, stroking his hand and shushing him softly until he calmed down.

“Sunshine?” Jinwoo croaked out a few minutes later.

Myungjun looked up and his heart skipped a beat at how close his face was. “Yes JinJin?”

“I love you.” Jinwoo whispered before leaning down and placing a gentle kiss on his forehead.

Myungjuns skin burned at the contact and he flushed from head to toe. “I love you too JinJin.”

Jinwoos smile was radiant and he stood up and offered Myungjun his hand. “Let’s go and get washed up so we can cuddle. I’m brushing your teeth and you’re not allowed to say no.”

Myungjun giggled and let himself be pulled to his feet. “I wasn’t going to. I had to brush my teeth all by myself for two years it was torture.”

“What you didn’t have someone do that for you as well?” Jinwoo teased as he led him into the bathroom and turned on the light.

“I am NOT a pampered prince.” Myungjun huffed again making Jinwoo laugh. “I brushed my teeth myself and washed my hair myself. I only had a maid who brushed and styled my hair and picked out my clothes and painted my nails and brought me up food and…I am NOT a pampered prince Park Jinwoo.”

Jinwoo was grinning as he pulled down two toothbrushes. “You are SO pampered. Very spoilt. And I’m glad. I’m glad they looked after you so well. I spoilt you all the time and I was worried they wouldn’t do the same but apparently, I had nothing to worry about. Now open wide sunshine.” Myungjun opened his mouth with an ‘ahhh’ and Jinwoo leaned down to peer into it. “Wow very clean. The royal toothpaste works wonders.”

Myungjun spluttered out a laugh and pushed him away. “Stop it. There’s no such thing as royal toothpaste you idiot. You either get brushing or I’ll do it myself.”

“Wow I’d forgotten how bossy you are.” Jinwoo teased again. “I’ll brush them now your majesty.”

Myungjun rolled his eyes as Jinwoo saluted but let him do it, giggling every now and then when it tickled. Jinwoo was grinning the whole time, staring so intently at his face that it made Myungjun blush.

“You look even prettier when you blush.”

Myungjun blushed harder and quickly spat his toothpaste out before rushing from the bathroom hearing Jinwoo chuckle behind him. He sat on the bed and worked on unlacing his knee-high boots.

By the time he had gotten them off Jinwoo had finished brushing his own teeth and was walking back into the room radiating heat. Myungjun whimpered quietly at the feel of it. He’d missed being warm. It was a warmth that went bone deep and made it a little easier to breathe.

“Do you want to wear one of my tops to sleep in?” Jinwoo asked, walking towards his dresser. “I had to upgrade so they’re bigger.”

Myungjun quivered happily at the thought. “Yes please.”

Jinwoo pulled out a few. “What colour?”

“Hmmm green.” Myungjun decided, making grabby hands for it.

“Nu-uh. Come here sunshine. Let me do it. I always get you in your pyjamas.”

Myungjun blushed again at the thought of Jinwoo seeing him shirtless. It wasn’t something he hadn’t already seen a thousand times before, but they hadn’t even _kissed_ yet since his return.

Jinwoo saw his hesitation and sighed. “You don’t have to be shy. Look at me, I’m practically shirtless as it is.”

Myungjun didn’t want to look. He’d been avoiding looking at Jinwoos exposed torso all night. He’d gotten a glimpse of it when he’d first laid eyes on Jinwoo again and the sight had made his mouth water. If he looked now, he wouldn’t be able to contain himself.

“If you don’t get that extra cute butt of yours over here in the next five seconds, I’ll pin you down on that bed and tickle you to near death. Do you want that?” Jinwoo asked with a quirk of his eyebrow. He grinned as Myungjun rushed over to him. “Good choice.” He reached out and stroked the silky material of Myungjuns blouse. “It’s pretty. You look good in these clothes. You’re wearing makeup too. I haven’t seen you wear it in a long time.”

Myungjun smiled shyly. “I had a heart-to-heart with Grey one night and told him how I felt about my appearance. I want to look this way JinJin. I don’t want to wear boring clothes or keep my hair short. I want to wear pretty things and tie up my hair and paint my nails. I can still be my father’s son and look this way.” Jinwoo was smiling at him and it made Myungjun brave. “Do you think I look pretty like this?”

“The prettiest.” Jinwoo answered without hesitation. “You shine brighter like this. This is the real you and I love you even more for it.”

Myungjuns heart soared as Jinwoo undressed him. Grey was right. As long as Jinwoo accepted him and loved him then that was all that mattered. Jinwoo deposited the bundle of silk gently atop his dresser before turning back to look at Myungjun properly. Myungjun felt naked under his gaze despite still being in his trousers.

Jinwoos eyes roamed his body, unconsciously licking his lips before looking up at Myungjuns face with darkened eyes. The sight made Myungjun shiver. He’d forgotten what it was like to be looked upon with such hunger and desire.

“You didn’t stop working out at the castle I see.” Jinwoos voice was husky and even deeper than before. Myungjun felt weak at the knees and couldn’t bring himself to respond. He couldn’t look away from Jinwoos eyes either, they were mesmerizing. “Can I touch you?”

Myungjun swallowed thickly before nodding. Jinwoo reached out and settled his warm hand on Myungjuns bare shoulder. He left it there for a few seconds before moving it slowly down Myungjuns arm. He trailed heat wherever he touched and Myungjun whimpered quietly. A sound Jinwoo didn’t miss.

Jinwoo growled low in his throat in response before stepping forwards and closing the distance between them. Myungjun looked up at him and Jinwoo ducked his head down until their lips were millimetres apart. Myungjun could feel the warmth of his exhale spreading over his lips and felt his knees buckle. Jinwoo held him up.

“I want to kiss you. But if I kiss you now, I won’t be able to stop.” Jinwoos voice was strained. “Your clothes are going to come off. All of them.”

Myungjuns breath caught in his throat. All of them? “What…what do you mean?”

“You know what I mean. I won’t be able to stop myself Myungjun. I need to touch you and I need to touch you properly. If you don’t want that then back away. Get away from me.”

Myungjuns heart was thumping wildly in his chest. Jinwoo wanted to touch him without any clothes on. Just like he’d hinted at before the crucible all those years ago.

Myungjun backed away, watching as Jinwoo breathed out shakily, almost in relief. He straightened back up and held his green top out for Myungjun to take.

“Cover yourself up sunshine. I’ll go and get changed in the bathroom and then we can cuddle and go to sleep okay?”

Myungjun nodded and watched him disappear into the other room. He felt a little bit of regret, but he knew it was the right decision. He needed to cuddle with Jinwoo first, and he didn’t want to get naked in front of him for the first time in the guild of all places. His father had told him before not to rush things for the sake of obtaining them.

They could wait. They had plenty of time. He was never leaving Jinwoo again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jinwoo said he moved out because everything reminded him of Myungjun, then he proceeded to take all of Myungjuns drawings, their portrait and the blanket Myungjun made for him...Jinwoo is so soft and whipped for him fml
> 
> GOOD NEWS!!  
> I'm writing chapter 200 ;-; omggggg I can't believe I've reached another milestone. My word document is also at 1100 pages and around 540,000 words?!  
> Like chapter 100, 200 is going to be special :') A BIG change to Myungjins lives and I can't stop screaming at how grown up they are at that point.


	173. Rings With A Purpose.

Myungjun had been awake for the last five minutes watching Jinwoo sleep beside him. He’d woken up surrounded by warmth and the scent of Jinwoos skin and allowed himself to get emotional for a minute.

He was finally back. Back in the guild, back with his friends, back beside his handsome boyfriend. They’d spent the night cuddling and not saying much. They didn’t need to say much. The only thing they had needed was each other and Myungjun couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so happy doing nothing. He could do nothing with Jinwoo for the rest of his life and still feel content.

Jinwoo huffed out a small breath of air in his sleep and rolled over to face Myungjun with a light snore. His cheek was squished against the pillow and his hair resembled a nest for birds but Myungjun still thought he was the most handsome man to ever exist.

He reached out shakily to trace the sharp lines of Jinwoos features. His eyebrows, his cheekbones, the slope of his nose. He avoided his lips all together in favour of running his fingertips along the rough stubble on his jaw. He really was a man now.

Jinwoo stirred under his touch and opened his eyes sleepily. They were unfocused as he spoke. “Am I dreaming?”

The one thing Myungjun had loved the most about the mornings, was how deep and scratchy Jinwoos voice became. It had always made him weak. But this…the sound made him shiver from head to toe and reverberated deep within his soul. He’d never heard something so attractive before and he’d almost forgotten that Jinwoo had asked him a question as he stared at his lips.

Myungjun tore his eyes away and looked up at him properly instead. “You’re not dreaming JinJin. I’m here.”

Jinwoos eyes finally focused on him, and after a few seconds of scanning Myungjuns face, they disappeared into crescents, crinkling up at the corners as he smiled. “You’re here. You’re actually here.”

Myungjun giggled as Jinwoo rolled over on top of him. “Good morning JinJin.”

Jinwoo looked down at him and sighed happily. “I haven’t been woken up by the sun in a long time. You’re shining especially bright today.” Jinwoo buried his face in Myungjuns neck and breathed in deeply. He let out a happy whine and nosed at the sensitive skin there. “You smell so good. I missed it. The earth when it rains and flowers freshly bloomed.” Myungjun gasped as he suddenly remembered something of the utmost importance. Jinwoo pulled back looking surprised. “Are you okay?”

“My greenhouse!” Myungjun exclaimed, trying to push Jinwoo off. Jinwoo didn’t budge so Myungjun quickly gave up and looked up at him. “Did you remember to water my plants?”

Jinwoo nodded proudly. “I watered them every single day. I even bought a book on medicinal plants and looked up how to care for them and when to harvest them. The wooden cupboards at the back of the greenhouse are full of herbs now.”

Myungjun was stunned. “You looked after them by yourself? You didn’t ask Youngjae for help? You bought a book on plants just so you could care for them properly?” Myungjun whined feeling overwhelmed with love for him and wrapped his arms tightly around Jinwoos neck. “Thank you JinJin. You’re the best boyfriend ever.”

Jinwoo chuckled and hugged him back. “You’re welcome sunshine. I do have a confession though.” Myungjun groaned internally. He already knew where this was going. “I accidently burnt one.” Jinwoo pulled back to look down at him with a pout. “I said sorry to it though and I tried to put more water on it to make if feel better.”

Myungjun decided in that very moment that Jinwoo was the cutest being to ever walk this land. He poked at the pout on Jinwoos lips and forced a sigh. “I suppose I can forgive you just this once.”

Jinwoo beamed down at him and nipped playfully at his finger. “We can go down and see the greenhouse soon. But first there are other, more important, matters to attend to.”

Myungjuns breath caught in his throat as Jinwoo leaned down to kiss him. He let his eyes flutter shut as Jinwoo got closer, but he needn’t have bothered. Their lips didn’t touch.

“MYUNGJUN-HYUNG WAKE UP.” A very Sanha like voice interrupted them, accompanied by his hammering on the closed door. “WAKE UP HYUNGS.”

Jinwoo growled in pure frustration and lept off the bed. He stormed across the room and ripped open the door. “What the fuck are you doing? It’s too early for this!”

Sanha didn’t look at all fazed by his bad attitude, he just pushed past him to look at Myungjun. “The King is downstairs. _The King_.”

Myungjun shot up out of bed. “Hyungs here?”

“Hyung?” Both of them asked at the same time wearing similar expressions of confusion.

Myungjun ignored them and rushed to pull on his trousers from yesterday. He didn’t bother changing out of Jinwoos top and just ran to brush his teeth and flattened his hair down into something more acceptable.

When he came back into the room Jinwoo was getting dressed too and Sanha was hovering nervously by the door.

“Are you both coming to greet him with me?” Myungjun asked, sniffing at his top to make sure it didn’t smell too bad.

“I’ve never met the King before.” Sanha squeaked fearfully.

“You’ll love him.” Myungjun grinned, pulling his knee-high boots back on and forgoing the laces. “Let’s go.”

He raced down the flights of stairs until he reached the tavern to see Leo sitting on one of the tables surrounded by his increased guard. Everyone who was awake at this time was sitting as far away from him as possible, but he didn’t seem to mind as he looked around the tavern with curiosity in his eyes.

Rocky was hovering at the bottom of the stairs carrying Rocky Jr on his hip and he sighed in relief when he saw them coming down. “Good morning Hyungs.”

Myungjun greeted him and patted Rocky Jrs stony head fondly before sweeping across the tavern. “Your majesty.”

Upon noticing his presence, Leo smiled and gestured to the seats on the table. “Mr Kim its lovely to see you again. Please, sit with me.”

Myungjun sat down and Jinwoo slipped into the seat beside him. Sanha and Rocky looked more nervous to do so and bickered quietly on who was sitting closest to the King, neither of them wanted too apparently but Rocky eventually gave in and let Sanha sit further away.

Leo was too busy staring at Rocky Jr to notice their argument. “Is that a companion?”

Rocky cleared his throat nervously as Rocky Jr garbled loudly on his lap. “Yes. He’s my son.”

Leo made a noise of understanding and smiled. “You must be Rocky. Mr Kim told me all about you and Rocky Jr. He was right. He _is_ very cute.” Myungjun giggled at the blush on Rockys face. Leo turned his attention to Sanha next and quirked an eyebrow. “And who might you be?”

“That’s my little brother.” Myungjun said happily as Sanha spluttered out an incoherent answer.

“Sanha?” Leo asked surprised. “You look a lot different to what I was expecting.”

“He’s grown up a lot.” Myungjun pouted.

Leo turned last to Jinwoo who was more relaxed in his presence. “It’s good to see you again Jinwoo. You have also grown up a lot.”

Jinwoo said his greetings before leaning forwards to rest his elbows on the table looking serious. “I need to thank you your majesty, for looking after Myungjun. He clearly flourished in the castle and I’m sure you had something to do with it. Grey too. Is he here?”

Myungjun looked up at the guards surrounding Leo. They were all wearing heavy armour so he couldn’t tell.

Leo nodded. “Grey you may take off your helm.” The guard standing right behind Leos chair moved and pulled his helm off to reveal a head of shaggy silver hair. “You may also speak.”

“Mr Kim. Mr Park. It’s nice to see you both again.” Grey said holding back a smile.

Myungjun wanted to giggle. It was so weird hearing Grey speak so formally.

“Thank you for looking after Myungjun.” Jinwoo replied, throwing his arm over the back of Myungjuns chair. “He told me about the conversation you had regarding his appearance. I’m glad you talked some sense into him.”

Grey laughed. “It was my pleasure. Just make sure he never tries to supress who he is again.”

Leo cleared his throat interrupting their conversation and Grey put his helm back on returning to his position. “I don’t mean to cut you short, but I don’t have a lot of time. I’m here to relay some news and I also need to speak to you in private afterwards Mr Kim. But first, I’d like for you to follow me outside. Everyone may come.”

Everyone got up and followed Leo outside of the tavern and down the steps. When they were out on the street, Leo pointed to the building next to Dragon Blades. Myungjun knew it was a guild hall that had long since been abandoned. He always avoided looking at it on his way into Dragon Blades because the boarded-up windows and doors were scary.

“I’m delighted to announce that construction will begin today on this awful building.” Leo declared, wrinkling his nose as he looked it over. “It will be torn down and replaced with a stable. Mr Kim, your Princess will be making her new home here.”

Myungjun gasped and looked up at him, completely forgetting to be formal in his excitement. “Really Hyung? She’s really coming here?” He squealed loudly and jumped on the man, hugging him tight as Grey held back the rest of the guard.

Leo laughed loud and bright and hugged him back briefly before clearing his throat. “Mr Kim I must say this is terribly inappropriate.”

Myungjun quickly let go with a giggle and a light blush. “Sorry your majesty. I couldn’t contain myself. I love my Princess.”

“Please tell me Princess is a horse.” Jinwoos voice was strange and when Myungjun looked over at him he could see the stiffness in his shoulders. He got a read on Jinwoos emotions and grinned. Jealousy, a hint of worry and a lot of confusion.

“Princess is indeed a horse.” Leo said happily. “Myungjuns new horse to be exact.”

Myungjun spun around to look at him with wide eyes. “You’re giving her to me? Seriously?”

“Of course I am. I thought I made it clear before our first lesson. I said you could pick a horse didn’t I?”

“I thought you meant pick a horse to learn how to ride with. I didn’t think you’d _actually_ give her to me afterwards!”

“You know how to ride a horse?” Rocky piped up surprised. “Wow Hyung that’s so cool. I wish _I_ knew how to ride a horse. It would be so much better than taking a carriage everywhere.”

“That is exactly what I said. Carriages are much to stuffy.” Leo replied wrinkling his nose again. “Anyway, I’ll be stabling more than just Princess here. Prince will stay with me in my royal stables of course but I have new foals on the way and need the space. A total of three more horses will be moved here and I would not be opposed to any of you riding them, with the proper guidance and training of course. I trust that Mr Kim will be a good enough teacher in this field of learning, but if any of you are ever serious about wanting to learn how to ride a horse and he is not around, my castle grounds are open all year to the public now so you are free to send me a note and arrange some time with me. Horse-riding is one of my passions and if I can spread it to others than I will. Stable hands will be hired to look after the horses here in your absence Mr Kim, but I would still like for you to groom and care for Princess whenever possible as you did in the castle. She will grow to miss you otherwise. Now Mr Kim I wish to speak with you alone. Is there anywhere we can have some privacy?”

“My room.” Jinwoo said, handing Myungjun the key.

Myungjun thanked him and led the King upstairs. The entirety of Leos guard stayed outside the room and Myungjun unlocked the door and let Leo in. Leos eyes scanned the room curiously and he stopped at the picture hanging above Jinwoos bed.

“This is you and Jinwoo when you were younger. You were in love even then. I can see it in the way Jinwoo is looking at you. Whoever drew this really captured those feelings.”

Myungjun hummed happily as he sat down on the bed and patted the space beside him inviting Leo to sit down too. “We had it drawn by a lady in a tent on one of Voredans streets in the shopping district. She didn’t charge much at all for it and all of her work was lovely. I gave her the rest of my coin for it that day and wished I had more coin to buy more of her pieces. I cherish this drawing most of all. It was hanging above my bed at home but Jinwoo clearly wanted it here.”

“He moved out?”

“Yes, these are all of his things.” Myungjun said gesturing around the room. “This blanket we’re sitting on is what I made him for one of our Christmas’s at the academy. Its full of my petals and has his initials sewn at the top. It took ages to make but I’m proud of the result and Jinwoo adores it. He refuses to sleep with anything else. I was surprised to see it in this room. But he explained why he couldn’t stay with my mother anymore and I can understand. Everything there reminded him of me. Much like how I had to stop wearing his clothes and using his shampoo, it was just too much.”

Leo ran his hands across the green fluffy fabric and smiled. “It’s very lovely. I can smell the scent of your petals from it. Even though Jinwoo moved out he still ended up surrounding himself with you. He really does love you. How long have you been together now?”

“Six years.” Myungjun said happily. “The best six years of my life. I’ve spent nearly a third of my entire life with him now, but it feels like I’ve known him forever. I’m glad he’s my first and last boyfriend. He’s taught me a lot about life and love. I adore him.”

Leo sighed. “I’m very jealous of you little brother. You’re going to spend the rest of your life with your childhood sweetheart. Are you going to move in here with him?”

Myungjun shook his head. “It’s much too small we wouldn’t fit all of my stuff in here and this is supposed to be temporary accommodation only. I need to go back home today to see my mother anyway, so I’ll discuss things with her then. Jinwoo may even move back home now that I’m back. I’ll see how much money he left behind from my dragon hunting request and start looking at places in the city. I’m nineteen now. I can’t stay at home forever.”

“And what about your proposal? Are you still going to ask him?”

Myungjun smiled down at the black band around his finger. Jinwoos ring. “Yes. When he gives me back my ring I’ll ask him. I know he’ll say yes. And it has to be with these rings. These are the only rings special enough. He asked me to marry him once with them so I’m going to return the favour.”

Leo squealed excitedly making Myungjun giggle. “I can’t believe you’re going to get married. I still remember how small you were when I bumped into you in my gardens all of those years ago. I feel like I’ve watched you grow up. And now you’re taking all of these big steps. It makes me quite emotional.”

Myungjun snorted in amusement as Leo pretended to blow his nose on his handkerchief. “Anyway Hyung, I thought you had something to talk to me about? I’m sure you didn’t come up here just to talk to me about my handsome boyfriend.”

“He _is_ rather handsome now isn’t he?” Leo whispered sending them into a fit of giggles.

“ _Very_ handsome.” Myungjun whispered back, completely forgetting they were supposed to be changing their topic of discussion. “He’s very tall now though. It’s terribly unfair.” Myungjun added with a pout.

“I think your height difference is cute.” Leo mused.

“I don’t!” Myungjun whined. “I’m going to break my neck trying to kiss him now. He nearly kissed me last night and I had to look _up_ at him for it. It’s weird. He’s supposed to be the same height as me.”

“You haven’t kissed yet?” Leo asked surprised.

Myungjun flushed. “No. We’ve not even been around each other for a whole day yet.”

“You’ve had plenty of time.” Leo pointed out, clearly finding amusement in Myungjuns flustered state.

“Yeah well your confinement to the castle lifted _ages_ ago so you’ve had enough time to find someone to kiss too.” Myungjun retaliated defensively.

Now it was Leos turn to be flustered. “That’s…that’s different! He’s your boyfriend, soon to be fiancé that you haven’t seen in two years. Whereas I’m the _King_.”

“I don’t care.” Myungjun muttered childishly. “It’s not my fault our kisses keep getting interrupted.”

Leo grinned and patted him sympathetically on the shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll get your kiss soon little brother.” He cleared his throat and composed himself. “In all seriousness, I have a gift for you. Think of it as my gift for your engagement.”

Myungjun raised his eyebrows in surprise as Leo revealed a small velvet box. He took it and opened it up to see a ring nestled in the silk. It was clearly very old. It was chunky and carved with runes. A big, flat, white crystal was nestled in the centre which glowed lightly when he picked it up.

“Wow its beautiful.” Myungjun gasped as he looked at all of the runes. “What are these for?”

“This ring is enchanted with an ancient spell. It is the ring Gabriel no doubt told you about in your resurrection lessons. It’s a ring that captures souls.”

Myungjun looked up at him with wide eyes. “Hyung I can’t take this. It’s been in your family for centuries. If anything, you should be handing this down to your sons.”

“What sons?” Leos asked with a sigh. “And I have no use for that ring either. I’m non-magical and all of the Kings after me will be non-magical too so what would be the point in us having it? You can give the ring a purpose and use it to help guide lost souls to Eden. That’s a better use than it just sitting on my dresser looking pretty.”

Myungjun swallowed thickly as he looked down at it. “Thank you Hyung. I really don’t deserve this, but I’ll look after it well. Is this all you needed to talk to me about?”

“One more thing. I cannot disclose all of the details, but at some point this year there will be a special event taking place in the city. It will be very exciting, and I hope you’re there to participate in it. However, I really must get back to the castle now little brother. I’ll come back and see you soon…but not too soon because I only just said my goodbyes to you yesterday.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MYUNGJUN WANTS TO PROPOSE TO JINWOO THIS IS NOT A DRILL AHHHHHHH


	174. Return Of An S Rank.

The guild started to come alive after Leo left. More of the members turned up to find requests or socialise down in the tavern and Myungjun went around greeting everyone he hadn’t seen the day before. He was happy to see that no-one was looking at him strangely despite the way his hair was styled a bright pink and the make-up and nail polish he was wearing. At most people just looked curious.

“Myungjun?” Myungjun spun around with a big grin on his face at the sound of his father’s voice. His father looked him over and smiled. “It’s good to see you again son.”

“It’s good to see you too. You look good father. I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Gikwang did an excellent job of healing me. You did too. Let’s go to the bar for a drink, I’d like to hear all about your training.”

Myungjun followed him to sit on one of the bar stools. He let his father order their drinks whilst he thought about what to say. He couldn’t tell him about his hidden power, it was forbidden.

“Non-alcoholic.” His father said, placing a glass of pink liquid in front of him. “It matches your hair.”

Myungjun laughed and sipped at it to taste a hint of strawberries. “Delicious.”

“So, tell me about your healing apprenticeship. I expected you to be gone for longer but suddenly I’m receiving your note telling me you’re coming back and to distract Jinwoo. Did you complete the apprenticeship?”

Myungjun nodded proudly. “I know all of the healing spells that exist on Aredrinnor. I was told there would be other spells to learn across the seas, but I know enough now not to be too worried about them. Mrs Choi said I was her best student and that she’d never seen anyone perfect so many high-level spells in such a short time.”

His father beamed and ruffled Myungjuns hair. “I’m proud of you Myungjun. You’re probably the most skilled healer in the guild now, in fact, I’m _sure_ you’re the most skilled healer in the guild now. My own son. I knew this day would come, but I didn’t anticipate it coming this soon.”

Myungjuns heart soared at the praise. He was finally a son his father could be proud of. In the letter he’d written to Jinwoo, he had explained how he had felt ashamed and unworthy of returning to the guild. He’d expressed the need to get stronger and more skilled so he could return to Dragon Blades with his head held high and he could now happily say that he’d achieved that.

“I have more good news.” Myungjun said, sipping at his drink again. He kept a close eye on his father’s expression as he spoke his next words. “I was trained by Gabriel of the magic counsel, their light magic user. I’m Aredrinnors fourth resurrector.” He lifted up his hair to show his father the resurrectors mark on the back of his neck. An angel wing.

His father choked on his drink and Myungjun quickly smacked him on the back realising he probably should have revealed that when he _wasn’t_ drinking something. It was a big deal after all.

“A resurrector?” His father spluttered, accepting the napkin from Hani to wipe at the corners of his mouth. He composed himself quickly. “I’ve only ever seen resurrection happen once. It shortens your life does it not?”

“Anywhere between one day and one year.” Myungjun answered. “I was told to use it only when absolutely necessary.”

“I’d prefer it if you didn’t use it at all.” His father admitted quietly, staring down into his drink. “That may be selfish, but I do not believe anyone else’s life is worth shortening your own for.”

Myungjun smiled and hesitantly reached over to take his hand. “I think your life is worth it. Mothers, Sanhas, Jinwoos, my friends too. If any of you were to die, I’d want to bring you back. But I promise I’ll use it wisely. I too want to live as long as possible.”

His father returned his smile with a small sigh. “You’re a good person Myungjun.”

“Let’s not get sappy now.” Myungjun joked, pulling his hand away and willing the heat in his cheeks to disappear. “You’ll be glad to hear that I also kept up with my other anomaly training. I trained with the Kings guards and even took on other classes as well. I also did a herbologists apprenticeship alongside my healing one and worked with teachers who further trained my telepathy and shapeshifting. The King also convinced me to join him during his fine arts lessons and I learnt how to paint, how to play the piano and the joys of ballet. But my favourite class was horse-riding. The King taught me himself.”

His father looked stunned. “That’s a lot of classes.”

“I wanted a lot.” Myungjun shrugged. “I wanted to fill up my days, so I’d have less time to miss you all.”

“Now who’s the one being sappy?” His father asked with an eyebrow raised and a smile tugging at his lips. Myungjun giggled into his cup. “I’m glad you kept up with your anomaly training and I’m sure the twins will be relieved to hear that as well. I’d like to test your skills as soon as possible out on an actual request.”

“Would you take me on the request?”

“That would be up to you. I can take you or Jinwoo can take you.”

“Jinwoo can take me?” Myungjun asked confused. “C Rank jobs aren’t enough to test my skills.”

His father looked at him for a few seconds. “Jinwoo didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“He’s no longer C Rank. He hasn’t been C Rank for a long time.”

Myungjuns eyes widened. “He was promoted? When?”

“Myungjun he wasn’t just promoted once.” His father said holding back a smile. “Jinwoo is A Rank now.”

Myungjun was speechless. Jinwoo. His boyfriend. Was A Rank. Like his father. The guild leader. Why hadn’t Jinwoo told him? How was he promoted so fast? He realised it must have been on one of the higher-level requests that Jinwoo had the accident with his broken bones and grimaced. A Rank requests posed a significant threat to life. Jinwoo had been risking his life with Myungjun completely oblivious inside the castle walls.

“Jinwoo trained extremely hard whilst you were away.” His father continued. “His magic improved immensely in the first year, especially after he was joined by Soonyoung, our newest member. He is the son of the innkeeper whose inn we stayed at during your rite of passage. Soonyoung and Jinwoo work seamlessly together. I’d say their teamwork rivals that of the twins. Not only that, but another one of our S Rank magic users came back whilst you were away. Another fire user, Choi Minho. He’d been gone for five years on a request across the sea and when he came back, he saw Jinwoo and Soonyoung training out in the magic fields and decided to take a break from work to help them. Jinwoo improved the most during that period of time. He was promoted twice in a matter of months. I’ve never promoted anyone that fast, not even the twins.”

Myungjun was still struggling to comprehend what he was being told. When he had first met Jinwoo, he was terrified of using his magic. He’d hated it and wished he was never born. But now he was thriving. He was an A Rank member of the guild, he loved his fire and he used it to make coin. It was such a big change.

He knew he’d have to speak to Jinwoo about this to fully understand so he decided to change the topic for now. “Where are the twins? And can I meet Minho? I want to thank him for looking after Jinwoo. Jinwoo thanked Leo and Grey earlier so I feel the need to thank Minho and Soonyoung as well.”

“You cannot thank either of them I’m afraid and you cannot see the twins. Soonyoung is currently taking a break from the guild. He went home after his father’s inn got into a bit of trouble and he’s yet to return. Jinwoo keeps in touch with him so he’ll likely know when he will be back. As for Minho, he’s the most passionate fire user I know, and he loves nothing more than his work. He’s already left on another job, an S Rank across the sea and he took the twins with him. They’ve been gone for the past year and I do not know when they will return either.”

Myungjun felt disappointed. The two people he wanted to meet were gone and the one person he wanted to see again was gone too. He also needed to thank Gikwang. He didn’t want to thank him, he was evil and cruel at best, but he had saved his father’s life and Myungjun had been too mentally drained to thank him at the time.

“Aren’t you worried about them?” Myungjun asked, swirling the last of his pink drink around the bottom of his glass. “Minho was gone for five years, and now he and the twins have been gone for a year too. Doesn’t it worry you when they’re gone for so long?”

“Not at all.” His father said, finishing off his own drink. “They’re S Rank for a reason and they always come back eventually. Everyone here is proud to be a member of Dragon Blades so they will always return. With all of that being said, you still need to answer my original question. Your own skills need to be tested so I can see where you Rank now. Would you like me or Jinwoo to take you on your request?”

“What about both of you? We could all go on a request together?”

“The more people there means the less chance you’ll have to use your skills.” His father pointed out. “We could always go on a request together afterwards, but I really think it would be beneficial to go with just one of us this time. I will give you some time to think it through. Just try and decide quickly. I would like to see how much you improved at the castle.”

Myungjun promised he would and finished off his drink before saying his goodbyes and going to find his boyfriend. Jinwoo had a lot of explaining to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jinwoo is A Rank now whhhat o.o


	175. Some Much Needed Privacy.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Myungjun asked his boyfriend huffily.

They were sitting opposite one another on a little white table in one of Voredans cute teashops. Myungjun had found it on his way to picking Jinwoo up from his request and insisted that they drink tea there. Jinwoo looked uncomfortable and out of place but Myungjun blended right in with his silks and pink hair.

“I _was_ going to tell you.” Jinwoo answered sounding almost defensive. “But I was too busy freaking out about the fact that you were back again. Why didn’t _you_ tell me you were coming back from the castle?”

“I wanted to surprise you.” Myungjun pouted, sipping at his tea. It was held in a delicate china teacup and Myungjun had squealed in pure delight when he had first laid eyes on it.

“Well maybe I wanted to surprise you too.”

Myungjun rolled his eyes. “You being A Rank now was definitely a surprise. I’m still only C Rank.”

Jinwoo grinned as he watched Myungjun whine. “You’ll be promoted soon enough.”

“Oh, that reminds me.” Myungjun put his teacup down on its saucer and held back the urge to giggle as Jinwoo struggled to hold his own as gracefully. Jinwoo growled in frustration before grabbing it like he would a cup of moonshine and downing the whole thing. Myungjun sighed as Jinwoo started to make noises of distress and handed him a napkin. “JinJin you can’t just shot a hot cup of tea. You’re a fire user anyway, heat shouldn’t affect you as much so man up.”

Jinwoo scowled at him before scrunching up his napkin and chucking it his way. He laughed as it bounced off Myungjuns forehead. “Ten points.”

Myungjun groaned at his irritating behaviour. “JinJin listen to me.”

“I’m listening.” Jinwoo answered, pretending to look around at other things with interest. He laughed again as Myungjun huffed and dodged the scrunched-up napkin sent back his way. “I’m sorry. I really am listening now.”

Myungjun eyed him suspiciously for a few seconds. Jinwoo really did seem to be paying attention this time. “Good. About me being promoted; father told me that my skills needed to be tested out on an actual request. He said I can choose either you or him to take me.”

“I’ll do it.” Jinwoo said excitedly. “We haven’t been on a high-ranking job together yet. I’m sure we’ll find a fun one to do.”

*

The carriage pulled up outside of Myungjuns house and he let Jinwoo and Rocky bring in his mountain of bags as he rushed up the garden path to bang excitedly on the front door.

His mother opened it up with a relieved smile. She had been the first person Myungjun had sent a note to regarding the fact he was leaving the castle, but she still looked emotional even when expecting him.

She engulfed him in a quick hug before pulling back to look him over. “Look at you dressed like royalty!” She exclaimed, running her hands over the silk of his shirt. “I always called you Prince Junnie when you were little and now it’s really happened.”

Myungjun laughed and followed her inside as she led them to the living room. Myungjun sat down in his comfy reading chair with a content sigh. It wasn’t as nice as the white and gold chairs he was used to sitting on in the castle, but it felt more like home.

“Would you like a drink?” His mother asked. “Or some food?”

“No thank you. I already ate out with Jinwoo before we came here. How have you been mother? Jinwoo told me he moved out and Sanha joined the guild, did you get lonely?”

She shook her head and patted the locket around her throat. “I wear this every day. You said you wanted me to look inside of it whenever you were away, so I’d always know you three boys were with me and it’s helped somewhat. What also helped was the fact Minhyuk moved in.”

Myungjun looked at her surprised. “You let Rocky move in?”

“Of course. He was already spending weekends here and your room was empty with Jinwoo gone. He’d been living in the guild for much too long and he’s too young to move out and live by himself, so I offered. However, with you and Jinwoo moving back in we’ll have to rearrange things again. You’re old enough now to share a room with Jinwoo, so we’ll move Minhyuk into Sanhas.”

Myungjun pouted. “That’s unfair. You wouldn’t let me and Jinwoo share a room when we were that young, but you’ll let Rocky and Sanha.”

“The difference is, your room has a double bed and you were very much all over one another.” His mother huffed. “Sanhas room has a bunk bed and the boys have expressed to me on countless occasions that they are just friends.”

“And you really believe that?” Myungjun asked deadpan. She hesitated and Myungjun sighed. “It doesn’t matter anyway. I’m just glad me and JinJin can finally share a room. But we do need to think about moving out. I know we’ve only just come back, but I’m nineteen now and it really is a pain spending hours travelling to and from the guild. It costs a lot for carriage fare too. JinJin told me he didn’t spend a lot of the coin I received from my dragon hunting request so we have enough to leave now but I’d still like to stay here until we can find somewhere nice.”

“Where are you thinking about moving too? The city?”

Myungjun nodded. “Hyungwon and Hoseok have been living in a room together in Voredan for a few years and they said there’s more rooms to rent in their building now as some people have moved out.”

“Do you really want to live in a room though? Wouldn’t you much rather live in an actual house?” His mother asked with a frown. “I know they’re more expensive, especially in the city, but you’ll have a lot more space.”

“Well I’m not really sure what else is available.” Myungjun sighed. “But I probably shouldn’t be thinking about this right now anyway. I should focus on the guild for the time being.”

“MYUNGJUN COME AND HELP WITH YOUR BAGS. YOU HAVE ABOUT FIVE HUNDRED OF THE DAMN THINGS. WHO NEEDS THIS MANY CLOTHES ANYWAY?”

Myungjun giggled and stood up. “COMING JINJIN!”

*

Myungjun walked into his bedroom later that night freshly showered and snug in one of Jinwoos tops. They were so big now that they brushed his knees and made him feel extra small and cute.

Jinwoo was already in bed reading a book but he put it down when Myungjun closed the door behind him. Myungjun returned his bright smile as he crossed the room. He climbed onto the bed and crawled across it until he was hovering over his boyfriend.

“Can you dry my hair?”

Jinwoo reached up and ran his fingers through the blue strands, steaming them off. When he was finished, he pulled the green fluffy blanket back so Myungjun could snuggle under it as well.

“I can’t believe we’re finally sharing a room.” Jinwoo whispered excitedly, pulling Myungjun on top of him. “Now I get to fall asleep and wake up next to you every single day.”

Myungjun hummed happily as he got comfortable on Jinwoos chest. He didn’t need a bed when he had his boyfriend who was a perfectly good mattress. “I’m so happy JinJin.”

“Me too sunshine.” Jinwoo kissed the top of his head and rubbed his back with his warm hands. “You told me earlier that you had something to tell me when we were alone. We’re alone now.”

Myungjun propped himself up to look at Jinwoo feeling nervous. “I trained with a man named Gabriel from the magic counsel to become Aredrinnors fourth resurrector.” He ignored the shocked look on Jinwoos face and swallowed his guilt down thickly. He was about to lie, and it hurt his heart. “The counsel marked me with a tracking rune because of it. They’ll be able to track wherever I go on Aredrinnor because I’m classed as an important person now.” The guilt only grew as a smile bloomed across Jinwoos face. He wasn’t being tracked because of that. He was being tracked because of his power, his contract, a contract Jinwoo would never know about.

“Wow sunshine you can actually bring people back to life? That’s incredible!”

“You won’t be so happy when you hear the price though JinJin.” Myungjun sighed. “Light magic always comes with a price. If I bring someone back it shortens my own life.”

The hands on Myungjuns back stopped in their comforting movements and Myungjun felt Jinwoos whole body tense beneath him.

“It shortens your life?”

Myungjun nodded. “I was told to use it sparingly.”

“You’re not using it at all.” Jinwoo said stiffly. “You’re not bringing anyone back if that’s the price.”

“But sometimes I-”

“But nothing.” Jinwoo interrupted firmly. “It’s not happening Myungjun. You don’t know how long you’ll live to begin with. There’s no way you’re shortening your life. Not for anyone.”

Myungjun scowled. “I’d gladly shorten my life for you, for my parents, for our friends.”

“We’re not going to die anyway.” Jinwoo said stubbornly. “You’ll heal us all in time before that happens.”

Myungjun just sighed again. He’d expected this reaction and he knew Jinwoo would never be accepting of this spell so he changed the topic instead to save them from the argument that would no doubt erupt and ruin their first night in their room.

“I learnt a lot more at the castle though. Leo let me accept all of my golden scrolls and I improved my telepathy and shapeshifting too.”

“Did you learn any new spells?”

Myungjun nodded eagerly. “Lots.” Myungjun listed them all off for him. “Gabriel also taught me another spell.”

Myungjun told Jinwoo all about the process of manipulating souls for combat purposes and how it would help them move on to Eden and he jumped out of bed to grab the ring Leo had given him off of his dresser. When he took it out of the little velvet box, the white inlaid crystal started to glow. Jinwoo mas mesmerized but frowned as he took it and it went dull.

“Why did it stop?”

“It senses the light magic inside of me so I can use it. You never learnt how to use light magic so it wouldn’t work for you.” Myungjun took the ring back and put it back into its box. “Gabriel told me not to open my third eye and wander the soul plane for too long at a time, so I won’t use it often.” Myungjun put it back on the dresser before climbing back into bed.

Jinwoo rolled on top of him this time. “You really learnt a lot there. I’m proud of you for doing so well.”

Myungjun whined quietly at the praise. “Say it.”

“Say what?” Jinwoo asked confused. He was smirking a second later as Myungjun showed him some of his memories. “Hmm I don’t think I can say that sunshine. You’re not a boy anymore.”

“I don’t care. I want you to say it.” Myungjun mumbled feeling his cheeks heat up.

Jinwoo pretended to think about it before leaning down to whisper in Myungjuns ear. “Good boy. _My_ good boy.” Myungjun was sure he just melted. Jinwoo pulled back to look at him hungrily. “I swear to the Deity we better not get interrupted this time.”

Myungjun knew Jinwoo was going to kiss him. He knew they wouldn’t be interrupted this time. And the realisation that he was finally going to feel his lips again for the first time in two years almost overwhelmed him. Almost.

Jinwoo closed the distance and Myungjun felt the light fluttering of his breath before their lips touched. It was chaste, a light brush but Myungjuns petals still rained down on them all the same. He reached up to cup Jinwoos face with shaky hands and pulled him back down to kiss him again.

Jinwoos lips felt as soft as the petals gliding over their skin. Soft and warm and wet. They were perfect and moulded with Myungjuns own like they were meant to be there, like they’d never left.

Jinwoos own hands were tangled in Myungjuns hair, gripping the blue strands tightly as the heat rolled off of him. Jinwoo kissed him again, more firmly, dragging a whimper from deep within Myungjuns chest. Jinwoo moaned quietly in response and licked gently at Myungjuns bottom lip, requesting the access that Myungjun was more than happy to give. Jinwoos tongue slipped into his mouth, tangling with his own and tasting like his minty toothpaste.

Myungjuns mouth was cool but his body was on fire. It was telling him that he wanted more. _Needed_ more. He needed Jinwoo to kiss him and touch him and leave love bites over his neck. He was desperate to see the dark purple marks blossom over his skin again.

But Jinwoo was already pulling away and fighting against the magic that thrummed under his skin.

Myungjuns stomach lurched at the loss of contact and he looked up at him feeling emotional. He knew it was ridiculous, but he couldn’t help it. It had been too short. Much too short and he wanted more.

Jinwoo finally opened his eyes again and breathed out shakily. “Bloody hell I missed that.”

“More.” Myungjun whined quietly, clutching at the front of Jinwoos shirt. “Please JinJin more.”

Jinwoo groaned and leaned back down to press their foreheads together. “I love hearing you beg. You sound so needy and it turns me on so much. You have no idea what you’re doing to me Myungjun.” Jinwoo pressed their lips together again, messier and more desperate.

Myungjun let his hands travel down the soft material of Jinwoos top until he was tugging at the hem. “JinJin off.” He mumbled against his lips.

Jinwoo pulled back and his top was off in the blink of an eye. He didn’t bother leaning back down and Myungjun was grateful. He needed to look. He needed to look at his boyfriends’ gorgeous body. Tanned and hard and sculpted.

Now that Myungjun was finally allowing himself to look, he could see how much Jinwoos body had changed over the years. His chest was bulkier, his arms were bigger, and his abs cut deeper into his stomach. Myungjun swallowed thickly as his eyes followed the defining V that disappeared into the top of his pyjama shorts. He wanted to touch it. And maybe trace it with his tongue. Maybe.

“Like what you see?”

Myungjun tore his eyes away and looked up to see Jinwoo watching him with a small smirk. He nodded and licked his lips. “Can I touch you?”

“No.”

Myungjun frowned. “Why not?”

“Because we’re in your house. Sanha and Rocky are just next door and your mother is just down the hall. If you touch me, I’m going to rip your clothes off and I can promise you that you won’t be able to keep quiet. You’ll wake everyone up and they’ll all know that you’re not as innocent as they’d like to think you are. Do you want that?”

Myungjun whined unhappily. He was desperate to touch Jinwoo, but he knew he shouldn’t. Being reminded that they weren’t really alone dampened his mood. Jinwoo watched as his face fell and sighed.

“I know sunshine. I’m desperate to touch you too. I want it so badly it hurts. I miss the pretty sounds you used to make and the way you’d cry out my name when you let go. I want to hear it, to see it, to feel it. But we can’t. Not here.” He cooed sadly and wiped at the tears that escaped from Myungjuns eyes. “Please don’t cry sunshine. Let’s just cuddle okay?”

“Can we…can we kiss a little bit more first?” Myungjun sniffled quietly with a pout.

Jinwoos face softened and he smiled before leaning down and pressing a gentle kiss to the tip of Myungjuns nose. “We can kiss as much as you’d like handsome.”

Myungjun sighed happily as Jinwoos lips found his again. He knew he was torturing himself, but he didn’t care. He just clutched the bedsheets tight beneath him to stop his hands from wandering.

Sweet, delicious torture.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jinwoo being an irritating brat at the beginning of this chapter is a funny concept to me. I want to write him annoying Myungjun more xd
> 
> Also...SOCKYYYYY  
> They've been living together for nearly the whole two years Myungjun was gone and now they're going to be sharing a room? We all know Rocky Jr is going to be permanently sleeping on the top bunk with Sanha right?


	176. Soonyoung And Hoshi.

Myungjun was sitting in the guild greenhouse a week later, happily tending to all of his plants that Jinwoo had so lovingly nurtured during his absence, when the door opened up to reveal his handsome boyfriend who was smiling widely.

“Sunshine he’s here.”

Myungjun quickly finished off weeding the last of his plants and went to his watering plant to wash his hands. He rushed over to Jinwoo, holding them out and Jinwoo steamed them dry before grabbing one and dragging him back out into the tavern.

Soonyoung was sitting at their table which was empty for a change and he was busy playing with a ball of bright blue fire. As they got closer to him, Myungjun realised something strange. The fire wasn’t shaped like a ball like he’d originally thought. It had arms and a head. Myungjuns eyes widened.

_A companion?_

Soonyoung looked up at their approach and quickly stood from his seat looking nervous. “Hello, you’re Myungjun right?”

Myungjun looked him over. He had dark hair, dark cat-like eyes and a cuter face then he was expecting. He was annoyed to see that Soonyoung was taller, even though it was only by a little he was still irritated. It seemed like he was destined to be the shortest amongst their friends after all. He looked at Soonyoungs ears to see they were pierced too, but with white crystal studs in comparison to his own gold hoops. Looking down at his outfit revealed he wore the same style clothes as Jinwoo. His tank top was cut straight down the middle and left open to reveal his chest and stomach. His guild mark stood out proudly above his heart, exactly where Jinwoo had his, and Myungjun could see he’d been categorized as Offence and Tank. Despite his annoyance at his height, he couldn’t deny the fact that Soonyoung looked like a nice person and he knew they’d get along well.

“Sunshine?” Myungjun turned to Jinwoo to see him looking worried. “He asked you a question.”

Myungjun felt a bit embarrassed at being caught staring for so long and quickly looked back at Soonyoung with a small smile. “Yes, I’m Myungjun. It’s nice to finally meet you. Everyone has sung praises of you and your combat skills so it’s also nice to put a face to a name.” He heard Jinwoo breathe out lightly in relief above him.

Soonyoung smiled back, his eyes and cheeks scrunching up cutely. “I’ve heard a lot about you too. You, your father and the twins were the reason I wanted to join this guild in the first place. When your father offered me a scroll, I almost couldn’t believe it. The rest of my friends joined the Giants Hammer guild on the other side of the guild district. Me and Jinwoo went to visit them last month.”

“That’s Banes guild.” Jinwoo added excitedly. “He asked where you were, and I told him you were studying in the castle. He told me that we should visit together when you were back.”

Myungjun was trying to listen to them, he really was, but after feeling mildly embarrassed about hearing he was one of the reasons Soonyoung wanted to joined Dragon Blades in the first place, his concentration had been stolen almost completely by his companion. It kept shifting from a ball of pure heat, to growing arms and a head and blinking rapidly at him.

Soonyoung saw him looking and grinned. “This is Hoshi. I was the only fire user in my year to successfully summon my companion. I’ve been trying to teach Jinwoo but he’s rubbish at it.”

Jinwoo made a noise of offence. “I’m not _rubbish_ at it you little shit. The spells just hard to cast.”

“Sure it is Hyung.” Soonyoung replied sarcastically, dodging Jinwoos fist with a cackle. Myungjun was willing to bet any money that this boy got on well with Moonbin and Youngjae. He didn’t know how Jinwoo had coped spending two years looking after them all.

“Show him Camellia.” Jinwoo said excitedly. “I’ve told him all about her.”

Myungjun expended some of his petals and plucked one from the air to summon her. She landed on the floor with a tinkle and unfurled her petals. Myungjun smiled when Jinwoo gasped beside him.

“She’s different!” Jinwoo exclaimed, coming around to face her properly. “Sunshine your petals. They’re not black anymore. When did they change?”

Myungjun beamed happily as he stroked Camellias dark red ones. They’d changed after he’d unblocked his heart and learnt to control his power. They weren’t completely back to normal, but they’d changed enough for him to feel happy about it. He was just relieved to see any change at all. Camellia also looked different in other ways. She had a lot more petals and two new leaves above her older two. Myungjun knew that was due to his increased power but he couldn’t tell Jinwoo that.

“They changed after I saved my first life.” Myungjun said instead. It wasn’t necessarily a lie. He’d unblocked his heart after saving Leos life after all.

“Wow she really is pretty.” Soonyoung said, staring at her wide eyed. “I’ve never seen a flower companion before. She’s really big.”

“I always summon her my height.” Myungjun explained. “She works better by my side like this.”

“Talk to her Junnie.” Jinwoo said sounding excited again before turning to Soonyoung. “You really should hear it. They sound even more beautiful when they converse.”

Myungjun wanted to coo at how excited Jinwoo was to show him and Camellia off to his new friend. His boyfriend really was the cutest sometimes. So, he did what he asked.

“Would you like to stay out today?” Myungjun asked her, tickling her stalk gently. “I don’t have a lot to do.”

“Only if you water my roots. I’m feeling very dry right now.” Camellia said, ruffling her petals.

Myungjun could sense her discomfort and pouted. “Okay. I’ll go and get you a glass.” Myungjun turned to look up at Jinwoo. “I’ll be back in a minute.” He rushed to the bar hearing Soonyoung exclaim about windchimes and pretty petals and Myungjun smiled to himself. He really did have the best companion.

*

Myungjun spent the rest of the day with Jinwoo and Soonyoung. He watched the way they laughed and joked and was happy to see how carefree Jinwoo seemed around him. Myungjun was content with sitting back and keeping quiet for once but Soonyoung always tried to include him in their conversations anyway.

Myungjun was walking back to the table carrying their drinks from the bar when Soonyoung spoke up again.

“You’re very graceful Hyu- Myungjun.”

“I’ve noticed that too.” Jinwoo added.

Myungjun smiled at them as he put their drinks down. “You can call me Hyung if you like. Or Junnie, I don’t mind. And thank you. I had ballet lessons at the castle, so I picked up some habits and learnt how to carry myself better.” Myungjun giggled at the look on Jinwoos face.

“You did ballet?”

Myungjun nodded and cuddled up to him. “I wasn’t sure about doing it at first, but Leo asked me to attend one lesson at least and I ended up enjoying it.”

“You know how to do a lot of things.” Soonyoung said sipping at his drink. “I always heard rumours about you being skilled with a bow or being as handsome as your father but you’re a lot different to what I was actually expecting.”

“What were you expecting?” Myungjun asked curiously. It was always interesting to hear what opinions people had about him based solely off the rumours that were circulating alone. It was still strange to think that people spoke of him when they’d never even met him, but it came with the territory of being his father’s son.

Soonyoung hummed thoughtfully for a few seconds. “I expected you to be taller.” He grinned at the pout on Myungjuns face. “But what you lack in height you make up for in personality Hyung. When people speak of your father, the Dragon Knight, they tell tales of his brave and heroic deeds, wondering how many dragons he’s really slain and how strong he must be. The people who have never seen him have this image that he’s eight feet tall with arms as thick as tree trunks that can wield the sword that slays a dragon in one blow.”

“That’s Donghan.” Myungjun interrupted with a giggle.

Soonyoung nodded quickly and leaned forwards on the table looking excited. “Donghans really cool too. I saw him training alone out in the combat field one day. He was literally fighting hand to hand against his metal golem it was scary impressive.” He leaned back with a happy sigh. “But anyway, I guess I always expected you to be like that too, the image people have of your father I mean. But you’re different. Jinwoo told me all about how you like art and making clothes and mothering all your friends. And now that I’ve met you, I can see that you’re different image wise as well.” He said, gesturing to Myungjuns hair and make-up. “I knew you’d be slimmer as an archer, but I thought you’d be tall and intimidating at least. Especially with the rumour that you killed a thousand demons to save your town.”

Myungjun groaned into his cup as Jinwoo laughed beside him. “That’s probably the most ridiculous rumour that’s circulating about me. I killed forty at most.”

“Forty is still impressive.” Soonyoung pointed out. “I remember the first time I faced demons in the academies dungeons. My team didn’t know what they were at the time and my friend Mingyu got covered in their blood. I still think about the way he screamed sometimes. It was awful. We thought he was permanently burnt and the shock at seeing him that way got us all wiped out. That was our last dungeon run as a team of six. We never got higher than that alone.”

“My team didn’t either.” Myungjun sighed. “Me and JinJin were fighting back then and he didn’t join us for the last dungeon run. I got demon blood burns all over my face and hands and was terrified of being disfigured. I’d already suffered real burns before, so I knew what they were.”

Soonyoung looked surprised. “Really? Where?” Myungjun rolled up the sleeve of his silk shirt. “Can I touch them?” Myungjun nodded and Soonyoung reached over to touch the damaged skin. “Wow it feels weird. So cool.”

Myungjun grimaced and rolled his sleeve back down. “Cool? It’s not cool. It’s ugly.”

“It’s not ugly.” Jinwoo said firmly above him. Myungjun ignored him.

“It makes you look like a badass.” Soonyoung grinned. “They’re like Donghans burns.”

Now it was Myungjuns turn to be surprised. “You’ve seen Donghans burns? Donghan always covers them up with his coat.”

“Not anymore he doesn’t.” Jinwoo answered making Myungjun look up at him. “He said that he was told not to be scared of showing them off anymore so sometimes he shows up to the guild without his coat. He still wears it most of the time but on the days he comes in wearing just a tank top he seems comfortable enough. There was some trouble the first time he showed up without his coat though. One of the guildies muttered something behind his back and he lost it. Punched him straight in the face and knocked him out cold. Your father suspended Donghan from the guild for a week after that.”

Myungjun sighed and shook his head. Typical Donghan behaviour. However, his heart felt warm at the thought of Donghan taking his advice and not being scared to show off his burns. Maybe he should start following his own advice as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought it would be cute to name Soonyoungs companion after his stage name uwu


	177. The Teashop Owner.

The construction of Leos stables beside the guild went on for a week. Every time Myungjun would show up in the mornings, he’d see ground manipulation users working the stone as air manipulation users carried the heavy blocks around. There were also non-magic builders rushing around either shouting orders or following them.

Then the construction stopped all together as the new building was finished and Myungjun knew it would only be a matter of time before he got to see Princess again. He adored her and couldn’t wait to show her off to all his friends. He was also excited to ride her again. Leo had been right; riding a horse _was_ better than sitting in a carriage.

The new stable had plenty of space behind it so he could exercise her properly every day, but he wanted to get out of the city on her too. He liked to daydream about what it would feel like riding to a request through wide open fields on her back as the wind rushed through his hair. The thought was exciting.

“Sunshine are you ready?”

Myungjun turned at the sound of Jinwoos voice and held up the form. “Ready. We just need to take this to Hani and then we can go. This request shouldn’t take long. It’s only a twenty-minute walk from here so we can always stop off and get some ice-cream after.”

Jinwoo smiled down at him fondly before taking the form. “You’re going to turn into an ice-cream at this rate. I swear all the money you’ve earnt from local jobs this week has gone on fuelling your sugar craving.”

Myungjun giggled and accepted his offered hand. Jinwoo led him down the stairs to the bar. “I love it JinJin. I don’t know why I’m craving sugar so much, but ice-cream is yummy so I’m not complaining. I ate one yesterday that made my eyelashes curly, it was funny. Hyungwon nearly choked on his ice-cream when he saw it.”

Jinwoo handed the form to Hani and turned back to look at him with a snort of amusement. “That does sound funny. Fine. We can get some ice-cream when we’re finished today.”

Myungjun cheered and left the guild chatting excitedly about all the ice-creams he wanted to try next.

“MR KIM.”

Myungjun looked down the street in surprise to see a very familiar horse trotting down the street with Leo atop her back. His guard were following close behind and Myungjun could already see which one was Grey. His weapon of choice gave him away as he was the Kings only archer.

Myungjun let go of Jinwoos hand to rush toward them with a gasp. “PRINCESS!”

Leo slowed her down to a stop and climbed gracefully off her back with years of practice behind the movement. “Mr Kim are you on your way out?”

Myungjun nodded as he stroked her silky mane. “Me and JinJin have a local request in one of Voredans bookstores. I didn’t know you’d be coming today though. I wouldn’t have made plans otherwise.”

“That’s perfectly fine.” Leo assured him. “I can stable Princess and the others. But we should meet up afterwards. I have nothing left to do today and I haven’t seen you all week.”

Myungjun smiled up at him. “It would be an honour your majesty. I could come to the castle if you’d like?”

Leo quickly shook his head. “Now that I am free to go about as I wish, I’ve been fond of getting to know my city more. There’s a lovely teashop in the northern part of the shopping district that I’d like to visit.”

“Me and Myungjun went there the other week.” Jinwoo said, finally catching up to them. He really was slow sometimes. “I’m sure you’ll like it. Is this Princess? She really is beautiful. Her hair is lovely.” Myungjun beamed like a proud parent as Jinwoo stroked her.

“Well I think we should meet there then.” Leo said, adjusting the cloak around his shoulders. “How long do you expect to be?”

“No more than a few hours.” Myungjun answered. “We’re just taking stock of their books and maybe helping to sort the shelves. It wasn’t the most exciting job on the board, but it was by far the nicest and it pays well enough for what it is.”

“I’d love to do a job like that.” Leo mused. “Maybe I should put up my own request for you both to come and sort out my library for me. I’ve just received more books that I haven’t yet read.”

Jinwoo made a noise of excitement. “I love books and I’d _love_ to see your library. Just make sure to address the request to us so no-one else accepts it.”

Leo grinned at his eagerness and nodded. “I shall do that then. But for now, I will leave you to your work. Send me a note when you are finished Mr Kim. You are welcome to join us too Jinwoo.”

Jinwoo grimaced. “Teacups aren’t really my thing, so I’ll pass this time.”

*

Myungjun approached the teashop to see that all of the pretty white tables outside were empty. He pushed open the door to see that the inside was nearly empty too. The only people inside were Leo, his fifteen guards who were swarming his table and the owner of the teashop who was shooting nervous glances at the weaponry the guards were carrying. Myungjun couldn’t blame him, they were definitely intimidating.

Leo looked up at the sound of the little bell above the door as it opened and smiled his way. Myungjun returned his smile and went to sit down opposite him.

“Have you ordered yet?” Myungjun asked.

Leo shook his head and Myungjun was surprised to see a hint of red in his cheeks. “I am…reluctant to order. Grey did offer but I wanted you to be here before he does.”

“Why are you reluctant to order? Myungjun asked curiously. He could sense Leos emotions and was confused at what he was feeling. The King was embarrassed and shy. “Have you never ordered for yourself before?”

Leo quickly shook his head. “It’s not that. It’s just…that man, behind the counter. What is his name?”

Myungjun looked over at the owner who was quick to look away from them. “I’m not sure. I’ve only been in here once. Why?” Myungjun looked back at Leo to see he was fiddling with the rings on his fingers. A nervous habit that Myungjun was used to by now.

“No reason. I just wanted to know.” Leo said trying to sound casual and failing.

“I’ll go up and order.” Myungjun decided, standing from his seat. Leo tried to stop him, but he was already walking away. If Leo wanted to know his name, he’d ask. His nervous behaviour was worrying. Myungjun reached the counter and cleared his throat to get the man’s attention.

The man was quick to put his cloth down, that he was using to wipe the shelves behind him with, and he turned to Myungjun with a warm smile. “Hello there. What can I get for you today?”

“I’d like tea for two, an assortment of your best cakes and your name.”

“My name?” The man asked, eyebrows raised slightly. His gaze flickered over to their table and he looked back at Myungjun with something akin to fear in his eyes. “Am I in trouble? That’s the King isn’t it?”

“I’m not entirely sure myself whether you’re in trouble or not.” Myungjun admitted truthfully. “But that is the King and it’s wise to answer his question.”

The man gulped before busying himself with making the tea Myungjun ordered. “Cha Hakyeon. You can tell the King I’m up to date with all of my taxes and I’ve never been in trouble with the law before. I don’t want any trouble either. I’m just trying to make a living by providing the people in this city with good tea and good food. I only order my stock from reliable and honest sources too. I’m not a bad person. I’ll even bring your order over for you.”

Myungjun thanked him before going back to the table and sitting down. “Cha Hakyeon. That’s his name.”

Leo made a noise of acknowledgment but continued to play with the rings on his fingers. “Does he run this place alone?”

“I don’t know. Do you want me to go back and ask?” Myungjun offered. Leo was quick to decline. “Okay. Well you can ask him yourself anyway. He’s coming over here to serve us.”

Leo looked up at Myungjun with wide eyes. “He’s coming over here?”

Myungjun nodded slowly. “Is there a problem? He assured me he wasn’t a bad person and that he was up to date with his taxes.”

Leo opened his mouth to answer but froze as the man himself walked over to their table with a silver platter carrying their teapot and teacups and a selection of cakes. Hakyeon placed everything down gently, making sure it looked neat and pretty. He stood back up straight and looked at Leo with what Myungjun knew was fake confidence. He could feel the fear he really felt rolling off of him.

“My name is Cha Hakyeon your majesty. May I ask why you needed to know?”

Leo made a strangled noise in the back of his throat and quickly stood from his seat. “I…I need to go. Mr Kim please stay and enjoy the food. Grey pay the man before you leave.”

Leo was gone before Myungjun could even form a reply. He just stared, bewildered, at the door as it closed behind him.

Myungjun waited until Grey had finished paying before hurrying over to talk to him. “What the hell was that? Is Leo okay? He was fine this morning. Is he sick?”

“You didn’t read his mind?”

Myungjun frowned. “Of course not. Its rude.”

Grey grinned. “Leo is fine. More than fine. He’ll be back here. I can guarantee it. See you soon Junebug. Stay and enjoy the tea.”

Myungjun watched him leave feeling more confused than ever. If Leo was fine why did he run away like that? Myungjun couldn’t see him coming back anytime soon either so Greys words just didn’t make sense.

He sighed and went to sit back down. He’d ask Leo all about his strange behaviour when he next saw him. But for now, he allowed himself to be distracted by the food in front of him. His hard work today had built up an appetite.

*

“I’ve decided to test my skills with Jinwoo on an A Rank request.” Myungjun informed his father later that night as they sat in his office. “We’re going to choose one tomorrow morning.”

His father hummed thoughtfully as he leaned back in his chair behind his big mahogany desk. “A Rank jobs are rather difficult. Wouldn’t you rather try a B Rank instead?”

Myungjun shook his head. “Jinwoo was promoted to A Rank for a reason. He’s strong enough to take on those requests so I know I’ll be fine with him there to back me up.”

“Well I’ll be here at the guild for the next month or so, so if you’re back by then we can discuss how high to promote you. However, I’ll be travelling overseas afterwards, and I don’t know how long I will be gone. So, if you don’t make it back in time, you’ll have to wait for me to come back to discuss your rank.”

“I’ll speak to Jinwoo about choosing a request closer to home then so we can get back before you leave. Why are you going overseas anyway?” Myungjun asked curiously.

His father sighed and sat back in his chair. “Guild related business, nothing exciting. Just focus on your own request. Be careful out there Myungjun. You might have trained in the castle for two years but that doesn’t necessarily mean you are ready for such a high-ranking job. But I do trust that Jinwoo will keep you safe. Do everything he says. He was categorized as a leader for a reason.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leo is so awkward uwu
> 
>  
> 
> It's that time again where I warn you of the next chapter being smut. But this time Myungjin get naked, unclothed, in their birthday suits, nude, au naturel...okay I'll stop.   
> They're 19 now, been together for 6 years, I think its time for them to take this next step. I know that it may make some of you uncomfortable to read, even though the way I write smut is different to the norm, so what I'll do is summarise the main plot in the notes at the end of the chapter, because even though the majority of it is smut, there's still some main plot at the beginning and at the end.  
> So if Myungjin getting nekkid makes you uncomfortable, just skip to the notes tomorrow okay? Okay. Ly<3


	178. I Want To See You. All Of You. Will You Let Me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER WARNING:  
> Smut.
> 
> (Like I said yesterday, if Myungjin getting naked makes you uncomfortable then skip to the end of the chapter and read the plot summary there)

Myungjun woke up to the sound of movement and opened his eyes to see Jinwoo getting changed. He couldn’t help but stare at the way the muscles in Jinwoos back moved as he pulled his top on. It was plain white with short sleeves and it clung to him like a second skin. Myungjun decided in that moment that it should be illegal for him to wear such a thing. He looked good, _too_ good and he knew he’d struggle concentrating today because of it.

“I can feel you staring at me Myungjun.” Jinwoo sounded amused as he turned to look at him.

Myungjun felt his cheeks heat up and quickly pulled the blanket up to hide his face.

The blanket was being pulled away a second later and the mattress dipped as Jinwoo climbed onto the bed to hover over him.

“You’re allowed to stare at me. I’ve told you this a hundred times before. You’re my boyfriend. If anyone is allowed to, it’s you.”

“I wasn’t _staring_.” Myungjun muttered trying to avoid his gaze. “I just woke up and happened to look at you. A coincidence nothing more.”

Jinwoo chuckled and leaned down to press kisses onto his burning cheeks. “You’re so cute sunshine. I want to get back in bed and shower you with all the love you deserve but we need to get to the guild to pick your request today.”

“Why didn’t you wake me up sooner?” Myungjun pouted.

“I was going to bring you up some breakfast to eat in bed as a surprise, but I guess I was too loud. I’ll be quieter next time.” Jinwoo answered as he pressed one final kiss to Myungjuns cheeks. “I’ll go down and make us something nice so get up and meet me down there okay?”

Myungjun sighed dramatically. “I have to brush my own teeth and hair today? How cruel Park Jinwoo.”

Jinwoo grinned and got off the bed. “I’m sure you can do it for yourself for one day. I’ll even make you something extra yummy as a reward for being so good.” He hummed thoughtfully. “How does pancakes sound?”

Myungjun gasped excitedly and sat up. “Yes please.”

Jinwoo chuckled and reached over to ruffle Myungjuns hair. “Pancakes it is. Be quick handsome. We should get to the guild before all of the good requests are gone.”

*

**Help wanted! Monster sighting.**

Myungjun looked over their request again as they cuddled in the back of the carriage. Jinwoo was A Rank now which meant they could finally go on monster hunting jobs and Myungjun had been ecstatic when looking over the request board to see that there were plenty to choose from.

“I remember the first time we fought a giant snake.” said Myungjun as he scratched absentmindedly at the snake bite scars on his arm.

Jinwoo hummed above him. “I remember too. It was a nightmare but what made it better was the fact you tore half of your shirt off and exposed your stomach for the first time. I wanted to touch it so badly. I’m just happy you let me touch it now.” Jinwoo slipped his hand under Myungjuns top to feel the soft skin. “So perfect Sunshine.”

Myungjun smiled to himself as he looked further down the parchment. Jinwoos warm hand felt nice on his skin. “It says this snake has been rapidly growing over the past week and snatching people’s pets.” Myungjun shuffled around on Jinwoos lap until he could look up at him properly. “The way they’ve described it length and width wise…a snake wouldn’t grow that big unless there was magic involved. Do you think-”

Myungjun was cut off by Jinwoo kissing him, one hand creeping further up his top and the other tangling in the hair at the back of his head. Jinwoo pulled him closer and his tongue darted over Myungjuns lips asking for access. Myungjun kept them firmly closed and Jinwoo pulled back with a frown.

“I want to kiss you properly.” He mumbled, eyes already out of focus as he stared at Myungjuns lips. He tried to lean back in but Myungjun stopped him.

“JinJin control yourself. I know you’re excited because we’re finally alone, but we really should discuss this job first.”

Jinwoo snatched the parchment out of his hand with a scowl and quickly looked it over. “Giant snake. Pets going missing. Probably magic involvement. Last seen entering an abandoned house in the north of the town. Reward half a million coins.” He tossed the parchment aside. “There. We’ve discussed it.”

Myungjun groaned in annoyance when Jinwoo surged forwards to kiss him again. Jinwoos hand tightened in his hair as a warning until Myungjun gave in and kissed him back. He knew they shouldn’t be doing this here, in the back of a carriage, but Jinwoos lips could be terribly convincing sometimes.

Myungjun adjusted himself until he was straddling Jinwoos thighs and slipped his own hands under Jinwoos top to trace the dips in his stomach muscles. He liked feeling the way Jinwoos muscles twitched under his fingers and the little noises Jinwoo let out were enough to make him forget where they were.

Myungjun started tugging at Jinwoos shirt. “Off.”

Jinwoo pulled back breathing heavily. “We shouldn’t…we shouldn’t do this here.”

Myungjun made a noise of pure rage. “You’re the one who started it! Don’t start something you can’t finish Park Jinwoo.”

They both breathed out in relief when the carriage came to a stop a second later. Myungjun scrambled off of Jinwoos lap and rushed to pay their fare. Jinwoo disappeared and was back in an instant with their bags and hurried him up the path to the inn that was lit up like a beacon in the dark.

They were greeted with a warm smile and Myungjun paid for their room, giggling the whole time as Jinwoo latched onto him from behind, nuzzling into his neck. Myungjun accepted their key and Jinwoo dragged him to their room before slamming the door shut, chucking their bags aside and pulling Myungjun flush against him. They were both breathless and giggly and Jinwoo discarded his top and pulled Myungjuns off straight after.

“I’m so happy we’re finally alone.” Jinwoo muttered as his hands trailed delicately across Myungjuns bare shoulders. “You have no idea how hard it’s been keeping my hands off of you. You’ve been home for weeks and I’ve not touched you properly once. It’s been infuriating.”

Myungjun shivered under his touch.

If angels existed, he was sure Jinwoo was one of them. The bright moon shining in through their window lit up his hair like a halo and his kiss swollen lips were just as shiny. Myungjun could see pure lust etched into Jinwoos features and felt his underwear tighten from the sight alone. He wanted desperately for Jinwoo to touch him.

“I’m happy we’re alone too.” He admitted quietly. He looked down Jinwoos body and reached out hesitantly to grip the waistband of Jinwoos shorts. He heard the intake of breath from above him as he pulled them down. Jinwoo was always the one to undress them both but now he wanted to do it.

When Jinwoos shorts were discarded he took off his own and looked back up at his boyfriend who was eyeing his body hungrily.

“You always look so beautiful lit up by the moon.” Jinwoo muttered as he stroked Myungjuns cheek. “So beautiful I almost can’t look at you.”

Myungjun smiled shyly and leaned into Jinwoos touch. “You’re beautiful too JinJin. I could stare at you for hours and never get bored.”

Jinwoo returned his smile and leaned down to kiss him softly. It was sweet and full of love and left Myungjuns lips tingling after Jinwoo pulled away.

“I want to touch you now Myungjun. But I want to touch you properly. I want to see you. _All_ of you. Will you let me?”

Myungjun swallowed thickly as his heart picked up speed. “You want to see me naked?”

Jinwoo nodded. He cupped Myungjuns face in his hands and stroked his cheeks with his thumbs. “I want it desperately. I’ve wanted to see you bare beneath me for as long as I can remember. I’ve envisioned it a thousand times already but it’s not enough anymore. I don’t want you to be shy though. Everything about you is perfect Myungjun. I love you so much and I promise you that you’ll be okay. You have nothing to worry about. Do you trust me?”

Myungjun nodded. He trusted Jinwoo with his life. Every time Jinwoo would push him out of his comfort zone it made their relationship better, stronger, more pleasurable. Kissing Jinwoo, taking his top off in front of Jinwoo, being in nothing but his underwear in front of Jinwoo, allowing Jinwoo to touch him down there. He never thought he’d do any of those things with Jinwoo, but he had, and he didn’t regret them at all.

“I don’t want to do it alone though.” Myungjun whispered, trembling at the thought. “Please don’t make me do it alone JinJin.”

Jinwoos face softened and he led Myungjun over to sit on the edge of the bed. He crouched down in front of him and smiled. “You’re not doing this alone. We do everything together remember? I’ll even go first.” Jinwoo stood up and took a step back before hooking his thumbs over the waistband of his underwear. “I want you to look at me, _all_ of me so you know you don’t have to be afraid okay?”

Even in the moonlight Myungjun could see how red Jinwoos face was, how much his hands were shaking, how nervous he looked himself. It made him realise how much of a big step this was for Jinwoo as well. He was pushing himself out of his own comfort zone to do this for him. He felt overwhelmed with love.

Jinwoo swallowed loudly before pulling it down. He did it slowly and Myungjun watched as more of his beautiful tan skin was revealed until his underwear was off completely and pooling around his feet on the floor.

Myungjuns mouth went dry at the sight in front of him before flooding with moisture. Jinwoo was naked. _Naked_. He couldn’t tear his eyes away. Jinwoo was already hard, shockingly so, and Myungjun felt his own underwear tighten further in response. He decided in that moment that everything about Jinwoo was perfect.

Myungjun was on his feet before he could stop himself and he closed the distance between them, wrapping his hands around the back of Jinwoos neck and pulling him down to kiss him. Jinwoo breathed out shakily in relief and kissed him back.

Myungjun didn’t protest when Jinwoos hands trailed down his sides. He didn’t protest when Jinwoo grabbed the waistband of his underwear. And he didn’t protest when he felt his underwear sliding down his legs and falling to the floor.

“Can I look?”

Myungjun nodded and stepped away from him. Jinwoos eyes trailed slowly down his body before stopping at his hips and Myungjun resisted the urge to cover up. Jinwoos eyes darkened and he groaned low in his throat.

“It’s even better than I imagined. You’re gorgeous Myungjun. Everything about you is perfect.”

Myungjun felt weak with relief and had to sit down on the edge of the bed again. Jinwoo didn’t come straight over like he expected him to. He went over to his bag instead and pulled out two glass bottles that clinked lightly as he brought them over.

Jinwoo looked at Myungjun nervously as he stood in front of him, showing him what was inside of them. One of the bottles held small white pills and the other a pearly liquid.

“JinJin why do you have moonshine? And what are those tablets?”

“It’s not moonshine.” Jinwoo answered tipping the bottle of pearly liquid from side to side. Myungjun could see now that it wasn’t. If it _was_ moonshine it would have run like water but whatever was in that bottle moved slower, it was thicker, more viscous. “I have rough hands; I can’t touch you without something extra to help or it will hurt you too much. And these.” He shook the bottle of white pills as he looked down at them. “Will stop me from killing you.”

Myungjun froze. He knew what they were now. “Suppressants?”

Jinwoo looked up at him again, keeping his eyes on Myungjuns own. “I know what you’re thinking. I know you’ve only ever had bad experiences with them, but I need them Myungjun. They’re designed especially for fire users and will only supress my magic for an hour and then I’ll be back to normal. Please don’t try and stop me. I want to feel good with you. I want to let go too without being scared for your safety.”

Myungjun swallowed down the lump in his throat. He didn’t want Jinwoo to take them because of how they’d made him feel before. They’d taken away his magic and made him feel empty. He didn’t want Jinwoo to feel that way.

But he _did_ want Jinwoo to feel good. He _did_ want Jinwoo to be able to let go around him. He’d always felt guilty before when Jinwoo couldn’t and now Jinwoo had found a way to take that guilt out of the equation.

“Are you sure it’s safe?” Myungjun asked quietly.

“I’ve already tried them. They’re safe.” Jinwoo didn’t waste any time. He opened the bottle and shook one out onto his palm. He swallowed it dry and waited for a few seconds before trying his magic, humming happily when nothing happened. He put the bottle of suppressants down on the cabinet beside their bed and placed the other one down beside their pillows.

Jinwoo stood back up straight and looked down at him. He looked even taller like this. Tall and strong and handsome. He made Myungjun feel small, but in a way that he liked for a change. Myungjun tried to stop himself from looking down Jinwoos body again but he couldn’t help it. He’d never seen another man naked before and part of him had to wonder why they hadn’t done this sooner. The sight in front of him filled him with love and lust and he couldn’t wait to touch him.

Jinwoo chuckled at the look on Myungjuns face and reached out to trail a finger over the apple of Myungjuns cheek and down to the corner of his lips. “Your face is so expressive. Especially your eyes. I can see how much you want me.” Myungjun didn’t bother denying it. He wanted him desperately. The need to touch Jinwoo was stronger than ever.

Jinwoo ran his finger through the leftover lipgloss on Myungjuns bottom lip that hadn’t been removed during their previous kisses. “Such perfect lips. The things I want to do to them…”

Myungjun looked up at him from under his eyelashes and licked at Jinwoos finger gently. Jinwoos eyes darkened immediately and Myungjuns insides quivered at the sight. He liked finding new ways to tease his boyfriend and apparently, this was one of them. He opened his mouth willingly when Jinwoo pushed his finger past his lips.

“Suck.”

Myungjun did it without question, sucking at it gently and watching Jinwoos expression the whole time. He did it again straight after, harder, and wrapped his tongue around Jinwoos finger, moaning quietly. It felt nice in his mouth and it appeared to be the right thing to do.

Jinwoo cursed weakly as his whole body shuddered. “You were sent to me to destroy me Kim Myungjun. You have no idea what you’re doing but you’re doing it so well.” His finger slipped out of Myungjuns lips and Myungjun tried to chase it with an unhappy whine. “You’re so needy and whiney too, I love it.” Jinwoo groaned. “Get on the bed properly handsome.”

Jinwoo climbed onto the bed when Myungjun was settled against the pillows and sat on Myungjuns thighs. “I can see that you’re nervous. You don’t have to be I promise. Your body is so perfect sunshine.” Myungjun flushed at the compliment and shivered as Jinwoos hand moved down his body. “Your chest is perfect. Sculpted and beautiful. Your soft stomach is perfect. I want to-” He didn’t bother finishing the sentence, he just moved down to leave love bites over it. The sharp pains felt nice and quickened Myungjuns breath.

One of Jinwoos hands crept up as he sucked harshly at the skin beside Myungjuns belly button and Myungjun let out a cry, back arching off the bed, as Jinwoo twisted one of his nipples between the pads of his thumb and forefinger. Jinwoo hummed happily against his skin. “You’re still sensitive under my touch.” He cursed quietly as he looked up at Myungjuns face. “I love how sensitive you are its so sexy.”

Jinwoo rubbed his thumb over the abused skin to sooth it before moving up to lick and suck at it gently making Myungjun whimper. Jinwoo had never paid so much attention to his nipples before and he realised that was a mistake. It felt incredible. Jinwoo licked a long stripe from Myungjuns chest up to his neck to nip roughly at the skin there.

Myungjuns whole body was on fire and his mind was going hazy. He couldn’t think of anything else except Jinwoo. The scent of Jinwoos skin, the feel of Jinwoos wet lips on his neck, the sound Jinwoo made when he finally pressed their bodies together.

Jinwoo pulled away from his neck to look down at him. He rolled their hips together and they both moaned at the feeling. Jinwoo did it again, and again, and again, setting a pace and crashing their lips together in a messy kiss. It slowly became less of a kiss and more panting in each other’s mouths until Myungjun couldn’t take it anymore. He needed Jinwoo to touch him and he needed Jinwoo to touch him now.

He pushed against Jinwoos chest and Jinwoo immediately froze.

“Are you okay? Do you want me to stop?”

Myungjun quickly shook his head. “JinJin hurry. I need you to touch me, please.”

Jinwoo looked relieved before trailing kisses over his jaw and down his neck. Myungjun wrapped his arms around Jinwoos shoulders and whined impatiently. He heard the pop of the cork being pulled out of a bottle and Jinwoo sucked one last love bite into his neck before pulling back and covering his hand in the thick pearly liquid.

Myungjuns heart rate picked up speed as the realisation hit him that Jinwoo was actually about to touch him skin to skin, with no underwear between them. Jinwoo sealed the bottle and dumped it aside before looking down at Myungjun with hooded eyes.

“Don’t even think about trying to be quiet. I want to hear everything understand?” Myungjun nodded quickly and Jinwoo smiled. “Good boy.”

Myungjun audibly gasped as Jinwoos warm, wet hand finally wrapped around him. Even before he started to move it Myungjun knew it felt better than all the times they’d done this before. And when he _did_ start to move his hand, stroking him slowly up and down, Myungjun realised he’d never be satisfied with anything less than this ever again.

His breath caught in his throat and tears sprung to his eyes. Pure fire ripped through his nerves with every pleasure-inducing stroke of Jinwoos hand. Jinwoo leaned back down to kiss and nip at his neck, quickening the pace of his hand and squeezing gently every so often. Myungjun couldn’t think straight anymore, he knew he was being loud, but he didn’t care.

“That’s right sunshine. Moan for me, you’re doing so well.” Myungjun moaned again and clutched tightly at Jinwoos hair making him chuckle into his neck. “Feels good doesn’t it? Do you want to try?”

Jinwoo pulled away and let go of him allowing some of the haziness to clear from his mind. Myungjun opened his eyes and looked down to see Jinwoo holding out his wet hand. He reached out shakily to take it, feeling the liquid smear over his palm as Jinwoo pulled him up into a sitting position. Jinwoo was in his lap like this and Myungjun looked down at their hips and groaned at the sight. He’d never seen something so sexy. He was wet and glistening and pressed up against Jinwoo who was leaking messily over them both.

He knew Jinwoo probably wanted him to touch just him alone, but he couldn’t stop himself. He wrapped his hand around them both instead and copied what Jinwoo had done before. Jinwoo whimpered above him and tilted Myungjuns face up to kiss him sloppily as his hand joined Myungjuns own. They both groaned at the combined feeling of their hands and the friction of rubbing and sliding against one other.

It was unlike anything he’d ever felt before. It was incredible. Every time Jinwoo would get him to try something new it just got better and better. He didn’t think anything could be better than this though. He was so _close_ to Jinwoo this way, with no clothes between them and Jinwoos tongue in his mouth.

Jinwoo was making noises that sent the heat pooling down in Myungjuns stomach faster than ever before. He hastened the pace of his hand, squeezing more firmly than Jinwoo had done and felt lightheaded at the way Jinwoo began to shudder in his lap.

“Myungjun I’m gunna-” Jinwoo let go with a deep, drawn out moan before he could finish his sentence and the sound alone sent Myungjun straight over the edge too. He could feel their releases coat his hand and stomach in warm sticky spurts and he fell back onto the mattress dragging Jinwoo down with him.

He couldn’t hear anything past the ringing in his ears and he couldn’t feel anything past the pleasure coursing through his veins. He’d never felt a release this strongly before and he’d never heard Jinwoo release before either. He was sure the sound would be ingrained in his mind forever.

When he eventually came back around Jinwoo was wiping the tears from his cheeks and smiling down at him softly. “Hey sunshine. You back with me now?” Myungjun nodded, feeling more tears escape and Jinwoo quickly wiped those away too. “You’re so pretty when you cry. Is that weird of me to say?”

“Probably.” Myungjun croaked out making Jinwoo laugh quietly.

“Well you are so I’m saying it regardless. How do you feel?”

“Icky.” Myungjun pouted, looking down at the mess they’d made. “Why did it have to land on me?”

Jinwoo laughed again, louder this time and he leaned down to kiss Myungjuns cheeks. “Not all of it landed on you. Let me go and get something to clean us up and then I’ll run us a nice warm bath with extra bubbles okay?”

*

Later that night, when they were clean and dry and cuddled up under the covers, Myungjun knew it was the perfect time to ask to exchange their rings. The mood was right, they were alone and Myungjun had never felt closer to him before.

He tried to ignore the butterflies in his stomach as he pulled out of Jinwoos hold to sit up and look down at him.

Jinwoo looked at him questioningly. “Are you okay?”

Myungjun nodded and took a deep breath before removing Jinwoos ring from his finger and holding it out to him. “It’s time we gave them back to each other don’t you think? I asked you to return mine when we were back together again, so I’d know that you still wanted to be my boyfriend and I’ve been home for weeks already. I miss my own ring.”

Myungjun had it all planned out in his head. Jinwoo was going to give him his ring back, tell him he still wanted to be with him and then Myungjun was going to ask Jinwoo to marry him as he slid Jinwoos ring onto his finger.

Except Jinwoos face said otherwise. He looked guilty. “Uhh Junnie…” He sat up too and audibly swallowed before looking at him again. He held out both of his hands. Both of his hands that were free of any rings. “I lost it.”

Myungjun blinked. “You what?”

“I lost your ring.” Jinwoo said again, biting his lip nervously. “I lost it when I moved into the guild. I took it off and packed it into one of the boxes and when I looked for it again it was…well, gone.”

Myungjuns stomach sank and his heart clenched painfully. “You lost my ring? The ring you gave me all those years ago? The ring you asked me to marry you with? The ring we’ve worn every day since because it felt wrong not too? Please tell me this isn’t happening. Please tell me this is a joke Jinwoo because I’m literally going to cry. And then murder you. And then cry some more.”

“I’m sorry.” Jinwoo muttered, looking down at his hands. “I didn’t mean to lose it.”

Myungjun blinked back the angry tears in his eyes. “Why did you take it off? Why the hell did you pack it into a box? You’re an idiot Park Jinwoo. The biggest idiot to ever exist! I can’t believe this. I can’t believe you lost something so important. That was special Jinwoo. How could you?”

Jinwoo looked up at him with pleading eyes. “I’ll get you a new one. Please sunshine don’t be mad at me. I-”

“A new one won’t be the same!” Myungjun cried, smacking his hands away when they tried to comfort him. “Don’t touch me! I’m angry at you. You’ve ruined everything! I had it all planned out and now its ruined because one of them is missing.” Myungjun huffed angrily and lay back down, turning his back on his irresponsible boyfriend.

Jinwoo tried to talk to him, to comfort him and make things right but Myungjun ignored him. That ring was one of the most important pieces of jewellery that Jinwoo had ever given him and now it was gone.

It was only when he heard Jinwoo sniffle that he gave in and turned to look at him. He hated it when Jinwoo was upset. It was the worst thing in the world. Worse than his missing ring. He looked up at him to see his watery eyes and softened.

“Don’t cry JinJin. I’m sorry. I know you didn’t mean to lose it. You just need to be more careful. Especially with something that important.”

“I’m sorry sunshine.” Jinwoo mumbled, laying back down and cuddling up to him. “I’ll make it up to you I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Myungjun. So close to proposing :(
> 
>  
> 
> PLOT SUMMARY:  
> Basically, Myungjun and Jinwoo are going on a monster hunting request to kill a giant, magically enhanced snake that is stealing peoples pets (THIS IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER). Reward: 500,000 coins. They go to the inn, do the deed and at the end of it Myungjun is all up in his feels and wants to propose to his handsome boyfriend when they FINALLY exchange their rings because they're still wearing each others. Except Jinwoo drops the bombshell that he lost Myungjuns ring and Myungjun is hecking mad, probably wants to punch him in the face once or twice, literally threatens to murder him and then lets go of his anger when Jinwoo gets upset. Jinwoo promises to make it up to him and then they cuddle. The end.
> 
> Main points:  
> Magically enhanced snake.  
> Jinwoo lost Myungjuns ring.


	179. A Cuddle For Ddana.

Myungjun showed his father the last of his memories from his request with Jinwoo and watched nervously as he jotted some notes down on a piece of parchment. Jinwoo gripped his hand tight and Myungjun squeezed it back, unable to look at him.

The snake request had gone well. It had been a tough fight, but they’d killed it eventually. The thing that displeased Myungjun the most was the fact they never found out why it had grown so large in the first place. There was definitely magic involved, but they were just there to kill the monster, not to investigate. They had wanted to, but Myungjun had to remind Jinwoo that they needed to get back before his father left for his trip overseas.

Jinwoo had been the first to show his memories and his father had made a whole sheet of notes. But he only wrote a few after seeing Myungjuns own. Myungjun didn’t know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

His father put his pen down and looked up at Myungjun with a frown. That definitely didn’t look good.

“Myungjun would you like to explain to me why you were holding back during the fight?”

Myungjun froze. How did his father know he’d held back? He was sure he’d done a good enough job of covering it up. He couldn’t use all of his magical power in front of Jinwoo or he’d get suspicious and he couldn’t risk breeching his contract.

“You were holding back?” Jinwoo asked beside him sounding confused.

Myungjun cleared his throat nervously and let go of Jinwoos hand. “What makes you think I was holding back?”

“You didn’t use your magic at every clear opportunity. Your magic is clearly a lot stronger now so why did you hesitate so much?”

Myungjun was scrambling to find a good enough excuse. “Uhhh…it was the house. Where we were fighting. It was abandoned and old and the floorboards weren’t very stable. If I’d have summoned my vines up to any of the floors we fought on, it would have brought the whole house down. Jinwoo didn’t use his magic much either.” He knew the excuse was weak at best and shuffled uncomfortably under his father’s gaze.

His father stared at him for a few seconds before sighing. “I see. That was a smart decision on your part. It’s a shame that this request didn’t allow us to see your full power and potential but from what else I _have_ seen, I can happily say you’ll be promoted today.”

Myungjun exchanged excited grins with Jinwoo who grabbed his hand again. “I told you you’d be promoted sunshine.”

He turned to watch as his father re-read the notes he had made. He hummed thoughtfully before writing one more. “You completed an A Rank job without sustaining any major injuries and you showed clear skills in each of your anomaly categories. I wanted you to come back from the castle as an S Rank magic user, but I’ll have to settle for less for now. Congratulations Myungjun. You’ve been promoted to A Rank.”

Myungjun laughed as Jinwoo engulfed him in a hug. “I’m so _proud_ of you sunshine! You skipped B Rank all together wow.” Jinwoo let him go and pressed a firm kiss to his lips. “Let’s go for a drink to celebrate.”

Myungjun thanked his father before leaving and he let Jinwoo drag him down to the bar. Jinwoo ordered two cups of moonshine as he sat down on one of the bar stools and he pulled Myungjun down onto his lap.

Myungjun cuddled up to him and sighed happily. “When our reward money arrives at the guild, I want to treat everyone to a meal out to celebrate.”

“We can do that.” Jinwoo said hugging him tight. “What are we going to do with the leftover coin?”

Myungjun looked up at him with a small smile. “Add it to the rest of our savings and maybe look for a house?”

Jinwoos eyes widened slightly. “A house? You still want to move out?”

Myungjun nodded. “I know we haven’t spoken about it since I’ve been back, but I really do want to move out with you JinJin. I want to move into a proper house too with enough room to fit all of our stuff.”

“All of your clothes you mean.” Jinwoo teased pinching his cheek. He chuckled at Myungjuns pout. “You can’t deny it handsome. You probably have more clothes then all of our friends have combined. The King must have spent a small fortune on you. I hope you thanked him.”

“Of course I did.”

“Good boy.” Jinwoo praised, grinning at the happy whine Myungjun let out. “You’re so cute. I think saving up for a house is a great idea sunshine. I want a room that I can turn into a library though. Bonus points if it has a fireplace that we can put chairs in front of to cuddle on so I can read to you every morning and night. I don’t really care about anything else.”

Myungjun giggled and accepted his drink from Hani. “I think a library is a _great_ idea JinJin. I could have a whole shelf for all of my plant related books. But for now, drink up. We’re celebrating remember.”

*

A few days later Myungjun was ripped out of his sleep by someone hammering on his bedroom door. Jinwoo groaned and sat up, rubbing his eyes and cursing the early hour. A quick look at the clock told Myungjun it was still only six in the morning.

“HYUNGS WAKE UP. PLEASE WAKE UP.”

Rockys panicked voice had both of them shooting up out of bed and rushing to the door. Jinwoo yanked it open and Myungjun could see the pure worry on the younger boy’s face.

“It’s Sanha.”

Myungjun rushed past him and made it to their room in record time. He climbed up the ladder to the top bunk and his heart clenched painfully in his chest as he looked at his little brother.

Sanha was sick. Very sick. It was obvious with how pale and clammy he was. Myungjun felt his forehead and cursed quietly at the feel of his feverish skin. Rocky Jr was sitting on Sanhas pillow by his head garbling mournfully.

“Hyung?” Sanha tried to open his eyes but whimpered and closed them again. His voice was hoarse, and his cough sounded painful.

Myungjun cooed sadly and wiped Sanhas sweaty hair from his forehead. “Shh. Don’t strain your throat. You’re sick Sanha but we’ll look after you okay? We can’t do that with you up here though, so we’ll have to get you down.” Myungjun thought about how best to achieve that and had an idea. He picked Rocky Jr up and carried him back down the ladder before setting him on the floor and crouching down to talk to him. The little rock was still garbling worriedly. “Calm down buddy he’ll be okay. I need you to make yourself big so you can get Ddana down for us. He needs you buddy can you do that for me?”

Rocky Jr nodded quickly and Myungjun moved back to give him some space. He grew rapidly in size, until his head bumped against the ceiling and he went to the bed to scoop Sanha up. He shrunk back down to Myungjuns height and Myungjun pulled back the covers on Rockys bed below and asked Rocky Jr to put him there instead.

When Sanha was tucked up under Rockys covers, Myungjun turned to see Jinwoo and Rocky standing at the door looking nervous.

“JinJin go and get me a bowl of cold water and a cloth. Not so cold that it will shock him but cold enough to cool him down. Oh, and a glass of water.”

When Jinwoo was gone, Rocky made his way over to sit beside Sanha on the edge of his bed. “Can you heal him?”

Myungjun shook his head with a sigh. “This isn’t something that can be healed with magic. The most I can do is take away the pain in his throat and any aches he probably feels in his bones. The fever has to break itself. I don’t exactly know what’s wrong with him, I’m a healer not a doctor, but I can tell you that he isn’t dying at least.”

Rocky breathed out a huff of air in relief. Jinwoo came back into the room with the bowl and cloth and Rocky insisted that he be the one to use it. Jinwoo handed over the glass of water and Myungjun set it atop Rockys cabinet before moving to the door.

Myungjun looked back to see Rocky dipping the cloth in the water. He wrung it dry before getting to work on wiping the sweat off of Sanhas face. Myungjun could see Rockys hands trembling but he was being gentle.

“He’s going to be out of it for a while.” Myungjun explained quietly. “He may seem a bit delirious if he wakes up, but you need to try and get him to drink something. He needs to stay hydrated with how much he’s sweating. Me and JinJin will stay at home today so give us a shout if anything changes okay?”

Rocky nodded but didn’t look away from what he was doing. Rocky Jr had shrunk back down to his normal smaller size and crawled across Sanhas bed to cuddle up to him. Myungjun knew Sanha was in good hands and shut the door quietly behind himself.

“Where’s your mother?”

“She told me she was leaving early this morning for a job interview. She said she wouldn’t be back until later. I won’t send her any notes either, she’ll just be worried the whole time otherwise. Rocky will do a good job of looking after him.”

*

Myungjun flitted around the house cleaning up. He felt nervous and couldn’t sit still. The house was clean anyway, but he still wiped everything over and washed his and Jinwoos dishes after their breakfast. He’d offered Rocky something to eat but Rocky had said he wasn’t hungry. Myungjun knew it was because he was worried, but he still needed to eat something small at least.

So, at lunchtime, Myungjun made him some food and took it up to him. He opened the door quietly and peeked inside.

Rocky was brushing the hair out of Sanhas eyes and talking to him softly. Sanha stirred under his touch and mumbled a string of incoherent words that were disjointed and didn’t make much sense.

Rocky Jr sat up looking excited at the sound of his voice and he garbled something to Rocky who garbled something back sounding sad.

“Hyukkie?”

Rocky clutched Sanhas hand tight with wide eyes. “Ddana? Are you awake? Can you hear me?”

Sanha groaned quietly. “I don’t feel so good.”

“I know.” Rocky replied with a small pout. “You scared me Ddana. But you don’t need to worry. Me and Rocky Jr will look after you and make you feel better. Do you need anything? Hyung said you need to drink something.”

“Not thirsty, just wanna cuddle.”

Rocky froze and stared at him for a few seconds. “Should I…should I go and get Hyung?” Sanha shook his head keeping his eyes closed. “You want to cuddle me?” Sanha nodded. Rocky blushed. “But we never cuddle.”

“Please Hyukkie.” Sanha whined, trying to open his eyes and wincing at the light. “It will make me feel better.”

Rocky audibly swallowed before getting on the bed properly and laying down beside him looking awkward and pained. Sanha rolled over and wrapped an arm around his waist, resting his head against his chest and Rocky Jr wriggled into the space between then, making a happy noise.

Myungjun wanted to coo and giggle at the picture they made. Utterly adorable. Even if Rocky looked like an actual rock with how stiff he was.

Myungjun closed the door quietly and took Rockys food back down the stairs. He knew he definitely wouldn’t eat now.

Myungjun found Jinwoo in the living room curled up on the chair closest to the fire and went to sit on his lap.

“How’s Sanha?” Jinwoo asked, running a hand through Myungjuns hair.

“He’s fine.” Myungjun giggled. “More than fine. He’ll be better in no time at all.”

*

Sanhas fever broke after two days and when he was finally sitting up in bed Myungjun sent Rocky away to get something to eat. Rocky had barely eaten the whole time and Myungjun was getting sick of hearing his grumbling stomach.

Sanha looked down at the covers pooling at his waist and frowned. “Why am I in Rockys bed?”

“We couldn’t look after you properly up there in your own.” Myungjun explained. “Don’t you remember Rocky Jr bringing you down here?”

“I don’t remember much. It’s all fuzzy.” Sanha answered with another frown.

Myungjun grinned. He couldn’t wait to see Sanhas reaction. “Well you had some sort of fever and Rocky looked after you the whole time.”

Sanha looked up at him in surprise. “He did?”

Myungjun nodded. “He was very thorough. He wiped your face and combed your hair and helped me get you changed into a clean top.” Sanhas mouth dropped open in shock. “He also did what you asked.”

“What I asked?” Sanha asked weakly.

“You asked to cuddle so he did. He tried to get away once or twice, but you wouldn’t let him go and you cried at one point asking him not to leave you alone.”

Sanha blushed the deepest red Myungjun had ever seen. It was exactly the reaction he was looking for. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

“I’m not.”

“Did we really cuddle?”

“Yes.”

“Did I really cry?”

“Yes.”

Sanha whined loudly and pulled the covers over his head to hide. “I can’t believe this. I’m so embarrassing. I want to die. I can never look at him again. Just kill me now.”

Myungjun giggled and looked up at the sound of the door opening to see Rocky coming back in completely oblivious to Sanhas embarrassment.

_Well this should be fun._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uwu


	180. Three Dates.

On the day Myungjuns and Jinwoos request money turned up, of half a million coins from their magically enhanced snake job, Myungjun did what he’d discussed with Jinwoo and invited everyone out for a meal. They’d arranged to meet in the guild tavern before they would make their way out into the city, to find the restaurant Jinwoo had booked their table at.

Myungjun was sitting on the edge of the bed in one of the guilds temporary accommodation rooms as Dongmin and Hyungwon fussed around him, doing his hair and make-up.

Myungjun sighed for the fifth time. “I’ve told you already that I can do this myself. Why are you both doing it for me? Have either of you even done this sort of stuff before?”

“Of course.” Dongmin said, swiping the lip gloss over Myungjuns lips. “And now we’re getting to practice more on you. Anyway, we’re only going out for a meal. It’s not like you have to look perfect or anything.”

For some reason, something about Dongmins tone of voice made Myungjun suspicious. “We are going out for a meal, aren’t we?”

“We are.” Hyungwon interjected sharply before hissing something at Dongmin that Myungjun didn’t catch. “There, your hair is done Junnie.”

Myungjun got up to look in the mirror to see that they’d done a good job. The makeup was light and made his best features pop and his hair was wavy and bouncy and adorned with little multicoloured flower pins that made him squeal in pure delight.

“Wow they’re so pretty! Where did you get them?”

“There’s a whole store for hair accessories in Voredan.” Dongmin explained excitedly. “I’ll take you there one day.”

“But for now,” Hyungwon said, hooking his arm through Myungjuns and dragging him to the door. “we need to get moving. Everyone has already left to go to the restaurant.”

“What?” Myungjun asked confused. “I told everyone to meet in the tavern.”

Hyungwon shrugged. “I got a note from Hoseok saying they’d gotten bored of waiting for you to get ready, so they headed off without us.”

Myungjun huffed as they descended the stairs. “I was told to look nice so of course I’d take time getting ready. Perfection like this doesn’t come easy you know.”

Hyungwon snorted at his sassiness and looked him over as they reached the bottom of the stairs. “You do look good. I thought I’d gotten used to seeing you wear fancy clothes, but these are even fancier.”

Myungjun looked down at his outfit with a smile. He was wearing his favourite outfit that Leo had purchased for him. All whites and soft pinks. Silky and sparkly. Tailored and tight. Pretty and perfect. The superior combination.

They bundled into the nearest carriage and set off, talking excitedly about the food they wanted to eat and the possibility of dessert. It didn’t seem like they were in the carriage for long at all before it was pulling up and when Myungjun climbed out he looked around with a frown. This wasn’t the restaurant.

They were standing at the edge of the big field that they liked to have picnics on together when everyone had free time. It was Myungjuns favourite place in the city because it contained the oldest tree in Voredan that stood over a hundred feet tall in the centre of the field. Myungjun loved the tree because it told him all about the history of the city and showed Myungjun its memories of times long past. It was fascinating.

But why were they here?

“There you are!” Soonyoung cried, rushing over to them looking excited with Hoshi floating along behind him. “Took you long enough.”

“What’s going on?” Myungjun asked feeling more confused than ever. “I thought we were going to the restaurant? I was with Jinwoo when he booked it.”

“We’re going there afterwards.” Soonyoung said, dragging him around the bushes that were currently blocking the field from view. “But first, you need to talk to your boyfriend.”

The bushes thinned out and disappeared to reveal a magical sight. Balls of green fire were suspended in the air to create a path. The sun had long since set, so Jinwoos fire was the only thing illuminating the night.

Soonyoung let him go and pushed him forwards. “Jinwoo is at the end. Follow the fire and you’ll find him.”

Myungjun looked back to see that all of his friends were behind him now, gesturing for him to move and the big grins on their faces made Myungjun smile too. He waved goodbye to them before setting off, following the winding path and relishing in the warmth. He was even more excited to see Youngjaes flowers littering the grass around him. Sunflowers. Myungjun loved them almost as much as he loved his own camellias.

He’d been following the path for a while before looking up to see where it led. The big ancient tree. Pretty lanterns lit with more of Jinwoos green fire were hanging from the lower branches and multi-coloured streamers hung between them. Jinwoo was standing underneath the tree with his back to him. He had his hand on its trunk and was muttering under his breath.

“JinJin?” Myungjun called out softly. It was too quiet this far out onto the field to speak any louder.

Jinwoo heard him and spun around looking nervous before relaxing into a smile. “You made it sunshine. You look beautiful.”

Myungjun walked over to him and smoothed his hands down the front of Jinwoos black suit. “You look good too JinJin. Is this a date?”

“Of sorts.” Jinwoo answered with a shrug. “I have something to give you.” He dug around inside the jacket of his suit before pulling out a ring. Or more specifically, Myungjuns ring.

Myungjuns eyes widened. “Is that…”

Jinwoo nodded, grinning at his stunned expression. “It’s your ring. I didn’t lose it. It was just sent off for improvements. I didn’t expect you to leave the castle so soon, so it wasn’t done in time for your return, but I received it this morning.”

“So, you did all of this just to give me my ring back?” Myungjun asked, gesturing to the romantic display Jinwoo had set up around them.

“Of course. It’s a special ring so I had to do something special, especially because I lied to you about losing it. I’m sorry sunshine. I just didn’t want to ruin the surprise.”

Myungjun softened at the thought of Jinwoo going to all of this effort just to make it up to him. “It’s okay JinJin. I forgive you. What improvements were made anyway?”

Jinwoo held out the ring and pulled one of his balls of fire closer to them to light it up properly. Myungjun gasped in awe at the four small crystals embedded in the band. Jinwoo cleared his throat and pointed to the first one.

“The first one is yellow. Yellow because it’s your favourite colour, yellow because that was the colour of your petals when we first met and yellow because you’re my sunshine.” Myungjun giggled and Jinwoo smiled softly at him before pointing to the next one. “This one is black. Black because that’s the colour my fire was when we first met, and black because that was the colour Camellia was when you left. I didn’t expect her to have dark red petals when you came back, but I suppose the next crystal is for her too this way. This one is red because it was also the colour your petals changed when I asked you to be my boyfriend. And lastly, this one is green. Green because of the way my fire changed when you said yes to being my boyfriend and green because of your plants.”

Myungjun tore his watery eyes away from the ring to look up at him. “It’s perfect.” He whispered. “You put so much thought into it. I love it so much JinJin thank you.”

“That’s not all.” Jinwoo said quietly. “Look on the inside of the band.”

Myungjun angled it to the light so he could see, and his heart filled with love at the engraving of their initials on either side of a tiny heart. Something else caught his eye and he turned the ring around so he could see what else was engraved inside. Three dates. The first two he recognised immediately. The date they had first met and the date Jinwoo had asked him to be his boyfriend. The third one made him pause.

“JinJin this is todays date. Why is that on my ring?”

“Today is special too.” Jinwoo replied quietly making Myungjun look up at him. Jinwoo swallowed nervously. “Today is special because it’s the day I asked you to marry me.”

Myungjun just stared. His heart picked up speed in his chest as his petals fluttered down above him. Was Jinwoo…?

Jinwoo cleared his throat looking even more nervous. “I know we’re still young, and I know we’ve just spent two years apart, and I know I don’t have a lot to offer you in terms of family or money or stability but I want to ask you to marry me anyway. You say I’m selfless but this time I want to be selfish instead. I want to ask you regardless of how little I can give you in return because I love you. I love you so much it hurts, and I want to spend the rest of my life bound to you in every way possible.” He breathed out shakily before cupping Myungjuns face in his trembling hands. “Kim Myungjun, my beautiful boyfriend, my sunshine, the love of my life, will you-”

“Yes.” Myungjun whispered as his petals swirled around them thick and fast. “Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes Jinwoo. Yes.”

Jinwoo laughed loud and bright, a sound that radiated pure joy and relief as Myungjun jumped on him. Myungjun kissed him fiercely hearing their friends cheer behind him and only pulled away when he could no longer breathe.

“I can’t believe you. You interrupted my boyfriend proposal before and now you’ve interrupted my marriage proposal as well?” Jinwoo grinned, pressing kisses all over Myungjuns tear streaked face.

“It’s because you’re too slow.” Myungjun huffed. “It feels like my heart will combust before you’ve finished talking.”

“No, you’re just impatient.” Jinwoo said tickling his sides and making him giggle.

“No you really are just slow Hyung.” Youngjae piped up from somewhere behind them.

“Shut up Mr Bisexual.” Jinwoo fired back making everyone laugh. Jinwoo kissed Myungjun softly once more and put him down. “Give me your ring sunshine.” Myungjun gave it to him and Jinwoo took his hand gently, sliding it onto his finger. “There. It looks beautiful on you.”

Myungjun took Jinwoos ring off and slid it onto his finger next. “I was going to ask you to marry me first.” He admitted, giggling at the surprised look on Jinwoos face. “When we exchanged rings, I was going to ask. That’s why I was so angry with you at the inn. I was going to ask you then. But I’m glad I didn’t. I’m glad I waited because your proposal was so much better.”

Jinwoo chuckled and pulled him in for a hug. Myungjun buried his face in Jinwoos chest, breathing in deeply and sighing happily at the smell.

“I love you Kim Myungjun.”

“I love you too _Kim_ Jinwoo.”

*

“CAN I HAVE EVERYONES ATTENTION PLEASE.” Jinwoo bellowed across the tavern later that night from his place atop their table. They’d just come back from their meal and were feeling happy and full. The tavern fell silent at Jinwoos request despite how rowdy it had just been, and Hani cut the music.

“Thank you.” Jinwoo said lowering his voice. “I have an announcement to make.” Myungjun looked up the stairs at the sign of movement to see his father descending them looking curious. Jinwoo held out his hand for Myungjun to take and pulled him up onto the table, wrapping an arm around his waist and beaming down at him proudly. “You’re all looking at my new fiancé.”

Myungjun laughed at the reaction they received, the cheers and toasts and congratulations. He felt high from the happiness and it only increased as his father stopped at their table, holding out his hands. Jinwoo let him go and Myungjun took them, being helped down from the table before being pulled into a hug.

“Congratulations son.” His father muttered into his hair as he squeezed him tight. “You really are grown up now.”

Myungjun pulled back to grin at him. He stood up on his tiptoes and pressed a quick kiss to his father’s cheek. “Thank you father. I-”

They both paused when they felt the magical energy approaching the guild. Usually everyone fell silent at this point but Jinwoo was still shouting about their engagement and everyone was much too excited to notice what Myungjun and his father had.

Myungjun knew who it was, and he rushed towards the tavern doors to greet them.

Gikwang looked terrible. Tired and battered and bruised. He was carrying his bow in his arms which had been snapped cleanly in half. Donghan didn’t look much better. His long, black, leather coat was torn in three different places and he was limping. The other man with them could only be Choi Minho. He looked a bit better, no visible damage but he looked so tired Myungjun didn’t know how he was still on his feet.

“Dongie?”

Donghan looked down at him startled, all of the tiredness wiped clean off his face. “Little dragon? You’re back?”

Gikwang pushed past Myungjun and Minho nodded politely before following him, leaving them alone.

Myungjun ignored Donghans question. “What happened to you?” He asked quietly instead. “You look terrible.”

Donghan scoffed. “Thanks. I’m fine. Was just a shitty job. What’s going on in here anyway? Why is your boyfriend standing on the table?”

Myungjun grinned and held up his hand to show off his ring. “Fiancé, not boyfriend.”

Donghan froze, looking between his ring and Jinwoo. “You’re getting married?” Myungjun nodded happily. “Congratulations little dragon.” Donghan said stiffly before brushing past him and making his way to the bar where Gikwang and Minho were talking to his father.

Myungjun frowned at his retreating back. He knew not to expect Donghan to scream and cheer along with the rest, but he also hadn’t expected such a cold reaction.

_I thought we were friends now?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MYUNGJIN ENGAGED. MYUNGJIN ENGAGED. MYUNGJIN ENGAGED. *ugly sobbing*
> 
> Of course Jinwoo didn't lose Myungjuns ring. Jinwoo is whipped for him we all know this. that ring would have been glued to his finger the entire time and there's no way in HELL he would have packed it away in a box of all things. he probably cried when he had to send it off for those improvement xd
> 
> But does everyone remember back in the academy when Myungjun used to scribble out 'Park' Jinwoo and replace it with 'Kim' Jinwoo?? Well its finally happening omg I'm so emotional my babies help  
> ~  
> Also, I hope the majority of you like Donghan/the twins in general because we're about to have a MARATHON of him/them. Literally 10+ chapters and a lot of questions about their past (not all) are going to be answered. Ahhh~~


	181. The Fluffy Kitten.

Myungjun woke up the morning after Jinwoo proposed to the feel of his fiancé’s warm, wet lips on his collarbones. He hummed happily and Jinwoo pulled back to grin at him.

“Good morning future husband.”

Myungjun giggled and wrapped his arms around Jinwoos neck. “This is a nice way to wake up. Keep going, I didn’t tell you to stop.”

Jinwoo chuckled and leaned back down to carry on. Myungjun wrapped his legs around Jinwoos waist, hooking his feet together and pulling him closer. The friction of their hips rubbing together made them both groan and Jinwoo sucked harshly at his neck, rolling his hips down roughly. The feeling it sent through his body made Myungjun whimper and he gripped Jinwoos hair tight.

The door burst open to reveal Myungjuns mother. “JUNNIE YOU’RE GETTING MARR-” She froze at the sight in front of her and Jinwoo yelped, quickly pulling away from Myungjun with a fierce blush.

Myungjun whined loudly in embarrassment. “Mother do you not know how to knock?”

She cleared her throat awkwardly and looked away. “Sorry. I’ll just…” She left the room, closing the door behind her.

Myungjun and Jinwoo exchanged matching grimaces.

“We need to move out.”

Myungjun could only agree.

*

“Wow you really weren’t joking when you said you had no money to offer me.” Myungjun laughed weakly as he looked down at Jinwoos saving. Three pouches of coins.

Jinwoo sighed and handed them over. “Just add them to your savings. I worked my butt off for the two years you were gone and ended up spending it all on the improvements I made to your ring. The crystals themselves cost a hefty amount. If I told you how much your ring is worth now, you’d probably pass out.”

“Well we’re lucky that I have plenty of coin then.” Myungjun said, tossing Jinwoos coin pouches onto the mountain of his own that was currently growing in the corner of his room. “I really need to find a better place to put them.”

“Well they’ll all be gone soon anyway.” Jinwoo reminded him. “I’m sure we’ll find a nice house. I’m just worried that we don’t have enough still. Are we buying or renting?”

“Buying definitely.”

“Then we _definitely_ don’t have enough.” Jinwoo sighed. “How much do you have again?”

Myungjun showed him the piece of parchment he’d tallied all the numbers up on.

**1,378,954**

“Bloody hell we’re poor.”

Myungjun snorted in amusement. “We’re not _poor_ JinJin. Remember when we used to get excited over earning five thousand coins per request?”

“Yeah but now we earn five _hundred_ thousand per request. We should have a lot more than this. Buying a house in the city of all places is going to cost at least ten times that amount and that’s for a small one. I still want my library you know.”

Myungjun giggled and grabbed the front of Jinwoos top, pulling him down to kiss him. “You’ll get your library and I’ll get my garden so cheer up and stop pouting. Why don’t we go and find another A Rank request to do?”

Jinwoo sighed. “I can’t. I already promised Soonyoung that I’d go with him to help him on his B Rank. It’s in a town a week and a half from here so I’ll be gone for a while.” Jinwoo chuckled and poked at Myungjuns lips. “Now you’re the one who needs to stop pouting.”

Myungjun let go of his top. “Why did he have to choose a request so far away? Are you getting a cut of the reward at least?”

“No, I said I’d let him take it all. His father is struggling with the inn and he needs the coin. It’s a high paying B Rank, the highest I’ve ever seen, which is why he’s taking it.”

Myungjun didn’t like the sound of that. When requests were abnormally high paying, it usually meant there was something dodgy about them. “What is the request?”

“Escorting an ‘important person’ from a town to Zepheholde. It didn’t say who the important person was, but I suppose it doesn’t matter. It pays well and that’s all Soonyoung needs.” Jinwoo answered with a shrug.

Myungjun bit his lip nervously. “JinJin that sounds risky.”

Jinwoo smiled at him and reached out to stroke his cheek. “All requests are risky sunshine, but I always come back from them, don’t I? This will be no different. We don’t leave until tomorrow, so we can spend the whole day together if you’d like? Actually…” Jinwoo reached out to snatch something from the air above Myungjuns head. “You have a note.”

Jinwoo held it out to him and Myungjun took it, expecting Sanhas handwriting as it had come from an air user, but saw Gikwangs instead.

**Anomaly training. 1pm. Don’t be late.**

Myungjun groaned and moved to his dresser to get changed into more suitable clothing. “I have training today JinJin. I have to leave now if I want to get a carriage there in time. Do you want to come to the guild and wait for me?”

“Sure. I need to go shopping and pick up a few things for tomorrow anyway.”

*

Myungjun walked into the tavern and looked around for the twins. He spotted Donghan by the bar and made his way over to him.

“Hey Dongie. Where’s Gikwang?”

Donghan turned to him and looked him up and down. “It’s just us today. You look different. You changed a lot in the castle.” Myungjun just smiled and Donghan got up with a pained groan and limped over to the door beside the bar that led out to the different rooms and fields. Donghan turned the wheel beside the door until it pointed to **’Magic Training Field’** and opened it up.

Donghan grimaced as he looked up at the overcast sky. “It’s going to rain soon. I can’t be asked to deal with this shitty weather. Let’s just train until it starts to…okay nevermind.” The rain poured down in sheets and Donghan quickly stepped back into the tavern. “Trainings cancelled. See you later.”

He tried to leave but Myungjun grabbed onto the sleeve of his coat. It still looked just as bad as yesterday. It was still torn in three places and upon closer inspection Myungjun could see that Donghan still looked rough and tired. Then he remembered the weird way Donghan had treated him and made a split-second decision.

“Dongie wait. Can we talk?”

Donghan frowned and peeled Myungjuns hands off his coat. “Talk about what?”

Myungjun didn’t answer straight away, he just turned back to the door, turning the wheel to **’Greenhouse’** and gestured for Donghan to follow him inside. He led him towards the back where the thick plant life would hide them from view. Myungjun sat down on the edge of one of the wooden planters and patted the empty space next to him. Donghan looked reluctant but sat down anyway after removing the sword from his back.

“Are we still friends?” Myungjun asked quietly as he watched Donghan find a place to rest his sword.

Donghan turned to look at him questioningly. “Yeah why?”

“I told you about my engagement yesterday and you acted really cold towards me.” Myungjun pouted, fiddling with his ring. “So, I thought you either didn’t think we were friends anymore, or you didn’t like the fact I was getting married. But neither of those things really make any sense. Can you tell me why you acted that way?”

“You’re right. I don’t like the fact you’re getting married.”

“What? Why?”

Donghan huffed irritably. “Because you’ve just spent two years in that shitty castle and now you’re going to get married and fuck off on some shitty honeymoon and leave me again for who knows how long. You’re supposed to be my friend but you’re never around.”

Myungjun was stunned. That was _not_ what he’d been expecting. Donghan had…missed him? Donghan wanted to spend time with him? He knew the dynamic of their relationship would change after becoming friends, but he didn’t think it would change this much.

Myungjun thought about what to say, how best to approach this new situation. “Me and JinJin won’t be getting married and going on any honeymoons anytime soon.” He started slowly, looking up at him. “Jinwoo spent all of his coin on my ring and all of my savings are going towards a new house. We have no money for a wedding yet and probably won’t have enough money for one for a long time. Dongie I’m not leaving again. I’m never leaving again like I did when I went to the castle. I’m staying right here. You were right, I belong in Dragon Blades, this is my home and it will always be my home. Right here. With you.”

Donghan finally looked at him again and Myungjun was relieved to see the anger fading from his face. “You really won’t leave again?”

Myungjun shook his head and offered him a small smile. “I promise. Why don’t we do something together? Jinwoo is leaving tomorrow on a request with one of his friends and he won’t be back for at least a month. We could even go on a request of our own if you’d like? I thought we worked well together at Whitebrook and like I said, I really do need the coins.”

Donghan scowled. “You only like me because I help you make money.”

Myungjun made a noise of offence. “Don’t be ridiculous. We don’t _have_ to go on a request. I was just offering an idea. This is supposed to be the part where you offer your own ideas, not accuse me of something so mean.”

Donghan rolled his eyes in response. “Let’s just go on a stupid request.”

He stood up to leave but Myungjun pulled him straight back down again before getting up himself and standing in front of him with his arms crossed.

“You’re not going on any more requests until you’ve recovered from the one you’ve just been on. I can see how much it affected you.” Donghan just looked uncomfortable as Myungjun glared at him. “Your coat is a mess, you look tired, you haven’t shaved, and I can see you’re still limping. Why haven’t you had Gikwang fix it for you?”

“It can’t be fixed with magic.” Donghan mumbled, looking down at his leg. “I’m fine Myungjun. I can go out again if you want to.”

“I don’t want to.” Myungjun said bluntly.

Donghan looked back up at him confused. “But you just said-”

“I know what I said. But making money can wait. Your health comes first.” Myungjun smiled at the look on Donghans face. “I can see you’re not used to people caring for you. But you better get used to it. This is what it’s like being my friend. In fact, I’m going easy on you right now. I’m not called the mother of my friendship group for nothing. I will literally baby you to death with excessive mothering. It’s a talent at this point.”

Donghan grimaced. “If you even so much as _think_ about babying me I will literally snap your neck. Friend or not I don’t care.”

Myungjun grinned and sat back down next to him, cuddling up to his side and cooing. “So cute Dongie. You think you’re big and scary but you’re just adorable and fluffy. Like a kitten.”

Donghan shoved him away and growled angrily. “Stop it. Don’t be so fucking revolting. I’m not cute, or adorable, or _fluffy_. Who the fuck describes a person as fluffy anyway? Is there something wrong with your head?”

Myungjun shook his perfectly healthy head happily from his new seat on the floor. “Nothing wrong with mine. But there’s something wrong with yours, it’s all red.”

Myungjun giggled as Donghan picked up his sword and stormed away. Teasing Donghan was painful but worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate that Donghan is such an aggressive little shit that has the ability to make me so soft.
> 
> Also, the hardest transition I've had to make since engaging Myungjin is remembering to write 'fiancé' instead of 'boyfriend' >.< I've had to go back and correct it so many times in future chapters ;-; But its worth it though, it sounds so uwu


	182. Gikwangs Challenge.

“Do you have everything?” Myungjun asked Jinwoo and Soonyoung as they climbed into the carriage outside of the guild hall. “Do you have enough clothes? Clean underwear? Toiletries? Shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes? A hairbrush? Parchment and a pen to write me notes? Do you have your weapons? Do you need me to get you any more herbs before you go? Any more medical supplies? Do you have enough coin for your stays at the inns? Bloody hell let me go and get you some more.”

Myungjun turned to leave but Jinwoo grabbed him and pulled him in close with a laugh. “Yes mother we have everything. We have more than enough coin and more than enough of your herbs.”

“Maybe I should come too.” Myungjun said biting his lip nervously. “What if you get seriously injured and need a proper healer?”

“Then we’ll find a healer at the nearest town like we’ve done plenty of times before.” Jinwoo reassured him, leaning down to press a gentle kiss on his forehead. “Stop worrying handsome. We’ll be fine I promise. Just train hard today and remember that if you go on any requests yourself to be careful. And send me a note if you do decide to leave so I know whether or not to expect you here to greet me when we return. I love you.”

Jinwoo let him go and closed the carriage door. He opened the window and leaned out with his lips puckered. Myungjun pressed their lips together quickly before doing it twice more to make Jinwoo laugh.

“I love you too JinJin. Stay safe. You too Soonyoung.” Soonyoung squeezed into the window beside Jinwoo and waved happily as Hoshi made a high-pitched squealing sound behind him. “You stay safe too Hoshi and look after these two for me.” He heard another high-pitched noise before the carriage was pulling away. Myungjun waved cutely with both hands and a pout until they were out of sight.

He sighed and made his way back into the tavern, heading straight to the bar.

Hani greeted him with a knowing smile. “It’s hard sending him off isn’t it?”

Myungjun nodded and lay his head down on the clean, smooth wood. “I know he’ll be fine. It’s only a B Rank request and he has Soonyoung there to back him up. They work so well together and are more powerful because of it. I know Jinwoo is even strong enough to handle it alone but that still doesn’t stop the anxiety eating away at me. I was told when I first started healing that one wrong move could kill a person, no matter how strong or powerful they are and that’s always hanging over my head.”

“You need a stiff drink.” Hani said, pouring him something yellow and strongly scented. Myungjun accepted it and drank it all in one go. It burned on the way down but made a nice warmth spread through his body. He decided he liked it a lot.

“Have you seen the twins yet today?” He asked her.

She nodded and pointed up at the ceiling. “They’re up there talking to your father. They’ve been up there for a while so I’m sure they’ll be down soon. Oh, nevermind, they’re here now.”

Myungjun looked over at the stairs to see Donghan and Gikwang descending them slowly. Donghan was still having trouble with his leg but he was refusing the helping hand Gikwang was offering. Myungjun thought he was just a stubborn idiot.

The twins made their way over to him, staring pointedly at the empty glass in his hand. He quickly put it down and slipped off the bar stool.

“We’re training today, and you think it’s okay to drink?” Gikwang scowled. It was the first time since Myungjun had been back from the castle that Gikwang had spoken to him and he wasn’t at all surprised to see that he still seemed to hate him.

Myungjun shuffled nervously on his feet and looked away from them. “It was one drink. I just had to send Jinwoo off.”

“I don’t want to hear your shitty excuses.” Gikwang spat. “If I catch you drinking before our sessions again, I’ll tell your father to stick your training up his ass. We’re only doing this because he told us we had too but I’m not afraid to go against his orders.” Gikwang turned to Donghan with an angry growl. “I don’t care brother. Stay out of my head.” He stormed towards the door beside the bar and disappeared through it.

Donghan sighed and looked back down at Myungjun. “Ignore him. He’s in a shitty mood today. The payment for our request that we went on with Minho has been delayed. We’ve been upstairs with your father for the last three hours trying to get it sorted. Gikwangs also pissed because his bow got snapped. It was enchanted to be unbreakable but the monster we fought tore through all of our enchants like butter.”

Myungjuns eyes widened. “That’s insane! What type of monster could do that?”

“The monsters in the foreign lands are nothing like the ones over here. They’re warped even further by all of the magic that’s practiced without restraints over there. We knew the job would be a tough one which is why we teamed up with Minho but even then, we nearly didn’t make it. I’ve been on shitty requests before but this one tops them all and now it’s been made even worse by them delaying our payment.”

Myungjun swallowed down the lump in his throat that had formed after hearing Donghan had nearly died. “Why has it been delayed? Do you know?”

“The ship that was supposed to be picking it up and delivering it to the port in Zepheholde never turned up. Probably pirates. So now our coin is sitting at the port in Amesgonie with no fucking ship to bring it over. Your father was trying to get into contact with the other ship owners he knows but everyone is too busy right now.”

“Amesgonie?” Myungjun asked curiously. “Is that the land you did the request on?”

“No. That’s just the name of the city the port is located in. The land itself doesn’t have a name because it’s not united under one King like ours.” Donghan explained before gesturing towards the door Gikwang disappeared through. “Let’s go little dragon. We shouldn’t keep my brother waiting any longer. He’s already in a foul mood so I hope you did get stronger in the castle because he won’t go easy on you today.”

*

Myungjun did well in training much to Gikwangs annoyance and Donghans amusement. Neither Gikwangs magic, nor his arrows, could get through Myungjuns improved shield of vines. Myungjun fought Donghans metal golem too, only sustaining a few injuries which were easy to fix.

Donghan praised him highly as they left the field and Myungjun tried not to show how happy that made him. “Little dragon you’re definitely stronger. Your father told us about the lessons you took at the castle and I can see its paid off. Maybe one day you really will be as strong as us.”

Myungjun grinned as they stepped into the tavern. It was busy today with nearly all of the tables occupied, and he was happy to see some of his friends sitting at their table eating lunch.

Before Myungjun went over to greet them he turned to look up at Donghan. “Thank you for today. I can see I still have some things to work on, so I’ll practice some more later tonight.”

Donghan made a noise of approval. “Let’s go on a request together soon like you suggested. I’m feeling better now after getting a good sleep last night, so you can’t bitch at me about my health anymore. Me and you would make a good team anyway.”

Myungjun opened his mouth to accept but Gikwang cut in looking enraged.

“Are you two friends now or something?” Myungjun could feel the pure jealously rolling off of him and nearly shied away. He could also feel Gikwang trying to read his mind so he forced his psychic shield up, not wanting him to invade his privacy whenever he pleased anymore and when Gikwang realised he couldn’t get past his shield he looked even angrier. “You’ve improved in more ways than one apparently. But my brother is wrong. You’ll _never_ be as strong as us.”

“I certainly seemed a whole lot stronger when your magic and your arrows couldn’t get to me.” Myungjun threw back coldly. He was sick of Gikwang treating him this way when he’d done nothing to deserve it.

Pure rage flashed in Gikwangs eyes and Donghan grabbed his arm in warning.

The whole tavern had fallen silent at this point and were watching their exchange quietly. Myungjun could only imagine what they looked like. Gikwang looked around too upon realising they were being watched and he smirked before looking back down at Myungjun. Myungjun didn’t like that look on his face, not one bit. The next words out of Gikwangs mouth made him realise why.

“So, you think you’re stronger than me?” He’d raised his voice to be heard clearly but kept his eyes trained on Myungjuns own. “Prove it. Me and you. Let’s fight for real. I went easy on you in training, but I won’t go easy on you this time.” Gikwang saw Myungjuns hesitation and grinned. It looked predatory. “What’s wrong _little dragon_? Too scared to face me? You’re the guild leaders son aren’t you? The famous _Dragon Knight_.” Myungjun bristled. He knew what Gikwang was doing. He was challenging him in front of the whole guild knowing full well Myungjun wouldn’t be able to refuse. “Maybe you are too scared.” Gikwang sneered. “I mean look at you. You went soft in the castle. You probably spent more time playing dress up then you did actually learning anything.”

“Brother that’s enough.” Donghan warned quietly. “You’re letting it take over. When was the last time you had your medication?”

Gikwang ripped his arm out of Donghans grip. He completely ignored him and glared down at Myungjun instead. “Well, what will it be? Are we going to fight or are you going to run away like the girl you so clearly want to be?”

Myungjun tried to contain his anger. He didn’t want to start shedding petals. It would just show Gikwang how much his words were affecting him, and he wouldn’t give him that satisfaction.

So, he just gathered all of his courage and stood up straight, facing him boldly and raising his voice so everyone could hear. “I accept your challenge. Pick the time and the place and we’ll settle the score between us. If you win, I’ll tell my father that you can quit being my teacher, I know you despise it. But if I win, I want to know once and for all why you hate me so much. Deal?”

Gikwang gave him an unsettling smile, flashing all of his teeth. “Deal. You’ll receive my invite to your death soon enough.”

Someone clearing their throat from the top of the stairs interrupted them. Myungjuns father descended them slowly, making sure all eyes were on him before he spoke.

“If my son and one of my strongest fighters are going to duel, it deserves its own event. _I’ll_ pick the time and the place and we can turn it into a proper match.” To Myungjuns surprise Gikwang agreed. His father finally smiled. “What type of fight were you thinking? Weapons, magic or hand-to-hand?”

Myungjun was surprised to hear himself speak. “All or nothing.”

Even Gikwang looked momentarily surprised before composing himself and nodding. “All or nothing. Let’s not half ass this.”

Myungjuns father clapped his hands loudly looking pleased. “That settles it. Weapons and magic allowed. The fight will happen within the week and everyone is invited to watch. This is a momentous occasion indeed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Myungjun Vs Gikwang?? It was bound to happen some day.  
> The next chapter, containing their fight, is one of my favourite chapters that I've ever written and I highkey LOVE Gikwang in it. wow. never thought I'd ever say that lmao


	183. Myungjun Vs Gikwang Vs The Monster.

Myungjun woke up on Saturday morning to the smell of burnt parchment. He rolled over in bed with a tired groan and picked up the notes that had landed on the pillow beside his head.

**Good morning sunshine. The journey to this request feels like it’s taking a lifetime. I miss you already and I hope you’re doing well. When I come back, I’ll shower you with all of the love you’ve missed out on okay? Send me a note back when you have the time. I love you future husband.**

Myungjun giggled as he read over the note. Jinwoo had tried to draw a doodle of them and it looked terrible. He loved it. He put the note aside before opening up the second one.

**Son, your fight against Gikwang is happening this afternoon at 5pm in the crucible. Get to the guild by 3pm and we can make our way there together.**

Myungjun tried to ignore the anxiety writhing around in his stomach. He still couldn’t believe he was actually going to fight Gikwang, one of the legendary Twin Dragons. It was one thing to spar against him in training but another thing entirely to actually fight him. Myungjun knew that he had more magical power than Gikwang, but he couldn't use it, and he also knew Gikwang had more skill and experience which were much more important.

“I shouldn’t have risen to the bait and accepted.” Myungjun whined, burying his face in his pillow. “I’m going to lose and make a fool out of myself.”

A knock at his door interrupted his wallowing and it opened up to reveal Rocky looking excited. “Good morning Hyung. Me and Sanha have just been notified that the fight is happening today. Your mother is downstairs making you a healthy breakfast and she asked me to wake you up. Have you told Jinwoo-hyung about your fight yet?”

Myungjun sighed and sat up. “No. I’ve been putting it off, but I suppose I should tell him now. Tell mother that I’ll be down in ten minutes.”

*

Myungjun stepped out of the carriage with his father in front of the crucible. It was just as big as he remembered but less busy. There were no big competitions happening today, so they didn’t have to fight against a crowd of people to get inside.

They split up to sign in and Myungjun looked around for the floating sign displaying the leaf shaped symbol of his birthmark. There wasn’t a queue this time, so he approached the window immediately to see the same woman who had signed him in before.

“Hello there. Welcome to the crucible. How can I help you today?”

“I’m here for the fight happening in the Brawlers Arena.” Myungjun answered, repeating what his father had told him to say.

“Are you fighting or spectating?”

“Fighting.”

Myungjun gave her all of his details and showed her all of his marks and waited for her to finish writing them all down.

“So, let me know if everything I’ve been given is correct. Name, Kim Myungjun. Age, nineteen. Guild, Dragon Blades. Rank, A. You’re an anomaly, a shifter and a resurrector and you’re participating in today’s match in the Brawlers Arena. Correct?”

“Correct. I also have three companions. A camellia flower, a tree entity and a monster trap. I’m also using a bow and a pair of daggers.”

She smiled. “You’ve been here before. I recognise you. You’re the Dragon Knights son.”

Myungjun nodded happily. “I remember you too.” He wanted to giggle at the way she blushed. “Am I signed in now?” He asked instead.

“You are Mr Kim. Good luck in your fight today. I hope you win.”

Myungjun gave her a little wave before walking over to his father who was waiting for him with a smile tugging at his lips.

“That young lady thinks you are very handsome.” His father said sounding amused as they made their way towards the magic terminal. “She was disappointed to see the ring on your finger when you waved.”

Myungjun grinned as he looked down at the band. “That’s why I waved. Her thoughts were loud. I didn’t want to turn her down, she seems nice.”

“And _you_ seem awfully comfortable with the thought of other people being attracted to you.” His father observed, opening up the door to the terminal.

Myungjun blushed lightly. “She’s not the first person to have such thoughts about me but I tend to ignore them. The only person I want to think of me in that way is Jinwoo.”

His father smiled and gestured to the teleporter Myungjun needed to take. “Well for now your mind needs to be on the fight. So, erase her AND Jinwoo from your thoughts. I’ll see you on the other side.”

*

Myungjun took a deep breath before walking out into the arena. Only one section of the seating above was occupied this time. The last time he had fought in here was for the Monster Brawl and the stands had been packed. However, only around thirty other Dragon Blades members were here to watch them fight.

It was still enough to make Myungjun feel sick with nerves. He’d rather fight in front of thousands of strangers whose opinions didn’t matter to him, than these few members of his guild who he’d have to see every day after this whole mess was over. He just hoped he wouldn’t lose too badly.

Gikwang was already standing in the middle of the arena looking almost bored. He was flipping one of his daggers up into the air and catching it again. Myungjun could see that his bow was fixed and briefly wondered how this match would really play out. They were both archers and fairly matched in that aspect.

Myungjun stopped a metre away from Gikwang and mumbled a greeting that he didn’t get a reply too. Gikwang just stared down his nose at him with his eyes narrowed.

**“Myungjun, Gikwang, are you ready?”**

They both gave the signal up into the stands where his father was watching.

**“Excellent. The resurrection runes have been activated so this is a fight to the death. No rules, everything allowed, you may begin.”**

Gikwang lunged at Myungjun, a move Myungjun hadn’t been expecting at all and it took all of his strength and skill to dodge the dagger aiming for his face. He’d expected Gikwang to shoot off up into the air, but he clearly wanted to fight close quarters.

Gikwangs dagger came down again at a startling speed and Myungjun raised one of his arms to take the cut as he fumbled around trying to wrench his own dagger free from the sheath on his thigh. He managed to grab hold of the handle but Gikwang was already booting him in the stomach. He went down hard feeling winded and only just managed to roll to the side to avoid the boot aiming for his face.

He needed to get Gikwang away from him for a second at least to give him time to get up and get his other dagger free.

So, he tore his vines through the ground and wrapped them around him. Gikwang made a noise of pure rage and used his brute strength to rip free. Myungjun knew his vines wouldn’t hold. They were only unbreakable when he put all of his magic into them, something he obviously needed to avoid doing.

It didn’t matter anyway because his plan worked. When Gikwang lunged at him again, he was already on his feet and wielding both of his daggers. Myungjun tried to ignore the cut to his arm which was bleeding everywhere and burning painfully. He knew he had to seal it, but it would have to wait.

They clashed with the sound of metal on metal and Myungjun whipped his daggers around, blocking all of Gikwangs attacks and attempting to make some of his own. He got nowhere close to the older male. Gikwang was bigger, stronger and more skilled. Myungjun already found himself being forced backwards across the arena and he knew eventually he’d be backed into a wall and slaughtered.

Myungjun began to shift to metal, doing it slowly enough for it not to be suspicious. Gikwang growled angrily when he noticed what he was doing and gave up with his daggers, tossing them aside and blasting Myungjun with a powerful cannon of air instead. Myungjun flew backwards across the arena and hit the wall. It crumbled behind his heavy weight and the resounding clang of metal rung around the arena. The vibrations it sent through his body made his vision blur.

Before Myungjun could stand up, Gikwang was there, picking him up off the floor despite his heavy weight and tossing him back out into the middle of the arena. Myungjun hit the floor with a grunt and scrambled to his feet. He could see that Gikwang had shifted into his own metallic form which gave him super strength.

Whilst Gikwang stormed towards him, Myungjun let go of his transformation in favour of summoning Camellia. She turned towards him and ruffled her dark red petals.

“Myungjun this is dangerous.”

“I know. I need to get him out of that transformation because even my metal shift won’t save me, he’ll just pull me apart. When he gets closer, hit him with your hallucinogenic pollen and make him believe he’s in pain. Then when he’s down hit him with poison.”

“But Myungjun my pollen didn’t work on Donghan when you fought him and his metal golem before. He said his mind was too strong.”

“Gikwangs different. Do it.”

Gikwang smirked as he closed the distance. “Whatever you’re planning with that little flower of yours won’t work. I’ll kill you Myungjun.”

“Now.”

Camellias pollen exploded in a giant cloud and washed over the older male. As expected, he went down screaming and Myungjun saw the colour of his skin change back to normal as he let go of his shift. The colour of Camellias pollen changed to purple as she covered him with poison, and he got up coughing and spluttering looking thunderous. He ran at Camellia and picked her up, ripping her in half and Myungjun felt it like a punch in the gut. She disappeared in a puff of petals and Myungjun felt his anger spike.

He summoned his monster trap next, knowing Camellia would need time to recover and he was glad he’d still practiced this spell in the Castle. His monster trap could now unroot itself and it roared at Gikwang before advancing on him and snapping its razor-sharp teeth.

Gikwang narrowly avoided having his head bitten clean off and shot up into the air, pulling his bow free. Myungjun shielded himself from the arrows that rained down with his vines and pulled his own bow off his back. He waited until Gikwang had finished trying to break through his vines before nocking an arrow and letting the vines disappear back into the ground.

Gikwang was falling down towards him and Myungjun lifted his bow, pulling the string taut and waiting for the right moment. He saw Gikwangs eyes widen and then he loosed. The arrow tore through the air and ripped straight through Gikwangs thigh.

Gikwang hit the ground with a pained grunt.

Myungjun couldn’t believe it. He’d hurt him. He’d actually hurt him. Hurt him for the first time ever. He’d never landed a hit on him before.

Gikwangs head snapped up to look at him and Myungjuns heart seized up in fear at the look on his face. He didn’t look human. Myungjuns fear only deepened as Gikwangs aura slowly emerged around him, thick and black and reeking of death.

Gikwang stood up slowly and Myungjun stumbled away when he heard the cracking of bones. Gikwang was shifting. Shifting into something Myungjun had never seen before in his life. He looked down at Gikwangs wrist to see that his shifter mark wasn’t glowing. He wasn’t shifting using that magic.

“MYUNGJUN RUN!” Donghans voice cut through his panic and he looked past Gikwang to see his brother sprinting across the arena towards them. “RUN! YOU CAN’T BE REVIVED IF HE KILLS YOU NOW!”

Gikwangs skin tore off his arms to reveal a slimy black layer underneath. His face contorted and his teeth elongated.

Myungjun didn’t wait to see anymore. He took Donghans advice and ran, feeling the ground shake under his feet a few seconds later as Gikwang gave chase.

“BROTHER NO!”

The floor disappeared from under Myungjuns feet as a pair of clawed hands lifted him high into the air. Gikwang roared behind him, a sound that tore through Myungjuns soul and Myungjun cried out in pain when the hands around him squeezed.  
“BROTHER STOP!”  
Gikwang spun them around and Myungjun saw the utter terror on Donghans face below him.

“ _Hello Donghan. It’s nice to see you again._ ” The voice that came out of Gikwangs mouth wasn’t his. It was evil, and hoarse and sent shivers down Myungjuns spine. “ _I do love it when your brother loses control. He wants to kill this one in my hands, he’s telling me to do it. Should I listen?_ ”

“No!” Donghan stepped forwards looking scared. “Please. Gikwang if you can hear me stop this. Fight it. Fight against it, I know you can do it. You don’t want to kill him. This isn’t you. I know you.”

The monster laughed loud and cruel. “ _Gikwang couldn’t fight me even if he tried. You know that Donghan. Why do you care about this one anyway? Your_ little dragon _. You haven’t cared for anyone since Yuqi. What makes him so special?_ ”

Donghan made a noise of pure rage. “Don’t you dare speak that name! Let him go you bastard. Let him go before I rip you to pieces.”

“ _You wouldn’t kill me. You know killing me would kill your brother too._ ”

“Maybe he’s better off dead.” Donghan spat. “Then he wouldn’t have to suffer being bound to a monster like you anymore.”

Myungjun resisted the urge to scream as the hands tightened around him.

“ _Think about where he’ll end up though Donghan. He’s committed thousands of sins now thanks to me. Could you really send your sweet, innocent Gikky down to hell?_ ”

Donghan was trembling and Myungjun could see how conflicted he was. When Donghan spoke his voice was soft, pleading. “Please Gikky let him go. Fight it big brother, I know you can do it. You don’t want to kill him like Yu…like Yuqi.”

The hands around Myungjun loosened slightly and he gulped in the air he needed. Whatever Donghan was doing was working.

“Bubba?” That was definitely Gikwangs voice now. He sounded young and scared “I can’t fight it I- _Listen to how cute he sounds Donghan. I bet you miss him._ ”

Donghan took another step forward looking even angrier than before. “Let him go. Put Myungjun down. You can take me instead. I know what you want. You want magical power. I have more than him. You don’t want him, he’s weak.”

Myungjuns stomach dropped. It wanted magical power? He could only hope his training with Shadow had paid off. He was hiding his power well but if this monster could sense it anyway then he was screwed.

“ _You would sacrifice yourself for this weakling?_ ”

Donghan looked up at Myungjun and nodded. “Yes. Because he’s my friend. So, let him go.”

“ _As you wish_.”

The clawed hands around Myungjun released him and he fell to the floor, landing with a heavy thud. The ground shook as the monster stepped over him, descending on Donghan who faced it boldly.

“Donghan no!”

Now that Myungjun could see exactly what had happened to Gikwang he was terrified. He’d grown three times in height, his skin was black and slimy, his hands and feet were clawed, and he was hunched over with thick black hair that travelled from his head halfway down his back. The wings sprouting out of his shoulder blades were bony and his thin tail swished from side to side. He couldn’t see his face, but he knew it had to be equally as fear inducing.

Donghan looked over at Myungjun and smiled. “Goodbye little dragon.”

Myungjun screamed as the monsters clawed hand came down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> …  
> …  
> …  
> WTF  
> Okay. Theres so much going on here.  
> 1\. Gikwang is bound to a monster that can take over his body.  
> 2\. Donghan called Gikwang 'big brother' despite them being twins so we now know Gikwang was born first.  
> 3\. Donghans nickname for Gikwang is 'Gikky' (That makes me unnecessarily soft) but he doesn't call him that often clearly  
> 4\. During the chapter where Donghan visited Myungjun in the castle and they became friends, Donghan asked for a nickname, but he also said he used to have one but he wouldn't tell Myungjun what it is but now we know why...because its ADORABLE. Gikwangs nickname for Donghan is 'Bubba'... DONGHAN=BUBBA. uwu  
> 5\. Yuqi??  
> 6\. Donghan just straight up sacrificed himself for Myungjun so we can now see how deeply he cares for him oof cuties


	184. A Curse And A Confession.

The clawed hand coming down on Donghan stopped centimetres from his head. Donghan looked up at the monster in front of him in surprise before relief took over his features and he smiled.

“Gikky you did it.”

Myungjun watched as the monster shrunk. Its tail and wings disappeared back into its body, its clawed hands and feet shrunk in size until the claws were gone all together and its hunched back straightened out. Gikwangs skin started to form, covering up the black slime, and the black hair fell off of him in clumps to be replaced by his blonde softer strands.

Donghan shrugged his long, leather coat off and wrapped it around his brother to hide his nakedness before catching him when he fell forwards.

“I’ve got you brother. You’re okay.” Donghan muttered softly, picking him up with an arm under his knees and the other cradling his back. Gikwang clung to him, shaking and mumbling under his breath as Donghan looked up at the stands.

Myungjun followed his gaze to see that Donghan had blocked everyone else off with a giant wall of impenetrable stone. He watched as the wall came down to reveal his panicked friends who raced down the stairs to see if he was okay. His father went straight to Donghan and Gikwang first. Donghan exchanged a few words with him before the ground opened up beneath his feet and he disappeared taking his brother with him.

“Bloody hell Hyung are you okay?” Dongmin asked, crouching down to peer into Myungjuns face.

Myungjun couldn’t answer. He couldn’t speak. What was there to say? Gikwang had shifted into a giant monster right before his eyes, a form that he hadn’t achieved through using shifter magic. He was something else entirely. Something terrifying and evil.

His father crouched down next to Dongmin, grabbing Myungjuns face in his hands and looking him over. “He’s in shock. Someone go and get Grace, she brought her medical kit just in case this happened.”

Moonbin rushed off to find their fellow guild member. She was another healer, mid-thirties with short blonde hair and a sharp tongue. Myungjun respected her and knew she’d be able to help him.

*

Myungjun woke up in one of the temporary accommodation rooms at the guild. He’d woken up at the sound of movement and when he squinted through the dark, he saw a big black shape standing at the end of his bed.

“Don’t freak out, it’s just me.”

Myungjun relaxed at the sound of Donghans voice and reached over to turn on his lamp. “What’s the time? Why are you here?”

Donghan scratched nervously at the demon burns on his bare arms. He was without his coat still. “It’s around three, I think. I don’t really know. I just came here because I wanted to see if you were okay.”

Myungjun smiled, sitting up properly and shuffling over on the bed, patting the empty space beside him. “Come and sit.”

Donghan looked reluctant to do so but Myungjun just patted the empty space again more insistently and he gave in. He slumped down against the pillows making the bed groan under his weight.

“When I said come and sit, I literally meant come and sit, not lay down and steal the majority of my space.” Myungjun pointed out amused.

Donghan made a non-committal noise in return and closed his eyes. “So, are you okay or not?”

Myungjun hummed thoughtfully. “Well I just witnessed your brother shed his actual skin and turn into a winged beast three times his height, which is like six times my height and utterly terrifying and had him nearly crush me to death. Then I went into shock, which by the way, isn’t a very nice feeling. And then I had to tell my fiancé I lost the fight he was so desperately rooting for me to win. So not really.”

Donghan rolled onto his side and looked up at him. “Physical injuries?” When Myungjun shook his head, he sighed in relief. “Good.”

“I would have died if you hadn’t of saved me.” Myungjun said quietly, twisting his ring around his finger. “You sacrificed yourself for me Dongie. Thank you.”

Donghan held back the smile tugging at his lips. “That’s what friends do isn’t it?” Myungjun couldn’t disagree. “I’d always save your life if I could.”

Myungjun felt his heart warm and wriggled down the bed until he was laying down facing Donghan properly. Donghan looked tired and strained and stressed. He wanted Donghan to get some sleep, but he also needed answers.

“Your brother, he didn’t shift using shifter magic. What spell did he use to turn into the monster?”

Donghan wet his lips and took a while to answer. “It’s not a spell. It’s a curse. You know the tablets I give Gikwang? They’re suppressants of sorts. They’re the only things that keep the monster sealed away. If he doesn’t take them once a week the seal weakens and its more likely to break free, especially if he gets emotional. Like today. You hit him with one of your arrows. No-ones done that to him before. They haven’t been able too. But you did it and it clearly shocked him enough to leave him vulnerable to the take-over. He can’t be vulnerable. The monster is always there, simmering at the surface and waiting to be let out. Its why he has such a bad temper. He wasn’t always like that. He was sweet and kind and liked to help people. He was just like you little dragon. But everything changed after we went on a job in the foreign lands when we were just about to turn seventeen. It was dark magic. The curse was supposed to hit me, but it hit him instead. He saved me. He always saved me. He’s my big brother. We might be twins but he was born first so he had the responsibility of always looking out for me, looking after me, making sure I was happy and healthy and okay.” Donghan paused to roll onto his back, looking up at the ceiling. “He still looks after me, he’s still there deep down. But he’s temperamental now. Snaps easily, is quick to hurt and kill. He even scares _me_ sometimes and I’m not scared of anything.” Donghan finished with a weak laugh.

Myungjun felt an immense sadness settle in his chest. “Donghan that’s terrible. I’m so sorry that’s happened to you both. Is that why your auras are black? Because of his curse?”

Donghan shook his head. “Our auras were black before. Something…worse happened before Gikwang was cursed.” Myungjun didn’t even want to think about what could be worse than a curse that awful. “But because of Gikwangs curse, his black aura is stronger than mine. You were there during the monster brawl, you saw what happened when we merged. Our twin merge makes us incredibly powerful, mixing our auras and magical energy into one greater being. We used to merge a lot on jobs. But now we can’t merge at all. If we do, it kills me. He overpowers me because of what’s inside of him and I die. We only merge now in the crucible where I can be revived. A twin merge is supposed to be something special. We become one and the feeling is indescribable, euphoric, like we were always meant to be together, just us and no-one else. It still feels that way when we merge, but there’s something darker, more sinister, underlying it now and in the end my body just can’t keep up.”

They lay in silence after that. Myungjun knew there wasn’t anything he could say to comfort him. His brother was cursed by dark magic, a ticking time bomb that could go off when he didn’t take his suppressants. He was just like Myungjun when he couldn’t control his emotions and apparently had been like him personality wise too. He couldn’t imagine Gikwang ever being like him though. He couldn’t imagine him being kind and sweet and helpful. But the voice he’d heard back in the arena said otherwise.

_“Bubba? I can’t fight it I-”_

Gikwang had sounded so young and scared and Myungjuns heart had involuntarily gone out to him. That must have been the real Gikwang. The Gikwang behind the monster.

“Dongie?” Myungjun eventually spoke up, breaking the silence. Donghan hummed to let him know he was listening. “What can lift a curse? I know that dark magic can remove demon burns because they’re caused by dark magic. So, can curses caused by dark magic be removed the same way? With dark magic I mean.”

Donghan sighed and rolled back over to look at him. “I thought that could be a cure at one point too. I even went to Shadow on the magic counsel to ask for her help, but she told me what I already knew. I’ve done tonnes of research on it over the years and I’ve read every book on curses in existence. Whenever a request comes up with a book reward on top of the coin, I take it just in case it’s another book on curses that I haven’t read yet. All the books say the same thing. Curses can only be lifted by the caster. And I killed the caster with my bare hands.” To Myungjuns horror Donghan burst into tears, loud, pained sobs that shook the bed and tore at Myungjuns heart. He’d never seen Donghan this way before and the sight brought tears to his own eyes. “I killed him, and I damned my own brother for eternity. He’s never going to be free from that monster because I killed the only cure.” Donghan choked out. He looked so small like this, small and scared and hopeless.

Myungjun didn’t know if Donghan would allow it but he reached over anyway and swiped his thumb gently over Donghans cheek, wiping away his tears. Donghan didn’t stop him, he just cried harder to the point where he was barely breathing.

Now that Myungjun knew he could comfort him, he moved towards him and pulled Donghan in for a hug. Donghan buried his face in Myungjuns chest and wrapped an arm around his waist squeezing him tight. Myungjun could feel him trembling and rubbed soothing circles into his back as he shushed him softly.

He only spoke when Donghan started to calm down. “It’s not your fault Dongie.”

“It is I-”

“It’s NOT.” Myungjun interrupted firmly, moving his hand up into Donghans hair to play with the black strands. “You wouldn’t have killed the caster if you had known the truth back then would you? Exactly. You didn’t know he was the key to lifting the curse and it’s NOT your fault that you didn’t know that either…There must be another way to help him.” Myungjun took a deep breath before making what would probably be the biggest mistake of his life. “I need to tell you something. About me. I think I might be able to help.”

Donghan pulled away from his chest with a sniffle and blinked up at him with a frown. “How could _you_ help?”

Myungjun wiped the rest of the tears from Donghans face, taking his time to build up the courage to speak his next words. “Donghan what I’m about to tell you cannot be told to anyone else. Promise me you’ll keep my secret. I’m only telling you because you’re the only other person I know who has a perfect psychic shield. No-one will be able to find out this information if you hear it. Promise me.”

Donghan looked confused. “I promise I guess.”

Myungjun breathed out lightly in relief. “I’ve not been completely honest with everyone since coming back from the castle. I hadn’t been completely honest before leaving for the castle either. I left for the castle for two reasons. One, to become a better healer and two, to get help with my magic. You don’t know about this because you weren’t there for my teams match in the crucible and you weren’t there when it happened again on my rite of passage. During the monster brawl, after watching my friends and Jinwoo die, I completely lost it. I had what I’ve self-dubbed a ‘power shift’. My magical power erupted, and I killed one of the dragon bosses by myself. Then when I went on my rite of passage, I killed a fully-grown dragon with my vines alone. The species that’s black and immune to fire. I crushed it to pieces.” Donghan pulled away from him to sit up, so Myungjun sat up too.

“Are you being serious?” Donghan asked, a hint of disbelief in his tone. “If this is a joke Myungjun it’s not funny.”

“I’m not joking.” Myungjun said quietly. “I can summon thousands of vines, heal broken bones and wounds in a matter of seconds and shapeshift instantaneously. I spoke to the magic counsel and they told me my magic ranked at SS. Transcendence.”

“Prove it.” Donghan said stiffly. “Prove it so I know you’re telling the truth.”

Myungjun swallowed before shifting. He turned to metal and back again in the blink of an eye. “Is that proof enough?”

“Holy FUCK.” Donghan swore, staring at him with wide eyes. “How the fuck is that even possible? Why can’t I sense your magical energy?”

“My power isn’t bound by the laws of magic, it transcends all reason, all planes of existence. I can hide it if I want to. I’m hiding it now. I’ve been hiding it ever since I came back to the guild. I can’t let anyone know about it. Not just because it would put me at risk of assassination, but because I’m bound by a contract with the magic counsel to keep quiet. If they find out I’ve told you, I’ll be punished. I already know my punishment. Death. They’ll kill me Donghan so you can’t tell anyone. You promised remember.”

Donghan opened and closed his mouth a few times, clearly speechless. “What the…does Jinwoo know? Your father?”

Myungjun shook his head sadly. “I can’t tell them. Like I said, I’m only telling you because you have a perfect psychic shield too. You can keep people out of your head so no-one will ever find out. It’s been a secret that’s weighed down on me heavily. Only the King and the magic counsel know about me. They helped me release my power and then stuck me in a cell until I learnt how to control it.”

“They locked you up?” Donghan asked with anger and a hint of concern in his voice. “Why?”

Myungjun gave him a small smile. “Because I was a danger. I’ve been a danger my whole life without really knowing it. I was just like your brother. I had an immense power hidden inside of me waiting to burst free. It was triggered by my emotions too. I’ve always had problems with my emotions in the past. I used to have these things I called ‘slips’ in the academy. I beat Jinwoo black and blue one time and then nearly strangled him to death another time. My violent outbursts were a side effect of my pent-up magic. I used to get triggered by the mere thought of my father because my heart felt so betrayed by him. That was the key to releasing my power. My heart. Leaf told me that my heart was blocked, and I needed to find a way to unblock it. It made sense. The blockage in my heart made it stop once and I died. Like really died, right in front of Jinwoo no less. I had to be resurrected and when I woke up, I found out he’d tried to kill himself because of it. There was another time I was badly affected by my pent-up magic too. I was doing my dungeon examination and I had to face the demons I told you about before, the ones I fought to save my town. I faced them without Jinwoo there to protect me. My face got coated in their blood and I completely lost it thinking I was going to be permanently disfigured. I killed Rocky. I actually killed him, my own friend. I didn’t mean too. Just like how I didn’t mean to kill Hyejin during the battledome. Well I did, but I didn’t mean to kill her so brutally. I’d slipped then as well and became a completely different person. That’s why she tried to break me and Jinwoo up, to get back at me. But those are all just examples of why I was dangerous, why I needed to be locked up in that cell.”

“Well how did you ‘unblock’ your heart then?” Donghan asked with his eyebrows furrowed. “That sounds painful.”

Myungjun laughed. “It was painful. I woke up one night after having a terrible nightmare and went to seek comfort from a friend of mine called Grey. However, when I made it to his room, he was…preoccupied. So, I left him alone and my feet took me out into the royal gardens. I still don’t know why I went there but I sat down amongst the rose bushes and was overwhelmed by their whispers. That’s another side effect of my power. I can hear plants around me without the need for touch. So, before I could even touch them, I heard their words. They kept repeating the same thing. Danger, danger, danger. And then I looked up at the castle. I don’t know how I knew to look there either but what I saw terrified me. An assassin was scaling the wall heading straight for Leos room. I rushed over to try and pull him down with my vines, but they didn’t reach with the amount of power I had been wielding back then. I ran into the castle instead, screaming my head off for the guards and it didn’t matter in the end. They weren’t quick enough to react. By the time I got to Leos room the assassin was already on his window ledge, ready to cast his dark magic at him. I did the only thing that came to mind. I tackled him straight back out the window.” Myungjun laughed at the look on Donghans face. “I know crazy right? We fell and the assassin stabbed me over and over again until I was sure I’d be dead before we hit the ground. So, I let go of all of my fears, worries, negative feelings. I wouldn’t need them in death after all. They trickled away like water until they were just, well, gone. My heart was free and unblocked and that’s when my power was released. It pumped painfully a few times before settling down and I shifted right before we hit the floor. When I let go of my transformation the world seemed so bright and when I looked down, I realised it was me. My magic was so strong my skin was glowing like the sun. Then the whispers hit me. Voices of everyone in the castle, everyone outside of the castle walls, all of the people and all of the plants. I could feel everything the plants in the royal gardens were feeling and I became so overwhelmed my vines exploded. I’d only summoned hundreds in the crucible and on my rite of passage, but after unblocking my heart I had thousands. They crept up the castle walls and engulfed it completely. You’ve seen how big the castle it. That’s how powerful I was then. However, I know that I can cause even more destruction if I feel like my life is in actual danger. I’d probably annihilate the whole city.”

Donghan groaned and rubbed a hand over his face. “I can’t believe this is happening. You’re a literal god trapped in a midget’s body.”

Myungjun squawked angrily and hit him. “I am NOT a midget. Stop calling me that! I’m perfectly normal in height. YOU’RE the one with height issues Mr eight-foot wall of muscle.”

Donghan snorted in amusement before falling silent. When he looked back up at Myungjun he looked serious. “I have one more question.”

“Go ahead.”

“What else did this contract with the magic counsel make you promise?”

Myungjun sighed. “A lot. One, I can’t take up arms against the Kingdom and harm any innocents or they’ll kill me. Two, if Aredrinnor is ever in real danger I have to be there to help them fight against it no matter what I’m currently doing at the time or where I currently am. Three, I can’t tell anyone about my power. Four, I’ve been marked with a tracking rune, so they know where I am at all times on Aredrinnor. It’ll deactivate outside of it though. And my final condition was to stay in the castle until I’d learnt to control my power regardless of how many years it took. I was lucky it only took just over one.”

Donghan scowled. “You’re being tracked? That’s-”

“A total invasion of my privacy.” Myungjun finished for him. “Yeah I know. I told them I needed to tell Jinwoo at least because he’s with me all the time and I had to lie to him about that too. I told him it was because I became a resurrector and-”

“Wait.” Donghan interrupted looking exasperated. “You’re a resurrector as well?”

Myungjun twisted around to show Donghan the angel wing on the back of his neck. He turned back around to grin at him. “Surprise I guess?”

“I think I need to lay down.” Donghan said weakly, falling back down against the pillows. “I’m sleeping here, and you can’t stop me. You’ve drained me of my will to live. I can’t move for the next twenty-four hours at least.”

Myungjun laughed and got under the covers. “Turn off the light then.”

Donghan turned to look at him with a scowl. “I’m not sharing a bed with you. Piss off and find your own room.”

“This was my bed to begin with, so if anyone should move, it’s you! You’re the one who woke me up.” Myungjun threw back indignantly. “Any anyway, I share beds with all of my friends, so this isn’t anything new.”

“You do?” Donghan asked sounding genuinely surprised. “Doesn’t Jinwoo get jealous? From what I’ve seen he’s a jealous guy. He glares at anyone who so much as looks your way. Including me. _Me_. No-one glares at me. They know I’ll rip their face off for it but Jinwoo is literally that jealous he doesn’t care.”

Myungjun giggled at the thought. “JinJin doesn’t mind me sleeping with the others. I don’t get to do it so much anymore with ‘wonnie and Seokkie because they moved into their own room in the city which they STILL haven’t invited me over too, but I do take naps with them during the day up here if we’ve just come back from a request and need to recharge. I share beds with my other friends when I can. I even squeezed onto Sanhas top bunk with him a few nights ago to sleep next to him. It helps me stay closer to everyone. Jinwoo admitted that he does feel a bit sad when he has to sleep alone at night, but he understands how I am. All of my friends know I’m the clingy type and welcome me with open arms.”

Donghan was looking at him like he was an alien species. “Wow I’ve never heard of anyone doing that before.” He cleared his throat awkwardly. “So, does this mean we can share a bed tonight? I really don’t want to move.”

Myungjun went to nod but hesitated. “What about Gikwang? Don’t you need to get back to him?”

“Shit.” Donghan said sitting up quickly. “I forgot. Yeah you’re right.” He got up off the bed before turning back to Myungjun. “Wait. You said you could help me lift his curse. How?”

Myungjun sat up, mentally facepalming at how he’d gotten so side-tracked. “Well my magic seems to know no limits. So, I’m sure there’s something I can do to help. I don’t know what that will be yet, but I’ll help you Donghan. I’ll help you find a way to save your brother. He’s been nothing but evil to me, but now that I know it’s because of this curse, I can forgive him enough to help find a cure. I’ll save him. I’ll bring your brother back.”

Donghan smiled. A genuine smile full of warmth. “Thank you little dragon. You really are the best friend I’ve ever had. Now get some sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow okay?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MYUNGJUN TOLD DONGHAN I'M SCREAMDIFJDHFJ  
> Donghan now holds Myungjuns life in his hands. If he lets it slip to anyone else, or tells the magic counsel he knows then Myungjun is dead. Myungjun trusts Donghan with his life wow.  
> Donghan turning up in the middle of the night to check on Myungjun is ultimate friendship goals tbh
> 
> But the curse though...poor Gikwang. He saved Donghan and took the hit himself and now it's turned him into a monster :( Donghan must feel so guilty for that on top of killing the only cure and he has to live with that guilt. He quite literally ruined Gikwangs life, but like Myungjun said, it wasn't his fault
> 
> But Dongie crying though? That shit hurts. He must have been holding that in for a long time poor Bubba


	185. Little Sister.

Myungjun was down in the tavern, eating his breakfast, when Donghan dumped himself into Jinwoos empty seat at the table. Myungjun looked up at him in surprise. Donghan never sat with him, especially when his other friends were there.

All of the individual conversations that were happening around the table ceased immediately.

“Hello little dragon.” Donghan said, pointedly ignoring everyone else. “You’re coming with me today so hurry up and finish that.” He didn’t wait for permission and just helped himself to some of Myungjuns food. He chewed it a few times before grimacing and spitting it back out onto Myungjuns plate. “On second thought, fuck the breakfast. I’ll take you out for lunch later, come on.” He stood up, lifting Myungjun to his feet and dragging him towards the stairs.

Myungjun was utterly bewildered. “Uhhh good morning to you too? Where are we going?”

Donghan spoke without looking down at him. “We’re going to check all of the job boards to see if any of them offer book rewards and take it. If not, we’re going to my place so I can show you all of the books I currently have on curses. You’re going to read them all and save my brother like you promised.”

Myungjun sighed. “Donghan I don’t think I’ll be able to save him just by reading a few books. You already told me that all of the books say the same thing anyway.”

“Yeah but I might have overlooked something.” Donghan replied, dragging him towards the local requests board and letting him go. Myungjun rubbed the sore skin on his arm with a pout but helped him look anyway.

It took half an hour to search all of the guilds job boards and Donghan sighed when they had to leave empty handed. “Let’s go to my place. We’ll terraport there. Me and Gikwang used to live in the city but we moved further out a few months ago.”

Myungjun was alight with curiosity. He’d always wondered what sort of place the twins would live in. He imagined a dungeon. With lots of torture implements.

One thing made him pause. “Won’t Gikwang be there? Is it okay for me to just come over like this?”

Donghan scoffed. “It’s my place too. I can invite anyone I like. But no. Gikwang isn’t there. He disappeared last night. He always leaves for a while after being taken over by his curse. He says it’s to clear his head. I think he’ll be gone for longer this time though because he feels guilty for nearly killing me.”

They stepped outside of the tavern doors and Donghan opened his arms. Myungjun cuddled up to him and squeezed his eyes shut as the ground opened up beneath them. They fell for a long time, longer than Myungjun was used to, and when they landed, Myungjun pulled back with a groan.

“I hate terraporting. It always makes me nauseous. Just how far out did you move anyway?”

“Open your eyes and you’ll see you dumbass.”

Myungjun opened them and gasped. He forgot immediately about his nausea as he looked at the wide expanse of water that stretched toward the horizon. “I’ve seen this before. My practical skills teacher in the academy sent me here in a hallucination. This is the sea isn’t it? This is what the sea looks like?”

“You’ve never been to the sea before?” Donghan asked with a frown. “Why not?”

“Haven’t had the chance.” Myungjun answered absentmindedly. “Can I go touch it? Is it safe?”

Donghan snorted in amusement. “Of course it’s safe. You can go over to the beach later and touch it all you want. But first, you need to turn around. My house is behind you.”

Myungjun spun around to look and quirked an eyebrow at what he saw. “You live in a cottage? That was not what I was expecting.”

“What were you expecting?” Donghan asked as he opened up the little gate and walked down the cobbled path.

“I don’t know. A big fancy mansion I guess.” He kept the dungeon idea to himself. “A cottage seems almost too cute for you. Do you even fit through the door?”

Donghan spluttered out a laugh. “Of course I fit through the door. It’s not that small.” Upon approaching the door, Myungjun could see he was telling the truth. The cottage itself was a lot bigger than it looked at first glance. Donghan pulled out a set of keys and unlocked the door. “Take off your shoes. I hate mess.”

Myungjun bent down to untie the laces on his knee-high boots and slipped them off. He stepped inside and looked around. There was a lot of white. It was white and clean, almost sterile. All of the walls were bare and there was no clutter of ornaments or keepsakes. It looked unlived in. Myungjun put his boots on the shoe rack and followed Donghan into the living room. It was spacious and empty except for an unlit fireplace, a sofa and a coffee table.

“Sit.” Donghan ordered him. “I’ll be back down in a second with my books.”

Myungjun sat down on the white sofa feeling a bit awkward as Donghan left the room and thundered up the stairs. He looked around with a frown. Homes were supposed to looked lived in and display all of a person’s good memories and show off their personality. But this…

Myungjun heard multiple pairs of feet coming back down the stairs and looked over to see Donghan coming back with a stack of books, followed by his two golem companions who were carrying even more.

Donghan dumped them on the coffee table and the others soon followed. He dismissed his companions and slumped down on the sofa beside Myungjun. “Get reading then.”

Myungjun scowled at him. “I’m not a slave you know. I’m here to do you a favour, you should at least say please.”

Donghan had the grace to look a bit guilty at least. “Sorry. _Please_ can you fulfil your promise and help me save my brother? Starting off with this pile of books.”

Myungjun nodded feeling satisfied and picked up the one at the top of the nearest pile.

**1000 ways to curse your enemies**

Myungjun rolled his eyes and opened it up to the first page, knowing he’d be there all day.

*

Donghan interrupted him around lunchtime to remind him that he’d said he’d treat him to lunch. Myungjun put the book down that he was reading and followed him outside where they terraported back to the city.

They were quick to find a place to eat and asked for a table tucked away out of sight from prying eyes and curious ears. After they’d ordered their food Donghan cleared his throat to speak.

“So, did you find anything useful?”

Myungjun shook his head. “Not anything I think will help me, but I did read something interesting. One of the books said that the dark magic that creates a curse can spread and affect others.”

“It’s true. Remember when we were down in the sewers under Whitebrook? I told you back then that being around dark magic for too long can negatively affect you.” Donghan reminded him. “It happened to me before by being around Gikwang and its still happening now. It’s why I can sometimes be an ass. Before we officially became friends, you said to me that I was nasty to you and that I looked like I enjoyed hurting you in anomaly training. I told you that it wasn’t me and this is what I meant. The dark magic inside of Gikwang seeps out when he’s not concentrating enough on keeping it contained and I’ve been exposed to it for so long that it makes me act just as evil sometimes. I know it’s not really an excuse for how I treated you before, it was still wrong of me and I won’t deny the fact that if I’d tried to fight it, I could have overcome it. I just didn’t want to. Being evil and violent keeps people away from me. But it’s also why I have a perfect psychic shield now. The dark magic would seep into me and the monster would get into my head. It would manipulate me and make me do bad things. It was worse at night. Me and Gikwang share a bed, have done ever since we were little, and when I was asleep, I was the most vulnerable. I used to have these nightmares and…it doesn’t matter, they’re not important. Eventually I couldn’t take it anymore. I learnt how to strengthen my shield and would practise it endlessly until it became strong enough to keep the monster out. He still gets in sometimes but it’s not as bad as before.”

Everything Donghan had just said explained a lot to Myungjun and it made him realise that maybe he’d judged Donghan too quickly in the beginning. It wasn’t his fault he had to live with his brother and be exposed to that evil magic every day.

“Donghan why don’t you just live apart from your brother?” Myungjun asked. He had a feeling he already knew the answer to that question anyway.

Donghan looked up from his hands with a frown. “I’m not leaving him. I’m never leaving him. I caused this mess; he’s cursed because of me so he’s my responsibility. He looked after me ever since we were children, ever since our-” Donghan quickly looked away. “He looked after me and now it’s my turn to repay the favour. With me there I can remind him to take his medicine and alert him when he loses focus and lets the dark magic seep out. I’d have to be even more evil than he is to leave him alone just for my own benefit.” Donghan looked back at him with hard eyes. “If Jinwoo got cursed and it was your fault would you leave him?”

“Never.” Myungjun said quietly. The thought alone made his stomach churn uncomfortably.

“Exactly.” Donghan said before sighing. “It’s not like Gikwang hasn’t tried to make me leave before though. He’s even ran away a couple of times to separate us, but I always find him, or he always comes back to me. We’re one person. Being apart from him makes my soul ache and I know he feels the same way. He’s the only person I ever want close to me.”

Myungjun swallowed thickly knowing he was just about to ruin the mood even further. “Dongie can I ask you a question? You’re not going to like it. In fact, you’re not going to even answer it and you’re going to get angry with me, but I need to ask it regardless.” Donghan looked apprehensive but nodded anyway. “You said to me before that you didn’t want people to get close to you because bad things happen when they do.” Myungjun took a deep breath before blurting it out. “Who’s Yuqi?”

The effect was immediate. Pure rage flashed in Donghans eyes and Myungjun felt the anger rolling off of him so powerfully he shied away.

“Don’t you dare ever-” Donghan growled, gripping the edge of the table tight as the ground beneath them started to shake. He squeezed his eyes shut and Myungjun could hear his thoughts loud and clear.

_Control it. Control it. Control it._

A few seconds later Donghan opened his eyes and breathed out shakily. The vibrations underneath them ceased. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. It’s a reflex.”

“It’s fine.” Myungjun said quietly. “I told you that you’d get angry. You don’t have to answer me. I’m sorry for asking.”

Donghan let go of the table and wiped the splintered wood from his hands. “Yuqi…Yuqi was special to me and Gikwang.” Donghan looked up at the ceiling and Myungjun could see that his eyes were suspiciously wet. Donghan blinked a few times and when he looked back down, they were dry, and he looked determined. “She was a member of Dragon Blades. She was special to us. She wasn’t special in the way you’re probably thinking though. She was young. A trainee. Young and beautiful and kind. She had plant magic just like you and she grew the prettiest flowers. White calla lilies.”

“Beauty, innocence, magnificence and purity.” Myungjun said quietly. Donghan looked at him questioningly. “That’s what white calla lilies represent.” Myungjun explained, watching the way Donghans eyes filled up again. “Our flowers represent us. She was definitely special.”

Donghan swiped at his eyes and swallowed loudly. “She was. She was orphaned so we loved her like our own little sister. She was so selfless, had so much love to give. She used to carry this stuffed toy around, a bunny, it went with her everywhere no matter what she was doing. It used to get so terribly filthy that me and Gikwang had to pry it out of her hands to give it a bath.” Myungjun smiled at the thought. “She would give everyone in the guild flowers every day, but she always saved the best for us. She was gentle and liked to sing and had the most angelic voice. That’s what she was. An angel.” Donghan made a strangled noise in the back of his throat that sounded like pure pain and he looked down at the table. “And now she really is an angel. She died. Gikwang killed her and it was all my fault. It happened after Gikwang was cursed. He was even more volatile back then when he was learning how to take control. He didn’t have his medicine back then to help either. The only thing that _did_ help was Yuqi. She always brought him back when he lost it. He relied on her, more then he relied on me. I thought it would be okay to leave them alone. Gikwang accepted a request in a town a few days away and he was allowed to take her as a trainee. He asked me to come, begged me, but I turned him down saying I couldn’t be bothered and that they’d be fine by themselves. But something happened out there and he lost control. She wasn’t able to stop the monster this time. He came back to the guild carrying her body.”

Myungjuns heart clenched painfully in his chest as Donghan choked on a sob. He reached across the table to take his hand. “Dongie you don’t have to tell me anymore.”

“I want to.” Donghan said, looking up at him with something akin to desperation in his eyes. “I need to. I need to tell someone. Please just listen to me. I can’t stop thinking about it. About her body. She was so tiny and there was so much blood. Gikwang was hysterical. I hadn’t seen him like that in a long time. Your father took her, ran all the way to the castle carrying her trying to get to Gabriel in time but it was too late. Her soul was already gone. The magic counsel got involved and threatened to lock Gikwang up, but your father stepped in and stopped them from taking him. Even though he’d killed Yuqi, your father still defended him and was the one to find the suppressants that he takes now. That’s why me and Gikwang are still here at Dragon Blades. We would have left. Its…hard, being at the guild now that she’s gone but we owe your father so much.”

“That’s why Gikwang didn’t fight him when he was told to help me train.”

Donghan nodded, giving his hand a squeeze. “You asked me once before why my brother hated you. He hated you the second he laid eyes on you because you remind him of her. Of the sin he committed. You remind _me_ of her as well. I almost couldn’t believe it when I first saw you. You give off the same aura, the same vibe. She grew plants in the guild greenhouse too and you even sit at the same table, in the exact same chair, that Yuqi used to sit in when we’d eat together. You’re kind like her and gentle and beautiful and you love unconditionally. I’m drawn to you because of it. I wanted to be your friend because of it. I know that’s wrong. I know I should have wanted to be your friend because of who you are as a person, not because you remind me of someone else. But that’s how I felt in the beginning. Things are different now obviously. I know you’re not her. You’re Kim Myungjun, the Dragon Knights son. Not Yuqi the orphan girl.” Donghan paused to take a shaky breath. “I used to get so angry when you denied being my friend. Yuqi was my friend, my little sister, so why weren’t you? That’s what I thought. But it helped me realise that you weren’t her, that you’re not her and that you’ll never be her. You’re not my little sister Myungjun. You’re my little dragon.”

Myungjun wanted to reply but their food was finally brought over and Donghan pulled away from him. Myungjun could see the way Donghan physically closed in on himself and he knew their conversation was over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ‘You’re not my little sister Myungjun. You’re my little dragon.’ Shut up I’m not crying you are…TT
> 
> Donghan is literally carrying so much guilt with damning Gikwang and then not being there to stop Yuqis death even when Gikwang begged him to go with them. How Donghan’s coping with that I don’t know (he probably isn’t lets be real) 
> 
> Myungjuns father is the real MVP though. He knew Gikwang didn’t mean to kill her and risked everything to keep him out of the magic counsels clutches and helped him find his medicine :(
> 
> The little bit of random info that the twins live in a cottage and still share a bed is so cute to me? But can you imagine how damn big that bed would have to be to fit those two giants sjksjsk


	186. The Hot Chocolate Insult.

Myungjun spent days holed up in the twin’s cottage, reading through all of Donghans books on curses and making notes whenever he read something that seemed important enough to remember. He easily grew used to how white everything was in their home. White and empty and sterile. The complete opposite of the twins themselves.

What he couldn’t get used to was what was just outside of their four white walls. He still hadn’t been down to the beach yet, he still hadn’t touched the sea, but he heard it. Donghan liked to keep the windows open to let the calming crash of the waves on the shore and the distant cry of gull’s filter through.

It was peaceful but Myungjun was desperate to go to it. To touch the endless expanse of water. Would it be cold? Would it be warm? He already knew what it smelt like. The smell drifted through the windows. Something completely new. Everything felt new out here. New and fresh.

Just like their relationship. He and Donghan never revisited the conversation they’d had at the restaurant, but it had definitely changed things between them. Donghan had opened himself up to him and whether Donghan liked it or not, it made them closer.

Myungjun knew Donghan still had a lot of dark secrets. But he was happy with the way their relationship was now. He didn’t need to know everything, and he was happy to wait until Donghan was ready to tell him. If he was ever ready to tell him.

Myungjun sighed happily as he stretched his legs out across the white sofa, feeling the warm sun on his skin and hearing the distant melody of the sea. The light netting framing either side of the window nearby was fluttering gently in a light breeze that carried with it the scent of salt and brine. He hadn’t felt this at peace in a long time.

“Little dragon?”

Myungjun looked up from the book he was currently reading to see Donghan holding out a steaming mug. Myungjun took it and when he looked at what was inside, he whined happily.

Donghan snorted in amusement and lifted Myungjuns legs off the sofa so he could sit down too. When he was settled, he put Myungjuns legs back down on his lap and looked over at him.

“I can’t believe you drink hot chocolate at this time of the year. It’s basically summer.”

Myungjun sipped at the sweet, warm liquid and wiggled in his seat in pure delight at the yummy taste. “Hot chocolate is not bound by the laws of the seasons Dongie. It’s a delicacy that should be enjoyed all year round.”

Donghan spluttered out a laugh. “A delicacy? You’ve clearly got a screw loose. It isn’t even that nice.”

Myungjun gasped and clutched the warm cup to his chest. “You take that back! It’s not my fault you’re an uncultured swine with a poor set of taste buds.”

“ _Uncultured swine?_ Do you have a death wish little dragon?” Donghan scowled, grabbing hold of one of Myungjuns ankles and wiggling his fingers dangerously close to the sole of his foot. “I will literally tickle you until you can’t breathe. And then you’ll suffocate. And then I’ll laugh and burn all of your shitty hot chocolate over your grave.”

Myungjun scowled right back. “Tickle me and I’ll pour all of my _shitty hot chocolate_ over your lovely white sofa. I know you hate it when there’s a mess. Can you imagine how messy that would be? Do you really want that?”

Donghan hummed thoughtfully for a few seconds before shrugging. “I can always get a new one.”

Myungjun squealed as Donghan tickled him and it took all of his willpower not to spill his drink. Donghan was laughing as Myungjun tried to set his cup down on the coffee table and when it was safe Myungjun found himself being tickled harder than before.

“Dongie stop!” He shrieked out between giggles, trying to yank his foot away and smacking at Donghans arms.

“You’re trying to hit me now?” Donghan asked with an eyebrow raised. “Oh you _definitely_ have a death wish.”

Donghan yanked him further down the sofa by his ankles and moved them around until Donghan was on top of him, grabbing Myungjuns wrists in a one-handed, crushing grip and pinning them above his head. Myungjun tried to wriggle free but Donghan had him trapped and was smirking down at him looking very pleased with himself.

“Are you going to apologise?”

Myungjun pouted. “I have nothing to apologise for! This all started because you insulted my hot chocolate you meanie.”

Donghan grinned at his whiney tone. “Yeah but you called me an uncultured swine _and_ smacked me. You have more to apologise for then I do. So, get apologising or I’ll tickle you even more. You’re trapped now. You won’t be able to get away even if you tried. I wonder how long it would take to tickle someone to death. Should we find out?”

“I’m sorry!” Myungjun squealed as Donghans hand darted to the side of his ribs. “I’m sorry Dongie don’t tickle me! I don’t want to die. If I die, I can’t help you save your brother remember. So, let me go before you make that mistake.”

Donghan pretended to think about it and laughed at the huff Myungjun gave in return.

Myungjun liked hearing him laugh. He sounded younger, more carefree. Myungjun also liked watching him laugh. His eyes crinkled at the corners like Jinwoos and the sight was comforting.

When Donghan stopped laughing he looked down at him quietly. They were close like this. Myungjun could smell the scent of his skin mixed with the scent of the ocean. He decided he liked that too.

The arms pinned above Myungjuns head had lost all feeling a long time ago, but he didn’t mind. He didn’t mind much as long as Donghan was happy. He wasn’t happy often enough so when he was, Myungjun wanted him to stay that way.

When Donghan finally spoke, he did so quietly. “Little dragon I-”

Someone clearing their throat made them both look around startled. Gikwang was standing in the doorway with his arms crossed glaring at them.

“You have five seconds to explain to me what the fuck is going on here before I come over there and tear you both in half.”

Gikwangs threat seemed a thousand times scarier after seeing him turn into a monster and Myungjun whimpered in fear as Donghan let go of his wrists to stand up. He stood in front of the sofa hiding Myungjun from view.

“Brother you’re back. How are you feeling?”

“Cut the crap.” Gikwang spat. “Why is he here? In _my_ house?” Myungjun heard Gikwang cross the room. He sat up quickly, trying to rub some feeling back into his numb arms and unconsciously moved closer to the back of Donghans legs. A loud thump echoed around the room and Gikwang growled. “You’re still reading this shit? I told you to get rid of them Donghan. Get him AND these books out of here.”

“He can help.” Donghan said quietly. “Myungjun can help us.”

It was silent for a few seconds before Gikwang laughed, high and cruel. “Is that what he’s told you? You believe him? Pathetic. You’re even further gone then I thought. He’s not Yuqi Donghan. Stop fucking trying. She’s _dead_. He’s not her. I’m sick of you following him around like some lovesick idiot. He’s not your friend. You don’t need friends. You just need me.”

“Brother please he really can-”

“I SAID GET RID OF HIM.” Gikwang bellowed. “GET RID OF ALL THESE FUCKING BOOKS. GET IT INTO YOUR THICK SKULL THAT YOU CAN’T SAVE ME. I’M FUCKED DONGHAN. I’M NEVER GETTING BETTER. WE’LL NEVER GET THIS THING OUT OF ME. HOW MANY FUCKING TIMES DO WE HAVE TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION?”

Myungjun got up shakily and peeked around Donghan at his brother. “Gikwang I can help. I want to help. Please-”

Gikwangs eyes snapped down to look at him and Myungjun could see pure hatred burning hot in their depths. “If you’re not out of my house by the time I come back I’ll gut you and strangle you with your own intestines. Don’t fucking try me Myungjun. My brother might have fallen for your charms, but you don’t fool me. You can’t help me. You’re a nobody. A worthless piece of shit that isn’t worth my time. I told you once before to stay away from my brother or I’d snap your neck, but I let you off after Donghan begged me not to hurt you. But now I’ve come back to see you eye-fucking him on my couch. I feel sorry for your boyfriend. Oh no wait. I feel sorry for your _fiancé_. I wonder how he’d feel knowing you’ve been fooling around with my brother behind his back. You’re a cheap, nasty whore that dresses like a bitch to seduce weak men like Don-”

Donghan stepped forwards and punched him straight in the face cutting his angry onslaught of words short. The crunch was shockingly loud. Gikwang stumbled back and reached up stunned to touch his broken nose.

“I swear to the fucking Deity Gikwang you better learn how to control that monster inside of you. You’re not even _trying_ anymore. You’re letting it take over and at this point I’m starting to believe that maybe it really has been you all along. Maybe this curse just brought out who you really are. A nasty, vicious _prick_.” Donghan was trembling as he turned around to grab Myungjuns arm. “Let’s go.”

Myungjun let himself be dragged from the room and looked back one last time to see the tears in Gikwangs eyes. He didn’t look angry anymore. He just looked scared and sad and confused. Myungjun watched his lips form the word.

_Bubba?_

*

Myungjun sat opposite his father in his office and twisted his ring around his finger as he spoke. “Gikwang won the fight against me in the crucible. We made a deal beforehand on the prizes for the winner. We agreed that if he won, he could stop training me. I’ve already spoken to Donghan and he said he’d still like to be my trainer, but it’s become impossible now for Gikwang to continue. He hates me, has hated me since the very beginning and our relationship has reached a point where I’m no longer safe around him.”

Myungjuns father sighed and sat back in his chair. “I knew this day would come eventually. I just hoped he would have been able to contain his emotions for long enough to see you reach S Rank. There is a reason as to why Gikwang acts that way but-”

“I already know.” Myungjun interrupted, watching the way his father’s expression changed to one of surprise. “Donghan told me everything. He had to after Gikwang shifted during our fight. I know everything. I know about his curse, about how there’s no cure, about their little sister Yuqi, about how she died, about you helping Gikwang and about how Donghans still working tirelessly to save him. Hearing Donghan explain everything has answered a lot of the questions that had been bugging me about them. I know the twins are warped by dark magic, but I also know why they’re still here. They’re not evil. Not deep down. I can understand why you didn’t kick them out. However, Gikwang is still too dangerous for me to be around now. So, I’d like for you to tell him that he is relieved of his duty as my mentor. I can learn well enough under Donghans guidance alone.”

His father was quiet for a few seconds. “I must admit I am rather…surprised that Donghan has opened up to you in such a way, but it makes sense. He must have told you then about why he was able to do such a thing?”

Myungjun nodded. “He says I’m like her.”

“You are in many ways.” His father said, leaning forwards to rest his elbows on his desk. “I’ve watched the way your relationship has changed and progressed with Donghan and it was clear to see in the beginning that he was drawn to you in the hopes of somehow reliving his relationship with Yuqi. However, that changed completely when you came back from the castle. He treats you differently now and refers to you as his ‘friend’. I’m happy to see he has found someone else to rely on other than his brother, but it also worries me at the same time. He cares deeply for you, that is plain to see, but he also cares deeply for Gikwang. With you at odds against one another he is stuck in the middle. Donghan is already under a lot of pressure as it is. He is Gikwangs carer, he is pushing himself day and night to find a cure and he must look good doing so. He is one of the legendary twin dragons and has an image he must uphold. Trying to remember all of these things at once is immensely stressful for him. I’ve known him longer then you and I can see how it is slowly wearing him down. I fear it won’t be long before he breaks all together and when he does, we’re all in trouble.”

Myungjun bit his lip nervously. He’d never thought about how much pressure Donghan would be under trying to juggle all of those things at once. Donghan never looked particularly happy but he never looked terribly stressed either. He was doing a good job of covering it up and Myungjun knew that was more for Gikwangs sake than anything else.

Myungjun spoke a little more with his father before taking his leave and walking down to the tavern deep in thought. There was only one way to help relieve Donghan of some of his stress. He had to find a cure for Gikwang, and he had to find it soon. If not, Donghan was going to crumble completely and the mere thought was terrifying.

_I’ll help them. No matter what it takes._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dongjun are adorable together and its so nice to see them getting along and play fighting like actual friends.
> 
> Donghan punching Gikwang though? Oof. Gikwang did cross a line by turning their play fighting into something less innocent and then insulting Myungjun in such a way…It’s just hard to be mad at Gikwang now knowing its not really him saying it. *sigh*
> 
> With these last few chapters, we can really see how much Donghan is struggling. Not only with his immense guilt but all of the stress he’s under with his brother and trying to cover it all up and maintaining his image as one of the legendary twin dragons. No wonder he’s always so grumpy and angry


	187. Choi Minho.

**Good morning sunshine. The request with Soonyoung is going well. We’re a day away from Zepheholde now. The ‘important person’ turned out to be some rich old man who’s scared of bandits. We’ve not had any trouble at all, so I’ll be able to come home injury free. Yay! I’ll be home in two weeks. I hope you’re okay and I hope you’re not still beating yourself up over your fight. Even though you lost, you’re still a winner to me because you were brave enough to face him and accept his challenge. I wish I’d been there to see Gikwangs face when you accepted. I bet you looked so strong and brave. I would have kissed you right there and then. Anyway, I’m rambling. I really do have nothing to do it’s terribly boring. Soonyoung is still trying to teach me the spell to summon my own companion but I’m still completely lost. I’d love to have my own companion though because Hoshi is really cool (But not as cool as Camellia don’t worry). When you have time today, I’d like to hear from you. Tell me everything that’s been going on since I’ve been gone. I’d love to read it. The longer and more detailed the better to pass the time. But until then, I love you future husband (I still can’t believe I can actually say that now)**

*

Myungjun was in the stable beside the guild grooming Princess. He’d just finished combing her mane and was cleaning up all the mess he’d made. She nickered softly when he came back into her stall and leaned down to bump her forehead against his own. He giggled and nuzzled her back.

“You’re welcome Princess. Should I saddle you up and take you out of here?” She whinnied and Myungjun grinned, going to pull down the golden saddle from where it was hung on the wall outside. He came back in and put it on her, remembering how Leo had taught him to do it, and when he was done, he stood back with a satisfied sigh. “You look beautiful all white and gold. Let me go and get your bridle and reins and then we can go.”

Five minutes later when Myungjun was satisfied that she was comfortable enough and ready to ride, he led her outside and onto the street, looking left and right to make sure there were no carriages coming their way.

He hooked his foot into the stirrup and hauled himself up. “I swear you’ve grown again.” He huffed as he gathered the reins in his hands and looked down. “I keep getting higher off the ground.”

“Little dragon?”

Myungjun looked over at the tavern doors leading into the guild to see Donghan eyeing him and Princess curiously. Myungjun waved him over and Donghan approached but froze as Princess snorted and shied away from him.

Myungjun calmed her and looked over at Donghan with a sigh. “I think she can sense the dark magic on you. Either that or she’s apprehensive because you’re a literal giant.”

Donghan snorted in amusement before looking them over again. “I didn’t know you knew how to ride a horse. You look even more like royalty now.”

Myungjun smiled. “I’ll take that as a compliment. Although I distinctly remember you saying that I looked like a pompous twat the first time you saw me dressed like this.”

Donghan grimaced and looked away. “I didn’t mean it. I don’t know why I said it. I think you look good like that honestly. Leo must really like you to have spent so much on you.” Donghan looked back at him and scanned his clothes. “I know for a fact that they were tailored specifically for you and I know for a fact that the silk shirt your wearing is worth at least one and a half million coins.”

Myungjun gasped and looked down at the blush pink fabric with wide eyes. “Really? That’s insane! I have like fifty different shirts that he gave me.” Myungjun looked back up at Donghan horrified. “I’ve been wearing these on _requests_. What if I got them dirty? This shirt alone is worth more than the savings I have!”

Donghan shook his head looking disappointed. “Wow Myungjun I can’t believe you. How could you wear such a thing whilst you work? Absolutely disgraceful.” Donghan barked out a laugh at the sad pout on Myungjuns face. “I’m only joking. Where else would you wear them anyway? It’s not like you get out much. And like you said, you have plenty more, so even if you get one dirty it wouldn’t be a terrible loss. There is something called _washing_ clothes as well you know.”

Myungjun rolled his eyes. “I know that you idiot. Anyway, I’m going to show Princess more of the city now. What are you doing?”

“Princess?”

“My horse.”

“Oh. Well I’m going to look for a new request. I haven’t worked in a while and I need to make some extra coin for Gikwangs medication, we’re running out. If you hurry up and get back to the guild within the hour, I might take you with me. You need the coin as well don’t you?”

Myungjun nodded eagerly. “I’ll be back soon. Pick a good one.”

*

When Myungjun got back to the guild exactly an hour later after a pleasant ride through the city, he spotted Donghan at the bar talking to Minho. Myungjun still hadn’t been formally introduced to him yet so he skipped over there now to do so.  
Donghan saw his approach and smiled. “You’re back right on time little dragon.”

Minho turned around on his bar stool to look at him. “Hello. You must be Myungjun. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Myungjun accepted his hand and held back the squeak of pain he wanted to let out as Minho shook it. He had a firm grip.

“It’s nice to meet you too Mr Choi. Everyone has said good things about you. You’re an S Rank right?”

Minho nodded with a hint of pride. “Have been for the past ten years. No doubt you’ll be S Rank soon too. Your father praises you highly. He told me that you’re the guilds third anomaly, a healer, a shifter _and_ a resurrector. Is that true?” Now it was Myungjuns turn to nod with pride. “What magic type are you?”

“Plant.” Myungjun answered, baring his wrist to show off his leaf shaped birthmark.

“You have a companion that I’ve heard a lot about. Can I see it?”

Myungjun summoned Camellia and stroked her fondly. “Her name is Camellia. A female companion.”

“Female?” Minho asked curiously, peering closely at her like he’d find the answer in her petals.

“Yes. She reflects the fact that I’m more in tune with my feminine side I guess.”

Minho looked back up at him and hummed thoughtfully. “In all my years of travelling I’ve never seen this happen before and I’ve met plenty of people who are more in tune with their feminine, or in a woman’s case masculine, sides yet their companions haven’t been the opposite gender. I think there must be a different reason for this. Unless it is just simply a phenomenon that cannot be explained.”

“Strange…” Myungjun didn’t really know what else to say on the subject so he changed it. “I need to thank you anyway Mr Choi. I heard you met my fiancé and helped him with his magic. He’s A Rank now thanks to you and I’ve never seen him wield his magic so confidently.”

Minho dismissed the gratitude with a wave of his hand. “It was nothing. I saw Jinwoo and Soonyoung out in the field fighting each other and saw their flaws and weaknesses. If anything, I was just being picky. They were good students, quick to listen and quick to learn. Your fiancé is a remarkable man. He improved rapidly and in turn helped Soonyoung along too. I was so impressed that me and the twins offered to take him along on the request we took across the sea, but he declined. He said he wanted to travel across the sea for the first time with you. Even the coin wasn’t enough to sway him.”

Myungjun smiled feeling his heart warm. Jinwoo really was so thoughtful and lovely. “I do have one more question. About the clothes Jinwoo and Soonyoung wear.”

Minho laughed. He had a nice laugh, the type that made Myungjun want to laugh too. “You’re referring to the tank tops that they’ve cut all the way down the middle I’m guessing? That was my idea. Jinwoo had a terrible habit of shedding his tops and walking around the guild half naked, a habit that rubbed off on Soonyoung. He told me he found it uncomfortable to wear so many clothes, especially as his magic grew stronger. I could understand that. As fire users we don’t feel heat like the rest of you do, but it is still an uncomfortable feeling when our skin isn’t allowed to just breathe. Stifling or suffocating would be a better way to describe it. He was complaining about it so much one day, I asked Hani for some scissors and cut it open to shut him up. Jinwoo ended up cutting all of his tanks open after that. It may still cover his back, but the heat can escape out of the front this way so he’s more comfortable. I’m sure you’re not complaining anyway, Jinwoos body is very easy on the eyes.” Minho teased with a small smile.

Myungjun flushed and jolted in shock when Donghan barked out a laugh. He’d forgotten he was there.

“That’s enough chatting. We have a request to go on little dragon.”

*

**Hey JinJin. I’m glad to hear that you’ve had no trouble on your request. I’m going on my own one with Donghan, but we’ll probably be back in time for your return. Nothing much has happened here. I looked after Princess a lot and Hani taught me how to man the bar properly. It’s so fun pouring drinks but I did smash two glasses which she wasn’t very happy about. Oops! I also met Minho and he seems nice. There’s not much progress between Sanha and Rocky. Sanha is still too mortified about cuddling him and crying when he tried to leave. Very cute. Moonbin and Dongmin have been discussing the possibility of getting matching tattoos. I told them that it wasn’t a good idea. Dongmin would probably cry at the pain and we all know how Moonbin gets when he cries. He’d probably punch the poor tattooist in the face. I’ve been pestering Hyungwon and Hoseok, trying to get them to invite me over so I can finally see their room but they’re acting awfully suspicious. Youngjae has been acting suspicious too. He’s been disappearing a lot recently and I could have sworn I saw a love bite on his neck, but he was quick to run when I mentioned it. Wonho has told me about how he’s thinking of selling his bookstore and returning to a life of fighting. He said fighting with us in the crucible reignited his passion and he can’t deny it any longer. Maybe he’ll even join Dragon Blades if father deems him worthy. We’ve had more applicants this week as well and fathers turned down every single one. He really is quite harsh, but I can understand why. I haven’t seen Leo at all, but Grey hasn’t sent me any notes so I’m not too worried. I’ll probably visit Leo when I come back and maybe you can come too and finally see his library. Mother is fine as well. She finally heard back from the job interview she went on and she was ecstatic to tell me that the florist hired her. She works so hard looking after my flowers at home when I’m not around, so I know she’ll do a good job. There’s not much else for me to say other than the fact that I miss you a lot. You’d think I’d be used to missing you by now, but it never gets any easier. We should go on a date when we see each other again, in the park, under the tree where you asked me to marry you. We could have another picnic date just us two and I’ll cook this time. It won’t taste as nice as your cooking, but it will do. I really should stop writing now. Donghan is getting annoyed because I’m ignoring him. I hope this letter was long enough to keep you occupied for a little while! I’m even adding a sketch I drew of you from when we first met. I drew it this morning and you can show Soonyoung what you used to look like. You were very cute it makes me giggle every time I sort that far back through my memories. But anyway, I’ll send you a note when I’ve finished my request so that you know I’m safe. I love you my handsome fiancé (I still can’t believe I can say that either!!)**

Myungjun sent his letter through the ground and looked up at Donghan who sighed dramatically in relief.

“Finally. I thought I was going to die of old age waiting for you. Why did you need to send him something so long anyway? You’ve only been apart for what, two weeks? Your life isn’t that exciting Myungjun.”

Myungjun scowled and picked up his bag. “I have _lots_ to tell him because unlike you I actually have more than one friend.”

“Ouch. Put your claws away little dragon or I won’t tell you about the surprise I have planned.” Myungjun immediately perked up making Donghan laugh. “You’re so easy to please. We’re making a quick stop before we head out for this request. Then I’ll be terraporting us to the town closest to the village we need. I’ve never been to the village our actual request is in before so I can’t terraport us straight there. We’ll have to get a carriage. But first, the surprise. Hold on tight little dragon and prepare yourself. You’re about to meet our children.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our children? Dongjun children? I’M SO EXCITED. Its rather easy to guess what their children are if you think about who THEY are :D


	188. Our Children.

Donghan terraported them to a dense forest that hummed with magical energy. Myungjun let him go and stepped away from him to look around. Lush greens and browns surrounded them smelling earthy and comforting. Myungjun reached over to the nearest tree and was confused to feel its apprehension.

“The forest is uneasy.” He observed aloud. “Does it have something to do with this magical energy? Why are we here Donghan?”

“I told you, it’s a surprise.” Donghan said looking uncharacteristically excited. “Follow me.”

Myungjun adjusted his bag and followed after Donghan who was striding between the trees. They came out into a clearing, a very familiar looking clearing and Myungjun felt his anxiety spike. The last time he’d been here he’d cried over his father’s broken body.

“Donghan why the hell have you brought me back here? I don’t want to be here. I never wanted to see this place ever again.”

Donghan ignored him and strode across the clearing until they reached the trees on the other side. Then Donghan led them deeper, stepping over exposed tree roots and breaking noisily through the underbrush.

There were no animals. Myungjun hadn’t seen or heard any when they’d first arrived either and when the trees started to thin out again, he realised why. Myungjun looked up and up an up at the gargantuan mountain in front of them that stretched so high up into the sky it disappeared into the clouds. The magical energy was stronger here. A lot stronger. Donghan didn’t stop, he just led them over to the biggest cave opening Myungjun had ever seen. Donghan could stand on his own shoulders twenty times over and he still wouldn’t reach the top. The uneasiness in Myungjuns stomach grew as they approached it.

The uneasiness hit its peak when he saw what was inside. The floor was littered in bones. No fresh flesh clung to them so Myungjun knew there hadn’t been any monsters here in a long time. Donghan followed the path through the bones that had already been cleared and Myungjun hurried to catch up.

Donghan stopped after a minute and Myungjun bumped into his back. When Donghan turned to look down at him he was grinning.

“Say hello to our children.”

He stepped aside and Myungjun gasped. A nest. A BIG nest. A nest full of black eggs that rippled red when the light hit them just right.

“What…what are they? What will they hatch into?” Myungjun already knew but he needed to be sure he wasn’t dreaming.

“They’re our children. I’m a dragon, you’re a little dragon, they’re baby dragons.”

Myungjun swallowed thickly and climbed up into the rocky nest to touch the closest one. It was cold. “Aren’t dragon eggs supposed to be warm? I learnt all about them in the academy.”

“The cold ones won’t hatch. They didn’t make it. You killed their mother on your rite of passage, the big one that nearly killed your father, so they had nothing to keep them warm. Me and Gikwang separated the ones that are alive to the ones that died. Only three out of the thirteen survived. The three in the centre over there around the fire.”

Myungjun looked over to see a magically made fire crackling away in a large pit. Surrounding the pit were three of the eggs. Myungjun could see the difference between them and the ones that had died. The eggs that survived shined and pulsated with energy.

“That energy is what’s creeping through the forest and scaring away all the wildlife.” Donghan explained, striding over to them. “I bet you didn’t feel the energy last time you were here. That’s because they weren’t ready to hatch yet. Different species of dragons take different lengths of time to hatch. This species, the species that’s immune to fire, takes longer than most. A lot longer. Around five years I think and the fact they’re nearly ready now means they were born around three years before you killed their mother.” Donghan stopped in front of one. It came up to his waist in height. He placed a hand gently on its hard shell and gestured for Myungjun to come over and do the same.

The egg came up to Myungjuns chest in height when he was standing in front of it. He hesitantly placed his hand beside Donghans own and breathed in sharply at what he felt. It was hot and the magical energy that was seeping out of it was thick and promised danger.

“You and Gikwang have been caring for them?” Myungjun asked, looking up at him. “Why? All dragons are dangerous but these…Donghan they’re deadly.”

Donghan looked way too happy for Myungjuns liking. “They are. We’ll be unstoppable when we train them.”

Myungjun just stared. Train them? We? Was Donghan insane? “Donghan you can’t train a dragon. It’s a wild beast. We’re in danger already. If we’re here when they hatch, they’ll kill us.”

Donghan scoffed. “You don’t know a lot about dragons for someone who claims to have ‘learnt all about them in the academy’. The academy clearly didn’t teach you much.” He ignored Myungjuns scowl and continued. “When dragons hatch, their mothers are there to be the first things they see. If they see us first, they’ll think we’re their mothers. As long as we bring them food, they won’t try to eat us, and they’ll feel loyal to us because of it. I’ve seen it before. There’s a whole world out there beyond the sea little dragon. People have learnt to tame all sorts of wild beasts and me and Gikwang happened to come across a land where they tamed dragons. We can teach you. Three of the eggs survived for a reason. Two for the twin dragons and one for the little dragon. We were meant to have them.”

Myungjun groaned. Donghan was definitely insane. “Look, even if everything you just told me is true, you’re missing one of the major issues here. Gikwang. Your brother hates me. You two have been caring for these dragon eggs for years so _why_ would he willingly give me one? And _why_ would he teach me about taming them when he doesn’t even want to help me with my anomaly training?”

“It was already decided that you would have the third one a long time ago. Gikwang might hate you and he might be an evil bastard, but he never goes back on his word. Remember when Gikwang saved your father? He disappeared after he helped you get him into the carriage didn’t he? It’s because he heard a commotion coming from this cave and he wanted to check it out. He didn’t know there was a nest inside at that point. All he saw was another dragon and he killed it. Then he entered this cave to see the eggs and realised the dragon he had killed was their father meaning they had no parents left to look after them. He tried to save them all, but they eventually died off one by one. He didn’t tell me about them straight away but when he did, I told him I wanted to give you one too. It was after I saw you at the castle and after we became friends. I won’t lie, it took a lot of convincing but even Gikwang knows we won’t be able to handle three when they do eventually hatch. Even if Gikwang decides he really doesn’t want to teach you, I can. I will.”

Myungjun sighed and stroked the hot shell. “Donghan you do realise how insane this is don’t you? Even if we did train them, and they grew to love us and be loyal to us, where would we even put them? They’re not like horses, we can’t just stable them and leave them to it. They’re going to grow monstrously large. They’d be shot down by Leos ballista around the cities walls if the guards caught sight of them and that’s not to mention the other threats they would face. People would try to kill them, and requests would be posted to all of the guilds on Aredrinnor to take them down. We’ll grow attached and have to suffer with that loss.”

“People wouldn’t try to kill them.” Donghan replied with the utmost certainty. “We’ll let everyone know early on that we have dragons. Who in their right minds would go against me and Gikwang? You know how famous we are and you’re just as famous now too. We’re members of Dragon blades and you’re part of the founding family. Your family is well respected in this land which makes you well respected too. People wouldn’t cross us I’m sure of it. It’s not against the law to keep dragons as pets either.”

“Probably because they know that no-one in their right minds would ever think of doing such a thing anyway.” Myungjun muttered under his breath.

Donghan ignored him. “And as for where to keep them, you’ve seen where me and Gikwang live. We live in the middle of no-where. We moved that far out for this very reason. We’re already prepared for this. So, stop being such a fucking downer. You have to admit that the thought of having your own dragon is pretty badass.”

Myungjun knew how amazing it was to have a dragon. He’d raised one in the academy. He’d loved her dearly and had even expressed on multiple occasions that he wanted one of his own for real one day. But now that the opportunity had actually arisen, he didn’t feel so sure anymore. He’d always been told that his copy of a dragon didn’t compare to the real thing and that alone made him apprehensive.

“It’s…a nice thought, but I’m really not sure about this Donghan. It’s going to take so much work and we’re both stretched thin already as it is. I know for a fact that you’re struggling under your own responsibilities so why add another to that list?”

Donghan smiled down at him. “This is a responsibility that I’m actually HAPPY to take on. It wouldn’t feel like a chore. And it would be even more bearable if you did it with me. If anyone was going to make a good dragon handler, it would be you. You can shift to an unmeltable metal in an instant and you grow unbreakable, fireproof vines. You were meant to do this Myungjun. You told me before that everything happens for a reason so you can’t argue with me either. You could have been taken anywhere else for your rite of passage, but you came here. To this forest. In these mountains. With this nest. And in turn you lead my brother here so he could find them. Three eggs survived, only three. You can’t tell me that this doesn’t sound like fate.”

Myungjun bit on his lip nervously. He hated to admit it, but Donghan was being terribly convincing and he could feel his resolve wavering. “What about food? What will we feed them?”

“I’ll handle getting the food.”

“What happens if we’re all away on jobs and can’t look after them?”

“We’ll take them on jobs. We’ll train them for combat. They’re not just there to look pretty. It’ll be like having our own personal bodyguards. Like I said, we’ll be unstoppable…not that you really need that anyway little dragon.”

Myungjun couldn’t think of any more excuses to say no so he just sighed. The look on Donghans face told Myungjun that he already knew he’d convinced him.

“How long until they hatch?”

Donghan looked back at the egg and rapped his knuckles on the shell. To Myungjuns shock something rapped back.

“Not long now.” Donghan answered, grinning with all his teeth.

*

Myungjun was woken from his nap by Donghan shaking him.

“Wake up little dragon we’re nearly at the village for our request.”

Myungjun stretched with a groan and slumped back against the leather seat of the carriage. “What request did you end up choosing anyway? I didn’t bother reading the form when I signed it.”

“You came all the way here with me without knowing what we were actually doing? Are you an idiot or something?”

Myungjun shrugged. “I told you to pick a good one and I trust you did.”

Donghan dug around in his coat for the request parchment and held it out.

Myungjuns eyes widened when he looked at the letter circled in the corner. “We’re doing an S Rank? I’ve never done an S Rank before, they’re so dangerous!”

Donghan snorted in amusement. “Have you forgotten who you are Mr SS Transcendence? You’re more than capable of doing this with me. In fact, I’m sure this will be easy AND we’ll make a lot of coin. Take a look at the reward.”

**Reward: 5,000,000 coins + A Seed**

Myungjun would have squealed at the high reward if the second part hadn’t confused him so much. “A seed? Like a plant seed? What one?”

Donghan shrugged. “Who knows. It must be good though. That’s why I chose this one. I’m going to take three million and you’re going to take two and whatever that seed is. And before you start bitching, one million of what I’ll get is going towards Gikwangs medication.”

Myungjun swallowed down what he was going to say. “I wasn’t going to argue.” He muttered instead. He looked at the parchment again to see what they would be doing. “We’re tracking a member of a dark guild? I don’t know a lot about dark guilds.”

“Dark guilds are guilds that aren’t legally registered and are usually full of thugs and rapists and murderers, the scum of Aredrinnor in other words. They take on mainly assassination requests and requests to invade cities and towns. They’re bad news and a lot of S Rank requests are about tracking them down and killing them before they can cause any more harm. There are five main dark guilds in operation currently and a bunch of other lesser known ones. They keep popping up all over the place like infections on this land and I’ve lost track of the number of them that me and Gikwang have wiped out already.” Donghan gestured to the parchment in Myungjuns hand. “That woman is from a lesser known guild. The Gravecrawlers. She’s rumoured to be their necromancer and apparently, she’s planning something big. We need to stop her before that happens. I’ve only met one other necromancer before and they’re nasty pieces of work. Resurrection is one thing but necromancy? Vile.” The carriage pulled to a stop and Donghan sighed. “Let’s go and find an inn and then go and get some lunch, I’m starving.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DONGJUNWANG ARE GETTING DRAGONS HELP ME BREATHE. DAENERYS TARGARYEN WHO??
> 
> I’ve been wanting to do this ever since Myungjuns dragon in the academy. I didn’t get to write a whole lot about her, so I wanted to write more now.
> 
> Also, I'm writing chapter 210+ and Myungjuns and Donghans dragons still have no names...someone help TT


	189. The Temple Of Nightmares-Part 1.

“So, we now know that our necromancer was last seen entering a temple deep in the jungle half a day’s ride from here.” said Donghan. They’d just spoken to the people who had posted the assassination request. The villages chieftain and the head of the villages law enforcement. “We won’t be able to get a carriage there but now that I know you can ride a horse too; we’ll hire a couple.”

“You know how to ride a horse?” Myungjun asked, looking up at him with an eyebrow raised. “I can’t imagine you on a horse. It would have to be a big one.”

“Do you have a height complex or something little dragon? You sure do mention it a lot.”

Myungjun looked away from him with a pout and focused instead on where they were heading. The village they were in was interesting. Instead of houses, the people lived in huts made of wood and plants which Myungjun guessed they’d harvested from the nearby jungle. The inn they were staying at was the same. Just a larger version of the huts themselves with beds made of leaves. Myungjun had lain down on it after dumping his bag in his room and decided it was comfier than it looked.

The people were interesting in this village too. The men and women alike were completely bald with symbols and patterns painted over their heads. A small child ran past them wearing what seemed to be a skirt made of leaves and Myungjun watched him run into one of the huts only to be chased out a second later by a woman with a crudely cut wooden spoon.

Myungjun waited at the edge of the gated field as Donghan paid for their horses and he led them over to Myungjun with a smile tugging at his lips. They were both dappled brown and looked strong.

“I asked for the biggest two they had. I know you’d only sulk if I got you a small one and think I was insulting your height again. Also, I bought them outright, so we don’t have to return them.”

Myungjun looked up at them and realised why Donghan was holding back a smile. They were massive. He knew he’d struggle getting up and he knew that Donghan knew it too.

“You’re a jerk Dongie.” Myungjun swallowed down his pride and stared at Donghans chest as he asked his next question, completely avoiding his face. “Can you help me up?”

“Only if you say please.”

Myungjun growled angrily. Stupid Donghan and his stupid teasing. “Can you help me up _please_?”

Donghan stepped forwards and picked him up with his hands around Myungjuns waist and settled him down onto the saddle like he weighed nothing at all.

“You could have just grown taller.” Donghan unhelpfully pointed out before sitting astride his own horse. “Bet you feel like an idiot now.”

Myungjun _did_ feel like an idiot, and he also wanted to smack his annoying friend. “I’ve never met someone so aggravating.” Myungjun whined before gently nudging the horse and setting off at a trot.

He’d been riding for ten seconds before Donghan called out to him. “You’re going the wrong way!”

Myungjun was definitely going to kill him before the day was up.

*

Myungjun slowed his horse down to a walk as they approached the edge of the jungle. The canopy of trees was dense, and he could see the vibrant colours of the different plant life littered between them. There were some plants he didn’t recognise at all and he was desperate to go and touch them.

However, he knew that probably wasn’t a good idea. He knew enough about plants to be wary of them. Some plants could stun or paralyze just by touching them and others could kill if their pollen or spores were inhaled. He made a mental note to mention this to Donghan when they stepped inside the jungle. He didn’t need Donghan going down because he got curious.

“Are we travelling on foot from here?” Myungjun asked instead, watching Donghan dismount his horse.

Donghan nodded before approaching Myungjuns and helping him down. “I know I said you could have just grown taller, but you should really save your magical energy. I have a feeling this is going to be a tough fight. I know we both have energy revive herbs on us, but we don’t know if we’ll get the chance to use them. So, if we do have to fight, use your magic wisely. Just because you’re SS Rank, doesn’t mean you’re skilled enough yet and you could end up draining yourself too early. Stay beside me and act as my back-up okay?” When Myungjun gave his confirmation, Donghan turned to look at their horses. “They’ve just done half a day’s ride. We need to find them some water or they’ll struggle getting us back. Let’s hope this jungle has a river.”

Myungjun let Donghan lead both of their horses through the trees. It was slow going but necessary. Myungjun knew Donghan could just terraport them back to the inn after they were finished for the day, but he didn’t think Donghan could terraport them PLUS the horses. Myungjun asked if he could anyway and Donghan confirmed his suspicions.

“I can only terraport living things up to a certain weight. These horses are too heavy.”

They walked in silence after that, not finding much to talk about. Donghan would stop every so often to feel for vibrations in the ground and after half an hour of searching they finally came across a river. It was flowing slowly and on closer inspection it looked clean enough to drink. They let the horses drink from it before securing them against a nearby tree.

Donghan turned to Myungjun with a frown. “You can feel that too can’t you?”

Myungjun could. The dark magic. He’d felt it as they approached the water. “I think it’s coming from the other side of the river. We’re looking for a necromancer, right? Gabriel told me they resurrect using dark magic so it must be her. We should go and check it out at the very least. Let’s go.”

Myungjun made a bridge with his vines to cross the river and they moved quicker through the forest now that they weren’t slowed down by their mounts. Donghan pressed a finger to his lips, telling Myungjun to be quiet as the dark magical energy became thicker and more prominent. The trees were thinning out and they hid behind one, peeking around its trunk at the temple in front of them. Pyramidal and made out of green and blue blocks. Plant life grew densely up the walls. Myungjun could see weird statues flanking the entrance. He could also see torches blazing inside, lighting up the place.

However, the last thing he saw made him tense. A blanket of thick black smoke was creeping along the floor, coming out of the temple itself. He knew it wasn’t smoke from a fire. It was like the smoke that Shadow would sometimes produce when performing her dark magic spells.

“You can come out.”

Donghan growled angrily at the unfamiliar voice. “We’ve been spotted.” He stepped out from behind the tree and Myungjun followed close behind. “We’ve revealed ourselves. You should do the same. Its only polite.” Donghan called out, looking around.

A boy, no more than thirteen years old, emerged out of the black smoke. He had white hair and white eyes, with thin black pupils. Snakes eyes. Myungjun shivered at the sight. It was unnatural at best. All he was wearing was a skin-tight pair of shorts that looked to be made from dark snakeskin.

“He might be young.” Donghan muttered under his breath. “But don’t let your guard down, and don’t hold back. You can use your full power here.”

Myungjun nodded but froze at the boys next words.

“Hello Kim Myungjun. Son of the Dragon Knight.”

“How do you know his name?” Donghan asked, a hint of anger in his voice as he stepped in front of Myungjun to hide him from view. Myungjun peeked around him anyway to see the boy tilt his head to the side. He never blinked and it was starting to freak Myungjun out.

“I’ve seen him before. He killed my pet.”

Myungjun and Donghan both tensed as another shape slithered out of the black smoke at the temples entrance. A giant snake. Exactly the same as the one Myungjun and Jinwoo had killed on their last request. Myungjun knew now what had made that snake so large before. This boy.

The snake wrapped completely around the boy’s body, leaving his arms free and resting its head on his shoulder. He petted it absentmindedly.

“Why did you do that to them?” Myungjun asked, stepping out from behind Donghans back. “Why did you warp them in such a way? It’s cruel. They’re living creatures.”

The boy tilted his head again, his gaze piercing. His tongue darted out to wet his lips. A snakes tongue. He shrugged. “I like them. They’re very useful. They’ve been stealing all of the pets in the surrounding towns for our ritual. They can devour them whole. They’re incredible animals.”

“What ritual?”

“The ritual to bring an important person back. A very important person.”

Donghan scoffed. “We’re not going to let you bring anyone back. You dark guild wackjobs are a bunch of fucking psychos and whoever you bring back will be just as bad. We don’t need people like you infecting this land. Now Myungjun.”

Donghan sprung to action, pulling his greatsword off his back and plunging it into the earth. It shot up into the sky and his metal golem fell down. He summoned his rock golem out of the ground and sent them both after the boy. He followed them and Myungjun focused on pulling his bow off his back and nocking an arrow, running down the treeline to find a place to get a better shot.

He needn’t have bothered. Donghans metal golem was the first to reach the boy and he brought his fist down hard and fast. The boy, and his snake, disappeared into a puff of black smoke. Illusion magic.

Donghan turned to look for Myungjun and his eyes widened in shock when they landed on him. “MYUNGJUN WATCH OUT!”

Before Myungjun knew what was happening, a deadly hiss came from behind him and he screamed in pain as the snake dug its fangs into his leg. This was the real snake. It was huge and engulfed his leg completely.

The last thing Myungjun saw was Donghan sprinting towards him looking panicked before the ground opened up beneath his feet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Myungjun nooo D:
> 
> Donghan being an annoying little shit at the beginning of this chapter makes me laugh. What a brat.


	190. The Temple Of Nightmares-Part 2.

When Myungjun and the snake landed on solid ground again, it immediately wrapped around his body, pinning his arms to his sides. He cried out in pain when it squeezed, and the sound echoed.

He opened his eyes to see they were inside what he assumed was the temple. The room they were in looked like some sort of ritual chamber and four people were present.

Myungjun had landed closest to the boy whose snake was currently crushing him. The boy was sitting in a pit containing more serpents of a variety of sizes and colours and he was letting them bite and feed on him. His face wore an expression of peaceful pleasure and it freaked Myungjun out even further.

Myungjun tore his eyes away from the disturbing display to look at the next person. A man with bright purple hair and black lips. He was handsome and dressed in tight black leather trousers and a tight purple cropped top that exposed his hard abdominal muscles. He wasn’t even looking at Myungjun. He was looking down at his black nails seemingly uninterested.

There were also two women in the room. One Myungjun immediately recognised as the necromancer they were sent to assassinate. Even if he hadn’t already seen her picture on the request, he would have known she was their target. She was drawing a magic circle made of runes in the centre of the large chamber and muttering under her breath.

The final woman was the most disturbing of all. She was sitting at the head of a long table in a high backed, regal looking chair. Her dress was bright pink and frilly, and her heels were adorned with pretty pink and white bows. She wore her pink hair in bunches and had a big chunky crystal nestled against her throat. She was sitting up straight and drinking delicately from a teacup. She looked almost kind. However, when she put the teacup down Myungjun could see a dark red smear over her lips. He wanted to be sick. She was drinking blood.

Myungjun had never seen a weirder assortment of people in his life. He knew they were all from the same guild, the Gravecrawlers. Their guild marks were visible. The boy had his on his shoulder, the purple haired man had his on the side of his stomach, and the two women had theirs on the backs of their hands. The symbol of their guild was a tombstone being climbed by a spider. That made them even more terrifying.

Myungjun was ripped out of his fear induced thoughts by the young boy speaking up.

“I have brought the Dragon Knights son. The twin dragon is currently outside fighting off my snakes. He won’t be joining us anytime soon.”

Myungjuns stomach sank. Donghan was too busy fighting for his own life to save his. He needed to stall for time so Donghan could get to him and rip this stupid snake from his body so he could actually fight.

Myungjun cleared his throat trying to get their attention. He wanted to appear brave, but his voice still wavered. “How do you know who I am? How do you know that I’m the Dragon Knights son?”

“We’ve seen your pictures before.” The pink woman spoke up, turning her gaze from her teacup of blood to him. Her voice was light and simpering. “Your face is all over our request boards. You have a sizeable bounty on your head sweetheart.”

Myungjun was shocked. There were requests out there for his assassination? Why? No-one knew of his magical power so it couldn’t be that. And who would want to kill him anyway? The only two people he could think of who hated him enough to possibly attempt murder were Gikwang and Hyejin, but even then, he didn’t think they would go as far as posting requests to dark guilds. They’d want to do it themselves if anything.

“Who posted the request?” Myungjun asked, wincing as the snakes hold tightened around him.

“The King.” The pink haired women said simply.

Myungjuns eyes widened in shock. No. He wouldn’t. “Leo wants me assassinated?”

The pink woman laughed, and it was soon followed by the laughter of the others. Even the disinterested purple man made a noise of amusement.

“Leo? You mean that fake King who sits on his throne pretending he has power?” The pink woman giggled. “No. Our King is the _true_ King. The _only_ King. The only King we will ever loyally serve.”

“Leo is the true King.” Myungjun threw back through gritted teeth. “He resides in Voredans castle. The people look up to him, love him and listen to his laws and judgements.” Their laughter was beginning to anger him. “Who is your King then? What’s his name? Where does he reside?”

The pink woman got up and crossed the room toward him, her heels clicking on the stone floor. She stopped in front of him and she was the same height as him in her heels. She was smiling, her pink lips stretched out over her teeth. Myungjun could smell the metallic scent of blood on her breath.

“You do not need to know the name of our King. You are unworthy.” She reached out and raked a white pointed nail down his cheek drawing blood. She brought the blood smeared nail to her lips and sucked on it humming happily. She then leaned in and licked a stripe up his face, gathering more of his blood on her tongue. Myungjun wanted to be sick all over again. “Yummy. You taste so sweet. Mind if I drain you of a cup? I haven’t tasted blood so sweet in a long time.”

Myungjun bristled. “Touch me again and I’ll kill you.”

Her face turned unfriendly in an instant but before she could speak the purple man spoke up sounding just as uninterested as he looked. “Stop playing with our sacrifice. You can have all of his blood when he’s dead. Just put him to sleep already. You know I hate it when they’re awake. They scream too loudly; it gives me a headache.”

The woman pouted. “You’re no fun.” She summoned her flower companion and Myungjun tensed when he saw what it was. A thistle flower. They symbolised pain and aggressiveness because of their prickly exterior. If he saw this woman on the street, he would have never expected her to have such a terrible companion.

The flower crawled towards him and pricked him on the shoulder. He immediately felt the relaxing of his bones and muscles. No matter how hard he tried to fight it, he knew he’d be asleep in seconds.

“Goodnight sweetheart. We’ll make you nice and pretty for when you wake.”

Myungjun felt the warm press of lips on his cheek before he fell into his dreams.

*

Myungjun woke feeling groggy and disoriented. His body was aching and felt cold.

“It’s about time you woke up.” The necromancer appeared above him and he realised he was laying down. She looked up at someone across the room. “Next time don’t get so carried away. You’ve put us two days behind schedule now.”

_I’ve been asleep for two days? Where the hell is Donghan?_

Myungjun tried to move, to sit up but he realised he couldn’t. He couldn’t feel any ropes binding him down either.

The necromancer must have seen the confusion and fear in his eyes. “You won’t be able to move. You’ve been paralysed by snake venom and I’ve suppressed your magic. I couldn’t have you fighting back and putting us even further behind schedule.”

“Speaking of putting us behind schedule.” The disinterested man spoke up from somewhere above Myungjun. There was a loud commotion coming from somewhere outside of the room. It sounded distant but Myungjun could feel the floor rumbling beneath him. _Donghan_. “The twin dragon has finally broken through our defences.”

The necromancer sighed. “Go and finish him off once and for all. He’s been fighting for two days without rest, he’ll be exhausted. An easy kill.”

Myungjun felt his heart seize with fear. He knew Donghan was strong but two days without rest? He was going to die and Myungjun was paralyzed and couldn’t help him.

“Wait.” The boy spoke up. Not only did he look like a snake, but he sounded like one too with the underlying hiss to his voice. “He killed my pets. Bring him here to me. I wish to kill him myself.”

“As you wish young master.”

_Young master? That child is their master?_

Myungjun wanted to cry as the necromancer rolled him on his side. He could see the entrance clearly now. They were going to make him watch as Donghan came in fighting and they were going to kill him right in front of him.

_No. Don’t think like that. Donghan can do this. He might be tired, but he has his herbs._

Five minutes later and there was movement just outside the door.

Myungjun prayed to the Deity that it was Donghan who came through victorious.

But he was left disappointed.

The purple man came back in looking bored without a scratch on him. Donghan was floating in the air behind him, unconscious and battered. A big gash on his forehead was bleeding messily down his face and his lip was split, swollen and crusted over with dried blood. Myungjun could see that he’d fought with his fists a lot. They were bruised and cracked.

Myungjun knew now that there was no hope. That one man alone had taken down Donghan. _Donghan_. One of the legendary twin dragons renowned for his fighting skills and his magical abilities. No-one else had come close to touching him, let alone rendering him unconscious. And in five minutes no less. The purple man didn’t even have a hair out of place.

Just how strong were these people? Donghan had told him they only came from a small lesser known dark guild. Myungjun was scared to think how strong those from one of the main dark guilds must be.

The man flicked his wrist and Donghan flew across the room and out of Myungjuns sight. “There. He’s yours to kill.”

Myungjun could hear the hiss of snakes and tears sprung to his eyes. Donghan was really going to die. He felt the panic building as the hissing got louder and he tried to speak. All that came out was a small whimper.

The hisses ceased.

“Young master? Why did you stop?”

“Will the ritual work quicker with two sacrifices?” The boy asked sounding curious. “It would be a shame to kill the twin dragon if he can help us leave this place quicker. That way his death will be more meaningful at least.”

“He has a lot more magical power than the smaller dragon so yes.” The necromancer answered. “Are you sure you don’t want to kill him yourself though? He did tear your pets to shreds.”

“And in turn our King will rip him apart limb by limb.” The boy said with a content sigh. “We’ll have to visit and watch it happen. I bet it will be beautiful.”

Suddenly Donghans body came back into view and he crashed to the floor beside Myungjun where he lay in a crumpled heap. Myungjun had never seen him look so bad, so much like death. It reinforced the fact they were both going to die.

“Get him ready for the sacrifice.” The necromancer ordered.

The pink woman came into view with excitement shining in her eyes. “Please let me do it! He’s so handsome, I’m desperate to touch him.”

“As you wish. Just be quick about it.”

She definitely wasn’t quick. Myungjun had to watch as she stripped Donghan down, taking her time to trail her hands over his skin. Myungjun realised in that moment the lack of his own clothes which explained why he felt cold and his anger and revulsion spiked. Had she touched him that way too?

Myungjun felt his anger building as more of Donghans clothes came off. How dare she undress him like that. Myungjun, for once, didn’t care about his own state of undress. He only cared about Donghan and how this nasty woman was violating him whilst he lay unconscious.

When Donghan was in nothing but his underwear, the woman whined low in her throat. “Look at him. It’s a shame he has to die. He’d make a lovely pet. I like my men big.”

Myungjuns anger hit its peak as her hands moved down to the front of Donghans underwear. He squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to look. He was angry, so so angry. There was a name for people like her. Rapists. Myungjun knew what they were. He knew they touched people without their consent. He couldn’t let that happen to Donghan. Not his friend. The thought of her doing that to him himself when he was asleep for those two days sent Myungjun over the edge.

Pure rage tore through his veins and his heart pumped painfully in his chest, a sliver of his power finally released.

_I’ll kill them. I’ll kill them all._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> >.<


	191. The Temple Of Nightmares-Part 3.

The sliver of power released from Myungjuns heart wasn’t enough to cast any assault spells. He knew he shouldn’t do that either. He could cast one spell, but it might not hit them all and he was still paralyzed. They’d kill him for trying. So, he focused on fixing that problem. The biggest problem of all. His paralysis.

He focused on a spell he learnt at the castle. Mrs Choi had taught him how to cure common poisons and because he’d advanced so quickly through his apprenticeship, she had built on that. Anti-venom and anti-toxin.

He had his eyes closed but he could still hear the woman making noises of joy as she touched his friend right in front of him. He let his pure rage and disgust fuel his magic. It was still slow. Shockingly so. He knew he needed at least fifteen minutes until the venom was out of his system completely.

The smell of burning flesh forced his eyes back open and he was momentarily relieved to see that the pink woman had stopped touching him.

However, it was short lived. The smell of burning flesh was coming from Donghan. She was using a hot metal rod to carve runes into his skin. Myungjun knew they’d be on his own skin too and part of him was relieved that he had been put to sleep for it.

She took her time doing that too. Donghan didn’t have a lot of undamaged skin left at the front of his body. His demon burns got in the way. She sighed huffily before rolling him over and working more on his back.

Myungjun could feel his fingers and toes again and he tried his hardest to be careful with not moving. His arms got their feeling back next, then his legs and he nearly cried in relief when his whole body was freed a while later.

He resisted the urge to just jump straight up. He needed a plan. A good plan. He had a lot of power but the four people in the room clearly had more skill. He’d be slaughtered if he wasn’t careful.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t careful enough. The smell of Donghans burning flesh finally overwhelmed him as the woman carved the last rune into his skin. He shuddered involuntarily and knew immediately that it was a mistake.

The boy called out a warning but Myungjun was already on his feet. He saw everyone’s startled expressions and wasted no time in summoning Camellia. He needed her help more than anything else.

“Camellia, healing spores over Donghan now. Wake him up.” Myungjun ordered before tearing his vines through the floor, wrapping them around the pink woman, and pulling her away from his unconscious friend. He made his vines unbreakable and trapped her, hearing her scream in frustration.

Myungjun forced his magic out and summoned his last two companions. He’d never summoned them all before, but he needed to now. He sent his monster trap after the boy, who burst into tears as the snakes in his pit were shredded to pieces.

Suddenly, the pink haired woman was in front of Myungjun growling menacingly. How had she broken out of his unbreakable vines? His tree entity swung at her before she could strike him. Its branch sent her across the room, and it chased after her leaving Myungjun to deal with the purple man and the necromancer.

The necromancer ignored him completely as she started to chant. Myungjun knew that whatever she was doing wasn’t good, but he didn’t have time to get to her. The purple haired man was already upon him. Myungjun took one last look at Camellia and Donghan.

Camellias sparkly yellow pollen was washing over him and Myungjun nearly cried in relief when Donghan started to stir.

He raised his forearms to block the punch sent his way, but the purple man was stronger. A lot stronger. His fist went straight through the gap in between Myungjuns arms and Myungjun felt the crunch as his nose broke. The pain was intense, and he was momentarily disoriented. A moment that he knew would cost him.

The man’s boot collided with his stomach and Myungjun flew backwards across the room. He landed with a heavy thud, but he didn’t have time to worry about his injuries. He just scrambled to his feet and defended himself against the next attack. The purple man fought viciously, and it took all of his strength and skill to keep his attacks at bay. Myungjun never got the chance to land his own hits.

He didn’t need too. He just needed to keep him occupied until…

With a roar of pure fury Donghan grabbed the man around the neck from behind and tossed him aside. Myungjun looked up at him and wanted to cry. Donghan looked terrible. He hadn’t bothered staying under Camellias healing pollen for long enough. The gash on his head was still bleeding and his eyes were out of focus. He looked dead on his feet.

“Little dragon are you-”

The purple man barrelled into Donghan sending him flying. He landed on top of him and pulled a pair of daggers seemingly out of nowhere. He brought them down hard and fast but Donghan raised his arms just in time to take the deep wounds there. Donghan tried to fight him off but he was too slow, too drained, too tired.

Myungjun rushed to help him and with all his might, kicked the man’s wrists, a disarming move he’d practiced plenty of times before with Grey in the castle. The weapons left the man’s hands, flying up into the air and Myungjun reached for them desperately. He grabbed one and immediately stabbed downwards, driving it into the man’s shoulder. The man hissed in pain and rolled away.

Myungjun went to pull Donghan up but he needn’t have bothered. They were both lifted into the air and thrown with the man’s air magic. Donghans rock golem appeared and caught them both before they hit the wall.

“FUCK.” Donghan cursed loudly. “Seal my arms I can’t move them.”

Myungjun healed him in an instant and turned to see the progress of the battle. His monster trap was tearing through the last of the boy’s snakes, his tree was fighting against the pink lady’s tree entity and the necromancer was still chanting.

The purple man was running towards them and Myungjun growled in pure anger before ripping his vines through the floor and catching him. He got ready to squeeze and crush him to death but Donghan startled him.

Donghan went down screaming in agony and Myungjuns eyes widened at the sight of his skin. All of Donghans runes were glowing a dark red.

_The necromancer is activating our runes._

Myungjun ran at her, trying to cross the distance but it was too late. His own runes activated, and he went down screaming too as pure fire ripped through his nerves. He lost control of his vines as he writhed around on the floor, clawing at his skin and he watched through teary eyes as Donghan was picked up and tossed into the magic circle. A second later Myungjun landed right next to him.

Donghan had stopped screaming but his teeth were clenched as he rode out the pain. Myungjun reached out for him and Donghan reached out too, closing the distance and threading their fingers together, holding on tight.

*I’m sorry little dragon* Donghans voice was shockingly loud in his mind.

*I’m sorry too Dongie. I’m supposed to be strong now, but I couldn’t stop them*

The pain increased and Myungjun was sure he was going to pass out.

But suddenly it stopped and Myungjun heard a shout full of fear. He slumped down as the pain receded and lifted his head shakily to see what was going on. The sight in front of him rendered him speechless.

His companions hadn’t disappeared despite his mind being completely occupied with the pain. They’d stayed out, and to everyone’s shock, were currently merging together.

The monster they created kept growing. His tree entity formed the main body. Camellias petals sprouted around its head and her roots created a thin layer of hair all over its bark. It turned slightly to the side and Myungjun could see her four leaves had sprouted out of its back like fairy wings. One of the trees arms started to form and take shape into the head of his monster trap. It was terrifying.

When the monster finally stopped growing, its head was brushing the ceiling of the room and Myungjun knew if he put magic into it, it could grow even bigger.

The necromancer turned to Myungjun with wide eyes. “Transcendence.” Was the last word she uttered before the monster trap arm bit her head clean off.

Myungjun heard panicked screams and shouts and looked up to see the purple man and the pink woman running towards the boy. Myungjun knew the boy was their only way out. He would terraport them away, like he had terraported Myungjun into the temple in the first place. He couldn’t let that happen. He couldn’t let them get away after everything they’d done. At the very least he had to take the woman out for what she had done to them as they slept.

He struggled to his feet ignoring Donghans protests and took a shaky step towards them as he let all of his power flood out of him, lighting him up like the sun. He knew they would reach the boy in less than ten seconds and he knew he wouldn’t be able to cross the cavernous room in that time.

Without him needing to ask, his monster companion picked him up in its hand free from the monster trap and threw him. With a scream of pure rage Myungjuns vines burst out of him, not out of the ground, but his very skin. They tore through the air just as the boy opened the ground beneath him and his guild members. Myungjuns vines ripped through the women’s chest as she fell, and the ground sealed up a second later. Myungjun hoped she was dead.

He shifted to metal right before he hit the floor and the clang echoed through the room. He rolled and stood back up straight in one swift movement before letting go of his transformation.

Donghan was stumbling towards him and Myungjun took a few steps of his own before sinking to his knees. He was tired, so so tired. Summoning three companions at the same time had been hard enough but to have them merge was something else entirely. The agony the runes on his skin had caused, had worn his body down as well and he could only imagine how Donghan was feeling after fighting for two days straight before this hell.

Donghan fell to his knees in front of him, pulling his head up by the chin and scanning his face worriedly with his unfocused eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Tired.” Myungjun answered weakly.

Donghan turned around, telling him to get on and Myungjun used the last of his strength to climb onto his back. It was warm.

“I’ll get our clothes and weapons and your herb pouch and take us to the inn. I’ll deal with the horse’s tomorrow.” Donghan muttered quietly as he stumbled back across the room to the piles of their stuff that had been discarded carelessly. He bundled everything up in his leather coat and grabbed Myungjuns bow and quiver and his greatsword in one hand before opening up the ground and taking them away from the temple of their nightmares.

*

Donghan took Myungjun to his room and tossed their stuff aside before falling face first onto the bed. Myungjun rolled off of his back with a groan and after a couple of seconds, Donghan forced himself up and looked down at him.

“You look like shit.”

Myungjun laughed before wincing at the pain of his broken nose. He could taste blood and it made him nauseous remembering the pink woman drinking it and licking his face. His whole body shuddered at the thought.

“Thanks Dongie. You look just as bad yourself, if not worse.” Donghan moved his hand towards Myungjuns face but Myungjun grabbed his wrist to stop him. “Don’t. You can’t fix my face right now. You’re dead on your feet. You need to rest.”

“But your nose-”

“Is fine.” Myungjun interrupted stubbornly. “I’ll fix it myself tomorrow. Please lay down Dongie.”

Donghan sighed before collapsing against the pillows. He closed his eyes and was asleep almost instantly. Myungjun rolled his eyes at the snore he let out. He’d never heard anyone snore as loud as Donghan. It was almost deafening.

Myungjun pushed himself up with another groan and sealed the wound on Donghans forehead before getting off the bed to grab Donghans coat. He lay it over him, trying to give him some warmth before falling back down next to him feeling exhausted.

Myungjun didn’t care if Donghan didn’t like to cuddle. And he didn’t care if he had his own room he could sleep in. He just curled up against Donghans side needing the comfort and let his own sleep take him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Myungjuns companions…MERGED? I didn’t know they could do that until I wrote it lmao. This fic writes itself honestly. I’m just as surprised as the rest of you at this point.


	192. Temple Aftermath.

“…up. Wake up. I want to go home at some point today. Fucking hell get up.” Donghans voice and his firm, insistent hands pulled Myungjun out of his sleep. Donghan sighed in relief. “Thank the Deity. I thought _I_ sleep like a log but you’re basically dead. I’ve been shaking you for the last five minutes.”

Myungjun groaned and rolled over. He blinked open his eyes sleepily to see Donghan scowling down at him. “What time is it?”

“Four. You’ve slept all day. I fixed your nose and that gash on your cheek. I started on your bruising too but got bored. I won’t take your pain either because I have enough of my own. Here.” Donghan dug around in his coat before holding out a pain relief herb. “Chew this then get up.”

Myungjun sat up and chewed on the herb feeling the pain fade away. “How are you awake before me?” He asked after he’d swallowed. “You were up for like, three days straight.”

“I’m tougher than I look.” Donghan answered with a shrug. “I’ve already been to see the village chieftain. He said he’d send the reward to the guild within the week and he also gave me the mystery seed.”

Myungjun instantly perked up. “What will it grow?”

“I don’t know. That’s why I called it the mystery seed you dumbass.” Donghan said rolling his eyes. He ignored Myungjuns scowl and picked up his bundle of clothes, tossing them to him. “Get dressed. I can’t talk to you seriously when you're in your underwear.”

Myungjun pulled his clothes on feeling mildly embarrassed as the memories came back to him of how they’d fought together undressed before collapsing into the same bed. He just hoped he hadn’t still been cuddling Donghan when the older male woke up. That would be too embarrassing.

When Myungjun was dressed, he went to brush his teeth and grimaced at the reflection staring back at him in the mirror. He looked terrible. The bruising around his nose was shocking and his lip was spilt in two different places. A quick inspection to the rest of his body revealed that he had hardly any undamaged skin left. If it wasn’t covered in fresh, bright bruises, it was scarred with rune-shaped burns.

Myungjun sighed before going back into the room and packing his bag. He put his bow on his back, strapped his herb pouch across his chest and his quiver onto his hip before turning to Donghan who was watching him from his seat on the bed.

“We should go and see a scar specialist and get these scars removed. I don’t trust that they won’t be used against us in the future and I’d rather not feel that pain again. I thought I was going to die.”

“Do you want to go today?”

Before Myungjun could reply, he felt something rush past his ear and he reached up to snatch the singed parchment from the air. He smiled as he read the note.

**I’m back at the guild sunshine. Where are you? Are you still on your request?**

Myungjun looked back up at Donghan and shook his head. “It’s nearly dinnertime. Let’s head back to the guild and go to the specialist tomorrow. JinJin is back and I’m desperate to see him. We’ve been apart for too long.”

*

Myungjun limped up the steps to the tavern as the pain relief herb he had taken was wearing off. He didn’t remember hurting his ankle back in the fight, but he had been so pumped up on adrenaline he must have missed it.

Donghan helped him up the last few steps and they entered together, watching the way the whole tavern fell silent, no doubt from sensing Donghans presence.

“Sunshine?” Myungjun looked over to their table to see Jinwoo standing up quickly from his seat, face wearing an expression of pure worry. He rushed over and grabbed Myungjuns chin tight, looking him over. “What the…What happened sunshine? Who did this to you? Tell me right now. I’ll kill them. I’ll kill all of them.”

Myungjun smiled up at him feeling nothing but love at his display of concern. “Hey JinJin. I’m okay. Just a bit sore. Can we go and sit down? My ankle hurts.”

Jinwoo was still frantic with worry but he helped Myungjun over to his seat on their table. Myungjun turned to look back for Donghan but he was already gone.

“Wow you look terrible Hyung. Are you okay?”

Myungjun looked over at Soonyoung and smiled. “I’m fine honestly. Rough job that’s all.”

“Rough is an understatement.” Jinwoo said scowling as he looked Myungjun up and down. He stopped at Myungjuns hands and whined unhappily before grabbing them. “Look at these. Your pretty soft hands are ruined! What did you do, punch walls?”

“It feels like it.” Myungjun joked weakly before sighing at Jinwoos trembling lip. “JinJin please don’t get upset. I promise I’m fine. I’m alive, aren’t I? That’s all that matters.”

Jinwoo pouted as he got to work removing Myungjuns weaponry and herb pouch. When it was all settled on the tabletop, he pulled Myungjun down onto his lap to hug him tight.

“Tell me everything sunshine. What request was it anyway? You never told me in your letter.”

Myungjun knew he couldn’t tell Jinwoo everything. He still felt guilty for having to lie. But it was made worse this time around seeing how worried Jinwoo was. All he could do to ease the guilt was tell the truth where he could.

“It was an assassination request for a necromancer from a dark guild. S Rank.”

Jinwoos reaction was exactly what he expected. Eyes wide, mouth open, pure shock and disbelief etched into his features.

“You went on an S Rank? With Donghan? Just you two? Are you _insane_?” Jinwoo hissed. “Do you know how dangerous they are? High risk of death Myungjun. HIGH. You could have both been killed! It’s okay for the twins to go alone because they’re both S Rank but you’re not! You’re only A Rank! Where’s Donghan? This was his idea wasn’t it? I’m going to kill him. If he thinks for one second-”

“It was my idea.” Myungjun interrupted his angry rant. “I told him we should go on a request together because I wanted to earn some money to help us move out.”

Jinwoo groaned and buried his face in Myungjuns hair. When he spoke, it came out muffled. “No amount of money is worth risking your life to that extent for Myungjun. I could understand if you had another S Rank user with you, but you didn’t. You went out there unprepared, trying to _assassinate_ a _necromancer_ and look where it got you.”

Jinwoo pulled back to scowl at him and Myungjun scowled right back. “Yeah I see where it got me. I’m ALIVE. We DID it. We COMPLETED the request and now me and you are one step closer to moving out. I didn’t go out there and risk my life just to come back here and have you be angry with me.” Myungjun didn’t mean to get angry at him in return, but he was stressed and still tired and in a lot of pain. It didn’t help that three of the people who he had fought were still out there somewhere probably waiting to get their revenge. “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you that I’m fine Jinwoo. I did this for US. I suffered through all of that for US. The least you can do is say thank you.”

He got up off of Jinwoos lap with a huff, grabbed all of his things and limped to the stairs. He made it up three before Jinwoo was by his side, taking his stuff and helping him up them. Myungjun didn’t argue, he felt too run down.

Jinwoo found an empty room in the temporary accommodation and put all of Myungjuns stuff aside before helping him to the bed. Myungjun sat down on the edge of it with a pained groan.

Jinwoo sat beside him and was quiet for a few seconds before talking. “I’m sorry. I was just worried Myungjun. You came limping in here all battered and bruised. What was I supposed to do, just brush it off? I can’t. I love you and you’re clearly in pain and I didn’t expect this at all. I can’t do anything to help you either and I hate it. I didn’t know you were out there risking your life for us…but you’re right, I do need to say thank you.” Myungjun looked up at him to see that Jinwoo was trying to smile. At least he was trying. “Thank you sunshine. You did really well okay? You came back to me and that’s all that should matter.”

Myungjun smiled back, feeling less stressed now that Jinwoo had stopped freaking out. “Don’t you want to know how much richer we are?”

A real genuine smile tugged at Jinwoos lips, but he tried to hold it back. “How much?”

“Two million.”

Jinwoo stared at him for a few seconds before the smile fully bloomed. “Wow we really are getting richer.” Myungjun giggled but it was cut short by a yawn that made Jinwoo laugh. He cooed and pinched Myungjuns cheeks. “Look at my sleepy little baby. Let’s get you in some pyjamas so you can have a nap okay?”

Myungjun usually liked to protest against Jinwoo calling him a baby, even though deep down he knew he secretly liked it, but today he didn’t bother. He just nodded and lifted up his arms. Jinwoo grinned and pulled his top off for him but the expression faltered as he looked down at Myungjuns torso.

He put Myungjuns top aside before reaching out shakily to touch all of the bruises and scars. “Sunshine these are burns. They look like…runes? Someone did this to you?”

Myungjun nodded and sighed, looking down at them. “I was asleep when they did it, so I didn’t feel anything. Me and Donghan both have them. We’re going to get them removed tomorrow so you don’t need to worry. I’ll tell you more about it after I’m in bed okay? Can you just help me get changed for now? And maybe get me some food afterwards? I haven’t eaten yet today. I slept up until four this afternoon.”

“Of course, sunshine. Do you have some clean pyjamas in your bag?”

Myungjun shook his head and reached out to clutch the hem of Jinwoos top. “I want to wear this.”

Jinwoo gasped dramatically. “You want _my_ top? What am I supposed to wear then?”

“Nothing.” Myungjun answered with a giggle. “I like it when you wear nothing.”

“Stop flirting with me Mr Kim. You’re too damaged to accept the consequences.” Jinwoo unhelpfully reminded him before pulling his top off.

He helped Myungjun get his arms through the sleeves and when Myungjuns head popped out of the collar, Jinwoo surprised him with a gentle kiss. Myungjun grinned into it and kissed him back. He hadn’t seen Jinwoo for a month and he’d missed the feel of his lips. It was only when he wrapped his arms around Jinwoos neck that Jinwoo pulled away.

“Less kissing, more undressing. I see two cute little feet that need their socks removed and these trousers, no matter how nice, need to come off so you can sleep comfortably. Then we’ll get you tucked in and I’ll ask Hani to make you some dinner.”

Myungjun let Jinwoo undress him further and grimaced down at his swollen ankle. “JinJin can you get me some ice whilst you’re down there? Oh, and ask Hani where my father is.”

“He went away on guild business in the foreign lands remember?” Jinwoo reminded him. “Why? Do you need to talk to him?”

Myungjun did need to talk to him. He needed to tell him all about the bounty on his head and the request for his assassination that was posted throughout the dark guilds. His father would know what to do and he wanted to tell him before he told Jinwoo. Jinwoo would no doubt freak out even more.

“I do need to talk to him, but it can wait. However, my hungry stomach and my swollen ankle cannot Jinwoo. I’m suffering here. You said you couldn’t help me, and that you hated it, but you can. You can start by getting me some yummy food and some nice cold ice.”

“Yes your majesty.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Stop flirting with me Mr Kim. You’re too damaged to accept the consequences.” My fav. So cute.


	193. Cake Box.

Myungjun left the scar specialists with Donghan feeling relieved. He’d spent a hefty amount getting all of the runes removed but he felt more at ease. The thought of another dark magic user coming along and chanting to activate them when he was unaware had been enough to make him uneasy and paranoid. He felt lighter now, more free.

“Can we go and get some ice-cream?” Myungjun asked hopefully.

“No.”

Myungjun pouted. “Why not?”

“I don’t like ice-cream.”

“You don’t like ice-cream OR hot chocolate? Are you even human?”

Donghan snorted in amusement and turned to look down at him. “I just don’t like sweet things all that much. I enjoy having no cavities.” He sighed at Myungjuns pout which had grown more pronounced. “Let’s go and get something else instead. You like fish cakes, right? Let’s go and get some of those.”

Myungjuns pout was wiped off his face and he squealed excitedly and skipped beside him as Donghan led the way down the street. People were staring at them and whispering to one another, but he didn’t care. His mind was on food, food and more food.

“You’re happy today.” Donghan observed as he watched Myungjun skipping along. “I mean I know I’m amazing company and all, but this is a bit much.”

Myungjun rolled his eyes. “Your company isn’t _that_ great.” He shrieked a second later as Donghan pushed him into a bush. Donghan pulled him out laughing and removed some of the leaves from Myungjuns hair as he whined. “Dongie why would you do that? I was only joking!” Myungjun looked at the sleeve of his silk shirt and gasped, horrified, at the tear. He thrust it up into Donghans line of sight. “Look at this! You’ve ruined my nice silk shirt! That’s it. I’m not going for fish cakes with you anymore. You’re mean. Go by yourself.”

Myungjun turned on his heel and walked away in the direction of the guild. He’d much rather spend his time with his handsome fiancé than his brutish friend who ruined his clothes just because he couldn’t take a joke.

Donghan appeared out of the ground in front of him and picked him up, chucking him over his shoulder and carrying on towards the fish cake stall.

Myungjun squealed in fear at how high up he was and smacked at Donghans leather clad back. “Let me go!”

“Nope.”

“People are looking!” Myungjun whined, trying to hide his face from curious stares.

“Don’t care. I was nice enough to invite you for food so you’re coming with me whether you like it or not. I’m even offering to pay for them.”

Myungjun paused in his whining. “You’ll pay for them? Don’t say that if you don’t mean it. I eat a lot. You’ll go home poor.”

Donghans shoulders shook with silent laughter jostling Myungjun slightly. “You think you eat a lot? Fish cakes are my favourite. I have a bottomless stomach.”

Myungjun gasped excitedly. “They’re my favourite too!”

“Eating contest? Whoever eats the most wins. Loser has to pay for them.”

“Oh you are SO going to regret that Dongie.”

*

Myungjun and Donghan both groaned as they slumped down on a bench, clutching their full stomachs.

“You’ve impressed me little dragon. Not a lot of people can keep up with me when I eat.”

“I have two talents.” Myungjun said, counting them off on his fingers. “One: mothering my friends. Two: eating.”

Donghan spluttered out a laugh and threw his arms over the back of the bench. “Wow. I’m lucky to be in the presence of such talent.”

Myungjun giggled and looked down at his engagement ring, stroking the little crystals softly. He still couldn’t believe how much thought Jinwoo had put into improving his ring. It was so special now. So special and pretty and unique. He often found himself taking it off to look at the engravings inside. Their initials on either side of the tiny heart always made him swoon and the three dates held so much happiness. Three of the best days of his life.

“Those were mine.”

Myungjun looked up at Donghan questioningly. “What were yours?”

Donghan pointed to his ring. “Those crystals. I grew them.”

Myungjun just stared at him. “You…what?”

Donghan sighed. “Those crystals in your ring. I grew them and sold them to Jinwoo. Those aren’t ordinary crystals. I learnt how to grow them on a request in the foreign lands. They’re special. They promote protection, prosperity and happiness. I mentioned that I was growing them in passing to Jinwoo one time, when we were drinking together at the tavern, and he was adamant about seeing them. I told him about them, and he said he wanted them. I wasn’t planning on selling them at all honestly, but he said he was giving them to you and…yeah. I didn’t know they’d be a part of your engagement ring though. Does that change your mind about it? Do you still like it?”

Donghan sounded a bit nervous and it made Myungjun smile. “It does change my mind. It makes my ring all the more special knowing you grew them. I like it even more now.”

Donghan tried to hold back his smile but failed and he quickly looked away. “Sometimes you’re revoltingly sappy. I hate it.”

Myungjun giggled and stood up from the bench to stretch. “Well it’s been fun spending time with you Dongie, but I need to go. I have a date with the King now.”

Donghan turned to look at him with a frown. “You’re leaving already? We only just ate.”

“I know but I made plans yesterday and I don’t want to be late. Can you terraport me back to the guild? I want to ride Princess to the castle.”

Donghan stood up with a scowl. “Make your own way back.”

Donghan disappeared and Myungjun sighed. He really could be childish sometimes.

*

As Myungjun approached the castle gates, he could see Leo already waiting for him. Myungjun hadn’t seen him for a while and he already looked so different. His hair was longer, like he’d refused to have it cut and he wasn’t wearing his usual Kingly garb. He looked more like a commoner than a King. The only indication that he WAS the King, came from his fifteen guards flanking him.

Myungjun pulled Princess to a stop outside the gates where the guards standing watch opened them up.

The second the gates were open wide enough to squeeze one weaponless person through Leo ran for it. His guards shouted in protest, but Leo was already swinging his leg over the saddle behind Myungjun, grabbing the reins and setting Princess off into a gallop.

“Hyung what the hell!” Myungjun squeaked as they tore down the street. It took all of his strength and skill to keep his centre of gravity and avoid falling straight off. “What’s going on? I thought we were going for tea, not running away!”

Leo laughed happily from behind him. “I need some fun. We ARE going for tea, but I want to get there before my guard shows up. Do I look okay?”

“Well I can’t exactly see you right now, I’m trying my best not to fall off here.”

Leo ignored his sarcasm and got them to the tea shop in record time. Myungjun was surprised to see which one they’d stopped at. Hakyeons.

“Hyung why are we here? Last time we were here you didn’t seem to like it very much.” Myungjun asked as they both dismounted.

Leo secured Princess at the nearest post and promised her some water before turning to Myungjun with a smile. “It’s not that I didn’t like it. I just wasn’t feeling well that’s all.” He suddenly looked nervous. “Now that you can see me, do I look okay?”

Myungjun looked him up and down. “You don’t look very Kingly today. But you look good. And your hair is longer. Are you refusing to get it cut?”

“I decided on a change.” Leo said, running a hand through his hair. “Let’s go.”

Myungjun followed Leo into the tea shop, hearing the little bell above the door tinkle at their entry and he was surprised to see Leo stride straight over to the counter. Last time he’d seemed much too shy to order.

Even though he appeared confident this time around, Myungjun could sense how anxious he really was, and could see that his ears were a bright red.

“Welcome what can I-” Hakyeon had started off with a warm greeting before faltering at the sight of them. “Your majesty? You look…”

“Common?” Leo asked with a shy smile. “In this attire I won’t scare away your patronage. You must lose out on a lot of coin every week because of me.”

_Leo comes here every week?_

Hakyeon gave him a small smile back. “You tip me enough for me not to worry about such a thing. Where are your guards? And are you actually going to order for once? You always send someone else to do it.”

Leo nodded quickly, a real surge of confidence flooding through his emotions. “Can I have-”

The door burst open to reveal Grey with the rest of Leos guard behind him. He’d taken his helm off, but he didn’t look angry like Myungjun was expecting. He was smiling instead.

“Your majesty you know it is against your agreement with the magic counsel to be without your guard.”

Leo visibly closed in on himself. His smile was gone in an instant and he stood up straight. “I was merely getting some fresh air, my apologies. Please order for me.”

Myungjun watched Leo walk away to a table in the corner with a frown and when he looked up at Hakyeon he was frowning Leos way too.

“We’ll have his usual.” Grey said kindly, placing a bag of coins on the counter before turning to look down at Myungjun. “Go and take a seat Mr Kim, I’ll bring it over.”

“No, I will.” Hakyeon spoke up, offering Grey a smile that they both knew was forced. “Please go and do your duty of…protecting the King.”

Grey nodded politely before leading Myungjun over to the table where Leo was staring at the wood expressionless. Myungjun could feel his emotions stronger now though. Disappointment, mild irritation and a hint of sadness.

Myungjun tried to engage him in conversation but he could see Leo was only half listening, so he soon gave up and turned to look around the teashop instead. When they’d first arrived, it had been relatively busy but now it was deserted. Myungjun wondered if this happened every time Leo went anywhere in the city, or anywhere at all with his guard present. He hoped not. What would be the point in Leo being let out of the castle if he was still going to be alone wherever he went?

“Your majesty.” Hakyeon approached the table with their order on a silver tray and placed it all down, taking his time and sneaking worried looks at Leo who hadn’t even acknowledged his approach. When he could no longer stall for time, he stood up straight and clutched the edges of the silver tray tightly. “Can I get you anything else?”

Leo didn’t answer so Myungjun did for him. “No this is perfect thank you.”

Hakyeon stared at Leo for a few more seconds, seemingly lost in thought before bowing politely and leaving them alone.

Myungjun drank his tea and watched as Leo took small sips of his. Leo didn’t even touch the cake in front of him. The most interaction he gave was ordering one of his guard to take some water out for Princess to drink.

When they got up to leave a while later, Hakyeon hurried over to put Leos cake into a box. He held it out towards him with a smile.

“Please take it. I know it’s your favourite and you did pay for it.”

Leo looked at him for a few seconds before nodding. Grey reached for it but Hakyeon quickly pulled it away from him.

“I want the King to take it.” He muttered quietly before thrusting it into Leos arm. “Come back soon. I have new tea coming next weekend that I think you should try…if you want.”

He turned around and rushed off into his back room and Leo left the teashop exuding less disappointment and more hope.

When they stepped outside, Grey leaned over to whisper something to Leo that had him opening the box up in a rush. Myungjun could see something had been written on the inside, and whatever it was made Leo momentarily lose his composure. He smiled bright and wide before quickly closing it again and holding it close to his chest.

“Mr Kim thank you for meeting me today. I had a nice time.”

Leo stepped into his carriage leaving Myungjun terribly confused. He hadn’t looked like he’d had a nice time at all. Myungjun just sighed and made his way over to Princess. What a weird day indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The crystals in Myungjuns ring came from Donghan? uwu
> 
> Leo legging it from his guards is so funny to me though omg.
> 
> ~  
> Next chapter begins with a bit of smut. Nothing major but it’s still there.


	194. The Hatching.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER WARNING:  
> Smut

Myungjuns back hit the wall and he winced as Jinwoos lips crashed into his, knocking their teeth together painfully. Jinwoo didn’t seem fazed, he just continued to kiss him hungrily as if their lives depended on it.

Jinwoo grabbed Myungjuns hips and gave them a harsh squeeze making Myungjun moan embarrassingly loud into his mouth.

Jinwoo pulled back and chuckled. “Your hips have always been so sensitive. I love hearing the sounds you make when I touch them.”

Myungjun pulled Jinwoo back down into another kiss to shut him up. They didn’t have a lot of time. The house would only be empty for a short while before everyone came back from shopping and Myungjun was desperate for this time alone with Jinwoo. They hadn’t had any time alone since Myungjun came back from his request with Donghan. They needed it.

Jinwoo picked Myungjun up and carried him over to their bed. They fell down against the mattress and Jinwoo immediately rolled their hips together, not giving Myungjun any time to prepare for it. The noise he made had Jinwoo pulling back to look down at him with dark eyes.

“Clothes off now.”

Jinwoo fumbled with the buttons on Myungjuns shirt before giving up completely and just tearing it straight down the middle. Myungjun shrieked as the buttons scattered noisily around the room.

“JinJin what the hell! Why did you do that? Do you know how much this shirt costs?”

Jinwoo didn’t seem to be paying attention. He was too busy eyeing Myungjuns exposed torso. “I’ll get you a new one.” He muttered non-committally. “I just need to see you.”

“And you couldn’t have waited for me to unbutton it?” Myungjun scowled as he propped himself up on his elbows.

Jinwoo just shook his head and pulled Myungjuns trousers off. When they were discarded, Jinwoo sat back to look at him properly and groaned low in his throat.

“You look so sexy like this. I think you should keep that shirt on.”

“And I think you should take your shirt _off_.” Myungjun replied huffily, still mourning the loss of his own.

Jinwoo smirked as he undressed teasingly slow. He was putting on a show. One that Myungjun wanted to watch forever. Part of him didn’t want it to end. Jinwoo was gorgeous and he clearly knew it.

When Jinwoo was in nothing but his underwear, he didn’t climb back onto Myungjun like he was expecting. Instead, Jinwoo sat leaning back almost lazily on the other end of the bed facing Myungjun with a small smile.

Myungjun opened his mouth to ask what he was doing and why he was sitting so far away but his words died in his throat as Jinwoo started to touch himself. He started at his neck, running his fingers over the skin there before moving down to his chest. Myungjun swallowed loudly, feeling his breath quicken at the sight in front of him. He wanted to be the one doing that. He wanted to run his fingers over his fiancés beautiful tan skin but there was something so much sexier about watching Jinwoo do it to himself.

Jinwoos fingers brushed over his nipples and he shuddered. “Feels good Junnie.”

Myungjun whined quietly at Jinwoos breathy tone. He didn’t get to hear it often. Jinwoos hands moved lower to his stomach and Myungjun found himself sitting up properly and leaning towards him. _A little lower._ Jinwoos hands just needed to move a little lower and he knew Jinwoo would start making the sounds he loved the most.

When he looked back up at Jinwoos face, he saw that Jinwoo was watching him almost dazed with his bottom lip caught between his teeth. Then he moaned. A small moan that made Myungjun snap. He was in Jinwoos lap in an instant, pulling Jinwoos hands away so he could touch him himself.

Jinwoo breathed out shakily. “Took you long enough.”

Myungjun growled in response and kissed him as he raked his nails down Jinwoos stomach, relishing in the whimper Jinwoo gave in return. Myungjun sucked harshly at Jinwoos bottom lip before pulling away and trailing kisses down his chest. He didn’t feel like he was in his right mind. The animalistic urge to make Jinwoo his was overwhelming. He knew he was. He knew Jinwoo was already his to pleasure and to be pleasured by, but he wanted _more_.

He traced the dips in Jinwoos stomach muscles with his tongue, tasting the saltiness from the light sheen of sweat covering his body until he reached the defining V that disappeared into his underwear. He ran his tongue along that too hearing Jinwoo curse above him. Jinwoo was already straining against the material of his underwear and Myungjun was desperate to touch him. But he focused on sucking a love bite right above the waistband first.

Jinwoo groaned loudly and clutched tightly at Myungjuns hair. “Fuck Myungjun. Get back up here before I put those pretty lips to good use.”

Myungjun looked up at him from under his eyelashes and trailed his wet lips across his skin. He didn’t want to go back up there. He wanted to stay down here teasing Jinwoo in return for the teasing display he had performed.

Myungjun licked, sucked and kissed all of the skin above the waistband of Jinwoos underwear until his fiancé was a sweaty writhing mess beneath him. Then he pulled Jinwoos underwear down, freeing him from his confines.

His brain short circuited at the sight. He’d only seen Jinwoo naked once before but back then he’d only been lit up by the moon. Now he was fully visible in the light of the sun and Myungjun felt lightheaded seeing him properly.

Jinwoo was already glistening from his pre-release and Myungjun had the strongest desire to taste it. He knew it was wrong. He knew it was disgusting. But he couldn’t help it. He wet his lips before leaning down slowly, almost in a trance.

“Fuck Junnie what are you-”

They both froze at the sound of a door slamming downstairs.

“HYUNGS WE’RE HOME!”

Myungjun had never moved so fast in his life. He yanked Jinwoos underwear back up his legs and scrambled to find the rest of their clothes that had been discarded messily around the room. They dressed quickly, trying to be as quiet as possible and slumped back down onto the bed when they were done. Myungjun couldn’t look at Jinwoo. He was too embarrassed. So, he looked down at his ruined shirt instead.

A part of him was obviously disappointed that the others had come back so soon, but the bigger part of him was glad. He’d nearly made a terrible mistake. Jinwoo had already been in the process of asking him what he was doing, no doubt out of disgust, and if he had actually done it, tasted him like he wanted to, he couldn’t imagine Jinwoo being very happy. Maybe he’d be so disgusted he’d decide that he didn’t want to marry him anymore. The thought brought tears to his eyes.

Jinwoo appeared in front of his face looking concerned. “Sunshine? Are you okay? Why are you crying?”

“Nothing.” Myungjun mumbled, looking away from him and wiping his eyes.

“Is it because we got interrupted?” Jinwoo asked quietly, gathering Myungjun up in his arms and pulling him close. “I’m upset too. We spent a whole month apart and now that we’ve finally had some free time it was cut short. But please don’t cry cutie. If you want, we can go and find an inn to stay in for the night and continue where we left off?”

Myungjun knew Jinwoo was just trying to make him feel better but that’s not what he wanted at all. He was ashamed and embarrassed, and he didn’t think he could look at Jinwoo naked again without being reminded of it. He just shook his head and tried to ignore the disappointment he could feel radiating from Jinwoos emotions.

*

Myungjun was lying in bed later that night listening to Jinwoos even breaths as he slept. He was feeling restless and couldn’t sleep himself. He didn’t struggle with sleep often, but when he did, he always handled it the same way.

He got up from the bed as quietly as possible and crept over to his desk. He reached around blindly in the dark for his sketchbook and pencils and left the room. Drawing always calmed his mind and made him sleepy.

So, he made his way out into the garden and sat beside one of his flower beds that was lit up prettily by the moon. He got to work sketching them, trying to make them look as realistic as possible before something made him pause.

The ground trembled lightly beneath him and a rock burst free from the dirt. He’d already seen this before when receiving notes from Rocky, so he knew what to do. The rock was more of a thin hollow shell, so it was easy to break open and he pulled the parchment free, recognising Donghans writing immediately.

**Come to the guild. They’re hatching**

*

Donghan was pacing back and forth in front of the guild’s main doors when Myungjuns carriage pulled up. Myungjun jumped out and quickly paid his fare before hurrying up the steps toward him.

Donghan sighed in relief. “It’s about time. I sent you that note hours ago. What were you doing?”

“I came straight away. I don’t live in the city remember.” Myungjun reminded him. “Plus, you’re lucky I wasn’t already asleep.”

“I knew you wouldn’t be asleep.”

Myungjun looked at him confused. “How could you have possibly known that?”

“You said you have motherly instincts right? Our babies are hatching of course you’d be awake for it.” Donghan answered with absolute certainty in his voice. “I bet you were feeling just as restless as me.”

“Are you saying you have motherly instincts too?”

Donghan scoffed. “More like fatherly instincts from looking after my psycho brother for so long. Anyway, we should go. Gikwangs already there now with some food waiting for them to hatch. He already knows you’re coming too, and I’ve told him to be on his best behaviour.”

Myungjun didn’t feel very reassured but he cuddled up to Donghan anyway and closed his eyes as the ground opened beneath them. The fall was long, but he was beginning to get used to it now and didn’t feel as nauseous when they landed in the cave.

The only light came from the fire keeping the dragon eggs warm and Gikwang was crouching down beside it stroking the nearest egg lovingly. He looked up at their approach and nodded stiffly in greeting.

_Wow he must be on his best behaviour. He never greets me at all in any kind of way_

“Gikwangs already picked his.” Donghan explained as they stopped beside the fire. “I waited to let you have the second choice and I’ll take whatever one is left.”

Myungjun smiled at him suddenly feeling the excitement kick in. He was about to watch dragons hatch from their eggs for the first time and one of those dragons was going to become his child. Excited might be an understatement.

Myungjun walked around the fire to reach the two unclaimed eggs. He reached out to touch the first one. It was hot and the energy flowing from it made the hairs on his arms stand on end. He stroked it a few times before walking over to the next one.

The second he touched it he knew it was his. The one he was meant to have. It was a feeling he couldn’t quite explain. An overwhelming desire to keep it safe. The egg came up to his chest, so he only had to lean down to press his forehead against it instead of crouching like Gikwang. He hummed happily at the warmth and as if by instinct he tried to create a telepathic link.

He couldn’t understand the dragon’s thoughts, but he could understand its emotions as clear as day. The dragon was restless and ready to hatch.

“I know you’re ready.” Myungjun muttered, stroking the shell just as lovingly as he had seen Gikwang stroking his. “Would you like some help?” Clear acceptance flooded through their link so Myungjun stood back up straight. “This one is mine.” Myungjun declared before booting the shell with all his might.

“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?” Gikwangs angry voice rang through the cave. “DONGHAN STOP HIM! HE’LL KILL IT!”

Myungjun ignored him and kicked at the hard shell again watching it crack under his shoe. Donghan tried to grab him but Myungjun smacked his hands away.

“Stop Dongie. I’m helping it. It wants me too.”

“It wants you too?” Donghan sounded completely lost. “How the hell do you know that?”

Myungjun ignored him as well in favour of booting the shell a few more times. When the cracks became large enough, he stepped back to give it space. The egg wobbled ominously before a scaly leg broke through. It was pitch black and covered in a layer of clear slime. Its claws looked deadly sharp.

Myungjun could see how dangerous it was already but all sense of reason was wiped from his mind. He’d been uneasy at the thought of owning a real dragon when Donghan had first shown him the eggs, but now he couldn’t understand why he’d ever felt that way. This was his child. His beautiful miracle.

The claws ripped away the stony shell with startling ease but Myungjun knew he didn’t have to be afraid. It wouldn’t hurt him. He approached it again and pulled large chunks of it away. It was as heavy as stone and fell to the floor sounding like it too.

“Gikwang look. It’s really hatching.” Donghans voice came from behind him sounding awed. Myungjun heard Gikwangs footsteps as he came over to watch too.

Myungjun heaved a large piece of the shell away to reveal his dragons beautiful face. Its eyes were bright red, just like its mothers had been, with serpent-like slits as pupils. It blinked a few times before letting out a little screech revealing its small but sharp teeth. It had two blunt horns on the top of its head that Myungjun knew would grow to be curly and sharply pointed. When its nostrils flared to release its first smoke Myungjun fell in love.

“Look at you.” He cooed, pulling more of the shell away to help it free. “You’re so cute. Let’s get you out of here okay?”

It took a few more minutes and his muscles were aching by the end of it, but he knew it was worth it when the dragon finally stumbled out, flapping its underdeveloped leathery wings. It was already bigger than the copy Myungjun had raised in the academy.

With a screech, it shook off the slime before nudging Myungjuns hand with its snout.

Myungjun stroked it and could feel how soft its scales were, soft and thin, a clear sign of its young age. Its mothers’ scales had been hard and sharp so he knew after a time the scales would grow stronger. It was defenceless and weak now and that made him want to protect it even more.

“Wow its incredible.” The twins said at the same time, crouching down on either side of Myungjun to get a better look.

For once, Myungjun didn’t care about Gikwangs close proximity. He just watched as they reached out to touch it and giggled when his dragon snapped at their fingers. It only liked his touch apparently.

“You said it wanted you to help it?” Gikwang asked. “What did you mean by that?”

“I made a telepathic link.” Myungjun explained, sitting down on the floor properly. The dragon crawled over his legs with its sharp claws and Myungjun hissed at the pain before gently manoeuvring it off of him. “I can understand its emotions clearly, but I can’t understand its thoughts. You should try it with your eggs. I think they may need help getting out too. I think that’s what their mother was supposed to do; break them free.”

Gikwang disappeared in an instant to get to his egg and Myungjun heard him grunt from the other side of the fire as he kicked his egg open. He did it a lot quicker than Myungjun had done and Donghans egg cracked open as well a few seconds later.

“I think I’m in love.” Donghan spoke up with a strained voice making Myungjun giggle. He knew the feeling.

Myungjun looked down at his own dragon fondly. It was turning its head from side to side which he recognised as the movement dragons made to hear better.

“What are you listening too hmm?” Myungjun cooed, leaning closer. “Do you like the sound of my voice?” Myungjun touched it to read its emotions and laughed. “You’re hungry? So, you were listening for prey instead?”

“I have a few live chickens outside so that’s probably what they can hear.” Gikwang answered, coming back around the fire with his dragon snapping at his heels. Its eyes were a bright blue. “Let’s go and feed them. And then- Donghan what the fuck are you doing?”

Myungjun turned to look and saw Donghan chasing his dragon that was racing around and swishing its tail from side to side.

“It has a piece of shell stuck on its tail, but it won’t fucking sit still.” Donghan growled as he lunged for it. His dragon gave a screech and dived into the fire where it curled up and watched Donghan through its narrowed green eyes. “For fucks sake I had to get the little shit of the bunch didn’t I?”

Gikwang spluttered out a laugh but quickly composed himself when he saw Myungjuns stunned expression. “What? I can’t laugh now? Stop staring at me before I come over there and-” Donghan cleared his throat noisily and Gikwang visibly backed down.

“I told you he was on his best behaviour.” Donghan muttered to Myungjun a while later after he managed to coax his dragon out of the fire.

Myungjun watched fondly as their dragons raced ahead to join their sibling outside for their feeding. “If Gikwangs not careful I might start to like him after all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m HOLLERING at Donghan getting the little brat of the bunch, straight up running away from him and jumping into the fire where Donghan can't go. His dragon is going to be so mischievous TT
> 
> The dragons eyes are all different colours.  
> Junnies: Red  
> Dongies: Green  
> Gikkys: Blue  
> But they're all the same in the colouring of their scales (black).  
> Dragons don't have to have the same coloured eyes as their parents. More about that gets revealed in a later chapter that I haven't written yet and hopefully don't forget to write >.>


	195. 3 Baby Dragons Vs 3 Baby Golems.

Myungjun watched as Gikwang climbed up onto the bar ignoring Hani’s indignant squawks. He cleared his throat noisily and despite the sheer amount of noise inside the tavern, everyone fell quiet. Donghan climbed up after him and held out his hand for Myungjun. Myungjun took it, was helped up and stood between them feeling smaller than ever.

They’d asked him to give the announcement being the guild leaders son and he felt nervous. His friends were looking at him curiously and Jinwoo gave him an encouraging smile.

Myungjun had already told Jinwoo all about the announcement and even though he’d been shocked and apprehensive at first, he’d seen how happy Myungjun was and given in. He always gave in where Myungjun was concerned.

“We have something to tell you all.” Myungjun said, trying to sound confident. He could see everyone’s interest was immediately peaked and smiled, relaxing slightly. “Dragon Blades is the oldest, most respected guild in existence. My father once told me the story of its founding. Our guild was not named Dragon Blades because we fought dragons with blades. It was named Dragon Blades because we fought WITH dragons and blades. This guild hall was first built when the Kings castle was under construction, but Dragon Blades was active long before that, when Aredrinnor had no King, no laws, and ultimately, freedom. My ancestors founded Dragon Blades on the backs of real-life dragons. They fought in the sky. Brave and awe-inspiring. The deadliest of all guilds…however.” Myungjun paused for dramatic effect, a skill he’d learnt from his father. It kept people interested and made them want to hear more. “As the years progressed, dragons became labelled as monsters, beasts of destruction. They were hunted and slaughtered because people were afraid of their power. Dragons were the friends, no, the FAMILY of Dragon Blades but they were cut down, slain, and brutally murdered because the people didn’t like how powerful Dragon Blades was as a guild. Our guild was once stronger than this, more vibrant than this, more awe-inspiring than this. But the fire was quenched as our dragons were forced into an eternal slumber. Dragon Blades is still the best guild in Aredrinnor, but it’s lost its core. The very heart of where it came from. Dragons.” Myungjun looked up at Donghan to make sure they were definitely going to do this. Donghan gave him a small nod and he looked back down at the rest of his guild members who were hanging onto his every word. “We have come here today to tell you that we are returning the heart to Dragon Blades. We are bringing the Dragons back. We are restoring what once was lost and we will bring glory back to Dragon Blades again.”

The effect was immediate. Murmurs had been building throughout Myungjuns speech, but the noise erupted when he was finished. The news received mixed emotions. Surprise, fear, joy, confusion. Myungjun looked over at his friends to see them all in varying degrees of shock. Jinwoo was still smiling at him and Myungjun grinned back.

“We need to make a few things clear.” Donghan spoke up rendering everyone silent again. “These dragons belong to me, Gikwang and Myungjun. They’re members of our guild now but they’re also our children and we expect you to treat them with respect. Which leads me to my next point. No harm will come to our children, not at the hands of our enemies and not at the hands of any of you. Harm them in any way and me and my brother won’t hesitate to crush your skulls into a pulp. It would be wise to remember who we are. It would also be wise to remember who he is.” Donghan said, nodding down at Myungjun. “He’s the son of your guild leader and will one day take over this place. He won’t be so forgiving if you mistreat him now. To ease those of you who look fearful at the thought of our dragons, I can reassure you that we know what we’re doing. A lot of you have been beyond the sea, you know how free the foreign lands are. Me and my brother learnt how to tame and handle dragons from one of those lands and in turn will be teaching Myungjun everything we know. You are not in any danger from our children, but you ARE in danger from us if anything should happen to them at your hands. Have I made myself clear?”

Myungjun watched satisfied as everyone nodded and spoke their confirmations. He could still see apprehension in some eyes, but it was to be expected. He was just happy that they’d had no real objections. He hadn’t necessarily thought there would be any, dragons were the symbol of their guild after all, but there was still that hint of anxiety. Luckily it had been unfounded.

“Where will you be keeping your dragons?” Hani asked from behind them sounding curious. “Are they coming to the guild?”

“They will be staying with me and my brother until they are tamed and safe to be around.” Gikwang explained clearly so that everyone could hear. “We have already gained permission from the King to have them enter the city under the condition that they do not threaten the lives of any innocents. So, they will only come to Dragon Blades when they are well trained. The dragons may be too large to enter the guild itself at that point, but we already have a plan in place for that. With all of that being said, are there any objections? No? One last chance…okay good. Let’s go brother.”

Gikwang jumped down off the bar and Donghan went next before helping Myungjun down. “See you later little dragon. Send me a note any time you wish to come over and I’ll come and collect you. We won’t be coming to the guild for a while. Try and come over as often as possible though. You should be the one to train your dragon. Oh, and remember to think of a name. Names help.”

Myungjun promised he would, already missing his scaly child and said goodbye before going over to his friends. He knew he had a lot of explaining to do.

*

Myungjun smiled as he watched the dragons chase each other around on the beach, stumbling through the sand and flapping their wings clumsily. His dragon bumped into Gikwangs and fell down with a screech.

“Wow they’re so cute!” Sanha squealed from his position beside Myungjun. “Please can I go and touch them Hyung?”

“No.” Donghans order was firm and Sanha pouted. “They might not be very big right now, but they’re untrained and their teeth are sharp, and they’ll do damage. I don’t want to hear you bitching when they bite a chunk out of you.”

A small commotion was happening on Sanhas other side and Myungjun looked around him to see Rocky and Rocky Jr arguing in a gravelly garble. Rocky Jr was wriggling furiously in Rockys hold and Rockys knuckles were white with the effort of holding onto him.

Donghan sighed as he looked at them. “Let him go. The dragons won’t be able to hurt him.”

Rocky just looked defeated as he put Rocky Jr down. Rocky Jr took off towards the dragons immediately, stumbling through the sand just as clumsily. The dragon’s heads whipped around to look at him as he got closer and with a chorus of screeches they charged his way. Rocky Jr faltered in his step before turning around and racing back to Rocky as fast as his little legs could carry him, waving his arms and garbling high and fast in a panic.

“Little one!” Sanha tried to rush forwards to get to him but Rocky held him back with a laugh.

“He wanted to play with them. Let him play. It’ll teach him a lesson for being so naughty and fighting against me.” Rocky said. Sanha didn’t look very happy but he stayed back.

“Three against one isn’t very fair. Lets even the odds.” Donghan summoned his own golems and Myungjun held back the squeal of delight he wanted to let out.

Donghan had summoned them to Rocky Jrs size. They looked so adorable. It would have been hard to tell their rock golems apart had it not been for the sharp black spikes protruding out of the back of Donghans.

Donghan ordered them both to move and they dashed towards Rocky Jr who stumbled to a stop at the sight of them, blinking a few times in confusion and letting his arms fall back down to his sides. The air was filled with gravelly garbled nonsense and metallic screeches as they communicated with each other and Rocky Jr grinned mischievously, his little white tooth becoming visible.

Donghan and Rocky both laughed and Myungjun looked at them questioningly.

“Why are you laughing?”

“They’re planning to attack together.” Donghan answered, gesturing to the golems. “This should be fun.”

Myungjun looked back at them feeling nothing but concern for the dragons. “Are you sure we should let them? The dragons are weak, and their scales are thin. Won’t they get hurt?”

Donghan scoffed. “They’ll be fine little dragon. They could use a bit of rough play anyway. If we think they’re in serious danger at any point, we’ll just call the golems away.”

Myungjun could only watch as the golems took off after the dragons who hadn’t made much progress across the sand. Their claws kept sinking and it was slowing them down considerably. The golems reached them first and split up. Donghans metal golem launched at Gikwangs dragon and punched it straight in the snout.

Myungjun was suddenly reminded of the time Donghan had punched Gikwang in the face and he held back the most insane urge to giggle. Gikwang was standing to the side away from them all but close enough to hear if Myungjun did and no doubt he’d get angry thinking Myungjun was laughing at his dragons expense.

Gikwangs dragon gave a screech of pain and raked its claws down the golem sending a sharp, piercing noise through the air that had everyone covering their ears.

Donghans rock golem had curled up in a ball, unmoving, in front of Donghans dragon. It looked like a spiky rock and the dragon was having a hard time snapping at its black, sharp spikes and swatting it trying to do some damage. It just kept hurting itself instead.

Donghan snorted in amusement when he saw them. “My dragon is a fucking idiot.”

Myungjun was much too busy watching Rocky Jr charge at his own dragon. His dragon had fallen behind the rest so Rocky Jr reached it last. They clashed with shocking ferocity but Myungjuns dragon was soon overpowered. Rocky Jr wrapped his arms around its neck and pulled it down onto the floor. The dragon screeched angrily and clawed at him, sending little chunks of rock all over the sand. Rocky Jr just laughed and let go before running away, taunting it to chase him.

“They’re going to play for hours I can tell.” Jinwoo said with a sigh, hooking his chin over Myungjuns shoulder from behind and slipping his arms around Myungjuns waist to hug him tight.

Myungjun hummed in agreement and leaned back into his chest. “Hopefully they’ll be tired by the end of it.”

*

Myungjun was sitting in the living room at home later that night listening to Sanha, Rocky and Jinwoo who were helping him decide on a name for his dragon. Some of the suggestions had been okay but others…not so much.

“It would help if we knew the gender.” Sanha pointed out.

“Dragons are genderless when they’re first hatched. It’s difficult to say when their genders will be revealed. It could happen tomorrow, or it could happen in a years’ time. It doesn’t usually happen any later than that.” Myungjun explained. “That’s why its best to pick a gender-neutral name.”

“Why not a mixture of both of your names?” Rocky suggested. “You have a lot of choice. Jinmyung, Jinjun, Myungjin, Myungwoo, Junwoo.”

“I like Jinjun or Junwoo.” Jinwoo replied, looking at Myungjun. “What do you think?”

“They sound like boys names. What if it turns out to be a girl? No, it needs to be something else. It was a nice thought though Rocky.”

Rocky didn’t look upset that his idea was rejected. He just went back to thinking.

“What about something to do with fire?” Jinwoo asked. “Like Blaze in the academy. What about Flame?”

Myungjun quickly shook his head. “No. Flame is a member of the magic counsel. I’d feel like I was naming it after him if I used that.”

Jinwoo hummed thoughtfully. “Inferno? Flare? Glow? Ember?”

Myungjun gasped in excitement. “Glow and Ember are so cute! I’ll write them down. Anymore suggestions?”

“You could always ask your father if there were any records kept on the dragons that used to be a part of Dragon Blades.” Sanha piped up. “It might give you inspiration for names. Or you could go to the library and look up the names of legendary dragons. Wouldn’t it be cool to name your dragon after a legend?”

Myungjun made note of Sanhas suggestions under the last two names and sat back with a happy sigh. “I still can’t believe this is happening. I’m actually going to tame a dragon. This is probably the most insane thing that’s ever happened to me and that’s saying a lot.” Myungjun grinned as they all laughed. “Anyway, it’s getting late. We should get some sleep. Are you two going to bed now?” He asked looking at Rocky and Sanha.

Sanha was too busy playing with Rocky Jr to answer. Rocky Jr didn’t seem at all tired after scrapping with the dragons all afternoon. A true bundle of energy. Sanha was chucking him up into the air and catching him again before covering him in kisses and Rocky was blushing furiously as he turned to look at Myungjun.

“We might stay up for a little bit. Have a nice sleep Hyungs.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 6 babies playing together at the beach omg 
> 
> For those of you who didn't know, this chapter was supposed to be completely different, but I spent an hour rewriting it so I could fit in the scene with the golems and the dragons. It was an adorable idea from @aaxbbxx and I couldn't NOT add it. They also helped me with the chapter title so...thank you again /.\
> 
> The original plot meant Sanha and Rocky couldn't see the dragons but by changing it they could and I'm glad. They needed some fun because, and I hate to say this, but the next couple of chapters is Socky angst...;-; I literally hate re-reading what I've written because its hecking sad. BUT ITS ALL FOR CHARACTER DEVELOPEMENT OKAY???


	196. Ddanas Letter.

Myungjun was in the middle of learning how to tame his dragon with the twins when he received a note that made his heart stop in his chest. He raced down the beach to where Donghan was chucking pieces of raw meat into the air and laughing as his dragon jumped up to snatch them.

“DONGHAN!”

Donghan spun around at his frantic shout with concern on his face. “What is it? Your dragon?”

Myungjun stopped in front of him shaking his head and thrust the note at him. Their dragons scrapped playfully at the side as Donghan read the note. His eyes widened.

“That’s your little brother isn’t it?”

Myungjun nodded feeling tears fill his eyes. “Please take me home. I need to be there.”

Donghan called for Gikwang who jogged over to them with his dragon stumbling through the sand behind him. Donghan explained the situation and asked him to look after them all. Luckily Gikwang agreed and Donghan wasted no time in grabbing Myungjun and opening the ground beneath them.

Myungjun was just glad that Donghan had already been to his town, otherwise Donghan wouldn’t have been able to terraport him there as he needed to have visited a place at least once beforehand. They didn’t land outside Myungjuns house though, Donghan hadn’t been there yet. Instead they landed across the street from Wonhos old bookstore.

“You can go back to Gikwang now. Thank you Dongie.” Myungjun said quickly before pulling away and running in the direction of his house. To his surprise he heard Donghans heavy footfalls behind him a second later and turned to look at him over his shoulder. “What are you doing?”

Donghan was quick to close the distance with his longer strides. “You’ll need all the help you can get. Gikwang can just send me a note if he gets overwhelmed.”

Myungjun felt nothing but gratitude for Donghan but he had to look away to see where he was going.

It felt like it took an age before he was outside his house and he ran up the garden path, relieved to see the front door already wide open for his return. He found everyone in the living room. His mother, Rocky and Rocky Jr, Wonho, Jinwoo and, most surprisingly, his father.

He didn’t know his father was back from the foreign lands, but he gave him a small smile and heard Donghan give his greetings from behind him.

“Mother, this is Donghan. He’s here to help.” Myungjun explained.

His mother sniffled through her sobs and made her way over to hug them both. Donghan looked especially awkward but patted her back a few times all the same.

“So, what happened exactly?” Myungjun asked, looking at Rocky whose eyes were swollen. Rocky Jr was making his own version of sobbing noises beside him. “Tell me everything in as much detail as possible.”

When Rocky spoke, his voice was hoarse. “We went to the circus that came to town yesterday and everything was fine. Sanha was happy and we got ice cream and watched the show but then after that we went to see a fortune teller. I told Sanha before we went in there that it was probably going to be a scam, but he was so _excited_.” Rocky stopped to take a shaky breath. “She read my fortune well enough. She took my hand and traced all my lines before going to her cards. She told me that I should focus on my weapon smiting because it will make me lots of money that I’ll need in the future. But then when she went to read Sanhas, something weird happened. The second she touched his skin there was this sizzling noise and smoke and the smell of burning flesh. She pulled her hands away with this creepy hiss and told him he needed to get out. She said ‘I know what you are. You need to get out of here before I report you to the King. You don’t belong here.’ And then she told me to be careful around him because he wasn’t like me. Sanha apologised to her a bunch of times before getting up and we both left. I asked him what had happened, and he just brushed it off but I _know_ him. Something wasn’t right. He was quiet the rest of the time we were there, and he didn’t say much when we went to sleep. I knew something was definitely wrong when he wouldn’t let Rocky Jr sleep with him. I woke up this morning to Rocky Jr shaking me and telling me that his bed was empty. I checked the room and some of his stuff was gone.”

“He stole some of our savings too.” Jinwoo spoke up quietly. “He must have snuck in when we were asleep. The money doesn’t matter but it shows he was planning this, and it tells us he’s probably not planning on coming back either. What that fortune teller told him must have freaked him out.”

“I don’t understand.” Myungjun muttered under his breath trying to wrap his head around the whole situation. “What did the fortune teller mean by he’s not like you Rocky and what was the burning all about? Sanha doesn’t have fire magic. Do you think it was her? Did she trick him? Make him believe he’d hurt her? But why though? Why would she do that?”

“These are the questions we have already discussed and haven’t been able to come up with an answer too.” His father spoke up. “It does seem suspicious, so I’ll personally be visiting the circus myself today to find and question her.”

“Well did he leave any notes? Any clues on where he was going?” Myungjun asked desperately. “This is _Sanha_ we’re talking about. He must have left _something_.”

“I checked his bed, but I didn’t find anything.” Rocky said picking Rocky Jr up and hugging him tight.

“Did you check your own bed?” Myungjun asked him. “If Sanha wrote anyone a note it would be you.”

Rockys eyes widened and Myungjun knew he hadn’t. He tore up the stairs and rushed over to Rockys bed, pulling his blanket and pillows off. Sure enough, a folded-up piece of parchment fluttered down to his feet.

Rocky came up beside him and snatched it off the floor, opening it up. Myungjun let him read it first and watched as his hands started to shake before he started crying. He held it out for Myungjun to read and went to sit on the edge of his bed with his head buried in his hands.

**Hyukkie**

**You’re going to wake up and I’m going to be long gone. Please don’t worry about me. I had to leave. The fortune teller was right, I don’t belong here, I’ve known it for a long time, but I always tried to deny it. I can’t deny it any longer though. My parents abandoned me at the academy guesthouse when I was five for a reason. A good reason. It took me a while to figure out what that reason was but when I realised why, I couldn’t blame them anymore. They were right to abandon me.**

**Tell everyone that I’m sorry and that I said thank you for looking after me for so long. I didn’t deserve their kindness, but they gave it to me anyway. Give mother a hug from me because I know she’ll be worried. You need to tell her that I’ll be fine. I really will be fine. Tell Rocky Jr that I’m sorry too. I’ll miss him dearly. I’ll miss you both dearly. You’re my best friend Hyukkie. I’m sorry it took me so long to realise that.**

**Don’t try to look for me it will be pointless. You won’t be able to find me no matter how hard you try. And don’t wait for me to come back either. I’m never coming back. We won’t ever see each other again Hyukkie I’m sorry. I’m doing this to keep you safe. You’ll be better off without me.**

**Ddana**

Myungjun read over the note three times, noticing the way some of the words were smudged from Sanhas tears and trying to make sense of what he’d written.

When Myungjun heard movement behind him, he turned to see everyone gathering at the door watching Rocky sadly. Myungjuns mother went over to cuddle him and Myungjun handed her the letter next.

“He’s only sixteen.” She choked out a minute later. “He can’t survive out there alone. The money will run out and then what will he do? He can’t join another guild because he still has the Dragon Blades guild mark on him. He said not to look for him either.”

“We WILL look for him.” Myungjun said firmly. “We’re not leaving him to go off and get himself killed. He’s our family. He can’t have made it far anyway. He can’t fly so he would have had to take a carriage and its only lunchtime the carriage wouldn’t be that far out. If we leave now, we can probably find him.”

Donghan cleared his throat to speak and Myungjun turned to look at him. “I’ll go and get Gikwang, he’ll be able to listen out for the nearby carriages and I can sense any vibrations coming from them. We’ll be able to cover the most ground.”

“I’ll come too.” Rocky said, getting up and scrubbing his eyes dry. “I can sense vibrations as well. I need to help; I can’t just sit here and do nothing.”

“Junnie you should go to the castle and speak to Leo.” Jinwoo said, coming over to hug him tight. “Take your sketchbook and give Leo his picture to distribute to all of the guilds in the city as a missing persons request. Offer a reward of a million coins. We can afford it.”

“No bump it up to ten million.” His father spoke up. “The higher the reward the more likely people will want to take it. I’ll cover the rest of the coin.”

“Thank you.” Myungjuns mother said quietly, looking up at him. “Thank you for helping us.”

His father gave her a small smile. “You’re still my family whether we like it or not. I’ll always be here to help.” He turned to look at Wonho and Jinwoo. “You two should search the town and spread the word that he’s missing in case he never left. He could just be hiding somewhere nearby for the rest of the day, knowing we’d look far out for him, and thinking he should leave the town at night instead. We need to cover all of the possibilities.”

*

Myungjun was sitting in the guild’s tavern feeling anxious. He’d been to Leo, asked him to distribute Sanhas picture and had even gone as far as approaching the magic counsel for help. They’d promised they would look out for him but, unsurprisingly, didn’t offer to help any further. Gikwang, Donghan and Rocky hadn’t come back with any news either and his father had just left after telling him that the fortune teller had conveniently disappeared from the circus.

Myungjun had had a lot of bad days in his life but this was up there with the worst. That was his little brother out there obviously scared and alone and most likely hungry and lonely. The rest of their friends were searching every nook and cranny of the city for signs of him, but no-one had come back yet.

Myungjun wanted to be out there helping them but he was waiting for Soonyoung. The younger boy was upstairs getting changed because he’d just been working out in the combat field and they were planning a trip to Banes guild where all of Soonyoungs friends were. They needed as many people as possible out on the streets.

Myungjun sighed in relief when Soonyoung finally dashed down the stairs, steaming his hair dry from his shower. Hoshi was floating behind him making high pitched noises of distress.

“Ready Hyung. Let’s go. My friends already know we’re coming, and I asked them to let Bane know that we were on our way and would need an audience.”

Myungjun thanked him before they hurriedly left. Banes guild was on the other side of the guild district. It would take too long getting there by carriage so Myungjun had already saddled up Princess to take them.

“Hold on. It will be a little bumpy.”

*

Banes guild, Giants Hammer, was noticeably smaller than Dragon Blades. Dragon Blades had one of the biggest guild halls in the city and looked a lot more regal. Giants Hammer had three floors at most and when they approached it Myungjun could see that its banners were hanging from posts that flanked the doors, as opposed to the bigger more prominent Dragon Blades banners that hung on the walls from the roof to the floor.

Bane was already waiting outside for them with a few other boys who Myungjun guessed were Soonyoungs friends.

Myungjun dismounted Princess first before helping Soonyoung down. Soonyoung was immediately engulfed in a chaotic hug from multiple bodies that made him laugh and Myungjun left them to it. He did want to meet Soonyoungs friends but Sanha was his first priority.

“Old man it’s good to see you again.” Myungjun greeted him warmly. “It’s been a long time.”

“You look a whole lot different my boy.” Bane said grinning with all of his gold teeth. “Come inside. Our tavern isn’t as fancy as yours, but we can still get a good cup of ale.”

Myungjun didn’t want to be rude and point out that he didn’t like ale, so he just kept quiet as he sipped at the drink when it was passed to him after he was seated.

“I’ve just seen the request.” Bane explained after downing his cup in one go and wiping the residue off his beard. “It was wise to note that he is a member of Dragon Blades. It will be fierce competition to find him. Everyone wants to kiss your asses and get in your good books, so I have no doubt he’ll be found before the week is up.”

Myungjun felt somewhat reassured by his words. “Will you help? We left the request open for multiple people to take per guild.”

“I’ll certainly keep my eye out for him on any jobs I take on with Yuri and Sooyoung.”

“How are they?” Myungjun asked, remembering the two women well. He’d been impressed with how strong and skilled they were. “And how is Jax? Is he still hiding behind trees and leaving the rest of you to fight?”

Bane laughed heartily before downing another cup of ale. “The ladies are fine and Jax has changed a lot after the argument you got into. He started training with weapons again. He’s still one of our best healers so he’s in high demand for jobs. Everyone wants him on their team. Do you have a team in Dragon Blades?”

Myungjun shook his head. “I haven’t really needed one. I either go on jobs with Jinwoo or Donghan. Although I’m starting to rethink whether that’s a good idea after the last job I went on. It was brutal and nearly cost me and Donghan our lives. I guess I just didn’t think about it before because I’m an anomaly, I can cover all areas and when I’m with Donghan we can both cover them all. If we’d had more people there on that job with us, it would have gone more smoothly. So, I suppose I should think about assembling a proper team after we find Sanha.”

“I’d recommend it. There’s strength in numbers. Which is also why I’ve already sent some of my men off to help find your friend. He’ll be found. Just think about what you’re going to do when he IS found. He obviously ran away for a reason and the reason would have to be a serious one to run away from a loving family and a guild like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ddana no :(  
> For real though, despite this being sad af I’m so glad it’s finally happened. I’ve been planning Sanhas backstory, of why his parents abandoned him, for the longest time, literally since before I started writing this fic. I’ve left a couple of clues throughout the fic on what’s actually going on with him and I can’t wait for the day I write the reveal and connect them together oof  
> 


	197. Rocky's Confession.

“Park Minhyuk I am ordering you to get out of that room right this instant! You need to eat dinner with us!”

“NO! Leave me alone!”

Myungjun sighed from his position at the bottom of the stairs. His mother was up there trying to get him out, but Rocky had locked the door two days ago and showed no signs of unlocking it.

“Park Minhyuk don’t you talk back to me young man. I will get hold of your mother and-”

“Mother leave him.” Myungjun interrupted as he walked up the stairs. “Let me try.”

His mother huffed and descended the staircase shaking her head.

It had already been two weeks since Sanha had gone missing and there was still no trace of him. Everyone had been searching non-stop to no avail and Rocky was taking it the hardest of all. They were all upset, terribly upset that he’d just disappeared but Rocky was inconsolable.

“Rocky?” Myungjun called softly through the door. “It’s Hyung. Can you let me in?”

“I said NO!” Rocky shouted out. “Go away!”

“Please Rocky. I just want to see if you’re okay. I won’t make you come out I promise. You can even lock the door when I step inside if you like?”

Myungjun breathed out in relief when he heard footsteps from the other side. He heard the sound of the bolt and then the footsteps retreated. He opened the door himself and his heart broke at the sight.

Rocky had pulled all of Sanhas bedding down onto his own bed and had made himself a nest of sorts that he was curled up in looking miserable. He was wearing a set of Sanhas clothes that he’d left behind which were much too big for his smaller frame and his face was red and swollen. Tissues littered his bed and the floor adding to the sad sight.

Myungjun crossed the room and sat down next to him. He opened up his arms and Rocky leaned into him before bursting into tears. Myungjun shushed him softly and hugged him tight. He let Rocky cry for a while before noticing something strange.

“Rocky…Where’s Rocky Jr?”

Rocky pulled away to look at him with a trembling lip and pulled something out from under his pillow. It was Rocky Jrs original rock.

“I can’t animate him.” Rocky choked out. “I can’t concentrate on it anymore. I haven’t seen him in ages. I don’t know what to do Hyung. I feel like I’m dying, and my chest hurts so bad.”

Myungjun pulled him in for another hug when he started to cry again. “I know. My chest hurts too.” Myungjun whispered into his hair trying to hold back his own emotions. He needed to be strong for Rockys sake. “I just want him back as well.”

“I miss him.”

“I know you do Rocky.”

“No. I REALLY miss him.” Rocky cried quietly. “I really really miss him. I feel like I can’t breathe without him.”

In that moment, Myungjun knew exactly how Rocky felt about Sanha.

“You love him.”

To his surprise, Rocky didn’t bother denying it. “I do. I love him Hyung. I know it wrong. He’s our baby, our little brother. I know I shouldn’t think about him in that way, but I can’t help it. I-”

“Look at me.” Myungjun interrupted firmly. When Rocky pulled back to look at him, Myungjun grabbed his chin gently to make sure he wouldn’t look away. “What you feel for Sanha isn’t wrong. Not at all. He might be the youngest of us all, but that doesn’t make him any less of a person does it?” When Rocky shook his head Myungjun sighed. “Exactly. He deserves love just as much as the rest of us and I can’t think of a better person than you to give it to him. He’s mine and JinJins little brother but he’s YOUR best friend. Just because we see him as a little brother, doesn’t mean you need to as well. Your love for him isn’t wrong. Its special and beautiful and should be cherished. It’s been growing for a long time and-”

“Wait, you knew?” Rocky asked, eyes wide. “How did you know?”

Myungjun smiled and let go of Rockys chin in favour of cupping his face. “It’s this. Your face. It’s very expressive, especially around Sanha. You liked him even when you thought you hated him back in the academy. It wasn’t just your face either.” Myungjun reached down to pick the little rock up. “Rocky Jr has always loved Sanhas company, meaning you must have at last liked it a little bit too. Also, Rocky Jr once told me that he started growing again when Sanha kissed you.”

Rocky blushed and looked away. “I know. I know why Rocky Jrs growth was stunted in the first place after your father saved him from the lava. It wasn’t because his original rock was melted down. It was because when I thought he was gone and I was grieving, Sanha looked after me. He looked after me and made me feel a bit better and it made me think I could even live without Rocky Jr as long as I had Sanha. And that’s when I realised I loved him. But like I said, I thought it was wrong because he was our baby. So, I tried to ignore it and pushed it away and in turn stunted Rocky Jrs growth with my emotions. Then when Sanha kissed me I thought maybe it wasn’t so wrong of me after all because maybe he liked me too which is why he kissed me when I asked.” Rocky shuddered against him as he started to cry again. “But it doesn’t matter anymore because he’s _gone_. He’s gone and he’s never coming back. It’s just like he said in his letter. Looking for him is pointless and no matter how hard we try we’ll never find him.” When Myungjun tried to protest Rocky pulled away with a scowl. “It’s been two weeks Hyung. TWO. He’s long gone. He could have made his way to Zepheholde in that time and boarded a ship to take him across the sea. We’re never seeing him again. That’s why I’m in here. I’m grieving his loss so I can get over him and move on with my life. So, tell mother that I’m not coming out. I’m not coming out until I feel better. Now can you please just leave me alone. I need to do this by myself.”

Myungjun left him to it after making him promise to eat at least one meal a day and he heard the slide of the bolt as Rocky locked himself in. He could hear him crying again through the door and it hurt his heart. He couldn’t imagine how it would feel to have the person you loved just disappear. He knew he’d be a wreck if Jinwoo just upped and left.

_We need to find him, and we need to find him soon._

*

The weeks passed by in a blur. Myungjun and Jinwoo burned through their savings trying to find Sanha. They investigated every possible sighting of him from all over Aredrinnor and were hardly ever seen at home or in the guild.

Myungjun spent countless days drawing sketch after sketch of him to put up in every town and village they passed through. They handed them out to anyone who would take them and made them promise that they would get into contact straight away if they ever caught sight of him.

Jinwoo had taken to reading any newspapers they could get their hands on to see if there were any stories of teenage boys who had gotten into trouble, or even worse, accidents. Myungjun hated that the most. He’d hover nervously at Jinwoos shoulder as he flicked through the pages and would always feel faint with relief when Jinwoo shook his head. No news was good news. That’s what he told himself at least.

They received a lot of notes telling them about possible sightings and would rush there at any time of the day or night in hopes of catching him before he disappeared. Every sighting led to a dead end. It never produced any results, not even a tiny clue as to where he had gone. He’d well and truly vanished. But they kept trying anyway, fuelled with the desire to find him and bring him home.

Eventually though, the disappointments of every false alarm became too much. Myungjun had never cried so much in his life and he was exhausted all the time from stress and anxiety and sleepless nights. It was taking a visible tole on Jinwoo too. Myungjun could see he was starting to lose weight and he couldn’t remember the last time Jinwoo even bothered to shave. He knew they both looked rough and haggard and decided they couldn’t go on like this any longer. Their physical health and their mental health were suffering too much. Myungjun knew he would break soon enough, and he was terrified at the thought.

“JinJin?”

Jinwoo looked up with a strained smile from his seat opposite him in the back of the carriage. They usually sat next to one another, but the stress was putting a strain on their relationship too. Myungjun knew that it didn’t help that he was cranky and snapped at Jinwoo all the time, but he couldn’t help it. They’d never argued so much before and it was terribly upsetting.

“Yes sunshine?”

“Let’s go home.”

Jinwoo looked surprised. “You want to go home? We still haven’t-”

“We still haven’t been to a lot of places on Aredrinnor.” Myungjun finished for him. “I know. But we can’t keep doing this. We’re running out of money, I can’t remember what proper sleep is and we’ve been fighting so much.” Myungjun sniffled as his eyes filled up. “I’m so tired JinJin. I love him and I miss him, but I miss YOU. You’re here but you’re not here. We haven’t had a proper conversation in weeks that hasn’t ended in an argument and when was the last time we actually cuddled? We’ve started sleeping in separate rooms when we stop at inns Jinwoo. _Separate rooms_. It’s not right. I know that’s not your fault. If anything, it’s my fault because I’m the one with the out of control emotions and I’m the one that starts the majority of those arguments. I’m just scared. I’m scared you’re going to leave me too if we carry on like this. So please, PLEASE can we go home?”

Jinwoos bottom lip trembled and he nodded. “Let’s go home sunshine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Rocky oh god. Poor Myungjin oh god. Sanha baby come back home
> 
> Next chap is less sad. We also get to see a completely new side to Donghan that we haven’t seen before which I was excited to write.


	198. Grey+Donghan=?

The first of August signalled three months since Sanha had disappeared. His absence was still felt but everyone had started to accept that he’d have to come back himself. It was simply too much to spend every waking moment looking for him.

After coming back home from their extended period away, Myungjun and Jinwoo worked on repairing the damage the stress had done to their relationship, starting with a whole weekend in bed just cuddling and exchanging kisses and telling each other how sorry they were and how much they loved each other.

Myungjun had then pulled Jinwoo into the bathroom to shave off his wild beard for him. Jinwoo joked about his face being colder now and Myungjun joked about getting his fiancé back. Then they’d cuddled some more in a nice warm bubble bath and washed each other’s hair.

Myungjun was feeling more relaxed than he had been in months and he could see Jinwoo was beginning to recover too. Myungjun fussed over him and made sure he was eating enough to regain the weight he had lost and in turn Jinwoo fussed right back, complaining loudly about the ‘devastating’ loss of Myungjuns squishy tummy and putting extra food onto his plate even when Myungjun insisted that he was full.

They went on dates and took on requests to replace the money they had lost and slowly, _slowly_ life started to go back to normal. As normal as life could be without their cute, bubbly maknae.

Rocky had finally returned to the guild too. He smiled and joked more and trained harder than ever out in the training fields. But Myungjun knew as soon as he got home, he’d go straight back up to Sanhas room to curl up under his blanket and cry. He always heard him when he walked past his room at night, but he respected Rockys wishes and wouldn’t try to comfort him. Rocky Jr never made a reappearance either. Rocky couldn’t animate him, and the absence of Rocky Jr was felt just as much.

Rocky had also made plans to go back home to Zepheholde for a while to be with his actual family. He was going to leave before Christmas and told them he may not be back at all the following year. The thought of not being able to see Sanha, Rocky Jr OR Rocky was hard for Myungjun to accept but if that was how Rocky needed to heal then he would just have to accept it.

Some good news had managed to come from Sanhas disappearance though. Myungjun was happy to see that his mother and father were finally on friendly, speaking terms and he even saw his mother in the guild once or twice. It helped that his father had stayed true to his word and helped out wherever he could. When Myungjuns mother lost her job after failing to cope with the strain of losing Sanha, his father stepped in to help pay the rent and other bills and had even offered his mother work behind the bar with Hani. She had declined but was clearly grateful for the offer.

More unrelated good news came in the form of dragons. Myungjun spent plenty of time with the twins learning how to handle and tame his own. His dragon had been furious with him when he finally returned after spending so much time away and had bitten off three of his fingers which were painful to grow back. But now his dragon seemed to have forgiven him and was quick to stumble over and greet him when he arrived. It was growing more and more every day and was currently the size of a small pony.

Jinwoo came often to see it too and even though the dragon was still a little wary around him, it let him stroke it and feed it without too much complaint. Jinwoo loved it almost as much as Myungjun and was constantly boasting about how amazing it was to their friends who were desperate to see it with their own eyes.

Myungjun wanted it to be able to fly first before that happened and he knew it wouldn’t be long now before it did. Its scales were starting to thicken but still felt soft to the touch and its wings were growing nicely. Myungjun guessed it would only be another month before it could take flight.

Donghans and Gikwangs dragons were growing much faster and they always teased Myungjun saying he’d picked the runt of the litter but Myungjun didn’t mind. He was the smallest of their friends, so it only felt right to have the smallest dragon.

So, life was continuing, progressing, and moving on whether they liked it or not and Myungjun was starting to fall back into a regular, healthy routine. He ate more, bathed more, started to do his hair and makeup again and dug out some of his nice clothes to wear. He either spent his time fixing his relationship with his fiancé, taming his dragon, looking after princess or practicing his magic. He saw his grandmother every so often and went to the castle whenever he had any spare time which was rarer than he’d like. He also saw Grey who told him that Leo had granted him a whole weekends leave every month to spend time away from his duties.

Life without Sanha was hard but manageable. Myungjun just hoped that he was safe, happy, healthy and of course, he hoped that one day he’d come back home.

*

The tavern was alive with noise. It was a Saturday night, so everyone was rowdy and excited and happy for the weekend. Myungjun was standing in a quiet corner discussing his dragon with Donghan when he heard his name being called over the loud noise of his drunken guild members.

He turned to see Grey approaching him with a smile and he smiled back. It was Greys weekend off and he couldn’t wait to spend it with him. Grey always came to see him on his weekends off saying he had no family on Aredrinnor to spend it with and Myungjun was happy to take their place.

Greys smile on his face faltered when he stopped beside Myungjun and saw Donghan. Myungjun realised this was the first time they’d ever met and opened his mouth to make introductions but paused at the look on Greys face. It was a look he’d never seen before.

Donghan was looking down at Grey quietly too which was strange. Usually if Donghan caught someone staring, he’d tell them to look elsewhere or he’d rip their eyes from their skull. Myungjun didn’t know what to say so he just stood and watched them.

Greys gaze moved down Donghans body before moving back up to his face again. “You’re so fucking hot.”

That was NOT what Myungjun had been expecting him to say.

Donghan crossed his arms over his chest, making his biceps strain further against the material of his leather coat and Myungjun could see the small quirk of his lips. Greys eyes were drawn down to Donghans arms and Myungjun heard the small huff of air he let out before looking back up at Donghans face.

Donghan licked his lips slowly and smirked at the visible shudder Grey gave in return. “I know I’m hot. What about it?”

Myungjun had never seen Donghan so flirty, so seductive. It almost made him want to look elsewhere, but he was much too curious about how this would play out to actually do so.

Grey stepped forwards, testing the waters and to Myungjuns surprise, Donghan didn’t push him away. Grey reached up to put his hand on Donghans chest and clutched the material of his top tightly.

“Please tell me you’re single and please for the love of all things unholy tell me you’re gay.”

Donghan leaned down slightly and lowered his voice to a deeper, huskier timbre. “So what if I am?”

Myungjun didn’t miss the small whine that Grey let out and he almost couldn’t believe it. He’d never seen Grey this way before either. He was always so cool and calm and collected but now the tips of his ears were red and Myungjun could see him trembling.

Donghan looked highly amused as he tried to pull away. Grey didn’t let him get very far. He grabbed the lapels of his coat and pulled him close again.

“You’re hot, single and gay. Got it. Now I need you to take me upstairs and pound me into the mattress, or I can pound _you_ into the mattress if that’s what you’re into, I’m not fussy.”

Myungjun didn’t know what being hot, single and gay had to do with being pounded into mattresses but it didn’t sound very pleasant or safe and sounded downright painful. All it would take is one hit from Donghans fist and Grey would be knocked out cold so why did he want Donghan to _pound_ him? That was concerning.

Donghan chuckled low in his throat and leaned all the way down to brush their noses together, lips millimetres apart. It was flirty and teasing and also very cute. A combination from Donghan that was so unexpected it made Myungjuns head spin.

“You’re bold.” Donghan muttered as he pulled back slightly to look at him. “And stupidly brave to approach me. I like it.” He stood up straight and pulled Greys fingers off his coat.

Then his face switched in an instant. He didn’t look friendly at all. His hand darted out, wrapping around Greys throat and engulfing it completely.

Myungjun wanted to stop him but he realised what Grey was doing. Nothing. He wasn’t fighting it at all. His arms had fallen limp at his sides, and he was just watching Donghan with slightly widened eyes. Donghan squeezed and Grey spluttered. But still, he didn’t fight it.

Donghan wet his lips before leaning back down and running them along the shell of Greys ear. “Sorry sweetheart, but I don’t sleep around.”

Donghan shoved Grey away with a growl before walking towards the tavern doors and disappearing outside.

Myungjuns brain was still trying to process what he’d just seen but when his body finally caught up, he rushed forwards to check on his friend. He could already see he’d have some nasty bruises around his neck by the morning.

“Grey? Are you okay?” He asked worriedly.

Grey looked down at him, eyes unfocused and dazed. “I think I’m in love.”

*

“JinJin?” Myungjun whispered in the dark of their room later that night.

“Yes my beautiful fiancé?”

Myungjun giggled before remembering what he wanted to say and falling silent again. “I’m worried about Grey.”

“Why?” Jinwoo asked, shuffling closer on the bed and wrapping his arm around Myungjuns waist. Myungjun could feel his warm breath on his face.

“He told Donghan that he wanted him to pound him into the mattress. Why would he want that? That’s not a normal thing to want.”

Jinwoo burst out laughing and didn’t stop for a long time.

When he finally calmed down, he cleared his throat and suddenly sounded serious. “I need to have words with Grey. He can’t go around saying that in front of you. You’re much too innocent.”

“How am I too innocent? I know what it’s like to be pounded and punched and kicked. It hurts and Grey willingly asking for it, from DONGHAN of all people, is just downright worrying. You’ve SEEN how strong Donghan is. He’d _kill_ him.”

Jinwoo sighed and pulled Myungjun up to his chest. “You don’t need to worry about Grey sunshine. He’s a grown man I’m sure he can take a good…I’m sure he’ll be fine. Donghan wouldn’t hurt him anyway, he knows he’s your friend. Just try not to worry about it okay?”

Myungjun couldn’t help but feel like Jinwoo was holding back from telling him something but he let it go. As long as Grey wouldn’t get hurt then that’s all that mattered. And Donghan HAD turned him down. Even if his wording had been awfully strange.

Myungjun just cuddled closer to Jinwoos warm chest and let sleep take him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grey and Donghan are the most RANDOM pairing on the planet. I love. Grey literally falling in love at first sight and Donghan flirting right back is so wild skskdjs. Grey sleeps around, partaking in fwb relationships (like the other Kingsguard at the castle) but apparently Donghan doesn't do that (surprisingly) so I have no idea where I'm going to take their relationship honestly. Only time will tell I guess
> 
> I can’t stop laughing at Myungjun though
> 
> Grey: Pound me into the mattress  
> Myungjun: *insert shocked pikachu meme* Omg he wants to be beaten up?
> 
> HELP ME BREATHE. HOW IS HE STILL SO INNOCENT???


	199. The Farmhouse.

Myungjun was sitting on his bedroom floor with Jinwoo counting out the rest of their savings. They’d spent the majority of it trying to find Sanha, but they’d also been working tirelessly to replace it.

Myungjun groaned in relief when Jinwoo chucked the last pouch of coins to the side after counting it. Jinwoo added the numbers to the sheet of parchment and spent the next minute adding everything up.

Jinwoo frowned and held out the parchment for Myungjun to read.

**2,445,691**

“That’s still nowhere near enough to buy a house in the city Junnie. We need four times that amount to get a small one. It’s going to take another year at least to make the rest of it.”

Myungjun chewed nervously on his bottom lip. “What about if we moved somewhere outside of the city then?” He asked. “Wouldn’t it be better for us? We have to consider our dragon as well. Leo might have allowed it to enter the city when its trained, but the people wouldn’t like it very much.”

“I suppose we can look outside of the city too. I’m sure we’d be able to afford a house with the coin we have now. Everything’s cheaper outside of Voredan. But the whole point of us moving out of here in the first place was because we didn’t like the travelling that we had to do to and from the guild.”

“It’s different now though.” Myungjun said, drawing a doodle on the corner of their parchment. “We didn’t have our dragon back then. I wouldn’t mind the travelling so much as long as I knew it was safe and happy and free to roam.”

When Myungjun looked up, Jinwoo was smiling at him. “I agree. It’s our child now and we should always put our children first.”

Myungjun giggled and crawled over to sit in Jinwoos lap. He wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. Jinwoo hummed happily against his lips and wrapped his own arms around Myungjuns waist giving him a light squeeze.

“Let’s go to an estate agent today then.” Jinwoo said excitedly a few minutes later when Myungjun had finally let him go feeling satisfied that he’d kissed him enough. “We should go and tell your mother.”

Myungjun got up feeling just as excited and helped Jinwoo to his feet. Jinwoo snatched up the parchment and tucked it into the pocket of his shorts before they raced from the room to find her.

They found her out in the garden watering Myungjuns patch of Camellias. She turned as they called out to her and smiled.

“Are you two okay? You look excited. Is there good news?” Her eyes suddenly widened. “Sanha?”

Myungjun felt awful when he had to shake his head. He saw her face fall and resisted the urge to comfort her. If he did, she’d cry and then he’d cry too and then the day would be ruined.

So, he quickly blurted out the news instead to distract her. “Me and JinJin are going to an estate agent today. We’ve decided to move to somewhere outside of the city.”

His mother looked back up at them in surprise. “You’re going today?”

“Right now.” Jinwoo confirmed gripping Myungjuns hand tight. Myungjun could feel the excitement rolling off of him and couldn’t help but smile.

“I’ll come too.” She declared, putting the watering can down and dusting the dirt from her hands. “I have no job to get to, so I have plenty of free time to help you search and you’ll want someone experienced like me. I’ll find you the best house for your money.”

They both eagerly agreed and watched her disappear into the house.

“I do feel a bit bad moving out and leaving Rocky and your mother alone.” Jinwoo admitted quietly. “But I think we need this. We need to start over. I would suggest to your mother to start over somewhere else too, but I know she’d want to stay here in case Sanha came back.”

Myungjun sighed and cuddled up to him. “He’ll come back JinJin. I know he will.”

*

The carriage pulled up outside of the estate agents that Myungjuns mother had recommended in the city and Myungjun and Jinwoo jumped out feeling so hyper they nearly forgot to pay their fare.

Myungjun bowed to the man a few times in apology before grabbing both his mother and Jinwoo and dragging them inside. The building itself wasn’t anything special but it was tidy and organized which made Myungjun feel good.

A stern looking woman with short black hair greeted them and led them over to her desk which was covered in neat stacks of parchment, a small clock, a photo frame and a pretty pot full of pens.

“Welcome to Aredrinnor Estates. Are you here today to look for a property?” Myungjun and Jinwoo nodded quickly. “Your first property?” More nods. “To buy or rent?”

“We’d like to buy.” Jinwoo answered. “Somewhere outside of the city.”

“Do you have a budget?” The woman asked, already reaching around in the cupboard under her desk.

Jinwoo pulled the folded-up piece of parchment from the pocket of his shorts and handed it over. Myungjun felt mildly embarrassed about the little doodle he had drawn in the corner, but the woman paid it no attention. She pulled out a folder which was thick with parchment and dumped it down on top of her desk with a loud thud.

She looked at their savings and appeared pleased. “That’s a lot of money to work with. Especially outside of the city.” Myungjun and Jinwoo exchanged excited grins. “This folder contains all of the available properties in a fifty-mile radius outside of Voredan. We do not deal in properties any farther out than that. Please, take a look.”

Myungjun had to hold back the urge to snatch it and took it politely before opening the folder up. The property listings were laid out simply. There were a couple of sheets of parchment for each house that displayed sketches of the different parts of the house, a list with everything the property included, a price and other additional information.

Myungjuns mother leaned in to have a look too and like she said, she was able to help. She gave them advice on what properties were worth their coin and which ones were overpriced.

After a while of looking Myungjun looked up to ask a question. “Are there any properties with large gardens that would fit a greenhouse?”

“Is that your only requirement?” The woman asked, twirling her pen between her fingers.

“I’d like an extra room for a library.” Jinwoo added. “And a nice kitchen so I can cook food for my beautiful fiancé.”

Myungjun elbowed him in the ribs blushing fiercely and received nothing but a cheeky grin in return. He suddenly remembered what else they needed and looked back up at the woman despite his embarrassment.

“It would need to be detached from other properties and preferably away from them too. More secluded.” He didn’t know whether he should mention why or not but just decided to do it anyway. “We have a dragon, so we’d prefer it if we didn’t have neighbours.”

The woman didn’t look shocked like he was expecting. She just looked suspicious. “I don’t usually ask for a possible client’s details until the end, when they’re certain or not that they want to do business with us, but I’d like to ask for your name now if I may.”

“Kim Myungjun. This is my fiancé and this is-”

The woman gasped and the stern expression was wiped from her face. “The Dragon Knights son? My apologies Sir. If I’d have known…” She was quick to take the folder out of Jinwoos hands and she pulled out a nicer looking one that was a lot thinner. “This folder contains properties that would be more suited to your tastes I’m sure. In fact, I have the perfect property for you.”

Myungjun couldn’t help but feel mildly annoyed that she’d hidden this folder from them to begin with, clearly thinking they weren’t good enough for it on first inspection. But yet again his father’s status had opened more doors for him and if the woman really had the _perfect_ property for them then he wouldn’t complain.

He watched her flick quickly through the pages before she found the one she had been looking for. She made a satisfied noise and handed it over.

The second Myungjun laid eyes on the sketches he knew it was their house. The floor plans showed that they had enough rooms for everything they wanted, and the outside space was astonishing. The map showed that there were no other houses around them for a few miles in each direction at least. He quickly read through the written information.

**3 Bedroom Detached Farmhouse For Sale.**

**Property Details:**  
**This beautiful farmhouse offers three bedrooms in a breath-taking setting with no nearby neighbours and open views. Once used as an equestrian home, this property also offers 19.1 acres of land, paddocks and stabling beyond the rear garden. The properties main attraction is the farmhouse kitchen with an attractive wood burning stove and stone fireplace.**

**In detail:**

**Entrance Porch**  
**Oakwood shaded porch sizeable enough to fit a small table and chairs leading to the oakwood front door.**

**Sitting Room**  
**Well-proportioned space with large windows facing the front of the property. An attractive wood burning fireplace with wood storage. Oak flooring with magically specialised underfloor heating.**

**Kitchen/Dining Room**  
**Attractive room with dining space and windows facing the rear garden. Main highlight wood burning stove and stone fireplace. A central island separates the kitchen from the dining area and provides storage drawers and cupboards with a stone work surface over. The kitchen matches the island with beautifully carved wooden cabinets and stone work surfaces with an inset sink unit. The kitchen leads off into a pantry with lighting. Oak flooring runs throughout with more magically specialised underfloor heating.**

**Master Bedroom**  
**Generous storage space. Oak flooring. Windows offering far reaching views over the paddocks.**

**En-suite**  
**Walk-in shower. Standing bath. Toilet. Hand basin. Storage space and shelving. Attractively tiled walls and floors with magically specialised under floor heating**

**Bedroom 2**  
**Storage space. Oak flooring. Windows offering far reaching views.**

**Bedroom 3**  
**Storage space. Oak flooring. Windows offering far reaching views.**

**Ground Floor Toilet**  
**Toilet. Hand basin. Small frosted glass window.**

**First Floor Bathroom**  
**Standing bath. Toilet. Hand basin. Storage space with shelving. Attractively tiled walls and floors.**

**Dressing Room**  
**With side facing windows and generous storage space.**

**Study/office**  
**Small stone wood burning fireplace and rear facing windows that overlook the large scenic pond in the rear garden.**

**External**  
**The farmhouse is approached through Grenwin Grove through a barred gate. To the right of the property is a timber stable that can house up to 6 horses, alongside a tack room. Along the rear of the property is a terraced patio leading out to the rear garden which contains a large pond, an array of flowerbeds and three apple trees. The rear garden is surrounded on all sides by high hedgerows and the 19.1 acres of land beyond are accessed through a 6ft metal gate at the bottom of the rear garden. The land beyond contains the paddocks, a smaller stable, a smaller tack room, a wood store and kennels.**

Myungjun was vibrating in his seat from excitement by the time he finished reading. It was perfect. So so perfect. “JinJin I want it.”

Jinwoo was slower to read but he was beaming when he finished. “It’s perfect sunshine. I can convert the study to my library and it even has the fireplace I wanted. The kitchen sounds amazing too.”

“Also, it has a stable for Princess.” Myungjun pointed out. “We were worried about travelling to and from the guild, but we can go by horse this way. It’ll be much quicker than a carriage. I’ll just need to finish teaching you how to ride and then we can take another horse out of the stable beside the guild for you.”

The woman across from them cleared her throat to speak. “By horseback, you will reach Voredan city in around ninety minutes from the farmhouse.”

Myungjun clutched Jinwoos hand tight. “See. It’s not that far. That’s already half the time it takes us to get to the city from mothers. The rear garden is big enough for my greenhouse too and it has apple trees Jinwoo. _Apple trees_. How _adorable_. The land it comes with is big enough for our dragon as well. I’m so excited. PLEASE can we have this one Jinwoo? Please please please?” Myungjun gave Jinwoo his best pout and whined cutely until his fiancé laughed.

“I wasn’t going to say no anyway. It was made for us sunshine.”

Myungjuns mother put the folder back down on the table and spoke up. “There’s no price.”

Myungjun and Jinwoo looked back down at it bewildered. Myungjun hadn’t even realised there was no price listed. He’d been too excited. The lack of it made his stomach sink. There was no way a house like that would come cheap, even from outside the city.

The estate agent smiled and pointed to the folder. “The properties in there all belong to me. I don’t show them to just anybody. The last property I sold out of there went to the twin dragons of your guild.”

“The cottage?” Myungjun asked surprised. “I’ve been there. It’s beautiful.”

The woman nodded proudly. “I only purchase and resell the best homes in Aredrinnor. There is no price because I tailor them to my clients. Your budget is nowhere near what I want to sell my farmhouse for.” Myungjun instantly deflated. “However…” He perked up again listening eagerly. “I can make an exception for the Dragon Knights son. If you can get me two and a half million coins by the end of the week the property is yours.”

Myungjun gasped and quickly did the math in his head before turning to Jinwoo with wide eyes. “We need fifty-five thousand still. How are we going to get it by the end of the week though?”

“I’ll give you the rest.”

Myungjun spun around to look at his mother. “What?”

“I’ll give you the rest.” She repeated with a small smile. “Your father has been paying our bills since I lost my job, so I have some savings of my own. This is my sons first property. I should help out.”

Myungjun squealed feeling nothing but pure joy and relief and hugged her tight. Jinwoos arms wrapped around them a second later and Myungjun relished in the warmth.

“If you boys squeeze me any harder, you’ll kill me.” She choked out with a strangled laugh.

They quickly let her go and Myungjun leaned over to kiss her cheek. “Thank you mother. Have I ever told you that you’re the best mother in Aredrinnor?”

She laughed again before turning to the estate agent. “We’d like to view the property first beforehand.”

“You can have a viewing this weekend.” The woman replied, pulling out a diary and jotting it down. She wrote the time and date on a small card and handed it over to Myungjun. “I need to take your details now, and your fiancés. Then we can get the process started.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MYUNGJIN HOUSE. MYUNGJIN MOVING OUT. MYUNGJIN LIVING HAPPILY EVER AFTER.
> 
> I went on an estate agents website just to find out how to recreate a realistic sounding house listing lmao.
> 
> CHAPTER 200 NEXT OMG.


	200. New Beginnings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter for 200🥺💜

Myungjun watched nervously as the crates of coins were placed in front of the estate agents. The woman they had seen, who was selling the farmhouse, peered into the crates and looked up at the delivery men.

“Take them inside.” They were quick to do so, and she turned to Myungjun with a smile. “I believe these are yours.” She pulled something that clinked quietly out of her suit jacket pocket and handed it over.

Myungjun looked down at the keys in his hand with a trembling lip. The keys to his and Jinwoos new home. He didn’t want to cry and make a fool out of himself, so he expended some of his magic instead and let his petals rain down around him.

“Thank you.” He said, looking back up at the woman with a bright smile. “Thank you so much. We’ll look after it well.”

She waved goodbye, telling him to come back if he ever needed anything and when she was gone, he turned to look up at his handsome fiancé.

“JinJin look.” He held up the keys and this time he didn’t bother holding back.

Jinwoo chuckled as Myungjun cried and he pulled him in for a hug shushing him softly and rubbing his back. Myungjun buried his face in Jinwoos chest and clutched the front of his top tightly. They’d done it. They’d found a new home. Their dream home. A home for them, their dragon AND their horses. It was a dream come true and Myungjun knew this was going to be one of the best days of his life, right behind the day Jinwoo proposed.

“Come on silly baby, stop crying.” Jinwoo cooed, pulling Myungjuns face up and wiping at his eyes. “My top is all snotty now.”

Myungjun sniffled and laughed. “I’m sorry. I just feel overwhelmed. I’m so _happy_ JinJin.”

“I’m happy too. So happy sunshine. I can’t believe we’ve come this far. We’re only nineteen and we’re engaged, and we have a beautiful home and we’re doing so well in the guild. Life is finally looking up again. We’ve had an awful time recently and we’ve struggled a lot, so I think we deserve a bit of happiness, don’t you?” Myungjun nodded and Jinwoo smiled softly at him before leaning down to press a gentle kiss to Myungjuns lips. “Let’s go sunshine. We need to go and find a request to make some coin for some new furniture. We can’t live in an empty house, can we?”

Myungjun pulled away from him squealing excitedly. “Let’s get a GOOD request so we can do LOTS of furniture shopping.”

Jinwoo laughed as Myungjun grabbed his hand and pulled him back down the street. “Anything you want sunshine.”

*

**Item wanted! Griffon feathers.**

**Must be undamaged. Minimum requirement: 10**

**Reward: 500,000 coins (for 10) + 25,000 coins for every extra feather**

Myungjun pointed to the request. “This one?”

Jinwoo looked over to read it. “Hmm. It sounds pretty good, but I don’t know where we would find any griffons. Should we ask your father?”

Myungjun sighed and shook his head. “We can’t. He’s busy.”

“The twins then. They must know.” Jinwoo walked over to the table where the empty request forms were stacked neatly and grabbed one from the top of the pile, turning it over to write a quick note on the back. He folded it up and flicked his wrist. The note was engulfed in flames before disappearing.

They had to wait for a few minutes for a reply and when they got one, Myungjun was surprised to see that it had come from Gikwang. Gikwang had been more tolerable since the outburst at their cottage. Apparently Donghan punching him in the face was all it took for him to be less evil and more helpful. He taught Myungjun and Jinwoo some techniques for calming their dragon when it became too enraged and even greeted them with nods every time they showed up at the beach. Myungjun didn’t know how long it would last, especially with the monster still lurking beneath the surface inside of him, but for now he was content with the way Gikwang was treating him.

Jinwoo read the note and hummed thoughtfully. “Gikwang said we’ll find griffons where there are mountains. He suggested checking the mountains where they saved the dragon eggs.”

“Those mountains are around four or so days away by carriage. We’ll have to go by foot through the forest too. We’ll be gone for a while but the coin _is_ really good. Especially with the offer of the extra reward if we can get more. They only said a minimum number of feathers, they didn’t give a maximum so it’s basically unlimited. I think we should take this request JinJin.”

“It’s going to be harder than you think to collect undamaged feathers.” Jinwoo replied as he tore the request down. “They’re wild beasts. Their feathers could already be damaged from fighting one another or fighting off predators or flying accidents. Not to mention the fact we need to actually kill them without damaging the feathers too. Which means we shouldn’t kill them in the air because they could break when they fall. I can’t use my fire and you can’t crush them with your vines.”

Myungjun followed Jinwoo back to the table where he picked up another form and started to fill it in with the details of the request. He signed the bottom and handed it to Myungjun to sign next.

“We’ll take bows.” Myungjun said, finishing off his signature with a flourish. “An arrow through the eye should work. Have you used a bow recently?”

“Yeah me and Soonyoung used them just the other day out on the combat field. We could also do this _without_ killing them. Just like how we saved little Jaeho from the wolves on that one request. You can get Camellia to put them to sleep and then we can pluck them. That way they don’t have to die.”

Myungjun smiled up at him. “We can try that. But we’ll need to make sure not to pluck too many. We do want them to be able to fly still when they wake up.”

*

“Little dragon?”

Myungjun turned around on his bar stall to see Donghan striding towards him. “Hey Dongie.”

Donghan stopped in front of him. “You wanted to see me?”

Myungjun nodded and stood up. “I wanted you to take me to see our children. Me and JinJin are going on a request tomorrow and we won’t be back for a while. I want to see my baby before we leave.”

“Oh and I suppose you want _me_ to look after your little brat whilst your gone?”

Myungjun gasped. “It’s not a _brat_! We all know _you_ got the brat of the group. I seem to recall you telling me just the other day that your dragon bit a chunk out of your lovely white sofa because you weren’t paying enough attention to it.” Myungjun grinned at Donghans scowl. “You shouldn’t even be letting it into the cottage at this point. It’s much too big anyway.”

Donghan scoffed. “You’re not my mother. You can’t tell me what to do. It sleeps on my bed with me, so it has to come inside.”

Myungjun quirked an eyebrow. “I thought you shared a bed with Gikwang?”

“Yeah. Your point?”

Myungjun just sighed and didn’t bother to reply. He couldn’t imagine how big their bed would have to be to fit the giant twins and their rapidly growing dragons. He just told Donghan that they should leave and when they stepped outside Donghan terraported them to the beach.

“You should stick around for a while today.” Donghan said, releasing his hold on Myungjun and stepping away. “We’re almost certain the dragons will be taking flight and you don’t want to miss it.”

Myungjun made a noise of excitement at the thought. He was desperate to see his dragon take to the skies. He knew it would be a beautiful momentous occasion and part of him was regretting the fact Jinwoo wasn’t here to see it. He’d sent Jinwoo home to get started on packing their things for the journey to the mountains. So, if their dragon _did_ take flight he’d feel bad.

_If it does happen today, I’ll just show Jinwoo my memories. It’s not the same but it’s better than nothing._

“Where is my baby?” Myungjun asked, looking up and down the beach.

Donghan looked around too with furrowed eyebrows. “I don’t…oh. Gikwang must have taken them to the cliffs early. Hold on I’ll terraport us there.”

A few seconds later and they landed on top of a wide sweeping cliff that hung over the grey stormy ocean below. The wind was strong, sharp and cold. Myungjun shivered and pulled Jinwoos jacket further around himself. He was glad Jinwoo had given it to him before he left.

Gikwang was standing nearby, tossing large chunks of meat the size of his head into the air which the three dragons fought viciously for.

The first few times Myungjun had seen them fight for food he’d been worried. Their scales were soft, but their claws and teeth were deadly sharp. He was sure they’d end up causing terrible, irreparable damage to one another. But Donghan had reassured him that their fighting looked a lot worse than it actually was and the closer Myungjun had looked the more he could see the truth behind his words. The dragons never left with more than a few scratches that were quick to heal.

The worst wound had come from one of their training sessions instead. It was on a day that Gikwang was having trouble with his curse. He was grumpier than usual and a lot harsher and his dragon seemed to sense it. Myungjun had said one wrong word and Gikwangs dragon had lunged at Myungjuns own. Myungjun had tried to intervene, fearing for his smaller dragons’ life but Donghan had held him back saying it was too dangerous to get between them. That had been the scariest fight of all. The noises they made, of anger and ferocity and pain, were ingrained in Myungjuns memory. He’d never seen dragons fight like that before. Gikwangs dragon had overpowered Myungjuns eventually and left a nasty cut on its neck that Myungjun had spent hours trying to fuse shut. Healing a wound on a dragon wasn’t the same as healing a wound on a human, but he still tried anyway and was somewhat successful.

“Little dragon?”

Myungjun was pulled out of his thoughts and tore his eyes away from the fighting dragons. “Yeah? Sorry I was daydreaming.”

Donghan rolled his eyes. “I know. You get this dumb look on your face when you’re thinking about something. I was telling you that what they were eating today was cattle. Chickens aren’t enough anymore, and we couldn’t find any farmers nearby who were willing to sell their sheep. So, we had to settle for cattle and spent all last night cutting them down and chopping them up.”

Myungjun grimaced. “Gross. What are we doing up on the cliffs anyway? It’s freezing up here.” Myungjun shivered again as another harsh wind bit at his skin.

“You’ll see.” Donghan answered with a predatory grin on his face and a crazy glint in his eyes. Myungjun didn’t like that look. Not at all.

Donghan strode over to the dragons when they’d stopped fighting over the last of the food and he whistled high and sharp. His dragon turned immediately to look for him and broke free from the rest to tackle him to the ground. Donghan landed on his back with a grunt and laughed as his dragon blew smoke into his face.

Myungjun turned away from the display of affection to whistle for his own dragon. It looked up, blinking its red eyes a few times before stumbling over less gracefully than its green-eyed sibling had done. Myungjun thought its gracelessness was just too adorable.

“Baby.” He squealed happily, opening his arms. He still hadn’t decided on a name yet, so he and Jinwoo just called it Baby for the time being. It was hard to decide on a name. It had to be a name that invoked fear, or at the very least, respect. He was the Dragon Knights son, and their dragons were the first to grace the guild in centuries, so it needed to be good.

Gikwang had named his after one of the legendary dragons that Myungjun had read about.

Aredrinnors legends claimed that at the beginning of time, four dragons roamed the land. They each specialised in a specific elemental magic and they used their unique dragon fire to spread magic across Aredrinnor under the Deity’s command.

The fire dragon, Kulzra, was said to have been the biggest of them all, with dark red scales and fire that burned so hot it carved the lands mountains. The earth dragon, Naephay, breathed life instead of fire, growing entire forests with one breath and befriending all of Aredrinnors creatures. A glimpse of her bright green scales was said to bring great fortune and prosperity. The air dragon, Arvioth, flew the skies endlessly without once touching down on solid ground and his breath created everything from a light breeze to raging storms. His white scales reflected the light of the sun like a beacon on a cloudless day. Lastly, the water dragon Eindaet, who was said to have been the smallest but the most beautiful, brought rain to the driest parts of the land and had a special bond with the creatures of the sea.

Myungjun adored reading about the four dragons of old. No-one knew what had happened to them. Whether they were slain or simply lying dormant. People didn’t keep parchment records back then so Myungjun liked to think they were just asleep.

He was so tempted to name his dragon after its earthen ancestor Naephay. It would definitely invoke respect. But Jinwoo had also voiced the desire to name it after Kulzra. So they hadn’t been able to decide yet. Baby would do for now.

*

Myungjun had been up on the cliffs with the twins for an hour before Donghan finally revealed what they were doing there. He did so through actions, not through speech. He ushered Myungjun over to the edge of the cliff and pointed down to the dark, stormy sea crashing against it.

“It’s a long drop little dragon. Good luck.”

Donghan shoved him straight off the edge.

Myungjuns scream was swallowed by the harsh wind as he fell, completely unprepared and absolutely terrified. The water was too chaotic below. He wouldn’t be able to swim against the raging waves and he’d be dashed to pieces against the rocks.

_Donghan brought me here to kill me?_

A screech made Myungjun twist around to look up. His dragon was barrelling haphazardly towards him, trying to flap its wings. He looked past his dragon with wide eyes to see the twins voluntarily leap from the cliff, their dragons close behind.

The water was getting closer and Myungjun closed his eyes, not wanting to see the end. He felt a brush along his back and then two clawed feet were wrapping around his biceps. With another more desperate screech and a powerful flap of its wings, his dragon lifted him into the air.

Myungjun could feel the spray of the ocean on his face and he opened his eyes to see his dragon had saved him just in time. His shoes were skimming against the water as the dragon got used to its wings. It got the hang of it after a few seconds and levelled out into a more graceful glide.

Myungjun heard whoops and cheers and looked over to see Donghan and Gikwang being carried by their dragons too. Donghan was grinning manically and Myungjun, for the first time ever, heard a vibrant, carefree laugh coming from his brother. Gikwangs face was lit up with joy and the sight made Myungjun smile.

Their dragons had done it. They flew.

*

“Count how many we have.” Myungjun groaned, slumping down against the nearest tree. “Please tell me we have at least ten. We’ve been out here for days and my feet hurt, and we stink, and I can’t remember what an actual bed feels like.”

Jinwoo snorted in amusement as he sorted through the feathers in his hand. “You used to be a lot tougher than this Junnie. I think old age is creeping up on you.”

“My fist will be creeping up on you if you insult me one more time Park Jinwoo.”

Jinwoo blew him a kiss before counting the last of the feathers. “We have…eleven.”

Myungjun cried out in relief. “Thank the Deity. Let’s go.”

“Don’t you want to stay and collect more? The more we collect, the more money we make and the more furniture we can buy.”

Myungjun whined and pouted up at him. “I want to go home and shower and eat something that isn’t nuts and berries and sleep in an actual bed. We have enough to buy the essentials. We can always pick another request next month to buy the rest.”

Jinwoo just shook his head fondly and pulled Myungjun to his feet. “This request was your idea to begin with. You were adamant on the way here about collecting _hundreds_ of them remember.”

“I know. I really did want to do a lot more, but we’ve only found three different griffon nests in the past week and we only have eleven undamaged feathers to show for it. No wonder this job pays so well. Its hard work.”

Jinwoo sighed. “You’re right. Let’s go home sunshine.”

*

When Myungjun and Jinwoo had attended the first house viewing before the exchange of the coin and the house keys, they’d fallen in love with it completely. But it wasn’t just the house. It was everything surrounding it too.

The farmhouse had to be accessed through an ancient grove. The trees were gnarled and wizened, and magic was ripe in the air. Myungjun had never seen a place so full of magic before. He’d opened the window closest to him, in the carriage they were travelling to the house in, and he’d been assaulted immediately by the magical energy there.

It looked as magical as it felt too. Flowers blanketed the floor beneath the knobbly trees and pretty moss-covered boulders were scattered throughout. He could hear a light tinkling in the air, alongside the gentle trickle of a river or stream that he couldn’t locate and the hum, buzz and murmur of all the magical and non-magical creatures alike who called the grove their home.

Jinwoo had been excitedly pointing out some of those creatures to him. Squirrels and fairies and hummingbirds. Myungjun even saw an owl that reminded him of the assignment Namjoon had looked after in the academy. Its head was spinning around at a startling speed and when it hooted, the unbudding flowers around it bloomed.

Myungjun was well and truly in love.

He hadn’t been able to contain himself and had stopped the carriage, stepping outside into the grove and walking through the trees. No-one had stopped him. He found the stream that he had heard and squealed in delight at the tiny fish that were swimming along and jumping out of the water. They were coloured like the rainbow and Myungjun was entranced by their beauty.

The estate agent had spoken up behind him, telling him that all of the streams in the grove connected to a bigger body of water that was fed into by a waterfall. She told him how giant lily pads floated on the surface of the water, littered with pink flowers and had revealed the exciting news that she had once seen a unicorn drinking at the water’s edge.

She told him how unicorns were signs of great luck and symbols of fertility. Myungjun had pointed out that he didn’t need to worry about being fertile and the woman had laughed telling him that it could at least apply to any animals they decided to keep.

After returning to the carriage, with Myungjun making a mental note to one day find the waterfall she spoke of, they had set off again for the house. The trees in the grove thinned out and opened up to reveal the farmhouse in all of its beauty.

It was white in colouring with dark window frames and a dark roof. Myungjun had already been able to imagine sitting out on the front porch with Jinwoo, watching the animals dance around in the grove. He had also seen the stables at the side of the house and had been happy to see they were in good condition.

The inside of the house was incredibly exciting. Myungjun had raced from room to room with Jinwoo close behind, making plans for what furniture they would need and where they would put it. Jinwoo had joked about Myungjun needing the whole dressing room to himself for all of his clothes and Myungjun had giggled and told him he might save a little bit of space for Jinwoos if he was lucky.

The rear garden was just as pretty and magical as the grove, with its cute pond littered with aquatic plant life and tiny animals that scattered when Myungjun approached. He saw a toad hopping off and waved goodbye to it making Jinwoo laugh.

Myungjuns mother had been the first to point out the apple trees and Jinwoo had made his way over to pull an apple down for her that she couldn’t reach herself. When she had bitten into it, she had made a noise of approval and wiped the juice from her lips.

The tall metal gate at the end of the garden, nestled in the high hedgerow, opened up to reveal the rest of the land. It was wide and open and stretched as far as the eye could see. It was like stepping out into a whole new world. Myungjun had clearly seen that it had been built for an equestrian household. The paddocks, and the smaller stables and tack room just screamed horses. The woodshed was small but cute and Jinwoo told him it would be easy to fill for the winter months. They inspected the kennels but ultimately decided that their dragon and horses would be enough to keep them busy for now.

After viewing the whole house, all of its surrounding lands, and seeing the grove, Myungjun had decided that no matter what, they would be living here. He’d looked out across the wide-open fields and envisioned what it would be like to see his dragon flying over them, high in the sky looking terrifyingly beautiful.

Present day Myungjun was enjoying that exact view. He was leaning up against the open metal gate leading out onto the fields and watching his dragon glide over the paddock, puffing smoke out of its nostrils. He was so proud of his child for coming this far. It was growing stronger and bigger every day and he couldn’t wait for the reveal of its gender.

A loud crash from the house behind him pulled him out of his thoughts and he rushed back across the garden, past the pond, and into the house to see who the culprit was. All of his friends and his mother were there, helping him and Jinwoo unload all of their new furniture from the carts outside. That crash hadn’t sounded good.

Dongmin saw him coming and he quickly pointed upstairs. “It’s up there.” He looked almost scared so Myungjun gave him a quick smile before resetting the scowl on his face and taking the stairs two at a time.

He spotted the damage down the hallway immediately. Jinwoo and Donghan were crouching down beside Myungjuns new dressing table and were whispering furiously to one another. Myungjun could see one of the legs had been snapped clean off and made a noise of pure fury that had them whipping around to look at him with wide eyes.

“Junnie we didn’t mean to-”

“It was an accident little dragon we-”

“I gave you both one job. ONE JOB.” Myungjun raged, pushing past them, ignoring their excuses and leaning down to reconnect the wooden leg by warping it with his magic. He stood back up and turned to glare up at them both with his arms crossed. “You’re lucky its wood and I can fix it or you’d both be in trouble.” Donghan tried to argue but Myungjun shut him up with another stern glare.

“Where do you want us to put it?” Jinwoo asked cautiously. “Our room or the dressing room?”

“Our room.” Myungjun answered curtly. “I’m going to have to stay in here now and supervise you all because you’re clearly incapable. I gave you ONE job.” He muttered to himself, shaking his head and going back downstairs to see what the others were doing.

*

“Thank you for coming today and helping us move in.” Myungjun said to Youngjae, giving him a quick hug. “Have a safe journey back. We’ll be coming back to the guild in a weeks’ time.”

Youngjae waved and climbed into the carriage beside Moonbin and Dongmin before closing the door and waving again out of the window. Myungjun and Jinwoo waved back and watched the carriage pull away, the last one to do so.

Myungjun turned to look up at Jinwoo who was grinning. “So, Mr Kim. We’re finally alone.”

Myungjun giggled as Jinwoo swept him off of his feet. “Yes _Mr Kim_ it seems that we are.”

“I need to carry you over the threshold of our new home.” Jinwoo said determinedly before carrying him swiftly up the steps to the porch.

“But JinJin I don’t think this counts. We’ve already been inside and isn’t this something newlyweds do? We’re not there yet.” Myungjun pointed out.

Jinwoo huffed. “We’re engaged, that’s close enough and it definitely still counts.”

Myungjun didn’t bother arguing and just clung to him giggling happily as Jinwoo carried him through the door making dramatic sound effects.

When the door was finally closed behind them, and the quietness of the house took over, it really hit Myungjun that this was their new home. Their fresh start.

“JinJin?”

“Yes sunshine?”

“I’m so happy we met.” Myungjun said quietly. “I’m so happy we’re doing this together, that we took this step. Our new beginning. I really do love you so much.”

Jinwoos resulting smile was radiant. “I love you too sunshine. More than anything. Now let’s go and get in our pyjamas. We can go to my new library after and I’ll read you a bedtime story.”

“But JinJin bedtime stories are for-”

“Babies. They’re for babies like you. My cute little baby. You are, aren’t you?”

Myungjun flushed and nodded making Jinwoo grin.

They both looked up startled at a loud thud against the nearest window. Their dragon’s snout was pressed up against the glass, fogging it up with every breath it took, and it was blinking at them expectantly.

“I think it heard you saying baby and thought we were calling for it.” Myungjun whispered.

They both looked at one another and burst into giggles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want a dragon TT I also want to live in a house near a magic grove where there are fairies and unicorns and rainbow fishies omfg.
> 
> 100 chapters ago Myungjun took his top off in front of Jinwoo for the first time and told him he loved him for the first time. 100 chapters later they’re moving in together. Please tell me it’s okay for me to feel this proud.
> 
> I never EVER thought this fic would get this far. I had low expectations from the beginning. I was just writing it to improve my creative writing skills for an exam which is long gone now. But its grown and flourished and introduced me to so many lovely people??? Like wow hello I love you all??
> 
> I don’t know for certain how many more chapters will come from this specific fic, and a part of me knows I won’t be able to keep up with my once a day uploads soon enough because life is already getting in the way now, but I’m going to try my hardest to deliver chapters that will do Magic In Aredrinnor justice.
> 
> Whether you’re a silent reader, a vocal reader or one of the lovely few who talk to me on social media and scream with me about cute Myungjin/Leo/Socky pics, I just want to say thank you for reading and turning this into such a rewarding experience for me. Ily uwu💜


	201. A New Home-Part 1.

Myungjun woke up on the first day in their new home to the smell of cooked food. He blinked open his eyes sleepily to see Jinwoo sitting on the edge of the bed smiling down at him softly. The early morning sun was shining in through the open window and Myungjun could hear the distant screech of their dragon. It was blissful.

“Good morning my beautiful fiancé. I made you breakfast.”

Myungjun pushed himself up and got comfy against the headboard with a happy sigh. Jinwoo settled the tray of food on his lap and leaned over to give him a kiss.

“Feed me?” Myungjun asked cheekily.

Jinwoo pretended to sigh in exasperation. “I spent _hours_ making you that food and now I have to feed you too?” Myungjun nodded. “Fine. As you wish your majesty.”

Myungjun giggled and opened his mouth for his food. Jinwoo fed him and kissed him between every bite until Myungjun burst out laughing and sprayed food all over him.

“This is the thanks I get for all my hard work?” Jinwoo asked, half laughing half gagging as he wiped at his face. “Gross Junnie.”

Myungjun passed him the napkin from his tray feeling mildly embarrassed. “That was your fault! I’m trying to eat but you won’t stop kissing me!”

“It’s because you look so cute in the morning with your puffy cheeks and bedhead. And I LOVE seeing you eat, especially the food I make. I can’t help but kiss your pretty lips.”

Myungjun blushed and quickly sipped at his water. “It was yummy JinJin thank you. I have the energy to get up now.”

Jinwoo picked up the tray and walked to the door before turning back to look at him. “You’ll need all the energy you can get. We have to unpack today.”

When Jinwoo was gone, Myungjun looked around the bedroom to see all the boxes of their stuff and sighed. They hadn’t had the time yesterday to unpack after being so busy moving all of the furniture in.

Myungjun forced himself out of bed and padded over to the boxes to find some of his clothes so he could get changed. He opened a few before finding one full of Jinwoos tops. He giggled quietly to himself and dug through it to find something he could steal. It would be so much better to work today in Jinwoos comfier clothes then his own fancier ones.

“You’re not being very stealthy cutie.”

Myungjun spun around to see Jinwoo leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed. He was wearing an expression of amusement and staring pointedly at the tops in Myungjuns hands. Myungjun quickly hid them behind his back.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Jinwoo pushed himself off the doorframe and took a step closer. “So, if I come over there and look behind your back, I won’t find any of my nice clean clothes in your hands?”

Myungjun pouted and held them out guiltily. “I want to wear one JinJin. My clothes are too nice to unpack boxes in.”

“Are you saying my clothes aren’t nice?” Jinwoo asked, closing the distance and looking down at him with a quirked eyebrow.

“No. Your clothes ARE nice. But if they get ruined it wouldn’t cost as much to replace them.”

Jinwoo grinned and reached out to ruffle Myungjuns hair. “I’m only messing with you sunshine. Of course you can wear my clothes. I was actually coming up here to offer you some so you wouldn’t ruin your own anyway. I wasn’t going to offer you _those_ particular ones but I won’t complain if you want to wear them.”

Myungjun heard the suggestive tone in his voice and looked down at what he was currently holding. Two of Jinwoos tank tops that he’d cut down the middle. Myungjun squealed and quickly put them back. There was no way he was going to wear something like that. He’d be completely exposed.

Jinwoo laughed and moved him aside gently to rummage around in the box himself. He pulled out a plain white top and handed it over. “Wear this one.”

Myungjun quickly changed and placed his pyjamas on the end of their bed before looking back up at Jinwoo. “We may as well start with unpacking our clothes. Can you take the boxes into the dressing room for me? I don’t know why they weren’t put there in the first place.”

“You want me to move all of these boxes by myself even though the majority of them are YOUR clothes?” Jinwoo huffed. “You should help at least.”

Myungjun reached up to give Jinwoos biceps a squeeze. “You’re the strongest out of us both JinJin. So strong and handsome I’m sure you can do it.”

“Stop flirting with me Mr Kim or we won’t make it to the dressing room.”

Myungjun squealed, dodging Jinwoos hands that tried to grab him, and escaped from the room hearing Jinwoos bright laughter ringing in his ears.

*

It took the entire morning to unpack their clothes. Predictably, Myungjuns filled the majority of the space and he had to make sure everything was either hung or folded neatly before he allowed them to stop for lunch.

“I’ll make lunch sunshine.” Jinwoo said as they made their way downstairs. “You go out and feed our baby. You know where the food is don’t you?”

Myungjun nodded and gave him a quick kiss before going to find the shoes he had discarded by the front door the previous night. He slipped them on and went outside to the larger stables that were situated to the right side of the house. These stables would be home to Princess and another horse in a few days’ time, but for now, they were using it as storage for the dragon’s food. He walked inside and found the large wooden crate in the first stall, pushed the lid off the top and wrinkled his nose at the smell. Donghan had given them the crate as his version of a housewarming gift and Myungjun had no idea what meat was inside.

He grimaced as he picked up the bigger chunk at the top. It was heavy and slimy and Myungjun gagged a few times and held it away from himself so it wouldn’t ruin Jinwoos white top. He hurried back outside and whistled loud and clear.

It felt like all he did was blink and then his dragon was landing in front of him and snapping eagerly at his hands. He laughed and chucked the meat away to avoid his hands being chewed right off. It ate noisily before coming back over to sniff and lick the blood from his skin.

“Thank you Baby.” Myungjun cooed, stroking its scaly head when his hands were clean. “You got here fast. You must have been waiting nearby. How are you feeling today?” He made the link with their minds and sighed at the feelings that flooded through it. The dragon was definitely happy here, but it was confused and there was an underlying sense of longing. “You miss them, don’t you?” Myungjun said quietly. “I know. I promise I’ll take you to see your siblings next week at the guild okay? Donghan and Gikwang told me that all of you were ready for that now, so you’ll see them real soon I promise.”

He received a screech in return and with one powerful flap of its wings the dragon lifted itself into the air and took off over the grove.

Myungjun went back inside to wash his hands and sat down with Jinwoo to eat their lunch. They washed the dishes and went back upstairs to unpack more of their boxes when they were done.

“This one has your make-up and jewels in it sunshine. Should I put it over on the dressing table?”

“Yes please.” Myungjun followed him over and opened the box to look inside.

He had the boxes of jewels that Leo had bought for him and he sorted them out first before pulling out the jewellery box that held his special pieces. He opened it up and ran his fingers over them sighing happily. His pink heart gemstone necklace that Jinwoo had given him when asking him to be his boyfriend was still his favourite piece in the box. He knew it was the cheapest piece of jewellery he owned but he loved it anyway. The next thing he saw was the silver necklace with the small glass orb that lit up with a tiny green flame made from Jinwoos fire whenever Jinwoo was nearby. Jinwoo had given it to him on Hallows eve to match his Flower King costume and it still made him smile every time he saw it. It had been the best hallows eve he’d ever had. The last necklace in the jewellery box was the gold flower pendant engraved with his name that Leo had given him for his eighteenth birthday. He remembered crying when he opened it. It was so beautiful and thoughtful.

Myungjun turned away from the dressing table when he was done to see what Jinwoo was doing. He’d laid his fluffy green blanket out on the bed, hung the portrait of them from the academy up on the wall above their bed and was currently rummaging around in the trunk that Myungjun knew held all of their old Hallows eve costumes that they’d felt too sentimental to throw out.

Jinwoo saw him watching and held up their old surcoats from their Kings costumes with a grin. “Remember these?”

“How could I forget?” Myungjun answered huffily. “You didn’t tell me that we were supposed to wear trousers underneath them and I spent the whole night with my legs exposed!”

“Your legs were so pretty I wanted to see them.” Jinwoo replied with a shrug. “Especially your thighs. You’ve always had pretty thighs and I’ve always loved touching them. You used to be so shy back then getting flustered over showing a bit of skin. It was adorable.”

“It was _not_ adorable Park Jinwoo.” Myungjun mumbled. “It was embarrassing. I grew up always covered up in clothes, even when it was warm so that’s what I was used to. Showing off skin was hard for me.”

Jinwoos face softened. “I know it was hard sunshine, but you’ve done so well now. You don’t have to be embarrassed at all, especially around me. I think that you’re perfect with or without your clothes.”

Myungjun smiled shyly at him before gesturing to the trunk. “What else is in there?”

Jinwoo rummaged through it some more before making a happy noise and pulling out their crowns. “Wow I forgot about these. Rocky made them, didn’t he? He carved flowers into yours and little flames into mine. I love them.”

“He was good at metal craft even back then.” Myungjun mused.

Jinwoo put them back in before picking up the curly stone horns from Myungjuns dragon costume. “He made these as well right? It’s funny, you told me our baby will have curly horns when it gets older. It’s as if when you designed these horns that you already knew in your heart what would happen in the future.” Jinwoo closed the trunk and pushed it under their bed before going to the last box. He opened it up and laughed. “You might want to come here sunshine. Your toys are in here.”

Myungjun rushed over with an excited squeal and pulled them out. “Hello little ones! I’m sorry I had to pack you away.” Myungjun took them over to the bed and climbed onto it, sitting cross-legged and placing them all in his lap.

Jinwoo came over to sit in front of him looking amused. “I’ve never once asked if they have names. Do they?”

Myungjun nodded eagerly and picked up his oldest one. A little bird he’d had since he was a small child. “This is Mrs Bird.” He put her down and picked up the bird Youngjae and Namjoon had gotten him for one of his Christmases at the academy. “This is Mr Bird.” He put him down and picked up the teddy bear that Jinwoo had made for him. It was sewn together with different coloured fabric and had a wonky face, but he loved it all the same for its flaws. “This is Mr Bear.”

Jinwoo snorted out a laugh and pointed to the last yellow, fluffy duckling in his lap that Leo had given him for Christmas. “Let me guess. That one is called Mr Duck?”

“No. This cutie is called Mr Duck _y_.”

Jinwoo rolled his eyes before grinning and leaning over to kiss Myungjuns cheeks. “I think you’re the most adorable cutie to ever exist with all your teddies. Where are you going to put them sunshine?”

“Right here.” Myungjun said happily, placing them on his pillow. “They always sleep with me.”

Jinwoo cooed and pinched his cheeks making Myungjun giggle. “Okay handsome. We can share our bed with your little ones. The rest of the room is unpacked now. I put your sketchbook and your drawing supplies down over there because I didn’t know where you’d want them to go. But for now, I think we should take a break.”

Five minutes later and they were sitting on the grass beside their pond, watching the dragonfly’s skim over the top of the water. Myungjun remembered sitting beside the lake at the academy like this and the memories made him smile.

He missed his old life at the academy, but he loved his new one even more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little trip down memory lane for Myungjin as they sort through some of their belongings~


	202. A New Home-Part 2.

Jinwoo woke Myungjun up with breakfast in bed every single morning without fail. They spent their days unpacking the house and cooking meals together. It was domestic and sweet and exactly how Myungjun used to imagine it would be. He used to daydream all the time about how life would be if they moved into their own place but now, he didn’t have to daydream at all. It was their new reality and it couldn’t have been any more perfect.

Myungjun was happy every single day and he’d never seen Jinwoo so happy either. Jinwoo was quick to joke and laugh and swept Myungjun off his feet at random times to shower him with kisses. Myungjun giggled all the time and fell more and more in love with his handsome fiancé even if he hadn’t thought that was possible.

Myungjun decided that moving out was the best decision they’d ever made.

*

Myungjun heard Jinwoo calling for him from the front of the house and rushed down the stairs and out of the front door to see what he wanted.

“Donghans here with the horse’s sunshine.”

Myungjun looked over to the grove to see Donghan riding towards him down the dirt path through the trees, on the back of a horse, with Princess and Jinwoos new horse in tow. Myungjun rushed over to greet them with squeals of excitement. Donghan had promised he would bring them soon, but he had never said which day and Myungjun had been waiting impatiently ever since.

“Hello little dragon.” Donghan greeted as he dismounted. “Sorry it took so long, I’ve been busy.”

Myungjun told him it was fine and looked up when he heard a screech. He knew immediately that the dragon flying over them was Donghans without having to look at the colour of its eyes. His own one wasn’t that big. He heard another screech and looked back to see his dragon barrelling towards its sibling. They clashed in the air and plummeted to the ground. Myungjun could sense their excitement without needing to touch them and grinned. They were making high-pitched noises of happiness and scrapping playfully.

“Sappy cunts.” Donghan grumbled. “It’s only been a week and they’re acting like they haven’t seen each other for years.”

Myungjun laughed and turned back to look up at him. “Would you like to come inside for some lunch? I know Jinwoo was cooking some.”

“I can’t. I’m busy today too.” Donghan declined his offer with a sigh. He reached around inside his leather coat before holding out a little wooden box. “Here. I forgot to give this to you. I found it in my coat yesterday. It’s your mystery seed from that necromancer request we did.”

“Wow. I’d forgotten about it too.” Myungjun admitted as Donghan handed it over. “Thank you for bringing it to me and thank you for bringing our horses. We really did need them.”

“When are you coming back to the guild?” Donghan asked as he separated his horse from the other two.

“In two days.” Myungjun answered, accepting their reins. “We’re running out of food now, so we need to go into the city soon anyway.”

Donghan mounted his horse and looked over at their dragons, whistling sharply. His dragon pulled away immediately. “See you soon then little dragon.” Donghan turned his horse around and took off into the grove at a gallop with his dragon taking to the skies behind him.

*

After lunch, Myungjun showed Jinwoo the seed and told him he wanted to work in his greenhouse for the rest of the day.

When buying the furniture for the house, Myungjun had insisted that one of the first things they bought needed to be his greenhouse. Then when they’d purchased the rest of their essentials, he’d spent some of their remaining coin on buying bags of soil, a couple of new planters and some new tools to work with. He hadn’t been inside it at all since it was put up, so he knew he had a lot to do. He was just glad Jinwoo had made them a big lunch.

Myungjun made his way outside and hurried down the garden until he reached his greenhouse which was sitting pretty right at the bottom beside the apple trees. He opened the door and hummed happily at the warmth. He knew they didn’t have a lot of the summer left, so he relished in the heat where he could.

He spent the rest of the day assembling his planters, filling them with soil and finding the best place to plant his mystery seed. Because he didn’t know what it was, he just guessed where that would be and placed it straight in the centre just in case it needed a lot of room to grow. If it turned out to be something small, he could always move it. He then made a list of the things he still needed. A cupboard to store his tools and other items, some fertilizer and a new watering plant as he was leaving his old one at the guild greenhouse. The guild greenhouse needed it more right now with the sheer number of medicinal plants he was growing.

The sun had recently set by the time Myungjun stepped out of the greenhouse feeling sweaty and dirty and aching all over. He looked up at the house at the sign of movement to see Jinwoo stepping outside with a glass of water. Myungjun rushed over to drink it down greedily and smacked his lips happily when it was all gone.

“Thank you JinJin. I needed that.”

“You’re welcome sunshine.” Jinwoo reached out to wipe at Myungjuns face. “How do you still manage to look so gorgeous covered in dirt?”

Myungjun laughed and shrugged. “I don’t know. But what I DO know is that I need a bath.”

Jinwoo wrapped his arms around Myungjuns waist and pulled him in close. When he spoke, his voice was low and husky. “Why don’t we get clean in our fancy walk in shower? We haven’t been in it together yet. I really want to.”

Myungjun swallowed thickly before turning him down. He’d been turning Jinwoo down a lot since they’d moved in.

Jinwoo pulled away with a sigh. “Okay. Well I’ll get started on dinner whilst you bathe then handsome. We’ve not got a lot of food left but I’ll do my best.”

*

Myungjun was leaning against the island in the middle of their kitchen, sipping on his glass of wine whilst he watched Jinwoo cook, feeling better after his bath. The wine had been Hani’s housewarming gift and Myungjun was enjoying it. It was full-bodied and oaky with an underlying earthy taste. It was perfect for him.

Despite the lack of choice for food, a delicious smell was heavy in the air as Jinwoo worked his culinary magic. Myungjun was so glad that Jinwoo could cook so well. He wasn’t terrible himself, but he was nowhere near as good, and he always finished off Jinwoos food feeling full and content.

However, Myungjuns favourite part was watching Jinwoo cook. He loved watching him prepare their food. He always looked so focused and determined and his skill was obvious. Myungjun thought Jinwoo looked the best when he was focused on something. He always did everything with such vigour and power it made Myungjun feel weak at the knees. The small crease in Jinwoos brow, the deftness of his hands, the way his muscles flexed as he moved around, grabbing different items and cooking them to perfection.

Jinwoo was perfection himself.

When the food was served, Myungjun dug into it like a man starved after his hard day’s work and he washed it all down with another glass of wine, telling himself he deserved it. He told Jinwoo about all of the progress he had made in the greenhouse and showed him the list of things he needed. Jinwoo promised that they’d get everything soon and Myungjun helped him wash up when they’d finished eating. It was another perfect meal.

*

Myungjun was lying in bed later that night when he felt the mattress move as Jinwoo rolled over to spoon him. He hummed happily as Jinwoo pressed kisses into his neck. They slowly became less innocent and more suggestive until Jinwoo was licking and sucking at his skin as his hand travelled down Myungjuns waist to squeeze his hip.

Myungjun knew what Jinwoo wanted and a part of him wanted it too but he couldn’t stop thinking about the last time.

Jinwoo had teased him by running his hands over his own body and Myungjun had pounced on him, leaving love bites all over his stomach and undressing him. And then he’d had that embarrassing urge. The urge to taste Jinwoos pre-release. The urge to take him in his mouth. He was disgusted with himself and so so ashamed.

Jinwoo froze behind him and his lips stopped their tortuous path over his neck. “Sunshine? What’s wrong? I can feel your emotions. Why do you feel that way?”

Myungjun didn’t want to tell him. If he told him then Jinwoo would be disgusted too and he’d tell him that he couldn’t marry a person with such revolting thoughts and urges. Myungjun didn’t want that to happen.

But Myungjun was also tipsy. He was tipsy from the wine he’d drunk and that made him loose lipped. He was blurting it out before he could stop himself.

“I’m disgusting JinJin.” He managed to say before bursting into tears.

Jinwoo rolled him straight over and turned on the light to look down at him with concern on his face. It just made Myungjun cry harder.

“Shh Junnie. Don’t cry. You’re not disgusting at all. You can never be disgusting. Can you tell me why you’re feeling that way?”

Myungjun choked it all out through his sobs, every last embarrassing detail, unable to keep the shame and the guilt inside any longer. “…and now you’re going to hate me and you’re not going to want to marry me anymore.” He finished sadly. “I’m sorry JinJin. I’m really sorry for being this way.”

Jinwoo sighed and reached up to wipe at Myungjuns face. “Sunshine you should have mentioned this sooner. That happened months ago. You’ve been keeping it all bottled up this whole time? That’s not healthy. I was already suspicious that something was wrong anyway. You’ve been turning me down all week and I was starting to think you weren’t attracted to me anymore.”

Myungjun hadn’t expected the conversation to go this way at all. He sniffled and looked up at Jinwoo nervously. “Why aren’t you calling me disgusting and calling off our engagement?”

Jinwoo smiled softly at him and stroked Myungjuns cheek. “You’re not disgusting. You’ve never been disgusting. And you’ll never BE disgusting. Also, I would be the world’s biggest idiot to tells the world’s most perfect being that I didn’t want to marry him anymore. I can see why you were worried handsome, but you didn’t need to be. When I saw you leaning down to do it, I was so excited. I’ve always wanted you to pleasure me with your mouth. I’ve always hinted at it. Remember back at the inn when I told you that you had perfect lips and that I wanted to do things to them? And then I slipped my finger into your mouth and made you suck on it?” Myungjun nodded slowly feeling stunned. Jinwoo smiled at him with reddened cheeks. “I’ve also told you on multiple occasions that I’d put your pretty mouth to good use. Not the most…chivalrous choice of words I’ll admit but they all lead to the same thing. Oral sex is normal and its okay to do it with the person you love. So please don’t be upset sunshine. I still love you and I still think you’re perfect and I don’t think you’re disgusting at all.”

Myungjun cleared his throat feeling a little confused. “That’s sex? I didn’t think men could have sex. The books I read with Sanha and Rocky in the academy’s library said it happened between a man and a woman who loved each other. It didn’t say anything about two men.”

“Men can have sex it’s just different. And oral sex can happen between anyone. Men, women, men AND women.” Jinwoo sighed. “This is not how I ever expected this conversation to go.”

Myungjun mulled over his words before asking his next question. “So that’s how men have sex, with their mouths?”

“That’s one way.” Jinwoo answered, pulling him in for a hug. “There’s another way but I don’t want to talk about that with you just yet. We can talk about it one day but not right now. Right now, I just want you to tell me that you’re feeling better. I don’t want you to feel ashamed or disgusted. I hated feeling that coming from you. You don’t deserve to feel that way. Ever.”

“I do feel better.” Myungjun replied quietly. It was true. He pulled back to look up at Jinwoo again. “You said you wanted me to do that to you. With my mouth. Do you want me to do it now?”

Jinwoo shook his head. “Not now sunshine. You’ve just been crying about it and I’d just feel guilty if you did. Let’s just cuddle and go to sleep okay? It’s the last day of our break tomorrow and I want to be well rested for it.”

Jinwoo turned off the light and pulled Myungjun back up to his chest. Myungjun managed to fall asleep feeling less burdened and very grateful for the wine he drank.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Myungjunnie thinking he's disgusting hurts me oof.  
> So unsurprisingly the next chapter contains smut. Jinwoo has now reassured Myungjun that oral sex is an okay thing to want, so obviously it’s going to happen. It’s the last scene of the chapter so if it makes you uncomfortable it can be easily skipped.


	203. A New Home-Part 3.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER WARNING:  
> Smut.
> 
> Smut begins around the line with 'Lavender scented shampoo'. There's no plot so it can be skipped if it makes you uncomfortable.

Myungjun woke up extra early on the last day of their break so he could cook Jinwoo breakfast. Jinwoo had done it every morning for him and he felt like he needed to do so in return to show Jinwoo how much he appreciated his hard work.

He pulled out of Jinwoos warm arms as gently as possible and crept out of the room feeling like a criminal. He made it down to the kitchen and raided the pantry for food. He spotted a container of eggs and picked it up excitedly but huffed, annoyed, when he opened it to see that there were only three left. It would have to do.

He cooked Jinwoo an omelette, throwing in a few other ingredients in the hopes of making it taste more flavourful and plated it up on a tray with the last of their fresh orange juice and a bowl of the leftover strawberries. He grabbed some cutlery, a napkin and on a whim, grew a little camellia in his hand to add to the plate which stumbled around cutely. He hoped Jinwoo would like it.

He carried the tray carefully up the stairs and was relieved to see that Jinwoo was still asleep when he entered the room. He tried to put the tray down on Jinwoos bedside cabinet as quietly as possible and froze as the plate and the glass clinked together. Jinwoo stirred but didn’t wake and Myungjun sat down on the edge of the bed feeling very proud of himself for succeeding in his sneaky endeavour.

Myungjun leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to Jinwoos lips. Then to his cheeks. And then to his nose. Jinwoo made a sleepy confused noise that made Myungjun giggle and he watched as Jinwoos eyes opened slowly.

“Sunshine? Why are you awake?” Jinwoo asked, voice deep and sleep laden. He sniffed the air and his eyes widened further. “You cooked breakfast?”

Myungjun nodded happily and helped him to sit up. Jinwoo looked rumpled and tired and cute and Myungjun held back the urge to coo at his adorable appearance. He picked up the tray and set it down on Jinwoos lap instead.

“Wow you did a good job Junnie. It looks delicious.”

“Don’t say that before you try it.” Myungjun replied with a nervous laugh. “I didn’t taste it so it could turn out to be the most disgusting thing in the land.”

Jinwoo grinned. “Even if it _is_ the most disgusting thing in the land I’d still eat it, every last bite, because you made it for me. Although the resulting stomach-ache might make me regret it.” Myungjun snorted out a laugh and watched as surprise overtook Jinwoos features at the sight of the little flower who had been hiding behind his orange juice. “Wow is that Camellia? She’s tiny today.”

“No that’s a different flower. I can animate mini copies of her. I learnt how to do it with-” Myungjun froze, realising he couldn’t tell Jinwoo that he had learnt the spell in his power training with Leaf. “I learnt it in the castle.” He said instead. Luckily, Jinwoo didn’t seem to notice his hesitation, probably still too sleepy to do so.

Jinwoo picked up his cutlery before pausing and looking up at Myungjun with narrowed eyes. Myungjuns heart picked up speed, thinking he’d been caught out after all.

“Sunshine you used the last three eggs for this didn’t you? Does that mean you didn’t eat breakfast?”

Myungjun breathed out lightly in relief and gave him a sheepish smile. “I didn’t even think about making anything for myself. I was too excited about cooking for you.”

Jinwoo groaned. “You know you need to eat. You’re supposed to have three solid meals a day. Remember what happened the last time you didn’t eat properly?”

Myungjun remembered it clearly. He’d withered away at the academy because he’d refused to eat anything except Greys cupcakes, and it had contributed towards his death alongside his pent-up emotions and blocked heart.

“It’s only one meal JinJin.” Myungjun mumbled, scratching nervously at the black demon burn scars on his arm. His nervous habit.

Jinwoo pulled his hand away to stop him and Myungjun looked up to see his scowl. “If I let you skip this one, then in the future you’ll skip more and more and more until your stomach shrinks and you can’t eat properly again. You were already in danger of falling back into that routine when we were out looking for Sanha and you lost your cute squishy tummy because of it. You’ve always had bad eating problems in the past and it’s my job as your fiancé to prevent it from happening again. I’ll admit that I didn’t do a good enough job when we were out looking for Sanha, and I even lost a lot of weight myself, but I can sure as hell do better now. We’ll share this breakfast and I won’t hear a word of complaint. Understand?” Myungjun pouted unhappily but nodded anyway. Jinwoo looked satisfied as he cut up the omelette into smaller pieces. “Good. Now that you’re eating it with me, you can take the first bite and tell me if we’re going to get food poisoning or not.”

*

Myungjun was washing the dishes when Jinwoo came up behind him, snaking his arms around his waist and slipping his warm hands up Myungjuns top to poke at his stomach. He whined happily into Myungjuns neck.

“Your squishy tummy really is coming back. I missed it so much. When you’ve finished washing up, I’m going to give it a thousand kisses.”

Myungjun giggled and scrubbed at the last of the cutlery. “We don’t have time for that JinJin.”

“Why not?” Jinwoo huffed. “There should _always_ be time to shower you with love. It’s against my religion not to.”

Myungjun spluttered out a laugh and drained the water from the sink before turning around in Jinwoos arms and holding up his hands. He spoke as Jinwoo steamed them dry. “Against your religion? You’re a dork Park Jinwoo.”

“One, I’m not _A_ dork, I’m _YOUR_ dork.” Jinwoo grinned as Myungjun pretended to gag. “And two, I’m Kim Jinwoo. Not Park Jinwoo. Get your facts straight.”

Myungjun grinned right back and used his newly dried hands to grab the front of Jinwoos shirt to pull him down for a kiss. Jinwoos hands crept back up Myungjuns top as his tongue slipped into his mouth and he trailed his fingers over Myungjuns stomach before moving them up to Myungjuns chest making him shudder.

Myungjun broke the kiss with a gasp for air and tried to fight against the lusty haze threatening to overtake his mind. They had stuff to do so they couldn’t get distracted.

“JinJin we really don’t have time.”

Jinwoo groaned irritably. “Why not? We’ve unpacked the whole house and you’ve sorted out your greenhouse. There’s nothing left to do. I want you. I want to touch you and I want to touch you now. I want to spend the whole day pleasuring you in bed to make up for all of the times we’ve been interrupted before.”

Myungjun whined, feeling his knees weaken at the thought. He told himself to be strong though. Today was the last free day they’d have in a while and he had one more thing he wanted to do first.

“When we first viewed the house and I left the carriage, I came across this pretty stream with rainbow fish that were so beautiful they took my breath away. The estate agent told me that there were multiple streams in the grove that led to a larger body of water and a waterfall. The way she described it made it sound so pretty JinJin. She even said there might be unicorns. _Unicorns_ Jinwoo. I want to go and find it. Please can we go and find it today? I don’t know when we’ll get the chance again.”

Jinwoo sighed looking defeated. “Fine. We can go. But we need to feed and water the horses and the dragon first. If you do that, I’ll pack us a picnic okay? It won’t be very grand with our dwindling supplies, but we don’t know how long the walk will be and we did split breakfast, so we’ve not eaten enough already. Let’s go and get washed and dressed before all of that though.”

*

Myungjun heard the waterfall before he saw it and the sound excited him so much that he pulled out of Jinwoos grip and dashed through the trees towards it hearing his fiancés amused shouts behind him.

The waterfall was as magical as the woman had made it out to be. The water was crystal clear and the body of water it fed into looked inviting in the heat. Myungjun squealed in pure delight at the sight of the giant lily pads floating on the surface of the water, mingling with an array of bright pink flowers that gave the water more life.

Myungjun was surprised to see the amount of wildlife there, despite his obvious presence. Dragonfly’s and butterflies and small twittering birds flitted around and Myungjun could see a couple of fairies sitting inside one of the pink flowers as they bickered high and fast in their voices that sounded like tinkling bells.

There were also a couple of deer and one stag drinking at the water’s edge on the other side. They weren’t unicorns, and he did feel a bit disappointed by that, but they were still ethereal enough to look upon. The stag’s antlers stood tall and proud and had moss like green plants dangling from them making him appear one with the grove.

“Wow this is amazing.” Jinwoos awed voice came from behind him and Myungjun couldn’t help but agree.

Jinwoo unfolded their picnic blanket and settled the basket down before pulling Myungjun away from the water’s edge and down onto his lap. Myungjun whined and tried to reach out for the water again but Jinwoo held him back and told him he needed to eat first. It had taken an hour of walking to find the waterfall and Myungjun couldn’t deny the fact that he was feeling a little hungry after only having a light breakfast.

So, they ate happily, feeding one another small bites until all of the food was gone. Myungjun wriggled out of Jinwoos lap to lay down and Jinwoo lay down beside him and threaded their fingers together. Myungjun sighed happily as he looked up at the bright blue sky above them. It was peaceful and perfect and the best way to spend their last free day. Myungjun knew it had been worth the walk and he knew Jinwoo felt the same way.

They napped for a while and when Myungjun was finally shaken awake by Jinwoo he could see that the sun was setting.

Myungjun sat up with a groggy groan. “We must have slept for hours.”

Jinwoo made a noise of agreement as he cleaned up their mess and folded up the blanket before climbing to his feet and taking Myungjuns hand. “It’s because it was so peaceful out here and we’ve had a busy week of hard work. I’m happy you asked to do this today sunshine. The next time we have a break from the guild we can come here and maybe swim a little, the waters lovely. Would you like that?”

Myungjun nodded up at him eagerly, suddenly not feeling very tired anymore. “Yes please JinJin.”

Jinwoo smiled and pressed a quick kiss to Myungjuns forehead before leading them back through the trees. “Let’s go home.”

*

Myungjun was washing his hair with a lavender scented shampoo when the door to the walk-in shower opened behind him. He didn’t bother turning around. Jinwoos arms wrapped around his waist, reminiscent of their time in the kitchen earlier that day and he cuddled up against him. Myungjun bathed in the heat of his skin and was hardly surprised when he felt Jinwoos arousal pressing into his back. It made his own body react.

After Jinwoo reassuring him the previous night, he felt much more inclined to embrace the events that would no doubt follow. He let them happen.

Jinwoo turned him around and tilted Myungjuns face up so he could kiss him. Myungjun kissed him back. It was slow and lazy and exactly what Myungjun needed. The water falling over them and running down his skin felt nice too.

Myungjun pulled away first and reached for the body wash, lathering his hands up with a generous amount and using it to clean Jinwoos beautiful skin. He started at his shoulders, rubbing circles into them, and moved down one of his arms, making sure to pay attention to the rough skin of his hand. He then moved down the next arm, giving it the same amount of attention and care. He stopped to lather more body wash onto his hands and got to work on Jinwoos chest, looking up at him as he brushed over his nipples. Jinwoos eyes darkened but he didn’t move. He just let Myungjun carry on down to his stomach.

When Myungjun was finished a few minutes later, Jinwoo returned the favour. Jinwoo did it slowly and Myungjun shuddered every time Jinwoo would rub over the sensitive parts on his body. Jinwoo knew all of the places he liked to be touched without touching what was the most important.

A nice haze was clouding Myungjuns mind by the time Jinwoo moved down to his legs. Jinwoo had to lower himself down to reach them and he spent the longest time just kneading and squeezing Myungjuns thighs until they were fully pliant under his touch. Myungjun felt the ache of their walk disappear and he groaned quietly in relief.

When Jinwoos hands disappeared, Myungjun looked down to see Jinwoo leaning in closer to his hips. Jinwoo stopped and looked up for permission and Myungjun gave a jerky nod of his head, feeling anticipation and nervousness well up inside of him. Oral sex. Jinwoo was about to pleasure him with his mouth. The thought made Myungjun dizzy.

Jinwoo wrapped his hand around him before leaning in and licking him gently. Myungjun whined low in his throat at the feeling and he clutched at Jinwoos hair, needing something to ground himself. Jinwoo licked him again more confidently and looked up at Myungjun from underneath his eyelashes before taking him into his mouth.

Myungjun choked on the feeling. Jinwoos mouth was warm and wet and his tongue was sinful. Jinwoo took more into his mouth, sucking gently and sending Myungjuns nerves into overdrive. Jinwoo had hardly done anything at all and he could already feel the heat pooling in his stomach.

Whatever Jinwoo couldn’t take in his mouth, he touched with his hand and having both at once was overwhelming. It was taking all of Myungjuns willpower to stand still.

Jinwoo was growing more confident as the time passed, moving his head back and forth more, sucking more firmly and using his tongue in a way that had Myungjun gasping for air. He couldn’t decide what was better. The times before when Jinwoo had pleasured him with just his hand or being pleasured with Jinwoos mouth. They both felt incredibly good.

Myungjuns moans and whimpers bounced off the walls of the shower and Jinwoo hummed in response, the resulting vibrations pleasuring Myungjun further.

“JinJin.” He choked out. “I can’t…I’m gunna…”

Jinwoo pulled off of him and Myungjun felt his release retreat. He was glad Jinwoo stopped. He didn’t want to soil his mouth.

Jinwoo stood back up and pulled Myungjun in for a kiss. Myungjun could taste something different in Jinwoos mouth and realised it was him. The idea made him blush. He quickly distracted himself by reaching down in between their bodies and wrapping his hand around Jinwoo firmly. Jinwoo groaned into his mouth and Myungjun pulled back slightly to talk.

“I want to try it too JinJin. I want to pleasure you with my mouth.”

Jinwoo cursed quietly. “Okay. Fuck I’ve wanted this for so long. Your lips will look so good wrapped around me. Just don’t rush it okay? I don’t want you to hurt yourself. Just take it slow and watch out for your teeth.”

Myungjun nodded, trying to remember what he said and dropped down, eager to make Jinwoo feel good too. He wet his lips nervously before taking Jinwoo in his hand again and stroking him a few times. It earned him a groan and spurred him on to take it further. Trying to copy what Jinwoo did, he leaned in and licked at him gently, gathering the taste of him on his tongue. It wasn’t as nice as he’d imagined but it wasn’t terrible either. It was Jinwoo and that’s all that mattered. He did it again, swirling his tongue around him before taking him into his mouth being mindful of his teeth like Jinwoo advised.

Jinwoo was hot and heavy in his mouth and Myungjun sunk down on him further before freezing. His mind went completely blank and he forgot what he was supposed to be doing. He looked up to see that Jinwoo had braced himself against the shower wall, shielding Myungjun from the majority of the shower water that was raining down above them.

Jinwoo must have seen the lost expression on Myungjuns face because he was quick to speak. “Just get used to it first, suck gently and don’t try to take too much. I don’t want you to choke.” His voice was strained and Myungjun could see all of his muscles were tensed.

He did what Jinwoo said and finally found a pace and a rhythm he was comfortable with. It felt good being able to pleasure Jinwoo in such a way and he decided he liked the feel of Jinwoo in his mouth. It was addicting. It was also addicting hearing the noises above him, knowing he was the one causing them.

_We should do this more often._

Jinwoo was groaning above him and he took one hand off the wall to tangle it into Myungjuns hair. “Fuck you’re doing so well Junnie. So pretty. So perfect. You look even better than I imagined.” Myungjun whined at the praise and Jinwoo shuddered above him. “That feels good.” Myungjun wrapped his tongue around him and did it again, sucking harder. Jinwoo moaned loudly and tightened his hold on Myungjuns hair. “Junnie stop I can’t hold off much longer.”

Myungjun pulled off of him with a pop and Jinwoo breathed out heavily in relief before helping Myungjun to his feet. He was quick to kiss him again, clearly not bothered about tasting himself.

Myungjun gasped into his mouth when Jinwoos hand wrapped around him again, stroking him hard and fast. He grabbed desperately at Jinwoos shoulders as his legs turned to jelly and he dug his nails into Jinwoos skin as his release hit him hard and fast making stars explode behind his eyelids.

A perfect end to a perfect day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I CANT BELIEVE I JUST WROTE THIS HELP ME BREATHE IM SO EMBARRASSED TT  
> I LITERALLY CANNOT REREAD IT SO IF THERES MISTAKES IM SORRY SKSJKSJKS


	204. Dragons At The Guild.

Myungjun and Jinwoo were waved through the city gates leading into the guild district by smartly dressed guards who were eyeing their dragon warily. It was circling high above them in the sky and screeching every so often, no doubt overwhelmed by the city itself. They usually entered the city through the bigger main gates that led into the shopping district, but today they decided to go straight to the guild to avoid overwhelming the dragon further. The shopping district was much busier, with thousands of people, and hundreds of different sights and smells. It would be too much.

The ride from their farmhouse to the city had taken around an hour and a half like the estate agent had said it would and Myungjun had lost sight of the dragon a few times as it flew ahead, but he was never worried. One whistle and it would come straight back. Its hearing was incredible, even from such a long distance.

The guards muttered behind them as they rode past but Myungjun didn’t mind. It was understandable that people wouldn’t be all too accepting of having dragons enter their city.

Leo had given a speech in front of the castle about the arrival of the dragons when Myungjun and the twins had first gained permission from him to bring them into Voredan under the condition they harmed no innocents. Leo had been uneasy about it, but he had agreed saying he owed Myungjun anyway for saving his life and freeing him from the castle’s confines. The speech itself was carried to thousands of ears with Myungjun, Donghan and Gikwang standing straight and proud just behind the King himself. Myungjun had seen the fear and the curiosity in the people’s eyes but like at the tavern, no one had protested. Myungjun had a feeling it was because of who they were. The legendary Twin Dragons and the Dragon Knights son.

As Myungjun and Jinwoo approached the guild, they could see a crowd of onlookers standing outside, talking excitedly and pointing up at the guild halls roof.

When Myungjun looked up he could see why. The two other dragons were perched on top of it, their claws digging into the stone and their heads turning from side to side as they listened to all of the sounds in the city.

The crowd gasped as Myungjuns dragon flew up to greet its siblings. They fought playfully, the stone from the guild halls roof raining down as they snapped their sharp teeth at each other’s necks and clawed at each other’s bodies making high-pitched noises of excitement.

Myungjun left them to it and went to take Princess into the stables with Jinwoo and his own horse close behind so they could hand them over to the stable hands to be stabled and watered.

When they left the stables, one of the people from the crowd broke off to approach them. The man was as tall as Jinwoo, with blonde hair that was shaved at the sides and slicked back to reveal his strong handsome features. His body was well built too and Myungjun could see a few tattoos decorating the skin of his arms that were exposed from his short sleeved black top.

Jinwoo immediately wrapped his arm around Myungjuns shoulders, pulling him close to his side. “Can we help you?”

The man nodded and looked up at the dragons. “Yeah man. Are they real?”

“They are.” Myungjun answered, looking up at them with pride. “They’re not dangerous though so you don’t need to worry.”

The man looked back down at him and grinned. It was friendly and made Myungjun smile in return. “Cool. Are they yours?”

“Just the smaller one with the red eyes. The other two belong to the Twin Dragons but they’re all related.”

The man whistled low between his teeth seemingly impressed. “I always wanted a dragon when I was younger. How old are they? Will they get bigger than that?”

“They’re around five months old now. They’ll grow a lot bigger than this.” Myungjun explained. “When they reach full maturity, we won’t be able to bring them to the guild but apparently the twins have a plan in place for that anyway. So, look whilst you can I guess.”

They said their goodbyes before walking through the crowd to get to the steps leading up to the tavern. Myungjun looked up one last time to see his dragon hanging over the edge blinking down at them. He waved as they disappeared inside.

*

After greeting all their friends and having a few drinks Myungjun excused himself from the table saying he needed to speak to his father.

“Do you want company?” Jinwoo asked.

“No, its fine. I won’t be long anyway.” Myungjun reassured him, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. “Why don’t you find something else to do for now?”

“Soonyoung and Minho are out in the magic training field.” Moonbin helpfully pointed out.

Jinwoos face lit up and he jumped from his seat. “Okay I’ll go and practice with them. See you later sunshine.”

Myungjun grinned as he watched his excited fiancé dash off towards the door beside the bar. Myungjun thought he was extra adorable when he was excited and ascended the stairs to his father’s office feeling happy.

When he reached the sixth floor and approached the door he needed, he rapped his knuckles against the wood and heard movement behind it immediately.

The door opened up to reveal Donghan. “Hello little dragon. I thought you had arrived. We can hear the dragons from up here.” Myungjun didn’t have to listen very hard to hear them. They were being awfully loud. Donghan stepped aside and opened the door wider to let Myungjun into the room. “We were just leaving now anyway.”

“No stay. You should all hear this news anyway.” Myungjun said to him, walking over to sit in the seat Donghan had vacated. Gikwang was sitting beside him and nodded stiffly in greeting. Myungjun nodded back and watched as Donghan came over to stand behind Gikwangs chair, placing his hands on his brothers’ shoulders. Myungjun turned away to look at his father who was sitting opposite them behind his desk. “Hello father. Do you have some time to talk? It’s really important.”

“If it’s important then I have time.” His father said looking curious. “What is it?”

“Well I have some news that I should have told you a long time ago but never had the chance with the Sanha mess and the time I spent looking for him with Jinwoo and then the moving to a new house business. It’s been pushed back a lot, but I really do need to tell you now.” Myungjun cleared his throat and sat up straighter in his chair. “There’s a bounty on my head. A request spread throughout the dark guilds is offering a hefty reward for my assassination.”

“ _What_?” Donghan hissed angrily beside him. “Are you serious? How the fuck do you know that?”

Myungjun turned to look up at him. “The people in the temple told me, from the Gravecrawlers dark guild.”

“And you’re sure they weren’t just bluffing?” Gikwang asked with an eyebrow raised. “They could have just been trying to scare you.”

“No. I’m almost certain they were telling the truth.” Myungjun answered, turning his attention to him instead. “When me and Donghan first came into contact with them, it was with a young snake boy who immediately said my name. He called me Kim Myungjun, the Dragon Knights son. He wouldn’t have been able to recognize me and put a name to my face if he hadn’t already seen my picture or met me and I know for a fact we haven’t met. I’ve never seen him before in my life. I’d remember someone that creepy.” Myungjun shuddered at the memory of his snake like appearance.

“He told us he recognised you from when you went on that request with Jinwoo to kill one of his pet snakes.” Donghan said confused.

“I know that. But even if he did see me there, Jinwoo only called me sunshine or Junnie. He wouldn’t have known my real name. That’s why I thought it was a bit weird at the time. Then when I was taken into the temple, a woman told me about the bounty on my head. She told me that that’s how they really recognised me, and it started to make sense.”

“Did she tell you who requested your assassination?” Gikwang asked.

“I’m not going to lie, at first I thought you might have done it.” Myungjun admitted.

Gikwang snorted and looked away. “If I wanted to kill you, I’d do it myself.”

“That’s what I realised at the time.” Myungjun replied with a quirk of his lips. He became serious a second later. “They told me their King had requested it. I nearly passed out thinking they meant Leo, but they assured me it wasn’t him. They called Leo a fake King who thinks he has power and said their King was the true King and they were only loyal to him.”

“What a bunch of fucking wackjobs.” Donghan growled. “Their King is just as much of a fraud as they are. Leo is the true King of Aredrinnor. Their King can come and suck my big fat-”

Myungjuns father cleared his throat noisily cutting Donghan short. “That’s enough.” He turned to look at Myungjun with a stern expression on his face. “You’ve been reckless and careless by keeping such important information from me. You realise that right?”

Myungjun swallowed, feeling small and young under his gaze and nodded. “I know. I don’t have any excuses. I could have made time to tell you, but I didn’t. I can’t even say it slipped my mind because it never really has. Two maybe three people escaped from us in that temple. I might have killed one of them because my vines tore through her chest when they terraported away, but I can’t be sure. They’re out there somewhere and the thought terrifies me. But that’s why I came to tell you now. No-one else knows about this. Not even Jinwoo. I can’t tell him yet. I wanted to tell you three first so maybe we can somehow come up with a plan of action so that when I do eventually tell Jinwoo, and he freaks the hell out, we can actually offer a solution to calm him down again. If I tell him now, he’s just going to become overbearingly protective and I doubt he’d even let me leave the house and obviously that’s not ideal.”

His father sighed and leaned back in his chair, rubbing a hand over his face looking a lot more stressed and tired. “Myungjun we’ll think of a way to help, obviously we will, but any solutions will not come quickly or easily. If your face is really spread around to all of the dark guilds on Aredrinnor then you’re not safe anywhere. Dark guilds are popping up all of the time and have been a lot more frequently over the last decade. We have no chance of getting rid of the request because even if we physically burned them all to ashes your face will still be ingrained in people’s memories. You’re my son, you’ll be easy to track down if they really tried.”

“Then what are you suggesting?” Donghan asked stiffly.

His father sat up straighter in his seat looking serious. “We go straight to the source. We have to find out who their King is and find out why this bounty is on Myungjuns head to begin with.”

Donghan scoffed. “You make it sound so easy. How are we supposed to track down this _King_?”

“That will need plenty of planning beforehand.” His father answered. “We’ll need to work together. Myungjun I think you should consider going to the magic counsel and telling them about this. Maybe Shadow will be able to shed some light on the subject. I know she has had dealings with dark guilds in the past. And although you may not like the idea, I think you should tell Jinwoo sooner rather than later. He may be overprotective but that’s what you need right now. Your life is more at risk now than it has ever been before.”

They spoke some more and eventually Myungjun and the twins left.

“Donghan can I speak to you?” Myungjun asked as the descended the stairs. “Alone.”

Gikwang eyed them suspiciously before shrugging it off and leaving them too it. Myungjun took Donghan into one of the empty rooms on the fifth floor and closed the door behind them.

“What? Are you getting bored of your fiancé already and need me to entertain you?” Donghan teased suggestively as they sat down on the bed.

Myungjun rolled his eyes. “You wish.” Before Donghan could reply Myungjun cut him off. “I’m worried about the people we let go in the temple. They know I’m SS Rank and they could spread it around. Maybe they already have.”

“That might be the reason for the distinct lack of assassination attempts.” Donghan point out. “You travelled all over Aredrinnor looking for Sanha and you didn’t get into trouble once. Maybe people are too scared to try now.”

Myungjun frowned. “I don’t think so. The people in the temple seemed like crazy fanatics for their King and I’m sure the others are like that too. The King set the bounty and they’d do anything to please him. I have a feeling they’re just biding their time and waiting for the right moment. I don’t know how the requests in a dark guild even work. Do they work like ours, where only one team can accept it? Because if that’s the case then I’ll only have to worry about the creepy snake boy and the other two. If multiple teams can take it at once though, I’m screwed.”

Donghan sighed. “I don’t know either little dragon, but I won’t let anything bad happen to you I promise.”

Myungjun snorted in amusement. “You need to look after yourself first. You’re in danger too after killing the freaky kids pet snakes outside of the temple. When you were unconscious, he was going to kill you himself in revenge but stopped and said his King would do it instead. But now that you’re still alive he’ll definitely want to make you pay.”

Donghan smirked. “I’d like to see him try. That little rat won’t be able to hurt me.”

“Have you already forgotten how badly you were beaten by the purple haired man before? He works for that ‘little rat’ which means snake boy was holding back on us. You got beaten down in under five minutes by his lackey.” Myungjun reminded him.

Donghans smirk was replaced with a scowl. “I was only beaten because I was caught off guard with how tired I was from the lack of sleep trying to save your scrawny ass. If that purple haired bitch came for me now, I’d break him in half.”

“Sure you would Dongie.” Myungjun replied sarcastically, only half believing him.

Donghan growled angrily and stood up. “Don’t look down on me just because I lost one fight. I’ve won thousands more and I’ll never lose another one again. It was bad timing nothing more. I’m stronger than those freaks combined. Don’t piss me off Myungjun.”

Myungjun watched Donghan storm across the room, ripping the door clean off its hinges when he tried to open it. He tossed the door aside and Myungjun heard his heavy foot falls as he descended the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Donghan literally has me screaming; 'Their King can come and suck my big fat-'  
> He's so vulgar I love it😂


	205. Myungjuns New Team.

Myungjun settled back into guild life quickly. He completed his local jobs requirement, did his anomaly training out in the fields with Donghan and helped Hani behind the bar once or twice on the nights when the guild was busiest.

His days were also busy. When he wasn’t at the guild, he was either spending time with his grandmother, visiting Leo and Grey, travelling out of the city to see his actual mother, tending to his two greenhouses, caring for the horses and his dragon, keeping his home clean and tidy, taking the odd trip into the shopping district for food and other essential items or investigating the occasional possible sightings of Sanha whenever they seemed promising enough.

He was run off his feet so whenever the chance of a break appeared, he snatched it eagerly with both hands.

Breaks usually came in the form of picnics in the park under the ancient tree where Jinwoo had proposed. It had become a tradition for all of his friends to gather there on the days they were all free so they could relax and spend time away from all of their responsibilities. He cherished these times together a lot.

Present day Myungjun was sitting under the tree, cuddled up to his warm fiancé as the autumn breeze nipped at his skin. Jinwoo was radiating heat to ward it off and Myungjun sighed happily. He always appreciated Jinwoos magic type more in the colder seasons.

When it looked like everyone had finished eating, Myung sat up and called for everyone’s attention. And when they were all looking his way, he made his announcement.

“I’d like to make a proper team for work. A proper team that I can take on higher ranking jobs with to make them easier and quicker to complete. I spoke to Bane in his guild and he recommended I do this. We can think of it like the times we used to make teams for the battledome or the dungeon teams. The majority of the older Dragon Blades members are already in their own teams, we’re the only ones who are trying to take on jobs in pairs or individually. That strategy is working against us. So…” Myungjun dug around in his pocket and produced a pen and some parchment. “I’d like for everyone to tell me their Rank within the guild, and what they have been categorized as. That way I can sort us all into teams with fair advantages.”

“Why don’t we all go as one big team?” Moonbin asked excitedly. “We’d burn through requests that way.”

Myungjun smiled at his enthusiasm. “I did think that too, but there’s too many disadvantages to that. There’s so many of us that splitting down the reward, after paying for travel, accommodation and food, would leave us all with basically nothing. That’s not to mention the problems with finding accommodation big enough, with enough spare rooms to house us all in the first place. It simply wouldn’t work. So just call out individually your ranks and categories.”

~

**Myungjun (Plant)- A Rank- Team leader, Tank, Offence, Defence, Healer**  
**Jinwoo (Fire)- A Rank- Team Leader, Offence**  
**Soonyoung (Fire)- B Rank Tank, Offence**  
**Hyungwon (Ice)- A Rank- Team Leader, Offence, Defence**  
**Hoseok (Water)- A Rank- Offence**  
**Dongmin (Ice)- B Rank- Offence, Defence**  
**Moonbin (Water)- B Rank- Offence**  
**Rocky (Ground)- B Rank- Tank, Offence, Defence**  
**Youngjae (Plant)- B Rank- Defence**

~

Myungjun spent a long time working out possible teams and he could feel everyone’s nervous excitement as he wrote some down before scribbling them out and starting again. He did that a few times before creating the ones he thought would work best.

“So, there are obviously two pairings who won’t spilt up. Me and JinJin would rather not be apart and I know that Min and Bin won’t either. So, taking that into consideration, I propose team one consist of Me, JinJin, Min and Bin. And team two being formed by ‘wonnie, Seokkie, Soonyoung, Rocky and JaeJae. There’s five on the second team but Rocky will be leaving for Zepheholde soon anyway so it won’t make much of a difference. With the teams like this, team one has a team leader, a tank, a healer and multiple offence and defence and team two has a team leader, a tank and multiple offence and defence. Team two lacks a healer but I’d be more than happy to teach one of you basic medical skills and supply you with plenty of herbs for when you decide to go on jobs. Each team also has one plant, one fire, one ice and one water so the magic is varied too. Any objections?”

“No objections from me but I’m offering to become our team’s healer.” Soonyoung spoke up. “I think it’s a great skill to have. Unless anyone else wants to offer?” No-one raised their hand so Soonyoung clapped excitedly. “That settles it. Making teams was a good idea Hyung. I can’t wait to try them out.”

“Obviously we can only go on requests in our teams when everyone from said team is available. So, if there’s ever a time where a couple people are missing from each team we can always merge and switch around. It doesn’t have to be set in stone.” Myungjun reassured them. “But I agree with Soonyoung. I think making teams was a good idea and I want to test our teamwork out on an actual request soon. But for now, I’m going to visit the King, so I’ll see you all later.”

*

Myungjun rode up to the castle gates atop Princess and was waved through them without question. His old maid hurried down the castle steps to greet him and he dismounted his horse with a smile.

“Hello. It’s lovely to see you again. Is Leo available?”

“The King is currently in the throne room dealing with one of the royal emissaries.”

“Is it about anything important?” he asked, stroking Princess absentmindedly.

“I’m unsure but I can still take you there. Do you require stabling for your horse Mr Kim?”

“Yes, if possible. She will also need plenty of food and water as she will be making a long trip home tonight.”

The maid disappeared inside and came back with a stable hand who listened to Myungjuns instructions well and led Princess in the direction of the royal stables. Myungjun followed the maid inside and she led him to the heart of the castle where the throne room was situated.

The guards outside the door allowed Myungjun through but held the maid back who didn’t look at all surprised. She just bowed politely before hurrying off. Myungjun knew he was only allowed in because of his high status within the castle now. Leo had practically named him a prince without using the actual word.

Myungjun turned to look down the huge white and gold room and saw Leo dressed in his Kingly garb, sitting atop the throne.

The first time Myungjun had seen the throne he’d been awed. It was high backed and carved prettily out of solid gold. Leo had ruined his awe by saying it was terribly uncomfortable on his backside and Myungjun had laughed so hard he’d needed to wipe the tears from his eyes.

Myungjun walked down the white marble flooring towards him. The emissary had climbed the steps up to the throne and was kneeling in front of him talking quickly. Leo was wearing his crown which Myungjun rarely saw and his heavy golden cloak spilled out around him. He was expressionless as he read the scroll in his hands.

Leo noticed Myungjuns approach as he got closer and quickly rolled down the scroll and handed it back to the emissary. “I’m happy with the plans for now. Let me know when they have been finalized. That is all, you may go.”

The emissary bowed deeply before hurrying back down the steps and brushing past Myungjun with a respectful nod. Leo stood up and descended the steps more gracefully with a smile. Myungjun thought he looked very handsome dressed in all of his finery.

“Mr Kim I wasn’t expecting you. What a lovely surprise. If you’d like to follow me, I’ll take us somewhere more private where we may talk freely.” Leo swept out of the room and Myungjun hurried to catch up.

Leo took him to his room and dismissed the guards outside of the door before ushering Myungjun inside. He took off his crown and his cloak with a relieved groan and set them down gently on his bed.

“They weigh a tonne. I swear I’m going to have a bad back by the time I’m thirty. Anyway, little brother, I’m much too hot and sweaty to entertain you properly right now so if you could take a seat in one of those chairs by the fire, I’ll be out in five minutes.”

Myungjun went to take a seat as Leo disappeared into the bathroom and he heard him turn on the shower. He looked around the room as he waited, and his eyes fell on a familiar looking box. The cake box from Hakyeons. He remembered there being something written inside that made Leo smile and before he could stop himself, he was walking over to open it up. His curiosity really was a problem sometimes.

**Cheer up ~~your majesty~~ ~~King Leopold~~ Leo. You look better when you smile.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leo got so happy over such a simple message he is: Babie confirmed~  
> Leo is so well spoken too. Like instead of saying; 'the throne hurts my ass' he says; 'the throne is terribly uncomfortable on my backside' sksjsksjsk   
> I was literally just saying last chapter how vulgar Donghan is and Leo is the complete opposite. I really want to write a chapter where those two talk. Leo would be so shook at Donghans attitude xd
> 
> I'm going to double upload today as this chapter was more of a filler, so expect another one later!! uwu


	206. Grey+Donghan=??

Myungjun was sitting in the tavern with his friends when everyone went quiet. He turned around to see who it was this time, knowing it was either Donghan, Gikwang or Minho.

It was Donghan and he was also without his leather coat. Myungjun had been told before that Donghan sometimes came to the guild without it but this was the first time he was seeing it with his own eyes.

Donghan was wearing a simple black top with short sleeves that clung to him leaving nothing to the imagination, a pair of tight black leather trousers that showcased his muscular legs and a new pair of clunky black boots with thicker soles that made him even taller. He’d finished off his outfit with a belt with a silver, square buckle, a silver chain around his throat and multiple silver rings. His top was tucked into his trousers which accentuated his slim waist and made his broad shoulders and long legs more prominent. He’d also combed his hair back off his forehead which revealed his sharp black eyebrows. He looked good and he clearly knew it.

As Donghan made his way over exuding confidence, Myungjun could see that he still hadn’t replaced the colourful piercings in his ears after ripping them out during the argument they’d had before they were friends a couple of years ago. Myungjun decided to buy him some new ones for Christmas again. Maybe silver ones this time.

He also noticed that Donghan was without his greatsword for a change.

“Hello little dragon. Our children are up on the roof.”

Myungjun gestured to the empty seat beside him and Donghan slumped down into it. All of Myungjuns friends were more comfortable around Donghan now after he helped them unload all of Myungjuns and Jinwoos new furniture at their farmhouse, so the atmosphere was less awkward than it usually had been whenever Donghan had sat with them before.

“Why are you here today?” Myungjun asked. “You haven’t brought your greatsword so you’re not planning on training or taking on any requests I’m guessing.”

Donghan hummed. “I’m only here for a nice stiff drink. I’ve been so busy lately I’m in need of it.” With that being said, Donghan stood straight back up and strode over to the bar. He returned a few minutes later with a tray of drinks and dumped it down on the table. “Everyone drink.”

“Dongie we can’t we’re discussing requ-”

“I don’t give a fuck. Drink.”

Myungjun sighed and grabbed a glass, watching the rest of his friends do the same. He sipped at the moonshine and went back to discussing the requests everyone wanted to try.

He was halfway through his drink when he heard a familiar voice calling his name and he turned to see Grey striding into the tavern. He looked good as well in his white silk shirt and tailored trousers. His hair had grown long enough for him to tie it up into a silver bun at the back of his head making his piercing blue eyes more visible.

Myungjun didn’t even bother responding. Greys attention had already been stolen by Donghan. Grey walked straight over to him, and to everyone’s surprise, he slid straight onto Donghans lap.

Donghan downed the rest of his drink and leaned forwards to place the cup back onto the table, chest purposefully pressing up against Greys side before he leaned back in his chair with his arms behind his head looking unbothered.

“Who are you again?”

Grey didn’t look offended. “Grey. You’d do well to remember that.”

“Why?”

“As your future husband I’d say it’s pretty necessary.”

Donghan snorted in amusement. “I thought you only wanted me to pound you into the mattress and now we’re getting married?”

Grey shuffled around on his lap to look at him properly. He trailed his hands down Donghans chest and let out a happy sigh. “I also said I could pound _you_ into the mattress if that’s what you wanted.”

Donghan scoffed. “You’re not big enough to give OR take it kid. Get lost.” He shoved Grey off of his lap before standing up and towering over him. Grey looked him up and down a few times. “Like what you see?” Donghan asked cockily.

Grey nodded. “You look even better out of your coat. Wow.”

Donghan smirked before turning around and walking away. Grey watched him go and mumbled something about sinking teeth into asses before he was sitting down in Donghans vacated seat with a happy sigh.

“Why do you look so happy?” Dongmin asked. “You just got rejected.”

Grey laughed. “I wasn’t rejected at all. I know men like him. It’s not long now before that giant chiselled god gives in.”

*

Myungjun was sparring against Donghan in the training fields the next day, dodging the majority of his punches and landing a few of his own that didn’t even make Donghan flinch. Despite the crispness of the cool September air he was sweating from the exertion. He hadn’t trained like this in too long and it showed. Donghan was holding back nearly all of his strength and was fighting slower than usual but it was still hard for Myungjun to keep up.

Eventually he called for a break and flopped down on the grass. He was annoyed to see that Donghan wasn’t sweating at all.

“You’re shit at fighting now.” Donghan unhelpfully pointed out. “I know you’ve had a lot of time off from doing it, but I didn’t expect you to be this bad.”

Myungjun pouted and looked away from him. He didn’t want to talk about how poorly he was doing. So, he switched the topic completely.

“What’s going on between you and Grey?”

“Nothing.”

Myungjun let out a breath of relief. “Good. You can’t pound my friend into the mattress, or I’ll be upset.”

Donghan quirked an eyebrow looking amused. “Why? I have needs too. Are you offering to take his place little dragon?”

Myungjun would always sacrifice himself for the ones he loved and if that had to include taking a beating off of Donghan to save Grey the pain he would do it. “Yes.”

Donghans eyes widened. “What? I was only joking. Jinwoo wouldn’t be very happy you know.”

Myungjun scoffed. “Of course he wouldn’t be happy but I’d take Greys place regardless. However, if Jinwoo caught you doing that to me he’d do it to you in return and he wouldn’t hold back.”

Donghan looked completely lost. “Wow. I didn’t know Jinwoo was into that sort of stuff. You have a very open relationship.”

“I don’t know what you mean by that but Jinwoo is just protective over me. We both know that.”

“What the fuck does him being protective have to do with this?”

Myungjun sighed. “Let me spell it out simply for you. If Jinwoo caught you beating me up in any kind of way, then he’d jump in and beat _you_ up. What’s not clear about that?”

Donghans mouth dropped open and he was quiet for a few seconds before understanding crossed his features and he spluttered out a laugh. The laugh grew in volume and vigour until he was bent over clutching his stomach.

“Oh FUCK.” He choked out, taking in deep gulps of air and wiping at his eyes. “That’s the funniest fucking thing I’ve ever heard. Little dragon you’ve got it all wrong. I can’t believe this. I don’t think I can train with you anymore today. I’m going to laugh every time I look at you now.” Donghan stopped to look up at him before laughing again and falling back onto the grass.

Myungjun watched him with a scowl feeling irritated. Why was he laughing at him? What he had said wasn’t very funny, it was the truth. It didn’t matter whether Donghan was taller or stronger. Jinwoo loved him and Jinwoo would defend him no matter what.

*

SURPRISE COMPETITION!

COMPETITON LOCATION: VOREDAN, FIGHTING DISTRICT  
DATE/TIME OF COMPETITON: TODAY, 4PM

PARTICIPANT INFORMATION:  
2 PER TEAM. MAGICAL PARTICIPANTS ONLY. GUILD PARTICIPATION ONLY. MAGIC ONLY. WEAPONS NOT ALLOWED. COMPANIONS NOT ALLOWED. TEAM HEALERS ALLOWED. A RANK AND BELOW ONLY.

COMPETITION DETAILS:  
THIS ONE OF A KIND COMPETITION IS TAKING PLACE IN THE STREETS OF VOREDANS FIGHTING DISTRICT. MULTIPLE SURPRISES AWAIT YOU. 

REWARD:  
FIRST PLACE: S RANK PROMOTION + 10,000,000 COINS

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:  
REVIVAL UPON DEATH

Myungjun read over the scroll a couple of times with wide eyes. He was in the guild greenhouse, tending to his medicinal plants and the scroll had appeared out of nowhere and landed in front of him. This was a surprise competition indeed. The scroll also came with a separate letter which was labelled **Read when alone**. Myungjun was alone now so he tore it open eagerly, recognising Leos neat and elegant writing.

**Little brother I’m so excited to announce this competition! I told you once before that there was a special event happening in the city this year which I couldn’t disclose all of the details to, and this was it! I really hope you’re in the city now so you can participate. I discussed this in depth with the magic counsel, whether it was fair to let you participate with your hidden power, and we came to the conclusion that you can participate if you wish to. (As long as you do not reveal your secret of course). As you can see, the prize for first place is S Rank promotion. If you and Jinwoo can make it to first place you will both be promoted. (If you pick Jinwoo to be your partner that is. Although I’m sure you will). This competition will be lots of fun so I hope you can participate. I’ll be watching from the castle with one of those fancy magical crystals, so I’ll look out for you little brother. Good luck. From your favourite Hyung. (P.S tear this note up when you have finished reading it so that it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. I wasn’t supposed to send you this. Oops)**

Myungjun grinned. Leos personality shined bright in this letter.

He did as Leo instructed and tore the letter to pieces, just in time apparently.

The greenhouse door opened up to reveal his excited looking fiancé who was also holding the competition notice. “Be my partner Junnie. We’ll kick all their asses and be S Rank by the end of the day. It doesn’t give us much information about what we’ll actually be doing but we’re allowed to use magic and it’s happening in the fighting district so we must be fighting against other teams.”

“Of course I’ll be your partner JinJin. Do you know what the time is now?”

“Around one I think. Which means we have about three hours to get ready. We should eat something with lots of protein for lunch and warm up out in the training fields after. We can do this sunshine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have come to two conclusions after re-reading this chapter:  
> 1\. Grey is WHIPPED for Donghan.  
> 2\. Myungjun is too innocent for his own good.  
> Were these things obvious before? Yes. But this just solidifies those facts.


	207. Surprise Competition-Part 1.

Myungjun and Jinwoo climbed out of their carriage that had stopped just before the border of the fighting district. There was already a large crowd of other eager guild participants standing around. Myungjun recognized a few of the guild symbols by now and was startled to see a few faces he hadn’t seen in a long long time.

“JinJin isn’t that Bangchan? And Yoongi?” Myungjun asked, noticing them through the crowd. “Wow I didn’t know they joined guilds. I wonder which ones they joined. Should we go and say hello?”

They made their way over but were stopped by new scrolls appearing in front of them. Everyone received one and Myungjun was quick to forget what they were doing in favour of unrolling it.

**Objective one: Get to the crucible.**   
**Advice: Do not follow the crowd.**

Myungjun looked up at Jinwoo feeling confused. “Get to the crucible but don’t follow the crowd? Why? Should we go through the back alleys then?”

Jinwoo hummed thoughtfully and looked around as everyone started to move. “Let’s just wait here for a few minutes and see where everyone goes. There’s a lot of streets and back alleys to take to get to the crucible so we’ll find the one less occupied I guess. It doesn’t say anything about us being allowed to fight each other yet. Are we doing the fighting in the crucible? That doesn’t make much sense it said the competition was happening on the streets of this district. Maybe we-”

Confused shouts cut Jinwoo short and Myungjun made himself taller so he could see what was happening.

A group of five different pairs were surrounded by a square of glowing runes further down the main street. From what Myungjun could see, they were trapped and couldn’t get out. They all received new scrolls and the looks on their faces changed immediately. Someone shouted about it not being fair before all hell broke loose.

A water user blasted the nearest pair with a cannon of water as his partner erupted into flames. The fighting was intense and also over in the blink of an eye. Everyone who had died was sucked away through the floor and the runes disappeared allowing the victorious pair free.

Myungjun was utterly stunned. Four pairs wiped out just like that.

“I get it now.” Jinwoo suddenly piped up sounding excited. “Don’t follow the crowd or you’ll be trapped in those rune boxes to fight each other. It’s better to be trapped in with one or two other pairs than five or six. Also, some of those people were from the same guild which means we’re really all against one another.”

Myungjun pouted. “I hate it when we have to fight our friends.”

“Me too.” Jinwoo admitted. “But this _is_ a competition and the reward of an S Rank promotion on top of the ten million is enough to get me fired up. We’re one of the last pairs at the starting line now sunshine, we should go.”

Myungjun looked away from Jinwoo in surprise to see that what he had said was true. Nearly everyone else had disappeared and Myungjun could hear the distant sounds of fighting and screaming.

“Which way should we go?” Myungjun asked, looking around at all of the different possibilities.

“I think we should just go down the main street after all. Too many people picked the back alleys thinking it was a better option.” Jinwoo explained. “Let’s move quickly though. We don’t want to be the last to reach the crucible.”

They set off running, fuelled by their excitement, and followed the signs pointing to the gigantic building in the distance. Whenever they came across rune boxes filled with people fighting, they skirted around it to get ahead. Myungjun knew that the pace they were running would get them to the crucible in around fifteen minutes if they didn’t get trapped.

Unfortunately, as they turned the next corner, they met their first obstacle. Another pairing came out of nowhere and triggered the runes beneath their feet as they bumped into one another.

Jinwoo growled angrily at their progress being halted and punched the nearest man straight in the face. He went down hard and was sucked through the floor and the air suddenly dropped in temperature as his partner worked her ice magic. Green fire exploded out of Jinwoos hands and he melted all of the icy daggers sent their way.

With a flick of Myungjuns wrist she was trapped in his vines and with a grimace he squeezed. The sound of crunching bones was shockingly loud, but her scream was louder.

“I’m sorry.” Myungjun muttered as he watched her get sucked through the floor a second later.

Jinwoo turned to look down at him in surprise. “Wow that was brutal Junnie. I was just going to punch her in the face as well, but I guess your way works too.”

Myungjun rolled his eyes. “JinJin we can’t win this by you just punching everyone in the face.” The thought suddenly seemed funny to him and he giggled. “Okay maybe we can but we probably shouldn’t. I know for a fact that Leo is watching this fight from the castle which means others probably are too. I bet all the S Ranks who aren’t participating are watching as well and I can’t just hide behind you the whole time or it’ll make me look bad.”

Jinwoo grinned and leaned down to kiss him. “Okay handsome. I’m sorry, I just got carried away trying to handle it myself. No matter how badly I want to protect you, we’re a team and I know you’re brave and strong enough to fight beside me. My perfect boy.”

Myungjun giggled again and pushed him away. “Stop being sappy. We’re supposed to be taking this competition seriously you know.”

*

Myungjun could see the crucibles main doors from where they stood. He was healing a nasty cut on Jinwoo arm that he’d received when another plant users’ vines had ripped through his skin when he wasn’t paying enough attention.

They’d had plenty of fights on the way to the crucible and had mainly made it out injury free but the last one had been hard. They had been ambushed by three different teams at the same time, who all came from the same guild, clearly thinking they could take them on.

However, they’d underestimated them. Jinwoo was always fiercest when protecting Myungjun and Myungjun knew it was because Jinwoo was still traumatised by watching him die at the academy. Jinwoo fought viciously against anyone who stepped close to Myungjun and his years of hard work and intense training paid off. The cut to his arm was nothing in comparison to the damage he caused the six others.

Myungjun helped too, mainly in defence. He shielded Jinwoo from attacks whenever he could with his vines and jumped in to fight with his fists whenever Jinwoo looked close to being overwhelmed.

They worked perfectly together, and it made Myungjun proud to see how close they were getting to the crucible every time a new fight was ended. He was also feeling relieved that they hadn’t run into any of their friends yet. The fighting district was big enough with hundreds of streets and alleys to disappear down, so he wasn’t that surprised.

They had seen some other members of Dragon Blades though, who were already fighting in their own rune traps, and it made Myungjun happy to see how well they fought. His father had created a strong guild by only allowing the best of the best in. Myungjun had a good feeling that even if he and Jinwoo fell, it would be another Dragon Blades pairing who would win first place.

Myungjun finished sealing the cut on Jinwoos arm and hummed happily at the result. “All better. I wonder how many teams are actually left now. I know we ran ahead of a lot of them, but we’ve also seen a lot of people fall.”

“No idea. I wish they’d given us a counter on the back of our hands like they used to do for the battledome so we could see how many were actually left. But you’re right. I don’t think there will be many still alive. It feels like we’ve been out here for hours. We should make our way over to the crucible and take a look inside. Are you ready?”

Myungjun nodded and led the way. Another pair was already running towards the crucible’s main doors and Myungjun watched as they tried to open them but failed.

“The doors are locked?” Jinwoo asked confused. “The note said to make our way to the crucible.”

“Look JinJin, they got another scroll!” Myungjun said excitedly as he watched the scrolls materialise in front of the pair who snatched them out of the air eagerly.

Myungjun and Jinwoo raced over to get their own. The pair nodded their way politely and Myungjun waited impatiently for his scroll to appear when they reached the doors. When it did, he opened it up.

**Objective Two: Relax!**   
**Advice: Wait for the other teams to arrive. There are 12 remaining**

Jinwoo snorted in amusement above him. “Relax? Fine by me. Let’s go and sit over on the grass Junnie. We don’t know how long they’ll take to show up.”

*

Half an hour later and everyone was gathered in front of the crucible. Myungjun was ecstatic to see Hyungwon and Hoseok were some of the remaining competitors, alongside two other pairs from Dragon Blades, two from Banes guild and most surprisingly Taehyung and Jimin.

“Jiminie?” Myungjun squealed, racing over to engulf him in a hug.

Jimin pulled back to smile at him, his eyes disappearing into crescents and his cheeks scrunching up cutely. He still looked young despite being so grown up now. He’d lost a lot of weight but replaced it with some muscle.

“Wow Hyung you look so different.” Jimin gasped as he looked him over. “I almost didn’t recognise you. How have you been?”

“I’ve been okay.” Myungjun replied with a small smile. “Why are you here anyway? I thought you worked in your grandmothers flower shop.”

Jimin’s smile turned sad. “She passed away last year. I tried to keep the flower shop going but business isn’t really my thing I’ve discovered.”

“Oh I’m sorry to hear that. But honestly, I didn’t think fighting was your thing either. No offence but you weren’t very good at it in the academy.”

Jimin giggled. “I know. I was terrible. I’m still not that good but TaeTae is incredible and he’s got us this far.”

“This is guild participation only.” Jinwoo pointed out. “So you joined a guild? Which one?”

“We made a guild.” Taehyung spoke up. His voice was a lot deeper than Myungjun remembered and he suddenly realised how tall he was too. He would have been intimidating if not for the cute boxy smile on his face.

“You made a guild?” Jinwoo asked sounding genuinely surprised.

Jimin nodded eagerly. “Last year, after I sold the flower shop, me and TaeTae decided to do something fun and exciting with the coin. We were going to go travelling but realised we’d run out of money soon enough because we suck at budgeting. So we decided to buy a small run down guild hall in the guild district instead. We’d already been down to the guild registry to register our name and guild mark.” Jimin lifted up his top to show the guild mark on the side of his ribcage. It was an orange rose with one thorn. “Roses were my grandmothers favourite flowers, orange was her favourite colour and the one thorn represents her.”

Myungjun smiled softly at him as he let his top fall back down. “That’s so thoughtful and its really pretty. What’s the name of your guild? And where in the guild district is it located? We’d love to come and-”

Another scroll appeared in front of Myungjun cutting him short and he grabbed it feeling excited.

**Objective Three: Survive.**   
**Advice: Look up.**

Myungjun looked up and his eyes widened at the sight. A big black shape was falling from the sky directly above them. He’d recognise the shiny black skin and plump stomach anywhere.

“DEMON QUEEN. EVERYBODY MOVE!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter summary:  
> Myungjun reuniting with old friends and Jinwoo trying to punch everyone in the face...xd


	208. Surprise Competition-Part 2.

The second Myungjun laid eyes on the demon Queen he knew she was summoned by Shadow. Where else would the competition officials be able to find a demon like that? Shadow had summoned her, meaning the demon was very much real, meaning any burns caused by coming into contact with the demon blood from her or her spawn would be permanent.

It was cruel, so so cruel to do this to them. To surprise them with such a terrible enemy. If Myungjun had known that this was going to happen he wouldn’t have bothered competing. Even an S Rank promotion wasn’t worth being permanently disfigured for.

_I’d rather wait ten years to be promoted than be scarred any further than I already am for the rest of my life._

Everyone had scattered when he had shouted for them to move and the Queen landed heavily on the grass where they had just been standing, shaking the ground with her impact. This Queen was just as terrifying as the last one he had fought with Bane. Her skin was black and shiny, her wings were purple and leathery and curled over her plump stomach protectively. Myungjun didn’t even need to look through the gap in her wings this time to know her stomach was writhing with her awful brood. The cloying scent of blood and death rolled off of her in waves, filling his nostrils and making him want to gag.

“We need to seal her mouth shut!” Myungjun shouted to the terrified people around him. “She’ll birth more demons!” He remembered Sooyoung and Yuri working together to seal her mouth shut with ice, so he looked around for Hyungwon. Hyungwon was staring up at the Queen frozen. “Hyungwon? Hyungwon? HYUNGWON!” Hyungwon snapped out of it and looked over. “You need to seal her mouth with your ice. I’ll boost you up there with my vines. Quickly.”

“I’ll help.” Another one of the Dragons Blades members stepped up.

Myungjun knew he used ice magic too and nodded to him before creating a platform with his vines. “Step on. I’ll get you up there.” Myungjun turned to Jinwoo next. He didn’t look scared, he just looked revolted.

“This is what you fought before? Disgusting.”

Myungjun nodded. “Jinwoo use your fire and heat her up. Aim for the gap between her wings. If her stomach cooks so will her children.” He looked around next for Jimin who was clinging to Taehyung with an ashen face. “Jimin? I need you to shield us all with your vines when she goes to open her wings. The force of it will blow us all away otherwise.” Despite Jimins obvious terror he nodded determinedly and pulled away from his friend. “The rest of you hit her as hard as you can with all of your magic and be mindful of any demons that come out of her mouth. Their blood burns if you didn’t already know. Protect our ice users especially. We need them there to seal her up to save us any further fights.”

Everyone sprung to action and Myungjun breathed out in relief before focusing on raising the platform of his vines. He needed to get them up high. Very high. She was bigger than a house and he needed to get them out of reach of her wings. If she opened them and Jimin couldn’t shield them in time, they’d be thrown off the platform and would no doubt fall to their deaths.

Myungjun was so focused on his task of keeping the platform steady and safe that he didn’t realise the pair of competitors who weren’t helping until it was too late. He felt his feet leave the ground and was tossed aside with air magic. The shock of something so unexpected happening made him lose control of his vines and when he landed on the stone road twenty feet away, he had to watch as Hyungwon and their fellow guild member plummeted to the ground with confused shouts. Jimin tried to catch them with his vines but he was too slow. Hyungwon landed on his feet and Myungjun saw his leg bones physically snap. Their other member wasn’t so lucky. He landed on his head and was dead in an instant.

Hyungwons scream of pain made everyone look around in shock.

Myungjun looked away from them to see the man who had tossed him aside striding towards him with a predatory smile. The same man who had nodded politely to him when he’d approached the crucibles doors to get his second scroll. He didn’t look so polite now.

“I hope you don’t take this personally. It’s a competition after all.”

Myungjun scrambled to his feet. Winching at the pain his body was feeling after being tossed onto the stone. “Are you insane? We have bigger problems to deal with right now! We have to work together to take her down. If you kill us all you’ll just be slaughtered by her!”

The man laughed as he stopped in front of him. “Silly boy. She’ll disappear the second the last pair is left standing. They need a victor after all.”

With a sinking stomach Myungjun realised he was probably right. He didn’t have time to think any further. The man’s fist swung towards him and he ducked, feeling the backwind of his fist ruffle his hair. He camouflaged himself and watched as the man looked around confused at where he had gone. Myungjun desperately wanted to kick his ass for what he had done to his friends but Jinwoo was already behind the man tapping him on the shoulder and Myungjun knew Jinwoo had to do this.

The man turned around startled, probably expecting Myungjun, but was greeted by Jinwoos headbutt instead. Myungjun winced at the sound and hoped it hadn’t hurt Jinwoo too much. Jinwoo grabbed the man’s head in his hands and with one smooth motion snapped his neck. Myungjun let him camouflage go and opened his mouth to thank him but paused.

Jinwoo looked down with wide eyes at the icy javelin smeared with blood that was protruding from his stomach. Myungjun rushed forwards to catch him as he fell and stumbled under his weight. He looked past Jinwoo to see the culprit. The air users’ partner. With one hand and an angry growl, Myungjun pulled his vines through the floor and returned the favour, piercing them straight through the woman’s stomach and manipulating them into tearing her body to shreds.

The demons were pouring out of the queens mouth now and Myungjun realised he didn’t care. He only cared about his fiancé who was dying in his arms. He boxed them in with his vines and left a small gap in the top to let in some sunlight so he could see what he was doing.

He lay Jinwoo down on the floor and inspected the wound on his stomach. It was open and gaping and he knew he wouldn’t live much longer.

“I’m sorry Junnie.” Jinwoo choked out. “I just got so angry and it made me careless.”

Myungjun shushed him gently. “Don’t apologise JinJin. You saved me. You always save me. And now I’m going to save you. Just hold on okay?”

Myungjun knew he could seal all of Jinwoos wounds in an instant, but he had to fake it and do it slowly. He tried to ignore the dying screams of his friends outside as they were slaughtered by the Queens spawn and focused on healing Jinwoo instead.

By the time Myungjun was finished, and Jinwoo was sitting up and hugging him, the screams outside had ceased, alongside the terrible clicking of the demon’s teeth and he knew that everyone was dead.

“We don’t deserve this win JinJin.” Myungjun muttered. “We left everyone to die. No. _I_ left everyone to die.”

“I would have done the same thing.” Jinwoo admitted quietly. “You come first Myungjun. I’d leave everyone to die if it meant saving you.”

Myungjun just squeezed him tighter and let go of his vines. The sun brightened up the world around them and a new scroll appeared when they finally let one another go.

**Congratulations on being the last pair standing. However, the fight is not over yet.**

**Objective Four: Defeat the final bosses.**   
**Advice: Head to the brawlers arena inside the crucible.**

*

Myungjun and Jinwoo stepped into the brawler’s arena and were met with the most unexpected sight. The two bosses they were fighting. The twins. They stood tall and proud in the centre of the arena and Donghan grinned when they approached.

“Why am I not surprised to see you two here?” Donghan asked.

“Why am I totally surprised to see you two here?” Myungjun asked in return.

Donghan laughed. “If you can defeat us, or at least put up a good enough fight, then you’ll be promoted. We could always use more S Ranks in the guild, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to go easy on you.”

Myungjun knew they stood no chance of beating the twins together. They were strong enough alone but combined? The only positive was the fact they said that they could still win if they put up a good fight at least. Myungjun could already see the determined glint in Jinwoos eyes so he knew they’d be able to do that much.

“We’ll even let you make the first move. You’ll definitely need it.” Gikwang added cockily.

Myungjuns whole body was ready to launch but another note falling in front of him made him stumble to a stop. It was folded up, unlike the scrolls they’d been receiving all day, and it also fell to the floor awfully fast and landed with a thud. Myungjun knew that meant something was inside.

He bent down to pick it up and shook the bracelet out onto his palm. The bracelet Rocky had made for Sanha on his sixteenth birthday. The bracelet Sanha had been wearing when he disappeared.

Myungjuns heart was thumping wildly and hope filled his chest as he opened up the note.

**I was told to get into contact with you if I ever caught sight of your friend Sanha. I saw him entering the SnakeShire nightclub and he tossed this into a bush outside. He hasn’t come back out yet. Hope this helps.**

Myungjun looked down at the bracelet in his hand again not quite believing it. It was definitely his.

After the Christmas Rocky had made Sanha the bracelet, from his baby pink and baby blue gemstones he created and shaped into Sanhas swirly air user birthmark, he had taken to making Sanha bracelets for every special occasion. Sanha had once shown Myungjun his collection and Myungjun had smiled as he sorted through them all. Sanha sounded so happy talking about them and he clearly cherished them a lot. So why would he just toss it aside?

“Where’s the SnakeShire nightclub?” Myungjun asked, looking up at the twins who seemed like the type to know that sort of information.

“That’s off limits.” Donghan said sharply, striding over. “It’s a hive of dark guild activity.”

Myungjuns stomach sank. Dark guild activity? If he stepped foot there the people would recognize him immediately and slaughter him for the bounty on his head. But how else was he supposed to find Sanha?

“I can camouflage and sneak in.” Myungjun said desperately, ignoring the questioning look Jinwoo was giving him. He just handed over the note and bracelet to distract Jinwoo for the moment. “I can get in that way. They won’t see me.”

Donghan scoffed. “They have tight security for things like that. They’d detect you immediately and kill you where you stood. It’s too dangerous little dragon. It’s too dangerous for all of us. Even combined. Why do you need to go there anyway?”

“Sanhas there.”

Donghans eyes narrowed. “That place is invite only. If Sanha is there, he was invited.”

_Sanha was invited by a dark guild? Why? What if he was invited because they know what he means to me? They could use him as bait to lure me out…No that’s not likely. Even if that were the case Sanha wouldn’t be stupid enough to go…Unless he doesn’t know what he’s walking into._

Myungjun knew he needed to go now. He needed to get Sanha out of there regardless of whether or not he was in danger himself. He’d risk his life for his friends, ESPECIALLY Sanha.

*Don’t even think about it little dragon* Donghans voice cut through his mind. *I can see it on your face. You’re not doing this*

*I have to Dongie. He’s my little brother. Please tell me where it is*

*No. If you ever set foot near that place, I’ll tell your clueless fiancé about your bounty. I know for a fact you haven’t told him yet and I know for a fact Jinwoo wouldn’t let you go if he found out AND he’d be pissed at you for keeping it a secret from him*

Myungjun scowled up at Donghan feeling nothing but pure fury. *You’re supposed to be my friend Donghan. Friends help each other out*

*That’s exactly why I’m doing this. Friends wouldn’t let other friends run off to get killed*

*That’s exactly why I need to go and get Sanha you moron. He’ll be the one to get himself killed*

*Sanha is more than likely dead already* Donghans voice was blunt and his words cut through Myungjuns heart like a dagger. *Give up already. I’m not telling you where that hell hole is*

*Would you give up if it were me in there?* Myungjun thought hard. Donghans hesitation was enough of an answer. *Exactly. You wouldn’t give up on me and I’m not going to give up on him. If you don’t tell me where this nightclub is Donghan…then we can’t be friends anymore*

Myungjun knew that was a low blow. He was Donghans only friend. The only other person beside his brother who Donghan had let close to him. It was a horrible thing to do to him but right now Sanhas life was more important than Donghans feelings.

“Fine.” Donghan spat, speaking out loud. “We’re not friends. I’m not letting you do this and if this is the price, I’ll gladly fucking pay it. Remember what I said Myungjun. I’ll do it. I really will.” Donghans eyes flickered over to Jinwoo who was looking between them confused.

“Brother what’s going on?” Gikwang asked, coming up beside him.

“We’re leaving.” Donghan said stiffly before grabbing his brother around the waist and opening up the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DDANA.
> 
> No but for real, no matter how much Myungjun may want to go save him, he WILL die trying. Donghan revealed that it was a hive of dark guild activity, and that it was too dangerous even for them all combined. And if DONGHAN is saying that, it must be serious. He knows about Myungjuns power and he’s still saying no. He knows by being Myungjuns anomaly trainer that he isn’t skilled enough yet despite that power. The nightclub is clearly public knowledge too, which gives rise to the question of why Leo hasn’t sent any guards there to take the place down. The answer: even he knows it’s too dangerous.
> 
> So, if I sent Myungjun after Sanha he would die and everyone he took with him would too and obviously I can’t kill my main character so…:(
> 
> Also, on another depressing note, the next chapter isn’t going to be very nice. I never really tell you what’s going to happen in the next chapter because, you know, spoilers or whatever, but this time I want to. So, if you don’t like spoilers, just ignore this.
> 
> Basically, the next chapter is going to be called ‘the argument’ and its literally Myungjin going at each other. We’ve never really seen them argue and I think the only serious ones I actually wrote were at the academy during their ‘break’ and even then, those arguments were short and not that bad. So, this argument was hecking strange to write. It makes me sad to read it, but it was inevitable with the choices Myungjun has been making.
> 
> Just wanted to give you the chance to mentally prepare uwu


	209. The Argument.

Myungjun pushed Jinwoo down into a chair on their dining room table and left him to go and find a bottle of moonshine and two glass tumblers. He needed a drink before he spoke to Jinwoo, and he needed Jinwoo to have a drink too. He knew this wasn’t going to be a pleasant conversation.

Myungjun took the bottle and the glasses back over to the table and sat down on the chair opposite Jinwoo instead of beside him like he usually would.

“Junnie why are we here drinking when we should be going out to look for Sanha? This is the solid lead we’ve been looking for…the ONLY solid lead we’ve ever had.” Jinwoo said impatiently, drumming his fingers against the tabletop.

Myungjun ignored his question in favour of pouring them both a glass. He slid Jinwoos across the table towards him. “Drink.”

“Junnie seriously we should-”

“I said _drink_.” Myungjun ordered him sharply. He rarely ever spoke to Jinwoo in such a way. It didn’t feel nice.

Luckily, Jinwoo seemed to understand his seriousness and he quietened down and drank. Myungjun downed his own before pouring them both another glass.

It was only when they’d had two more apiece that he decided to start the dreaded conversation. “I need to tell you something.”

Myungjun didn’t need to look at Jinwoo to know that he’d tensed. His voice gave it away.

“It’s bad isn’t it? You wouldn’t make me drink otherwise.”

Myungjun nodded and busied himself with downing another glass. He knew he’d drank too much already. He was already way over his limit, but he needed the courage. He couldn’t do this without it.

When he couldn’t stall for time any longer, he took a shaky breath. “I can’t go near the SnakeShire nightclub or I’ll be recognised.”

“What? By who?”

“Everyone.”

“What does that even mean?” Jinwoo asked sounding confused. “Everyone? It’s a nightclub for dark magic users Myungjun.”

“Exactly.” Myungjun replied quietly. He dragged his finger around the edge of his glass and got mentally prepared for the backlash this next bombshell would receive. “There’s a request going around all of the dark guilds asking for my assassination.”

Jinwoo was standing up in an instant, his chair scraping backwards along the wooden floor noisily. “What? Is this a joke? Please tell me you’re joking.”

Myungjun finally looked up at him with one sharp movement of his eyes. “Does it look like I’m joking?” He snapped. “Would I joke about something like this? Sit down Jinwoo.”

For a second it didn’t look like Jinwoo was going to listen to him. Jinwoo was trembling and his jaw was tense. But he just leaned over the table to grab the bottle of moonshine and sat down hard in his chair after pulling it back in.

Jinwoo poured himself another glass, drinking it swiftly before slamming it back down on the table. “How long?” He asked stiffly. “How long have you known?”

“A while.” Myungjun replied, dropping the second bombshell.

Jinwoo made a noise of pure rage and launched his glass across the kitchen where it smashed against the wall and shattered noisily. Myungjun swallowed the scolding down that he wanted to give as the glass rained down on the countertop.

“Are you fucking serious?” Jinwoo growled. “You’ve known for _a while_ that there’s a bounty on your head and you didn’t think it wise to tell me? Your _fiancé_?”

“This is EXACTLY why I didn’t tell you! You’re freaking out and-”

“OF COURSE I’M FREAKING OUT!” Jinwoo interrupted him angrily. “You’ve been at risk every second of every day. You’re STILL at risk every second of every day and I’ve been walking around clueless to that this whole fucking time! You could die Myungjun. Actually die. Have you forgotten what that did to me last time? HAVE YOU?”

Myungjun stood up from his chair with angry tears burning in his eyes. “How can I forget when you remind me about it so often? Yes, I died. Yes, I’m at risk now. But there’s no point getting angry with me about it. I didn’t tell you this so that we could have this argument. I told you about it so that we could think of a different way to save Sanha.”

Jinwoo got up from his own chair again and walked around the table until he was standing in front of Myungjun. Myungjun felt small as he looked up at him and he didn’t like it at all.

“This isn’t about Sanha anymore. It’s been hours since you received that note. HOURS. He’s long gone. This is about you and the fact you’ve kept this a secret from me. A secret that’s so important your life depends on it. What else are you hiding from me Myungjun?” Jinwoo scoffed. “Come on. You might as well tell me now.”

Myungjun couldn’t speak. He was keeping too many secrets from Jinwoo. If he opened his mouth now, they’d all come spilling out and it would only be a matter of time before he really died. The magic counsel were serious with their threats.

Jinwoos eyes narrowed as he looked down at him. “There’s more isn’t there? What is it? Tell me.”

“There’s nothing JinJin I-”

“There is.” Jinwoo interrupted sharply. “Tell me right now or I swear to the Deity I’ll-”

“You’ll what? Shout at me some more? Fine. Shout at me. I’m not telling you anything Jinwoo. I have nothing else _to_ tell you.” Myungjun felt sick. _Another lie._ “We can’t do anything about this stupid bounty. I’ve already spoken to my father and the twins and we’re still unsure about how to handle it right now.”

“The twins?” Jinwoo asked incredulous. “You told them and not me?” He barked out a laugh that sounded almost hurt. “Why? Is it because I’m not as strong as them? You think I can’t protect you as well? Am I not _smart_ enough to help you either?”

Myungjun whined irritably. Jinwoo was getting it all wrong. “It’s not like that Jinwoo. I only told the twins because they know a lot about dark guilds because they’ve dealt with them before. It’s not about being smart. It’s about knowledge, that’s all, and you know even less than I do. I thought they could help by imparting some of their knowledge. It’s not about who can protect me either. One, I don’t need protecting, I can look after myself and two, it’s about who can help me find a solution to this mess.”

Anger flashed across Jinwoos face. “A mess I should have been told about when you first found out about it! We’ve been out on requests whilst you’ve been in danger, out looking for Sanha all over the fucking place whilst you’ve been in danger, you went out there with Donghan to kill a member of a dark guild…” He slowly trailed off before his face hardened and his shoulders tensed even further. “You’ve known since then?”

Myungjun knew there was no point in denying it. How else would he have known otherwise? That was the only contact with a dark guild that he’d had. He also didn’t want to lie any further. He needed to tell Jinwoo the truth wherever he could to subside the guilt.

“Yes, I’ve known since then.”

Jinwoo turned away from him with an angry growl, closing his eyes and fighting against the heat Myungjun could feel rolling off of his skin. “I can’t believe this. It’s been months. MONTHS. How could you keep something like this from me for so long?” He turned back to look down at Myungjun with a crazed look in his eyes. Myungjun already knew what was coming before the words left Jinwoos mouth. “You’re not leaving this house. It’s too dangerous out there.”

Myungjun growled in irritation. “You’re mistaken if you think I’m actually going to listen to you. I’m not going to hide away and let life pass me by because of the CHANCE someone may come and attack me. No one’s even TRIED yet since the temple Jinwoo.”

“That doesn’t mean they won’t try. Today. Tonight. Tomorrow. You’re not safe out there.” Jinwoo muttered to himself, striding over to the window to peer out into the back garden as if an assassin was going to pop out of the bushes.

Myungjun followed him trying to get his attention. Trying to pull Jinwoo back from the brink of crazy. “What are we going to do then huh? Live out here in the middle of nowhere? What about food? What about our friends? Our family? The guild?”

Jinwoo pulled away from the windows and went to the back doors to make sure they were locked. “We can get people to bring food. Or grow our own. They can also visit us. The guilds not important either.” Jinwoo was still muttering and his hands were jittery.

“That’s ridiculous Jinwoo and you know it. We’d be tracked down by the dark guilds eventually. We’ll be trapped here. Surrounded. What do you think will happen then?”

It was like talking to a stone wall. Jinwoos breathing was heavy as he looked around aimlessly. “Well then I’ll have to kill them. All of them. If they’re all dead, they can’t touch you.”

Myungjun blocked Jinwoos path when he tried to walk past, no doubt going to the front door to leave and get himself killed for his panic induced stupidity. “Stop it Jinwoo! You can’t kill them all and you know it. Stop being an idiot for five seconds and just listen.”

“LISTEN TO WHAT?” Jinwoo suddenly erupted. His eyes snapped down to Myungjuns own, finally focused again. Myungjun flinched at the pure rage in Jinwoos voice and he backed away a step. “LISTEN TO YOU TELL ME HOW YOU’RE GOING TO LEAVE ANYWAY? HOW YOU’RE GOING TO PUT YOURSELF IN DANGER KNOWING FULL WELL HOW I FEEL? YOU’RE GOING TO DIE. YOU’RE GOING TO LEAVE ME AGAIN. AND YOU DON’T EVEN FUCKING CARE.” Jinwoo burst into tears. It tore at Myungjuns heart to see him that way. When Jinwoo spoke again it was quieter and more defeated. “You don’t care that you could die and that _hurts_ me. You _should_ care because you have me. I should be enough to make you care but I’m not. You’ve already said before how you’d sacrifice yourself for our friends. You’d be leaving me behind, yet you’d do it anyway. And don’t even think about trying to deny it because you know it’s true. I HATE you for doing this to me, for keeping secrets from me and for valuing everyone else’s life above your own. We’re supposed to be getting married but you’re not even going to be there for it because you’re going to be _dead_.”

Jinwoo started to cry harder and stumbled over to the wall to slide down it until he landed heavily on the floor. He pulled his legs up to his chest and buried his face in his knees.

Myungjun felt terrible watching him break down. Jinwoo was right. He WOULD sacrifice himself for his friends and he always felt good knowing that. Knowing how much he really cared about them. But when Jinwoo put it into perspective that way, it made him realise how bad that would actually be. He’d give up his own life and in turn ruin Jinwoos.

Myungjun walked over and crouched down in front of Jinwoo to stroke his hair softly. “JinJin? JinJin please don’t cry. I’m not going to die I promise.”

Jinwoo looked up, eyes wet and nose snotty. “How do you know?” He croaked out. “How do you know you won’t die? You CAN’T know that.”

Myungjun wiped gently at Jinwoos face with the sleeve of his silk shirt. “I’m not as easy to kill as they probably think I am. I’ll be fine JinJin. I’m never leaving you alone. I love you too much to do that.” Myungjun gave him a small smile and cupped Jinwoos face in his hands. “I won’t die because we need to get married and adopt a hundred babies and grow old together. I promise JinJin; I’m never leaving you again.”

Jinwoo spluttered out a weak laugh. “A hundred?”

Myungjun pretended to think hard about it and hummed thoughtfully for a few seconds. “Okay maybe we’ll only be able to handle around eighty with the children we’re already looking after now.” Jinwoo rolled his eyes and a silence blanketed them. It was full of sadness. “I’m sorry JinJin.” Myungjun apologised quietly. “I’m so so sorry for not telling you sooner. I just didn’t want you to worry. My father is already working tirelessly to find a solution and I know the twins have been talking about it too. We’ll find a way to get rid of this bounty. And even if we don’t, I’m not going to die. Because I’m surrounded by people who love me and want to keep me safe. Including you. You’re my strong, brave, handsome man. You’ll look after me and you’ll protect me and in turn I’ll protect you right back. We can’t stay locked up in here forever or we’ll forget the main point of being alive. Living. We can’t live trapped in here being scared of everything that moves. You know that don’t you?”

Jinwoo nodded sadly and sniffled. “I know. I’m sorry too. For snapping at you. I’m just scared Myungjun. I’m so scared and I hate being scared. Being scared makes me feel weak and I can’t be weak right now. I have to be strong for you so that I can protect you but it’s hard. I don’t want you to die. If you die, then I can’t live without you. I wouldn’t WANT to live without you. I know you scolded me before when I tried to kill myself, but I don’t care. I’d do it again without hesitation because my life would be too empty without the sun.”

Without warning Jinwoo pulled Myungjun in to kiss him. It was desperate and wet and messy but Myungjun knew they both needed it. Jinwoo needed to feel him, to make sure he was really there, healthy and alive, and he himself needed it to make sure Jinwoo forgave him.

Myungjun pulled Jinwoo to his feet and they looked at each other for a second before Jinwoos hands clamped down on Myungjun waist, pushing him back towards the kitchen table and picking him up to settle him on top of it. Myungjun heard the shattering of glass as the bottle of moonshine fell off the edge of the table to smash on the floor but he didn’t care. It could be cleaned up later. Jinwoos small display of strength, by lifting him up onto the table with only the hands around him, had been enough to divert his mind and body.

Jinwoo reached for the collar of Myungjuns silk shirt and tore it straight down the middle. The sound of the delicate fabric ripping apart should have angered Myungjun, but it just made him hotter. He tugged at the hem of Jinwoos shirt impatiently until Jinwoo was yanking it off and tossing it behind him carelessly.

Jinwoos hands were back on Myungjuns hips in an instant and Myungjun wrapped his legs around Jinwoos waist to pull him closer so he could kiss him more deeply. He needed to be close to Jinwoo. He just needed Jinwoo and nothing more.

Jinwoo broke their kiss and leaned down to nip harshly at Myungjuns collar bones, no doubt marking him for everyone to see.

“You’re mine.” Jinwoo growled possessively, his fingers digging harshly into the soft skin of Myungjuns thighs. “You’re mine and I’m never letting anybody take you away from me.”

“I’m yours.” Myungjun gasped as Jinwoo picked him up, biting roughly at his neck. “I’m yours Jinwoo. Only yours.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to make something explicitly clear. Yes, Jinwoo became pretty scary there by launching the glass/raising his voice, but he would NEVER turn his anger into proper physical violence and hurt Myungjun. Literally never. 0 chance. He’d rather die than hurt Myungjun. He just needs to let his anger out somehow because he could literally combust otherwise and with how strong his magic is now, he’d wipe the whole house out and kill Myungjun in the process, something he clearly wants to avoid doing.
> 
> His anger may be hard for some people to grasp because it’s so prominent and shocking, but he has a good reason. It’s hard to understand how much death effects a person until you’ve experienced it yourself. Death is a horrible horrible thing and grief can be suffocating. Jinwoos case was extreme because he watched Myungjun die in the academy and it was his fault (+Myungjuns blocked heart obv) and that mixed with the guilt of killing his parents is crushing. He had help from Bora with learning to cope with his parent’s death but not Myungjuns. He’s really struggling with it and like I said it’s hard for you to grasp if you haven’t experienced that before.
> 
> Plus, Myungjun really isn’t helping with the clear disregard for his own life. It’s not that he wants to die, he’d just be happy too if it meant saving the ones he loved. Its noble and heroic but it’s also something that would kill Jinwoo too. And with that knowledge, on top of the bounty, is what pushed Jinwoo to act the way he did. He’s only human, he can only take so much.
> 
> Was it still wrong for him to throw the glass? Yes. Was it still wrong of him to raise his voice? Yes. But I hope this helps soothe any dislike you feel for his character right now.
> 
> They fight just as passionately as they love *sigh*


	210. Grey+Donghan=???

Myungjun was in the tavern toilets washing his hands when the door burst open to reveal Donghan in all his giant, terrifying glory. He looked angry and memories of their last confrontation came flooding back to Myungjun. They weren’t friends anymore.

When Donghan came striding towards him, Myungjun quickly turned away from the mirror to face him properly. If Donghan was going to be nasty to him he’d rather it be done to his face.

The expression on Donghans own face was stony as he backed Myungjun up against the sink. Donghan leaned down to grip the edge of the sink on either side of Myungjuns hips, trapping him in completely. Myungjun was sure if anyone came in it would look like they were kissing with how close Donghans face was and the thought made him terribly uncomfortable.

“You’re not allowed to stop being my friend.” Donghan seethed. “You’re my friend whether you like it or not. You can’t just take it back. You can’t just take it away from me. No one takes anything away from me. I’m not telling you where that shitty nightclub is either and you’re going to accept it. You can hate me, but you’re not allowed to turn your back on me.”

Myungjun watched him rant. His words were certainly unexpected. “Okay.”

Donghan blinked. His anger immediately retracting. “What?”

“I said okay.” Myungjun repeated. “I’ll still be your friend and you don’t have to tell me where that nightclub is. Sanha will be long gone by now and it was stupid of me to even consider going there in the first place when I would have been murdered on the spot. It was a reckless thought and I’m glad you stopped me. So…thank you.”

Donghan looked like he wasn’t expecting that at all either, and he cleared his throat awkwardly before standing up straight and releasing Myungjun from his confinement. “Good.” Myungjun guessed Donghan had meant for that to come out sounding firm but he mainly just sounded confused. “I’m glad you’ve come to your senses little dragon.”

Donghan turned away from him and walked to the door. He paused and looked back, clearly on the verge of saying something else but he seemed to decide against it. He just shook his head and left, slamming the door behind him.

*

Myungjun knew it was Greys weekend off, so he wasn’t at all surprised when he heard his name being called across the tavern and he wasn’t at all surprised that Grey had come in at the same time Donghan was sitting at the table too. It seemed those two were fated to keep bumping into one another.

What did surprise him, however, was the fact Grey ignored Donghan completely and just sat down a few chairs away not even glancing in his direction. Donghan was watching Grey though, and there was a small frown tugging at his lips.

“Hey Junebug.” Grey piped up happily as if nothing was strange about his behaviour. “Leo asked me to remind you that you still need to arrange the collection of your ten million coins prize money from the surprise competition.”

Myungjun sighed. “Even though me and JinJin were the last team standing, we didn’t fight the twins and we didn’t deserve it in the first place after letting everyone die. We don’t want it. Tell him to donate it.”

Donghan scoffed. “That’s stupid little dragon you-”

“Okay I’ll let Leo know.” Grey cut in with a smile.

Myungjun could feel the tension oozing out of Donghan but he tried to ignore it. He didn’t want to get involved with whatever was going on between them.

The conversations continued for the next half an hour without getting any better. Grey would either cut in whenever Donghan tried to speak or ignore him completely.

It was inevitable that Donghan would eventually snap. “Why the fuck are you ignoring me?”

Grey finally looked his way. His magic was of the air variety but the look he gave Donghan was pure ice. “I’m not big enough to give OR take it remember? I’m a kid despite being your age remember? Why would you even care if I’m talking to you or not?” Grey suddenly smirked. “You know what? If you want to talk then let’s talk. I’ve been doing some thinking anyway. You’re hot, single and gay. I’m hot, single and gay. I’ve been offering myself to you, but you keep resisting. So, I thought to myself ‘why would he be doing that?’. I can’t imagine anyone else being brave enough to approach you in the way that I have, meaning you probably haven’t had a good fuck in a long time. Right?” Donghan didn’t answer. He just continued to stare at him through narrowed eyes with a tense jaw. Grey’s smirk became more pronounced and he continued more confidently. “So, I’ve come to two conclusions. Do you want to hear them?”

“Just get on with it already.”

Grey sat up straighter in his chair. “Conclusion one; you’re a virgin and you’re too scared to say yes to me because you have no idea what you’re doing. Conclusion two; You’re not packing anything special in that underwear of yours and you’re embarrassed about it.”

Pure anger rolled off of Donghan in thick, cloying waves and any mutterings that had been happening around the table from the rest of Myungjuns friends ceased completely.

Despite Donghans obvious anger he just leaned back in his chair with a smirk of his own. “Those were your conclusions?” He scoffed. “Maybe I’m just rejecting you because you’re ugly.”

The whole table took a collective breath in and all eyes turned to Grey to see how he would react to that insult. Grey just smiled and stood from his chair. He walked around the table towards Donghan and sat down on the tabletop in front of him, one foot dangling down on either side of Donghans legs. Donghan tensed again but didn’t move.

“I know I’m not ugly, and I know you don’t really think that either.” Grey said with the utmost confidence. “And now I _definitely_ know that one of my conclusions is correct. With the way you’re bashing on my looks, I’m almost certain it’s to cover up your own insecurities. What’s wrong Donghan?” Grey asked with fake sympathy and a pout. “Did all of your size get used up in your height and forget to make its way down here?” Grey lifted one of his legs to press his perfectly polished boot in between Donghans hips.

Donghan growled angrily and smacked his leg away with a loud crack. “You better watch the way you’re fucking talking to me. I’ve let you off so far because you’re Myungjuns friend but if you continue to piss me off, I’ll rip your throat out. There’s nothing wrong with me. How did you phrase it? I’m not packing enough?” Donghan scoffed and leaned forwards. “I’m packing more than you’d be able to handle sweetheart. I’m doing you a favour by rejecting you.”

Grey leaned forwards too and closed the rest of the distance until their lips were centimetres apart. “Prove it.” He replied breathily.

“Are you challenging me? Do you have a fucking death wish?”

Grey smirked and pulled back. “Why? Are you going to reject my challenge as well? You know you can’t do that _big boy_ or everyone will know you have something to hide.”

Donghan looked around the table as if he was suddenly remembering they weren’t alone.

He only hesitated briefly before he was out of his seat, picking Grey up and chucking him over his shoulder. He turned away from the table looking murderous and stormed over to the stairs. Grey looked up at them all grinning widely and gave them a thumbs up.

In that moment, Myungjun finally processed what had just happened and what it all meant. All the clues and hints he’d been given over the past few months fell into place and he blushed furiously at the realisation. Jinwoo had once said men had sex two ways and the second way must be what they were going to do. And pounding into the mattress was the code word for it. He still didn’t understand what it was, but now he knew his two friends were about to see each other naked and he was mortified. They hardly knew each other. How could they do that?

Grey had said it wouldn’t be long before Donghan gave in and Myungjun realised that today had just been a game for Grey and Donghan had fallen right into his perfectly laid out trap.

Grey really was manipulative and scary sometimes.

*

Donghan came back down the stairs later that night. His hair was trashed, he was without his shirt and Myungjun could see the scratches and love bites intermingled with all of his demon burns.

Donghan was adjusting his belt buckle as he strode right over to Myungjun expressionless. “Go and check on him.” He didn’t say anything else and just left the tavern, terraporting away.

Myungjun rushed up the stairs to look for Grey, not knowing what to expect.

He found him in one of the rooms, curled up and shaking on the bed in nothing but Donghans shirt. Myungjun could see his underwear torn to pieces on the floor and he hurried over and crouched beside the bed to look at him.

Grey had clearly been crying and his bottom lip was bleeding messily. Myungjun could see the finger shaped bruises on his wrists and the tops of his arms and a quick inspection of his legs revealed more heavy bruising and a smattering of love bites over the insides of his thighs. Myungjun knew it must look just as bad under Donghans shirt and the idea made him feel nauseous.

“Grey? Grey can you hear me?”

Grey whined quietly and opened his eyes. They were teary and he was still shaking. Myungjun had never seen him look so vulnerable.

“Junebug? Where’s Donghan?”

“I think he cleaned you and dressed you and then he left.” Myungjun replied quietly, noticing the bowl of water and cloth on the bedside cabinet.

Grey pouted. “What an asshole. He gives me the best sex of my life and then leaves thinking a fucking shirt is enough? I’m gunna kill him the next time I see him.” Grey shuddered and winced. “Shit that hurts. Junebug I need a cuddle.”

“Do you want to be the little spoon this time?” Myungjun offered kindly.

Grey groaned and quickly shook his head, opening up his arms. “Hell no. I can’t have anything near my ass right now. Donghan really wasn’t kidding.”

Myungjun didn’t even want to know what that meant and just took off his shoes before climbing onto the bed. He spotted the blanket bunched up by their feet and leaned down to grab it and pulled it back up over them to hide Greys nakedness. Grey hummed happily and threw his arm over Myungjuns waist and Myungjun looked down at it to see the bruises again.

Despite Greys battered appearance, he was radiating pure joy and happiness and was clearly content. Myungjun found that worrying.

“Grey? Do you want me to remove your bruising whilst you’re asleep?” Myungjun asked quietly as he traced the ones on Greys wrist.

“No.” Grey answered quickly. “No. I want them…I need them.”

Myungjun found that even more worrying but he didn’t argue and just let him rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *SCREAMS*
> 
> Grey played Donghan so easily wow. He’s like an evil mastermind but instead of plotting for world domination he plotted how to get Donghan into bed lmao
> 
> BUT I’M SO PROUD OF MYUNGJUN. He finally managed to put the clues together by himself without needing Jinwoo to explain. He still doesn’t know what sex is but he knows that they did it after working it out and I’m proud of him :’]


	211. A Six Year Engagement.

Myungjun sat atop the gargantuan wall surrounding Voredan city on the first of December, watching the ant sized carriage carry Rocky away from the city and towards his home in Zepheholde.

Myungjun didn’t know when he’d see Rocky again and the thought upset him. It was already hard enough after not seeing Sanha and Rocky Jr for months and now another one of his friends was gone.

Myungjun just hoped this trip home would help Rocky bring Rocky Jr back. Maybe a break from the home and guild that reminded Rocky of Sanha would do him some good. He’d stopped crying himself to sleep at night which was a good sign so hopefully that was the first step towards his recovery.

The dragons sad screech beside him pried Myungjun from his thoughts and he looked up at it with a smile. He knew his dragon could sense how sad he was himself. It was looking down at him with its head hung low.

Myungjun petted its soft scales and sighed. “It’s okay Baby. I’m just sad to see him go. I’ll be okay soon.”

Myungjun turned away to look back down for the carriage but couldn’t make it out anymore. It was lost between the other carriages making their way to and from the city. They all looked tiny from where he was sitting. They were up high. Five hundred feet high. The walls surrounding Voredan were tall to keep the city safe and infused with so many protective spells, enchants and runes that the hum of magical energy vibrated through Myungjuns body from his seat on the pearly white stone. It was strangely comforting.

The walls were usually manned with guards and decorated with heavy weaponry. Thousands of guards were needed to spread the whole length of the wall that wrapped around the sheer size of the city.

Myungjun knew he wasn’t allowed up here, but he couldn’t find it within himself to care much. The section of wall he was sitting on was unmanned as the guards changed shifts and he’d wanted to be up here to see Rocky off.

He hadn’t needed to climb the thousands of the stairs to the top like the guards needed too if they weren’t using the platform lifts. His dragon had taken him up instead. It was still too small to carry him on its back comfortably, but it was big enough to carry him up with its strong claws wrapped around his biceps. They always had a sure, secure grip on him, and he trusted his dragon with his life. He knew it wouldn’t drop him on purpose and he’d gotten used to being carried around so high up in the sky. It was thrilling and felt like he was the one with the wings.

It would only be a couple more months before his dragon was big enough to carry him on its back and he could hardly wait. Arvioth, Gikwangs dragon and Wrath, Donghans dragon, were already big enough to carry the twins which Myungjun had been utterly stunned to see. The twins looked even more scary atop them. Their dragons were growing ridiculously fast and they took up more and more space on the guild halls roof whenever they visited.

Myungjun didn’t mind waiting for his own dragon to grow. Even when the twins teased him. Donghan liked to point out that the little dragon has the little dragon and Myungjun would just dismiss his teasing by telling him it was fate and that small things were cuter. Donghan never had a reply to that.

Myungjun looked back up at his dragon now, tearing his eyes away from the river of tiny black carriages. “Let’s go home.”

*

Myungjun was sitting at his dressing table styling his hair for the day ahead when the velvet ring box caught his eye. He put his comb down and reached for the box instead, running his fingers over it before opening it up to reveal the ring Leo had given him for his engagement gift. The ring that captured souls. He hadn’t used it once yet and looking at it again now made his curiosity take over.

Myungjun pulled it out of its cushioning and looked it over. The flat, white, almost circular crystal glowed brilliantly when it came into contact with his skin as it sensed his light magic. He stroked the smooth crystal gently with a small smile before turning the ring around in his fingers to see the runes engraved on the golden band. He knew the runes were what gave the ring its power, the ability to capture souls in the crystal, but he didn’t know how to read them.

The most he knew about runes was the small topic he’d done during his history and law class of his first year at the academy. He hadn’t found it very interesting back then, but he’d come into contact with runes enough now for him to be curious about them. He wanted to know how to read them, use them and dispel them in case he ever found himself in another situation like the temple where they had been carved into his skin to cause such terrible pain.

There was only one person he knew who would be able to teach him. Dongmin. Dongmin had been crazy enough to take the history and law optional class voluntarily for his last two years at the academy and Myungjun could remember Dongmin saying how they’d gone more in depth with runes in their final year.

Myungjun went to grab a pen and some parchment and sent Dongmin a note asking for his help. It was better to start sooner rather than later.

He didn’t know how long he would have to wait for a reply as he didn’t know what Dongmin was currently doing. So, to occupy his mind until he got one, he slipped the ring onto his finger to possibly use it for the first time. To possibly create an agreement with a soul. It felt warm against his finger and the glow of the crystal contrasted prettily with his skin.

Myungjun focused hard on the techniques Gabriel had taught him to open his third eye and slowly the space around him began to take on a hazy tint. Myungjun looked around the room expecting to see hundreds of souls clamouring for his attention but saw nothing but the room around him instead. Thinking that they must be outside, he went to the window across the room to check. His eyes scanned the rear garden below and then the paddocks and fields further out. Still nothing.

He didn’t have time to wonder where the souls were for long, as a ball of snow containing Dongmins reply appeared in front of him. He crushed it, shivering at how cool it felt against his skin and took the small piece of parchment from inside feeling excited.

**Sure Hyung. Meet me at our coffee shop at 4pm. See you soon**

It was only ten in the morning so Myungjun had plenty of time to kill. He made his way to the dressing room to pick out his outfit, trying on a variety before deciding on a blush pink shirt that tied up at the wrists and a white pair of trousers. He was busy picking out his jewellery when he had the strangest feeling that someone was outside. He knew it wasn’t Jinwoo. Jinwoo was already at the guild. He went to look out of the window and opened himself up to the soul plane again as if by instinct.

Something out in the grove caught his eye and he rushed down the stairs and out onto the front porch to get a better look. Sure enough, between the trees just beyond the metal gate leading onto the property, a bright white shape was hovering. A soul. Myungjun approached it curiously, trying to make out any distinctive features but as he got closer it started to move away.

“Hey! Don’t go!” Myungjun called out, picking up speed until he passed the gate himself. The soul turned back to look at him and he was startled to see it was a young girl. They locked eyes and she looked utterly terrified before disappearing into the trees.

Myungjun sighed. Even though he had hours until he had to meet Dongmin, he didn’t think it was enough time to go chasing her through the grove. Especially when she was clearly fearful of him. He was also mindful of what Gabriel had said to him before, the warning about not opening himself up to the soul plane for too long at a time.

He let the soul plane fade away around him, pulled the ring off of his finger and pocketed it before whistling for his dragon. It was time for its morning feed anyway.

*

Myungjun opened the door to the coffee shop and was immediately assaulted by the aromatic smell of freshly brewed coffee and the sweet scent of cakes. Both made his mouth water. He hadn’t had a coffee date with Dongmin for a while and it felt nice to be doing it again, even if he was here to learn this time.

Dongmin was sitting at their usual table in the corner with a stack of books and notes beside him and Myungjun knew he had been the right person to ask. Dongmin was always so prepared and organised for every situation and Myungjun was especially grateful for that today.

Dongmin looked up with a smile from the sheet of parchment he was reading when Myungjun sat down opposite him at the table.

“Hey Hyung. It’s my turn to order today so I waited to see if you wanted your favourite first before I went up there.”

“Yes please.” Myungjun said, watching Dongmin get up from his seat. “No sugar today. I’m trying to cut down on sweet things.”

Myungjun turned to look at the stack of books when Dongmin walked over to the counter and he pulled the one off the top to read the front cover.

**A comprehensive guide to the history of runes**

Myungjun opened it up and a small business card fell out and fluttered to the floor by his feet. He bent down to pick it up and when he straightened back up and looked at it properly his eyes widened.

_A wedding planner?_

Dongmin came back to the table a minute later with their drinks and Myungjun accepted his with thanks. He hummed happily as he took a sip of the hot liquid. Earthy with a hint of spice.

Myungjun put his cup down and presented the business card to Dongmin with a raised eyebrow. “A wedding planner? Are you planning on proposing to Bin?”

The look he received was one of confusion. “I don’t need to propose to Bin. We’re already engaged.”

Myungjuns mouth dropped open. They were already engaged? How did he miss that? He looked down at Dongmins hands to see them free of rings.

“You’re engaged? Since when? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Me and Bin have been engaged for years.” Dongmin answered like Myungjun should have already known. Dongmin saw his confusion. “We’ve been engaged since the beginning. Don’t you remember how me and Bin got together?”

Myungjun tried to think but came up blank. “Minnie I don’t even know WHEN you got together.” Myungjun replied suddenly realising how weird that was.

Dongmin hummed thoughtfully. “Maybe we didn’t tell you. It was at the masked ball on Halloween. I’d been interested in him since the second I laid eyes on him and his bright pink hair. He was so handsome, even back then.” Myungjun remembered all of the times he’d caught Dongmin staring Moonbins way and smiled. “At the ball Bin approached me and asked me to be his date, even though we were already there, and it was a bit late. It made me realise that he was interested in me too and I blurted out marry me instead of saying yes.”

Myungjun laughed in disbelief. “You didn’t!”

Dongmin blushed. “That is singularly the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever done and Moonbin STILL teases me for it sometimes. I don’t even know why I said that, we were only twelve and I wasn’t even asking it seriously or anything, but to my utter shock Bin said yes anyway.”

“I can’t believe this. You were engaged before you were even boyfriends.”

Dongmin grinned and sipped at his drink. “It’s terribly backwards but it’s perfect. We’ve never really done things normally anyway. But we’ve been engaged, although non-seriously at first, for the last six years and I think it’s about time we got married.”

Myungjun sipped at his own drink before asking his next question. “You’re not wearing a ring and I’ve never seen Bin wear a ring either. I know you couldn’t have given him one in the beginning when you first asked but why don’t you have one now?”

“Oh, I have rings.”

“Rings? Plural?”

Dongmin nodded and smiled over his cup. “On one of our trips to Voredan when we were at the academy, me and Bin went to look for rings jokingly and came across one of those tacky trinket shops full of fake jewellery. They had trays of rings and we rushed inside to look. The rings were just as tacky as the store itself, but it was what we could afford with the little coin we had. We spent ages looking at them all but, in the end, I couldn’t decide on one. So, Bin made me a promise. He told me that on every date we go on, every Christmas, birthday or other occasion just as special, he would get me a new ring from that store. He’s kept his promise for the last six years and always surprises me with them. I know it’s silly, but it’s our thing and I’m proud of the collection I have now. Its full of all of our best memories together.”

Myungjun whined quietly at how cute the thought was. “That’s not silly Minnie. Its sweet and romantic and I’d love to see your collection one day. You must have a lot. I’m guessing that’s why you’re not wearing one. Still can’t decide?”

Dongmin nodded and reached around in his jacket. He pulled out a box and looked down at it with a smile. “The reason I couldn’t meet up with you earlier today is because of this. I was busy looking for an actual pair of rings. Real rings from an actual jeweller.”

Dongmin opened up the little box and showed Myungjun what was inside. Two slim gold bands. They were a lot different from Myungjuns own engagement ring. His was thicker and gaudier as Jinwoo had made it himself and also the metal was dark in colouring compared to Dongmins chosen gold.

Dongmin cleared his throat seeming nervous. “I want to propose to Bin properly this time.”

Myungjun squealed excitedly. “When?”

“When we go on our next date in a few days’ time. He’s going to surprise me with another ring, and I’ll surprise him right back with my own. He’s going to be so shocked.”

Myungjun giggled at the thought and reached across the table to give Dongmins hand a squeeze. “That sounds perfect Minnie. I’m so happy for you both. It really is the best feeling ever getting engaged and wearing a ring proudly for everyone to see. When’s the wedding? Is that why you have that business card?”

Dongmin nodded. “I was planning on getting a wedding planner but ultimately decided against it. Not only would it cost a lot, but I would much rather be in control. I’m organised enough as it is already. I’ve been planning this for years; I have whole folders on it. I know exactly what I want, where to get it all and how much it’s going to cost. I just need to do one more request and then I’ll have all the coin I need for my Christmas wedding.”

Myungjun gasped. “A Christmas wedding? As in this year? As in just over three weeks time?”

“I actually want to get married on Christmas eve so that I can wake up on Christmas day as Bins husband. It will be the best Christmas gift ever.”

Myungjun got emotional thinking about how grown up they were now and how sweet and pure Dongmins love was for Moonbin and Dongmin was emotional a second later as he looked at Myungjuns teary eyes.

“Stop it Hyung. You’ll ruin your make-up.” Dongmin sniffled, dabbing at his own eyes.

Myungjun just laughed. “I don’t care. You’re going to get _married_ Minnie. Like actually married. You’re only eighteen but you’re both so grown up…okay maybe Bins not THAT grown up but he’s still going to make a good husband I can tell. At least you know he’ll make you laugh a lot with his mischievous antics.”

Dongmin snorted in amusement. “He really can be a child sometimes but he’s mature too. More so AWAY from Youngjae and Soonyoung. Those two seem to bring out his childish side.” They both sipped at their rapidly cooling drinks and Dongmin put his ring box away and sat up straight looking serious. “Anyway, we can’t talk about my marriage all day. Let’s get started on what we actually met up here to do. Runes are just another language. It’s a person’s magical energy that activates them. Learning new languages isn’t as easy as you’d think though.”

“I know.” Myungjun replied with a sigh. “I had to learn the language of the Ethereals when I was at the castle and it took months and months and months just to get the basics ingrained in my head.”

Dongmins eyes widened. “The language of the Ethereals? Can you teach me?”

Myungjun shook his head with an apologetic smile. “I can’t. I’m not allowed. It’s for resurrectors only.”

Dongmin sighed. “I understand. It would have been cool to learn though.” Dongmin picked up one of the books stacked beside him and opened it up before handing it over to Myungjun on the page he needed. “You need to learn each of these runes off by heart. How to draw them, how to recognise their variations and what they represent. They’re the basics and when you have them memorized; I’ll teach you how to piece them together.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BINMIN WEDDING INCOMING  
> I literally have no idea how weddings work (even though I was a maid of honour at one -_- I don't really remember much it was a blur lmao) so I had to do research on weddings and...omg? There's so much damn stuff to do??? I've already written Binmins wedding ofc, but I simplified it down so that I wouldn't get overwhelmed and have a literal panic attack xd I added a few of my own things too, to make it fit more with my magical world, and I'm highkey in love. I got so excited writing their wedding that I started planning Myungjins (even though they won't be getting married for a long ass time). I'm just excited to share it now.
> 
> But I finally named Donghans dragon. 'Wrath'. I like it, I think it suits him. Gikwangs is named after the legendary air dragon, Arvioth, I think that suits him too. Myungjuns…I'm thinking about just sticking to 'Baby'. Even though he's the Dragon Knights son, and needs to have a respectable name for his dragon, I think 'Baby' reflects him more. Grey already told Myungjun in the castle not to supress who he really is (with his looks) so maybe trying to pick a name that would instil fear would be suppressing who he is too?? This is me just trying to make excuses because I fricking love the idea of him calling his scary ass dragon 'Baby' loooool


	212. Another Crush?

Myungjun was behind the bar in the tavern serving drinks with Hani when movement at the tavern doors caught his eye. Usually he didn’t bother looking up at the doors because he knew it would always be just another guild member. But this time was different because whoever just walked through the door didn’t possess any magical energy at all. He looked for a few seconds before realising why.

“I have to go now.” He said to Hani quickly before rushing around the bar and across the tavern.

Myungjun ushered the man back outside and round to the side of the guild hall out of sight. He’d recognised him straight away even in his disguise. His face was hidden by the hood of his cloak but Myungjun would recognise his graceful posture anywhere.

Leo pulled the hood back and grinned down at him. “Surprise little brother!”

Myungjun was utterly perplexed by his arrival. “What are you doing here Hyung? And where are your guards?”

“I snuck out!” Leo answered excitedly. “Grey helped me. He’s been in an exceptionally good mood lately.”

Myungjun had a feeling Greys good mood had something to do with the night he’d had sex with Donghan, but he didn’t feel like talking about that with Leo, so he quickly changed the subject.

“Hyung won’t you get into trouble with the magic counsel if they realise you’ve disappeared without your guard?” He asked feeling genuinely worried.

“I’ll be fine, I don’t care if I get into trouble.” Leo was trying to reassure him, but it wasn’t quite working. “Anyway, I’m with you little brother. They can’t say anything about my safety when there’s no-one on Aredrinnor who could keep me safer. I just needed to get out alone. I’ve never done this before I’m terribly excited right now. So excited I feared I might pass out on the way here. And I got here by walking. _Walking_. I walked all the way from the castle little brother it was so exhilarating! I’m not allowed to just walk the streets. I have to get carriages everywhere but this time I walked and saw all of the people and no-one ran away from me!” Leo sounded so excited about something so simple it hurt Myungjuns heart. It was what he took for granted every day, but Leo found it so special. Myungjun realised Leo was still talking and tried to ignore the way his heart hurt in favour of listening to him. “…bumped into me and didn’t apologise! I loved it! It’s the first time someone’s done me wrong and hasn’t apologised. I HATE that word being said to me. I apologised instead. This has been one of the best days ever little brother and we’re just getting started!”

Myungjun smiled up at him. “That’s good Hyung. I’m glad you’re happy. What do you want to do today? Do you want to go for tea? You can actually order yourself for once. I know you wanted to last time.”

Leo quickly shook his head with a small pout. “The teashop I frequent is closed for the week as the owner is away on business.” Leo suddenly perked up again. “Today I wish to further explore the fighting district instead. I’ve explored all of the shopping district now and where the fighting district is concerned, I’ve only visited the crucible. The district itself looked very interesting when I watched you through the crystal during the surprise competition. I’d love to walk the streets there myself.”

“Okay we can do that.” Myungjun replied happily. “I don’t remember much of what I saw and me and Jinwoo followed all of the main streets so there will be a lot more in the side streets that will be new to us both. Let’s go to the stables next door and saddle up some horses. It will take a while to get there.”

Leo quickly shook his head. “I _must_ travel everywhere by foot today little brother. I do not know when the next time I will be able to do this will be and I want to enjoy it as much as possible. I do not mind the walk, no matter how long and tiresome.”

Myungjun could see how adamant he was and gave in. He looked down at his shoes and sighed, wishing he’d worn something comfier.

*

They were an hour into their tour of the fighting district, walking down a narrow side-street, when a sign caught Myungjuns eye.

**MeiFlower Boxing**

Myungjun was drawn to the door and he opened it up, gesturing for Leo to follow. The inside of the club was dimly lit and the stairs that led down to it were narrower than the street outside. Myungjun walked down them swiftly and when he reached the bottom, he looked around the big room it opened up into. One large boxing ring stood proudly in the middle and there were a few doors along the walls leading out into other rooms.

Myungjuns eyes fell on a young woman who was watching the two men in the ring fight and he realised immediately why he had been drawn inside. He made his way over to her looking at the long blonde hair that fell down her back in ringlets.

She turned to look at them, no doubt sensing their approach and her smile lit up her bright blue eyes. “Myungjun. What brings you here?”

“Just in the area and this place caught my eye. This club belongs to your father, right?”

Mei nodded and opened her mouth to speak but was cut off short by the arrival of another young woman who handed her a glass of water and kissed her cheek. Mei smiled at her with love in her gaze and Myungjun immediately knew she was the girlfriend Jinwoo had told him about when Myungjun had first met Mei in the crucible before the monster brawl.

Her girlfriend had darker skin and thicker hair and she had a kind face with pretty brown eyes and full lips. In the introductions that followed, Myungjun found out that her name was Eve, she wasn’t from Aredrinnor and they all had the same magic type, plant. Myungjun introduced them to Leo and they were understandably very shocked upon finding out he was, in fact, King Leo and not a commoner like he was disguised as.

When Leo failed to speak, Myungjun turned to look up at him to see that his eyes were glued on the fight happening in the ring, or more specifically, one of the men who was fighting.

The man was tall with a body that told Myungjun he’d been boxing for a long time, years perhaps, and his black hair was damp with sweat and stuck to his forehead. He looked almost scary as he fought his opponent, landing blows that echoed around the room as skin hit skin. He wasn’t wearing any wraps around his knuckles and as a consequence, his knuckles were decorated with new and old bruises alike.

Myungjun looked back at Leo to see that he was fiddling with his rings again. His nervous habit. He also had the same look on his face that he had had when he first met Hakyeon.

The fight came to an end and the two men bowed to each other respectfully before stepping away. The man Leo had been watching looked over at them and Leo was quick to look away with a light blush dusting his cheeks.

“Who is that man?” Leo asked Mei quietly.

“He’s a regular at our club.” She answered. “Our only non-magical member. We don’t know his real name, but he goes by the pseudo name Ravi. He’s really sweet despite his tougher exterior. He always helps me and Eve clean up at the end of the day.”

Myungjun looked back over at Ravi to see him wiping the sweat off his face and hands with a towel. He put the towel over his shoulder before striding across the ring towards them and ducking under the ropes. He jumped down and crossed the distance heading straight for Leo who was frozen in place.

Ravi stopped in front of him and extended his hand with a smile. “Hello. My name is Ravi.”

Leo just stared, unmoving, until Myungjun elbowed him in the ribs. He knew Leo was socially awkward around people, as he didn’t get to interact with them much, but he didn’t think Leo wanted to make it so obvious on purpose.

Leo snapped out of it and took his hand. “Hello.” He said quietly. “My name is Leo.”

“I know.” Ravi replied, letting his hand go. “I’ve attended plenty of your speeches to recognise you your majesty. Although you do look rather…” He paused to look Leo up and down. “Different today.”

Leos eyebrows were furrowed slightly. “You’ve attended my speeches? I’ve never seen you before. I always look at the crowd when I talk. I’d remember someone as han-” Leo froze again briefly before coughing awkwardly and looking away. “Someone as memorable as you.” Leo turned away from him completely and looked down at Myungjun. “We should go.”

Leo was sweeping across the room towards the stairs before Myungjun could stop him and he quickly said goodbye to the others before following.

When they were back outside onto the streets Leo groaned loudly and leaned up against the nearest wall.

“Are you okay?” Myungjun asked worriedly, peering up into his face. He looked feverish. Myungjun pressed a hand against his forehead to feel that he was warm but not warm enough to be of any major concern. “Are you feeling unwell?”

“A little.” Leo answered weakly before sighing. “Maybe I do need some tea after all. Let’s go and find a different teashop little brother.”

*

Myungjun was riding Princess home through the grove later that day when he had the overwhelming feeling that someone was watching him. He looked around, shoulders tensed but didn’t see anything suspicious. Images of assassins flooded his mind and he tried to push it away. Myungjun knew that if someone _was_ there, then his dragon, who was flying in peaceful circles above him over the trees, would have sensed their presence and alerted him.

He just shook his head to clear his thoughts, telling himself it was just his imagination and approached the farmhouse through the gates and went straight to stabling Princess before heading inside. He locked the door behind him just in case and went to grab his book on runes that Dongmin had given him. Memorizing runes was a lot harder than he’d thought it would be.

Ten minutes later, when he was curled up on the sofa in the sitting room trying to draw one of the runes, he got the feeling again. It made the hairs on the back of his neck stand to attention and he was out of his seat and peering into the grove in an instant. Still nothing.

As if by instinct he stepped back outside onto the front porch and opened himself up to the soul plane.

His eyes immediately found the cause of his paranoia. The little girl from before was hiding behind one of the trees in the grove and watching him with wide eyes. She still looked scared so Myungjun didn’t try to approach her. He just sat down on the steps leading up to the porch and patted the empty space beside him in silent invitation. She didn’t move so Myungjun patted it more insistently and smiled feeling his previous fear of assassins trickle away.

“I won’t hurt you.” He called out.

She hesitated for a second before slowly revealing herself from behind the tree. She walked slowly through the gate, looking ready to flee at any second, so Myungjun stayed as still as possible. She didn’t come very close, but it was close enough.

“Do you have a name?” Myungjun asked kindly. She shrugged. “Can you talk?”

“Yes.” Her voice was faint and sounded like tinkling bells.

“Are you alone out here?” Myungjun asked curiously. She nodded. “How long have you been here?”

“A few years. This is my favourite place. The grove.”

“Did you live here before?” She shook her head. Myungjun realised she didn’t like to talk much. “Do you want to be friends?” He asked. She seemed wary so he smiled. “It’s okay if you don’t want to be friends. It must be lonely though.”

He didn’t expect her to answer but she did, and she sounded sad. “It is lonely, but I don’t want to be your friend. The last time I trusted a friend I died.”

She turned on her heel and ran back into the grove. Myungjun watched her go with a sigh before letting the soul plane disappear around him and going back inside to wait for Jinwoo to come home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> …  
> LEO  
> …  
> I have nothing else to say.


	213. A Wedding Invitation.

Myungjun was lying awake in bed, restless and unable to sleep after his conversation with the little soul girl in the grove. She’d been alone for years and that made him sad. He wanted to do something to help her move on but a part of him doubted that she’d want to make a contract with him to fight for him in the hopes of gaining access to Eden. She’d seemed much too sweet to fight.

Jinwoo whimpered quietly in his sleep beside him and Myungjun reached over to turn on the lamp beside their bed to look down at his fiancé. He had a light sheen of sweat on his forehead and he was twitching and making quiet noises of distress and mumbling nonsense. A nightmare.

“…jun.” Jinwoo muttered.

Myungjun sighed knowing exactly what he was dreaming about now. He didn’t want Jinwoo to have nightmares about his death anymore. He had them often and he always woke up in a state afterwards. Myungjun wanted to do something to help and was hit with the sudden realisation that he _could_ help without having to pull Jinwoo out of his much-needed sleep.

In the castle during his telepathy lessons, he had learnt the manipulation extension to the dream walking spell. He could enter Jinwoos mind and soothe his nightmare, manipulating it into something much nicer.

Myungjun cuddled up to him and cleared his mind before reaching out for Jinwoos. He’d dream walked plenty of times before in the academy, so it wasn’t hard to establish the link and he allowed himself to fall right into it.

~

_Myungjun landed inside the infirmary at the academy and his heart clenched painfully at what he saw. Jinwoo was sitting on the edge of one of the beds, looking down at Myungjuns dream copy who looked the picture of death. Jinwoo was stroking his face and whispering to him._

_The door to the infirmary burst open and black shapes flooded the room, all of them wielding daggers with the clear intent of ending Myungjuns already weakened life. Assassins._

_Jinwoo whipped around with a snarl and got ready to fight them. However, the Myungjun on the bed spoke up._

_“You can’t save me Jinwoo. I’m going to die. In fact, I’m already dead. You did this Jinwoo. You killed me.” Then he went still._

_Jinwoo turned to look at him with wide eyes and rushed back over. “Sunshine? Sunshine wake up. WAKE UP. Don’t do this to me. Please wake up. I didn’t mean to. I didn’t mean to kill you, you have to believe me. Just come back and I’ll make things right I promise. I’ll look after you. I’ll protect you. I’ll do anything just please come back to me.”_

_Myungjun couldn’t stand by and watch Jinwoo break down any longer. He got to work on changing Jinwoos dream. He made all of the black shapes disappear, made the Myungjun on the bed disappear and turned their surroundings from the infirmary to the academies lake._

_Jinwoo looked around startled at the change and Myungjun made his way over to him with a smile._

_“JinJin?”_

_Jinwoos eyes widened when Myungjun stopped in front of him, gaining his attention. “Sunshine?”_

_Myungjun reached up to wipe at the tears on Jinwoos face and cooed sadly. “Don’t cry JinJin. I’m okay. You’re just having a bad dream that’s all.”_

_“A dream?” Jinwoo asked confused._

_Myungjun nodded and made Jinwoo shrink down until they were the same height again, just like they used to be before Jinwoos accident. “See? Just a dream. You’re short again like me.” Myungjun giggled. “Just like how you’re supposed to be.”_

_“You made me shrink? This is a dream. Are you dream walking right now?”_

_“Yes. I hope you don’t mind. I just saw you having a nightmare and wanted to help you.” Myungjun answered quietly._

_Jinwoo sighed in relief and finally smiled. “Thank you sunshine. It was a horrible dream but I feel so much better.”_

_Myungjun was glad to hear it. He was extremely grateful to Mr Yun for teaching him how to do this. “Do you have any specific requests for your dream now JinJin? I can make all of your dreams come true.” Myungjun joked winking at him._

_Jinwoo grinned and wrapped his arms around Myungjuns waist. “Just wake me up. I don’t need you to make all of my dreams come true. They already came true when you said yes to marrying me.”_

_Myungjun giggled and pulled away from him with a light blush. “Don’t be so sappy Park Jinwoo. I’ll wake you up. See you soon.”_

~

Myungjun shook Jinwoo and called his name softly until Jinwoo opened his eyes looking sleepy and adorable. When Jinwoo was able to focus on Myungjun properly he smiled and pulled Myungjun down on top of him to kiss him. Jinwoo hummed happily into the kiss and rubbed Myungjuns back. He rolled them over a while later until he was on top of Myungjun instead and pulled back to talk. “I’m so lucky to have such an amazing fiancé.”

Myungjun shivered at the deep timbre of Jinwoos sleep laden voice. He always sounded so sexy when he first woke up. “I’m the lucky one.” Myungjun replied quietly, tracing the sharp lines of Jinwoos facial features with his fingertips. “You’re so handsome and caring and brave.”

Jinwoo chuckled and leaned down to rub their noses together cutely. “You’re so handsome and caring and brave too. We’re the perfect match.” Jinwoo pulled away slightly and Myungjun could see the love and adoration in Jinwoos eyes. “I want to marry you as soon as possible Myungjun. I can’t stop thinking about it.”

“I can’t stop thinking about it either.” Myungjun admitted. His smile soon faded, and he felt the familiar sadness settle in his chest.

“What’s wrong?” Jinwoo asked with a frown.

Myungjun swallowed thickly before answering. “I don’t want to get married without Sanha and Rocky and Rocky Jr there to see it. I want us to all be together again. It wouldn’t be the same without them JinJin.”

Jinwoo sighed and brushed the hair off of Myungjuns forehead. “I know. I want them to be there too…Have you received anymore notes yet about possible sightings of Sanha?”

“No. I haven’t received any notes since the one containing Sanhas bracelet. It’s like all sightings have ceased completely.” Myungjun felt the tears well up in his eyes until Jinwoo became blurred. “I’m so worried JinJin. I’m worried Sanha got into trouble in that nightclub. What if they’ve done something to him? What if he’s de-”

“He’s not.” Jinwoo interrupted firmly, wiping the tears off of Myungjuns face that had escaped. “He’s alive. Don’t ask me how I know. I just know. He’s alive and he’s fine and he’s going to come back to us. He has too. We can’t get married otherwise. And I’m determined to marry you. You know how I get when I’m determined to accomplish something.”

Myungjun choked out a laugh. “You get this look in your eyes and you don’t give up until you achieve it, no matter how hard it is. You’re a stubborn idiot honestly.”

Jinwoo grinned. “I am. So, trust in my words okay? He’ll come back to us sunshine I just know it.”

Jinwoo turned off the light a while later after making sure Myungjun was okay and showering him in kisses. He was asleep in seconds but Myungjun just cuddled up to him unable to sleep at all.

_I hope you’re right JinJin._

*

Myungjun and Jinwoo walked into the guild hand in hand the next day and were immediately approached by an excited looking Dongmin who was followed close behind by a similar looking Moonbin. Myungjun looked at them questioningly before an envelope was thrust in his face.

“Your wedding invitation.” Dongmin blurted out before Myungjun could open it.

Myungjun looked over the invitation and smiled. It was pretty with swirly silver writing against the lilac background. He was amused to see they’d used their nicknames ‘ **Minnie &Binnie**’. It was ridiculously cute, and he giggled when he saw it had been addressed to ‘ **Our Friendship Parents** ’.

“We’re your friendship parents?” Jinwoo asked amused as he read it over Myungjuns shoulder. “Wait…” Jinwoo snatched the invitation out of Myungjuns hands and brought it close to his face. “Christmas eve? This year?” He lowered the invitation to look at them with wide eyes. “That’s in a few weeks!”

“We don’t want to wait any longer than that.” Dongmin explained.

Moonbin nodded his agreement without taking his eyes off of his fiancé. Moonbin looked utterly smitten and it made Myungjun want to scream. He loved seeing them like this. Usually Moonbin was messing around and Dongmin was scolding him but in this particular moment, he could see just how much they loved each other. Especially when Dongmin turned to look at Moonbin with a soft smile.

Jinwoo cleared his throat to get their attention again. “Before you guys start making out, we should discuss what we actually came here for. Myungjun said you two might be interested in finally going on a request together in our team. Now I’m guessing it’s because you want to make some extra coin for the wedding?”

“We need a request that will make us two hundred thousand at the very least.” Dongmin answered pulling out a sheet of parchment from one of his pockets. “Preferably three hundred thousand but to get everything I _really_ want, it would need to be half a million.”

“Well an A Rank pays half a million at least. And if we can only find ones at half a million then me and JinJin will let you take it all. Isn’t that right JinJin?” Myungjun asked, turning to give Jinwoo a stern glare.

“Uhh…sure.” Jinwoo answered weakly.

“Really?” Dongmin squealed excitedly as he grabbed Myungjuns hands tight. “You’ll really let us take it all?”

Myungjun smiled and nodded. “You should have everything you want on your wedding day Minnie. You’re only going to get married once so it should be special. But if we really do give you it all, please don’t expect us to be able to get you a wedding gift in time. We’re awfully poor now after buying our house.”

*

**Monster Sighting! Cockatrice trouble**

**Location: Talbadana Desert**

**Information: A suspected nest of cockatrices has taken root in the eastern region of the Talbadana Desert. They have been feeding on important plants that can only be grown there. Dispatch of them immediately.**

**Reward: 650,000 coins**

Myungjun hummed happily as he read the request in the back of the carriage that would be taking them to Talbadana. It was five days away to the south of Aredrinnor. It didn’t give them a lot of time to complete the request, considering Dongmin wanted to be married so soon, but it had been the best they had seen on the A Rank board.

Myungjun handed the parchment back to Jinwoo who folded it back up and put it away. “Our biggest enemy isn’t going to be the cockatrices; it’s going to be the heat. I’ll be fine, and Min will be fine, but you two won’t.” Jinwoo said, looking between Myungjun and Moonbin.

“I’ll keep them cool.” Dongmin spoke up. His eyes were closed as he leaned back against the leather seat of the carriage. Myungjun had thought he was asleep but apparently not. “The biggest problem is Binnie getting dehydrated. Are you sure we packed enough water?”

“More than enough.” Moonbin answered, stroking the back of Dongmins hand that was resting on his thigh. “I won’t overuse my magic don’t worry. Should we go over the plan one more time?”

Dongmin sighed. “We’ve been over it a hundred times already. I just want to get there and get it over and done with so we can make it back in time for me to do the last-minute preparations.”

Myungjun turned away from them at the sign of movement outside the window and looked out to see his dragon coming down towards the carriage. The horses pulling the carriage made noises of distress that floated through the open window and Myungjun quickly shooed the dragon away. It gave a defiant screech but listened and went back to trailing the carriage higher up in the sky.

“Are you sure it’s okay to bring your dragon with us?” Moonbin asked, looking out of the window sounding unsure. “Cockatrices can turn all living creatures to stone with their gaze.”

Myungjun smiled and turned away from the window to look at him. “My baby will be fine. When I fought it’s mother on my rite of passage, I fired an arrow at its eye trying to blind it to help my father. The arrow bounced straight off of it. I was stunned. I was using the bow I have now, the one the twins won during the Monster Brawl. You’ve seen how powerful it is. It’s so much more powerful than my old monster bone bow. The arrow should have torn straight through its eye, but it couldn’t penetrate it. I read up on this species of dragon when Donghan first told me about the eggs and I found out why. They have a protective layer over their eyes. The cockatrices magic won’t work on it. I was worried at first thinking my dragons’ eyes wouldn’t be that developed yet, much like how its scales are still rather soft, but I touched them last night and there’s definitely a layer there. It didn’t even flinch.”

“You poked your dragon in the eye?” Dongmin asked incredulous, finally opening his own to look at Myungjun. “That’s brave. If the layer hadn’t been there, you could have hurt it, and it could have attacked you.”

Myungjun laughed and shook his head. “It wouldn’t. I’ve accidently hurt it before. I stepped on its tail once and the most it did was roar in my face. I’ll admit I was scared. Its teeth are growing longer and sharper by the day and I could feel the heat on its breath. But it didn’t hurt me back. Donghan was right. It feels love and loyalty towards me. It sees me as its mother. You don’t hurt your mother.”

“Didn’t it once bite off three of your fingers when you neglected it?”

Myungjun flushed. “I didn’t _neglect_ it. I left it in the care of the twins when I went to find Sanha. It only bit my fingers off because it was young and untrained. Things are different now.”

“Let’s hope you’re right Hyung."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Off to the desert~


	214. Talbadana Desert.

Talbadana desert what the worst place Myungjun had ever visited on Aredrinnor. It was scorching hot despite being mid-december. The heat rolled off of the brown lifeless sand in thick cloying waves making everything in the distance look hazy and obscured.

Dongmin was trying his best to keep the heat at bay but Myungjun found that it was hardly helping. He clung to Dongmins arm instead, relishing in how cold his skin was. Jinwoo was walking ahead of them. One, to lead the way across the vast barren wasteland and two, to keep the heat of his own skin away from them.

When they had first set off across the desert half a day ago, Myungjun had walked beside Jinwoo, as he usually did, hand in hand. He’d realised quickly enough that walking so close together was a bad idea. Deserts were the ideal terrain for Jinwoo and his magic. The heat made his magic stronger and in turn made him hotter. Myungjun had begun sweating profusely a few minutes into their walk and had told him to just go ahead. It was too much.

The walk itself seemed endless. All Myungjun could see was an endless sea of sand, dotted occasionally with brittle sun-bleached plants and the odd desert dweller. Lizards and snakes and scorpions were seen aplenty and Myungjun had been positively shocked to see an even larger creature, taller than them all, that walked past without so much as looking their way. Dongmin informed them that it was something called a camel and Myungjun had looked back over his shoulder every five seconds to look at it some more until it disappeared completely over the nearest sand dune. He wondered why it didn’t attack them and what magic it had.

“How much further?” Moonbin whined from Dongmins other side. He was clinging to Dongmins other arm. “I’ve drunk so much water already, but I can still feel myself running dry. This is the WORST place for me to be.”

“According to the people who wrote this request, we should come across the cockatrices in another mile or so.” Jinwoo called back. “How much water is left?”

“My bags still full of bottles.” Dongmin answered. “Binnie is running low though.”

“Sunshine? What about you?” Jinwoo asked, looking back at him over his shoulder. “Have you drunk yours?”

“A few. I’m trying to save them.” Myungjun replied with a sigh. “We still have to make this journey back after all. The heat will hit its peak in a few hours. Then it will start rapidly declining as night falls. We preferably need to have finished this fight before the worst of the heat so we can find shelter. I wouldn’t like to think about the type of creatures that will be out here in the dark.”

*

Myungjun just stared at the empty nest. He couldn’t believe it. They’d walked all of this way, walking for hours through the inferno of heat, just to get here to see it empty. No cockatrices in sight. He knew they could have just wandered off for the time being, or even wandered off to make a new nest somewhere else altogether but he was still angry. So so angry that it had all been for nought.

“Should we wait here and see if they return?” Dongmin asked, voice strained. Myungjun could only imagine how Dongmin felt. Those cockatrices were the ticket to his dream wedding. With them gone, he couldn’t fulfil his wishes, and would no doubt feel terribly disappointed.

Jinwoo was frowning. “It’s strange. There’s still residue of their magical energy left behind. Like they haven’t been gone for very long at all.”

“OVER HERE!” Moonbins voice cut through the dead air from the other side of the vast rocky outcropping which the nest has been built up against.

Myungjun hurried around to see what he had found. The sight he was met with confused him even further. Lots of feathers littered the floor. But no bodies or blood. There had obviously been some sort of struggle or fight but no obvious deaths.

“This just gets weirder and weirder.” Jinwoo muttered under his breath. “No prints in the sand to tell us which direction they left in. Did they fly away? No…there would be prints even then from their take-off.”

Myungjun left Jinwoo to talk to himself and walked further out into the desert to look around. There really was nothing in sight. He looked up at the blue cloudless sky. His dragon had disappeared a long time ago and he whistled for it now.

He waited for a minute before trying again. Nothing. That made him anxious. His dragon always came no matter how far away it was, and it never flew too far off in the first place. He tried to think back to the last time he saw it and realised it must have been hours ago now. Time in the desert seemed to flow differently.

Myungjun hurried back over to Jinwoo to relay his concerns. “JinJin?” Jinwoo looked up questioningly from the feathers he was studying. “Baby is missing.”

Jinwoo stood up quickly and scanned the sky. He whistled. His whistle was more piercing than Myungjuns own so there was no way his dragon wouldn’t be able to hear it. They waited. Still nothing.

“JinJin I don’t like this one bit. Something isn’t-”

Myungjun was cut off short by an immense rumbling happening under their feet. It started suddenly, without warning, and was so intense it pulled a squeak of fear out of Myungjuns mouth.

“What the hell is that?” Dongmin yelped as he stumbled into Moonbin. Moonbin caught him and held him tight.

Myungjun felt the sand slipping under his feet. “GET ON THE ROCKS.”

They all scrambled for them. Jinwoo was up first and pulled Myungjun up after. They both reached for the others who were running towards them. Myungjun could see the sand forming a whirlpool that was slowing Dongmin and Moonbin down as it tried to suck them back in.

“Myungjun your vines. Grab them!” Jinwoo ordered desperately.

“I can’t! Its sand, my vines won’t grow!”

With one grunt of exertion, Moonbin shoved all of his weight against Dongmins back sending him forwards. Myungjun got a grip on Dongmins hand and hauled him up.

“BINNIE!”

Moonbin fought against the sand with all his strength, muscles and veins bulging but it was no use. It sucked him back, further and further into the centre. Dongmin screamed as he started to sink and fought against Myungjuns hold to get to him. Myungjun held him back.

A screech made them all look up and Myungjuns dragon flew over their heads, ruffling their hair. The dragon swooped down and Moonbin reached up desperately, the sand now up to his chest. The dragon’s claws wrapped around his arm and with one powerful flap of its wings it pulled him free.

Dongmin went weak with relief in Myungjuns arms and sobbed uncontrollably against him, mumbling Moonbins name. Myungjun hugged him tight feeling weak himself.

The whirlpool in the sand slowed down until it stopped all together and the rumbling ceased. The dragon did a lap of the rocks before letting Moonbin go and Dongmin pulled away from Myungjun to catch him and kissed him fiercely when Moonbin was back on solid ground.

Myungjun looked up at his dragon with a smile to thank it but the words immediately died in his throat. His dragon fell down onto the rocks with a pained screech. Myungjun rushed forwards and dropped down to his knees beside it.

“No.” He said quietly as he inspected its torn wing. “No this can’t be happening. How did…what did…” Myungjun created the telepathic link with their minds. He was immediately assaulted by his dragons’ feelings. Pain, anger, fear. Fear? “What did this to you Baby?” Myungjun asked as tears sprung to his eyes. “Can you show me? Your memories?”

Myungjun gasped as his mind was flooded with images.

_A shell breaking apart to reveal Myungjuns face. The dragons first feed, a live chicken. Claws and teeth as it scrapped with its siblings._

“Not those.” Myungjun interrupted as he stroked it gently. “Memories from today. From when your wing was torn.”

Images flooded his mind again.

_Lots of blue sky and an endless expanse of brown sand beneath. A whistle. The dragon turning to go towards it knowing its mother calling. A whirlpool in the sand. The dragon senses danger and looks down. A giant creature a hundred feet tall emerging from the whirlpool. A bug with too many teeth. It reaches straight up into the sky and bites down hard on the dragon’s wing. Pain, lots of pain. Thoughts of getting back to mother flood its mind. Another whistle. It fights, biting and clawing until the bug lets go. Flying is hard but the screams push it forwards. It see’s the blonde man being sucked in. Mothers friend. Save him. Pain, lots of pain._

The images ceased and Myungjuns heart clenched painfully in his chest. Baby had heard his and Jinwoos whistles but was too busy fighting for its life. And it saved Moonbin despite its pain.

“Thank you.” Myungjun choked out, crawling over to its head and cuddling up to it. “You did so well Baby. You’re so big and strong. I’ll fix you now okay? I’ll fix you and we can go home.”

Myungjun scrubbed his eyes dry and looked up to see the others watching him sadly.

“Will you really be able to fix it?” Moonbin asked quietly. “That tear is as long as my arm Hyung. I can’t believe it still flew.”

“It heard us screaming.” Myungjun replied quietly. “It wanted to save us. I’ll fix it. No matter what it takes.”

*

Night had fallen by the time Myungjun pulled away from the wing. The moon was high and bright, and stars blanketed the sky. Jinwoos fire provided extra light and some much needed heat. The desert was freezing.

“You did a good job sunshine.” Jinwoo spoke up from his seat beside him. He’d sat next to Myungjun the whole time, passing Myungjun energy revive herbs and medical supplies whenever he’d needed them.

Myungjun tried to seal as much of the tear as he could with magic to begin with, but it was hard. Dragon cells were different from human cells and he hadn’t practiced enough on them yet. What he hadn’t been able to fuse, he’d spent hours stitching. The stiches had to be close together leaving no gaps so it would still be able to take flight whilst it healed. He felt an immense guilt whenever his dragon would make noises of pain or distress and tried to siphon away its pain which he quickly realised didn’t work. The dragon wouldn’t eat his pain relief herbs either, so he had no choice but to listen to it suffer. It was torture.

“Drink something Hyung.”

Myungjun looked up to see Moonbin holding out a bottle of water. He took it and drained it completely, feeling the dryness in his mouth disappear. He’d already been feeling incredibly thirsty from all of his screaming before getting to work on the wing, and once he’d actually started the healing process, he hadn’t stopped. The water was much needed, and he thanked Moonbin with a small smile before getting up to stretch his legs.

“Hyung can I speak to you for a second?”

Myungjun turned to see Dongmin looking down at him and nodded before following him as he moved away from the others. When they were far enough away to not be overheard, Dongmin turned back looking nervous.

“What is it?” Myungjun asked warily. “Please tell me it’s nothing bad.”

Dongmin rushed to deny it. “No, it’s not like that. There’s nothing wrong. It’s just…I have to apologise. I’ve never really accepted the fact you claimed that dragon as your child, and I thought you were completely bonkers for thinking you could actually tame and train it. But now I can see that I was wrong. It saved him Hyung. Moonbin nearly died and there was nothing we could do about it. I nearly lost my fiancé and your dragon is the only reason he’s still here. So, thank you.”

Myungjun smiled at him. It wasn’t a secret that Dongmin didn’t fully agree with the dragon’s existence in Myungjuns life, he’d voiced his opinions plenty of times before but Myungjun had never taken any of it to heart. He knew Dongmin just wanted to keep him safe and he was glad that his dragon had proven itself now.

“Don’t thank _me_ Minnie. Thank my baby. It did all of the work.”

Dongmin looked over at the dragon, which was struggling to get up, with apprehension on his face. He always wore that expression, or something similar, when looking at it. But this time he nodded resolutely and strode over.

The dragon was upright when Dongmin approached and watched him through its bright red eyes with its head tilted.

Dongmin cleared his throat nervously. “Hello…umm…thank you. For saving Moonbin.” Dongmin quickly pointed to his fiancé who was standing watch nearby. The dragon looked between the two and blinked a few times. Dongmin looked uncomfortable. “Yeah…thank you. And I’m sorry you hurt your wing.”

The dragon stared at him for a few seconds before stumbling forwards, flapping its damaged wing clumsily. Dongmin backed away fast but Myungjun pushed him forwards again with a laugh. The dragon leaned right in and blew smoke over Dongmins face. A sign of affection.

Dongmin choked on it and laughed nervously. “It’s not telling me it wants to cook me alive right?”

Myungjun giggled and stepped over to them. “No, it’s a sign that it likes you. It hasn’t breathed its first flame yet anyway.”

“Arvioth and Wrath can breathe fire.” Dongmin replied with a frown. “Why can’t Baby?”

Myungjun sighed and reached up to pet his dragon’s snout fondly. “My baby is just a bit behind that’s all. I’m sure it will breathe its first flame soon. And when it does, it will burn brighter than the rest. I just know it.” Myungjun yawned and pulled away. “I’m tired. We should get some sleep. We’ll leave first thing tomorrow morning.”

“What about the cockatrices?” Dongmin asked worriedly. “We never killed them, so we won’t get the reward.”

Jinwoo came up beside them with a handful of feathers. “I picked these up before the sand whirlpool swept the rest away. The cockatrices had clearly been sucked into the sand by that giant bug too so they’re dead and won’t be causing any more trouble. We’ll just say we killed them and provide this as the evidence. I don’t like lying, but we can’t leave empty handed. Not after everything that’s happened today. Junnies right though. We should get some sleep. Bins taking the first watch and then I’ll take the second.”

“I’ll take the third.” Dongmin offered quickly. “Hyung needs all the sleep he can get after healing Baby.”

Myungjun didn’t protest. He was much too tired. He just asked his dragon to lay back down and cuddled up against its warm side, feeling Jinwoos arms wrap around him from behind. At least drawing the last watch meant he could wake up and watch the sun rise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BABY NO  
> I will personally lead the hunt for the monstrous bug that damaged its wing >.<
> 
> On a lighter note...'A Christmas Wedding-Part 1.' is the title of my next chapter!!! BINMIN WEDDING INCOMING *Screams*


	215. A Christmas Wedding-Part 1.

Myungjun looked down at Dongmins candy floss hair and smiled. “I can’t believe you dyed your hair pink Minnie. It looks so pretty and suits you so well.”

Dongmin grinned at him through the mirror from his seat at the dressing table. “When I first met Binnie, he had pink hair. I want to surprise him with it today. It’s a special colour to me now and I want my wedding to be as special as possible.”

“You’ve worked so hard to make it special Minnie.” Myungjun praised him as he stroked his friend’s soft hair. “Now let me do the rest of the work. How do you want it?”

Dongmin hummed thoughtfully as he looked up at the pink strands in the mirror. “A little bit wavy, not too much but enough to make it look tousled.”

“Fringe up or down?”

“Down. Can you make it a bit wavier at the front though?”

“I can. Just sit back and relax. I can physically see how tense you are.”

Dongmin forced out a shaky breath and leaned back in the chair. Myungjun gave him a reassuring smile before getting to work. He made sure to do everything with the utmost care and constantly asked if it was okay. He knew Dongmin needed him to do that to believe he was still in control.

When Dongmins hair was done, Myungjun placed his bag of makeup down on the dressing table.

“What do you want me to do to your face Minnie?”

“What do you think?” Dongmin asked nervously. “I did plan out my makeup, but I don’t think it will work now.”

Myungjun scanned his face critically. “A soft pink on your eyes and lips would look good. No blusher or you’ll look too pink. I have lip gloss too.”

Dongmin quickly shook his head. “No lip gloss. Binnie hates it. He says it makes his lips sticky when he kisses me. But the rest sounds good though.”

Myungjun dug around in his makeup bag, pulling out the things he needed and made quick progress. Makeup was easier to do then hair he’d found out. He could change his own hair easily enough with his shifter magic but doing it on anyone else was always more difficult.

Myungjun finished Dongmins face by straightening out his eyebrows and stepped back to look at him properly. “Wow. You look so handsome. I work wonders.”

Dongmin snorted out a laugh and rolled his eyes before looking into the mirror himself. “Wow you’re right. Thanks Hyung you did a good job. I need to get changed now so you can rest for a bit.”

Myungjun hummed happily and went to sit down on the edge of the bed as Dongmin moved to get dressed. His hands were shaking as he took off his top, and he was muttering encouragement to himself under his breath. Myungjun thought he was adorable.

Dongmin looked less adorable when he was fully clothed. His suit was pure white like freshly fallen snow. His white shirt had a high collar and a white crystal brooch holding it together at his neck. The suit itself was tailored perfectly to his figure and when he spun around at Myungjuns request, Myungjun giggled.

“Your butt looks good Minnie.”

Dongmin blushed and giggled back, inspecting it in the mirror. “I’m so glad I spent the extra coin getting this suit tailored by a professional. It was pricey but worth it. Apart from my butt, how do I look? Honestly.” Dongmin turned back to look at him, face wearing an expression of worry. “Do you think my hairs too much against all of this white? Does the white make me look bad? Bloody hell do you think I should have worked out more?”

Myungjun quickly stood up, sensing Dongmins building panic, and crossed the room to grab hold of his hands. He looked up at Dongmin with a bright smile.

“You look incredible. You look like you’ve just come down from Eden. An angel Minnie.”

Dongmin blushed harder and gave him a shy smile. “You really think so?”

Myungjun nodded. “Definitely. Binnies going to be so stunned when he sees you.”

They giggled at the thought before Myungjun went over to grab Dongmins white ceremonial robes that were hanging on the back of the door. He helped Dongmin get them on over the top of his suit and stood back to look at him. He looked ready to get married now.

Dongmin sighed. “There’s too many layers. I feel like a marshmallow.”

Myungjun grinned at him and patted his arm sympathetically. “You only need to wear this for the ceremony remember. Then after you’re married, and you come back here to the guild, you can take them off and wow everyone with your beautiful suit for the after party. Now go and sit down in that chair so I can sketch you. It’ll be a rough one now, but I’ll sort back through my memories at a later date and finish it off for you, adding the details and the colour.”

Dongmin went to sit down and Myungjun helped adjust his robes before going over to the bed and picking up his sketchbook.

“Thank you for doing all of this Hyung.” Dongmin spoke almost shyly. “I know I can just look back through my memories too, to relive this day with Binnie, but it really would be nice to have some pictures we can hang up around our future house. That way even the people who didn’t get to come to our wedding will see what it was like.”

The mood dropped slightly. Myungjun knew who Dongmin was referring to. Sanha and Rocky and Rocky Jr. Moonbin was taking Rockys absence particularly hard. He and Rocky had always had a close bond as they grew up together in Zepheholde. Rocky had sent them both letters and gifts to congratulate them though and apologised for not being able to attend but Myungjun knew it wasn’t the same without them all.

He cleared the thoughts of them from his mind and cracked a few lame jokes to make Dongmin smile again before picking up one of his pencils and starting the sketch.

*

They travelled to the church, Dongmins favourite in the whole city, in the back of one of the royal carriages Myungjun had convinced Leo to let them borrow. The church itself was one Dongmins parents frequented every week, one they’d taken him to a lot as a child, so it was already decided that if he ever got married it would be there.

Dongmin was oozing nervous energy the whole ride and Myungjun had to try and keep him calm. Dongmin was shedding snow all over the back of the carriage and it was settling in his hair. Myungjun kept brushing the flakes from Dongmins head, not wanting them to melt and ruin his hard work. It was already snowing enough outside.

When the carriage eventually pulled to a stop, Dongmins parents were there to open the door for him and helped him down the steps. They looked just as stern as Myungjun remembered when he’d first seen them at the academy, and they didn’t look particularly happy to be there either. They told him he looked handsome though, even if his mother was eyeing his hair with a hint of distaste.

“You look good too.” Dongmin replied to them quietly.

They were wearing the golden ceremonial robes which signified their status as his parents. No doubt Moonbins parents would be wearing them too.

Myungjun said his greetings and bowed politely before heading inside first to find his seat. The church was packed with people, Dragons Blades guild members and Dongmins family and friends alike.

The inside of the church had been decorated beautifully for the occasion. White roses tastefully decorated the pews and Myungjun thought the meaning behind the flowers were fitting for Dongmins and Moonbins relationship. Unity, virtue and purity. Myungjun walked down the long golden carpet, aiming for the pews at the front where he could see Jinwoo sitting and waiting for him. When Dongmin had revealed that Myungjun and Jinwoo would be sitting at the front with Moonbins parents, Myungjun had been so excited and honoured. He’d joked that he and Jinwoo were their friendship parents after all and Dongmin hadn’t denied it, he’d encouraged it instead which made Myungjuns heart warm.

The air in the church was chilly. Both from the snow outside and the stunning ice sculptures littering the room that glittered prettily in the sun that was shining in through the stained-glass windows. It sent rainbows of colour around the room, contrasting prettily with all the white and gold. The church looked magical.

When Myungjun reached the front, he sat down next to Jinwoo, cuddling up to him for the warmth. Jinwoo threw his arm over Myungjuns shoulders and pulled him tight against his side radiating happiness.

The murmurings in the church ceased as Moonbin appeared, walking up to the altar from the steps at the side in his white ceremonial robes with his parents close behind in their own golden ones. Myungjuns mouth fell open in shock. Dongmin wasn’t the only one who had changed his hair. Moonbin was no longer blonde. He’d been blonde ever since joining Dragon Blades. Now his hair was pitch black and it stood out shockingly against his white attire. Myungjun thought he looked a different type of handsome like this. Very grown up.

Moonbin stopped in his position at the front of the altar and looked around at everyone with a smile, waving every now and then. His mother left and made her way over to sit beside Myungjun who greeted her politely. He’d already met Moonbins parents the previous day when they had turned up at the guild in time for the wedding. They were both lovely people and were clearly ecstatic for their son’s marriage.

They didn’t get to talk for long because suddenly the music started playing, signalling Dongmins arrival and everyone was quick to stand and looked back at the doors. The music was light and tinkling as the doors opened to reveal Dongmin, his parents and the snowstorm raging just beyond.

Dongmin stepped inside, flanked on either side by his parents and he froze when he locked eyes with Moonbin. Myungjun could see their eyes glued to each other’s hair and giggled to himself.

Dongmins mother nudged him forwards with a small scowl and Dongmin started walking again almost in a trance. He couldn’t take his eyes off of Moonbin. Everyone made noises of awe as Dongmin walked past them and Myungjun couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit of pride for his own handiwork on Dongmins appearance. Not that Dongmin had really needed it. He would have been handsome enough without.

When Dongmin reached the bottom of the stairs leading up to the altar, he paused to let his father take over as his mother made her way to the other empty pew at the front. Myungjun could sense Dongmins impatience and smiled.

Their fathers met in the middle of the steps, bowing deeply to one another in acceptance of their marriage before stepping aside and making their way down to their respective seats.

Dongmin was allowed to ascend the steps and he did so quickly, his robes billowing out gently behind him. Moonbin held out his hand with the biggest smile on his face and pulled him in close. They whispered to one another and Myungjun could just about hear Moonbin telling Dongmin how breath-taking he looked. Dongmins blush went nicely with his hair and makeup as he returned the compliment.

The priest of the church stepped up, clearing his throat to get everyone’s attention and began his speech with a kind smile on his face. He was a lot younger than Myungjun had been expecting and he had a soothing voice.

“Dear friends and family, we are gathered here today to witness and celebrate the union of…Minnie and Binnie.” Everyone chuckled and Dongmin and Moonbin exchanged wide grins. “In the years they have spent together, their love and understanding of each other has grown and matured, and now they have decided they are ready to live their lives together as husband and husband.”

Myungjun dabbed at his eyes and tried to focus on not shedding petals everywhere and ruining the purity of the church as the priest continued his speech of love and commitment. He missed a lot of what the priest said in his attempts to control his emotions, but his attention was immediately bought back when Moonbin started his vows. As expected, he’d come up with his own.

Moonbin and Dongmin stood facing each other holding hands.

“Minnie…we met when we were twelve and you’ve been the only person I’ve ever looked upon this way, the only person I could ever see myself maturing and growing old with. You’re the love of my life and my best friend and I’m so lucky to have found you at such a young age. Everything about you makes it easy for me to love you. You’re so thoughtful and loving and hard working. You’re the most intelligent person I know, and you’ve taught me a lot. I’m the luckiest man on Aredrinnor to have you by my side. To laugh with, cry with, argue with, love with…Minnie stop crying I’m not even halfway through yet.”

Dongmin spluttered out a laugh and sniffled loudly. “I’m sorry. This is just the first time I’ve ever heard you be so serious. I’m crying because of how much you’ve managed to grow up in the last five minutes. I’m proud of you.”

Laughter rang around the church and Moonbin grinned. “That actually leads me to the next part of my vows.” Moonbin cleared his throat becoming serious again. “I know I have a lot of flaws. I know I can be reckless and stubborn and immature. Which is why I want to make you this promise. The promise to be better. I promise I’ll be better Minnie. I’ll try to listen to you more, and be less of an idiot, and put all my dirty laundry in the basket so you don’t nearly kill yourself by tripping over it again.” He held back the smile tugging at his lips as Dongmin laughed. “I want to be better for you because you only deserve the best in life. You deserve nothing less than perfection because YOU are perfect. I can’t wait to create a beautiful, happy home with you Minnie and love you all the way to the end.”

“You’re so sappy.” Dongmin choked out, wiping at the tears that refused to stop falling down his face. “I mean you’ve always been sappy, but this is taking it to a whole new level.”

Moonbin laughed wiping at his own face with the back of his hand. “Stop bashing my speech. I spent a whole five minutes making it you know.”

Dongmin rolled his eyes before standing up straight and clearing his throat getting ready to return his own vows. “Binnie, you’re an idiot…but you’re my idiot and I wouldn’t have you any other way. My life before you was colourless and my future was set in stone. Yet you turned up splashing pink across my canvas and throwing my life into disarray. Your pink hair caught my eye but the boy it belonged to stole my heart. You taught me how to laugh and have fun and let go of the things I can’t control. I don’t like not having control and I don’t like change. But with you by my side, holding my hand and helping me through that chaos, I think I can handle it. I promise to be better too. To be more flexible and forgiving…even on the days you aggravate me so much I want to strangle you with the dirty laundry you leave on the floor for me to trip over.” Moonbin snorted in amusement but kept quiet. Dongmin swallowed loudly. “I never thought I could love a person as much as I love you, but I’ve been proven wrong. I love you Moonbin. I love you so much that whenever I think about how much I love you it makes me want to cry. You’re so handsome and goofy and you have the most adorable smile. I want you to keep smiling forever and I’ll do everything in my power to make sure that you do.”

Myungjun was a mess by the time Dongmin had finished. He wasn’t even the one getting married, but he was so overwhelmed he had to bury his face in Jinwoos shoulder to stifle the noise. He was just happy he wasn’t the only emotional one. Moonbins mother was sobbing loudly beside him and Myungjun heard plenty more sniffles from others around the church.

“Sunshine you’re missing them exchanging their rings.” Jinwoo muttered quietly as he stroked Myungjuns hair.

Myungjun was quick to look up and smiled as he saw how shaky his friends’ hands were. Their wedding rings were more gold bands to wear on top of their engagement rings. They looked pretty and suited them well.

The priest produced a glass orb that he asked them to hold together when they were done.

“With this glass orb,” He begun in a deep melodious voice. “You will unite not only your hearts, but your magic. Water and Ice, a harmonious combination.”

Moonbin and Dongmin held the orb between them and closed their eyes. It started to glow a brilliant white and when it dimmed, there was a small heart made of their magic inside. Moonbin had drawn it with his water and Dongmin had frozen it solid. It was perfect.

The priest took the orb back with a smile and held it up high for everyone to see. “In the eyes of the deity, the church, and the witnesses gathered here today, I now pronounce you husband and husband.”

Moonbin pulled Dongmin in to kiss him as the church erupted with noise. Cheers and congratulations were shouted as they sealed their marriage with their lips and when they pulled away, they were both flushed and breathless. They accepted the orb from the priest and the music started up again as they descended the stairs together radiating pure happiness.

Myungjun pulled away from his position pressed up against Jinwoos chest and wiped at his eyes to wave at his friends as they walked past. They waved back and Dongmin mouthed a thank you before heading for the doors to take their first steps out into the snow as a married couple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Ugly Sobbing*


	216. A Christmas Wedding-Part 2.

All of the tables in the guild’s tavern had been pushed up against the walls to create a giant dance floor that Myungjun was currently watching Moonbin and Dongmin have their first dance on. Moonbin was leading and twirling Dongmin around who was laughing happily at whatever Moonbin was whispering. They’d both taken off their ceremonial robes and were dancing in their suits. Moonbin had opted for a black suit and it contrasted well against Dongmins white.

When their dance was finished, the floor flooded with the guests who had been holding back and the music kicked up again with a merrier tune. Myungjun grinned as Jinwoo dragged him over excitedly and squealed as Jinwoo picked him up by the waist to spin him around. Jinwoo set him down gently before pulling him in for a firm kiss.

“I can’t wait to get married now.” Jinwoo said breathlessly as he pulled away. “They look so happy.”

Myungjun looked over at their friends to see them cuddled up, dancing slowly despite the fast tempo of the music. They did look happy. Ridiculously happy. They hadn’t stopped smiling and they were both shedding their magic. Dongmins snow was falling down around them, intermingled with Moonbins bubbles. 

“I’m happy for them too JinJin. They look so good together. They’re so young but it’s so obvious they were meant for each other.”

“Like me and you.” Jinwoo replied, pulling Myungjun closer and swaying gently from side to side. “I’m so glad we met, and that you were insistent on being my friend even when I tried to push you away. You’re the reason we’re here together now and I couldn’t be more thankful. I love you Kim Myungjun.”

Jinwoo leaned down to kiss him. It was gentle and sweet and filled Myungjun up with light. He was so happy today. So so happy. He never wanted the day to end. He just wanted to stay here in this moment, kissing his handsome fiancé, surrounded by the people he loved.

*

When the dancing was done, the tables were brought back out and set up prettily for dinner. Dongmin had spared no expense at all for his dream wedding and had hired the best chefs to cook the food, giving Hani a day off which she looked extremely grateful for as she eyed all of the guests with a smile from behind the bar.

Donghan and Gikwang came in halfway through dinner and sat down at the table to give their own congratulations. Gikwangs was more formal but at least he had tried, even if it was just to keep up good appearances.

“Our children are up on the roof. They’re excited by all of the happy energy, so I’ll have to check on them soon.” Donghan said, leaning towards Myungjun to be heard over the noise. “We rode them here, trying to wear them out a bit but they’re bundles of energy honestly. Baby flew circles around us the whole way here and was flying circles around the guild when we landed.”

Myungjun giggled as he sipped at his champagne. “When you go out to check, I’ll come with you. My baby is probably excited because it wants to see me. Thank you for looking after it today. I just couldn’t take it to the church. The ceremony was beautiful though Dongie. I wish you’d been there to see it.”

Donghan smiled and leaned over the table to rip a leg off of one of the chickens settled prettily on a silver platter. It was plump and juicy and Donghan groaned happily as he bit into it.

“Wedding ceremony’s bore the fuck out of me but the foods always good after.”

Myungjun snorted in amusement and nudged him with his elbow. They talked happily as the food slowly disappeared around them, engaging in conversations with the others where possible, until all of the food was gone.

Moonbins father stood up and cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. The noise ceased immediately, and he smiled. It reminded Myungjun of Moonbins smile. Very sweet.

“Hello everybody. For those of you who don’t know, I’m Bins father. I was told to write a speech that I could give as a toast, but I struggled to find the words. Everything I wrote sounded too stiff. So, I decided to just wing it.” Myungjun grinned. Moonbin definitely took after his father. “Bin…I’m proud of you son. You’ve grown up so well and you’ve always strived hard for what you’ve wanted. You have so much to show for that hard work too. Despite our wariness of you living so far away from home, me and your mother can clearly see that it has only helped you to become stronger and more independent. We never expected you to get married, and especially not at such a young age. You’ve always been a little scoundrel and we didn’t know if anyone else would have the guts to put up with you.” Moonbin laughed louder than the rest as he wiped at his eyes. His father grinned before turning his gaze to Dongmin. “But you did find that someone and it’s made me realise I can rest easy knowing you’ll always be happy and well looked after. Thank you for loving my son Dongmin. He’s a right pain in the ass but he’s the best son a father can ask for. And now I have the best son-in-law too. I hope you have a happy marriage that lasts for this lifetime and all the others that come after. Everyone raise your glass for my handsome sons.”

Myungjun raised his alongside the rest and drunk deeply to their happiness.

The toasts carried on, all happy and congratulatory and full of well wishes. Dongmins father gave a speech that was shorter and a lot less warm, but everyone raised their glasses and drank to it all the same. 

Myungjun was feeling terribly lightheaded by the time it was his turn to give a speech and he stood up, wobbling momentarily as everyone turned to look at him. Moonbin and Dongmin just looked highly amused.

Myungjun cleared his throat and focused hard on keeping the room steady. “Minnie and Binnie…” He was happy his words weren’t slurred at least. “You’re two of my bestest friends and I love you both dearly. From the bottom of my heart. Allllllll the way down there.” Myungjun giggled and patted his chest as Jinwoo groaned quietly beneath him. Dongmin and Moonbin just encouraged him to go on with smiles on their faces. “We met early on in the academy and became friends so quickly. When I first saw you Dongmin, when you walked into the courtyard, I was like wow. WOW. Handsome.” Dongmin shrieked out a laugh and hid his burning face in his hands. Jinwoo just sighed. “You’ve always been handsome, even with your chubby cheeks. They were so cute I just wanted to squish them.” Myungjun made the motions with his hands as people laughed around him. “But then you started to grow up and your chubby cheeks disappeared to reveal the man underneath. You’re still handsome though so don’t worry.”

“The handsomest.” Moonbin interrupted, grinning at Dongmins flustered state.

Myungjun wanted to argue that Jinwoo was, in fact, the handsomest but didn’t think that an appropriate thing to say right now. So, he just carried on with his speech instead.

“Binnie when I first saw you, I was stunned to see your pink hair. You stood out from the rest, a brave choice, and your smile reminded me of an adorable puppy that I just wanted to pet and coo at.” Dongmin looked relieved that the attention had been taken off of him and took the opportunity to laugh at the blush taking over Moonbins cheeks. “I STILL want to pet you and coo at you whenever you smile but I hold myself back so that I don’t embarrass you…even though the job of a parent is to embarrass their children.” Myungjun tried to be more serious when the laughter died down. “As your friendship mother, I watched you grow and mature and I take great pride in the men you have both become today. You’re both so strong and smart and lovely and I couldn’t have asked for better friends. You’re not just my friends though. You’re my brothers and I’m honoured to be a part of your lives and to witness your marriage. Today has been so special and I know I’ll never forget it. Thank you for sharing this day with us and thank you for loving each other so that this day could happen.”

Myungjun raised his glass and watched as everyone drank. Before his own glass could touch his lips, Jinwoo was standing up and taking it from him to drink it himself. He drained it dry and set the glass down on the table. He ignored Myungjuns pout.

“No more drink for you.” Jinwoo said, sitting back down and pulling Myungjun down onto his lap to cuddle him. Jinwoo grinned at Myungjuns whine and kissed his cheek. “My little baby has already drunk too much.”

“I haven’t!” Myungjun protested, knowing full well that Jinwoo was right but just saying it to be stubborn.

Jinwoo snorted and rolled his eyes. “Junnie you were swaying all over the place and flirting with the grooms.”

Myungjun giggled and buried his face in Jinwoos neck, breathing in the scent of his skin. “Don’t be jealous JinJin.”

“I’m not.” Jinwoo replied sounding surprisingly genuine. Myungjun pulled back to look at him with a quirked eyebrow. Jinwoo was always jealous about things like that. Jinwoo saw his confusion and grinned. “I listened to your thoughts Junnie. I know you wanted to tell Moonbin that I was, in fact, the handsomest.”

Myungjun squawked indignantly and smacked Jinwoos chest. “Don’t listen to my thoughts its rude!”

Jinwoo made a fake noise of pain and rubbed his chest. “Ouch sunshine. You’re getting stronger I almost felt that.” Jinwoo laughed loudly at Myungjuns huff and showered him in kisses until Myungjun was giggling again. “Bloody hell I love hearing you giggle. You’re the cutest being to ever exist Junnie, I’m sure of it.”

Myungjun opened his mouth to reply but was cut off short by Donghan standing up abruptly and calling for everyone’s attention. The toasts had ended after Myungjuns own so he was curious to hear what Donghan had to say. The look on Donghans face promised mischief.

Donghan smirked down at Dongmin and Moonbin who were suddenly looking uneasy, no doubt wondering why he was giving them such a look.

“We’ve had the wedding. Now it’s time for the bedding.” Donghan waggled his eyebrows suggestively and Dongmin flushed the darkest shade of red Myungjun had ever seen. Moonbin didn’t look much better but he took it in his stride as he stood up, offering Dongmin his hand. Dongmin hesitated, swallowing loudly before taking it and letting Moonbin help him to his feet.

There was movement from one of the nearby tables and Dongmins mother stood up looking angry before storming out of the tavern. Dongmin went to go after her but Moonbin held him back shaking his head and Dongmins father went instead. Myungjun didn’t miss the hurt look that crossed Dongmins face but Dongmin covered it up quickly with a shy smile and he let Moonbin lead him to the stairs.

Myungjun turned to Jinwoo feeling confused. “JinJin what’s going on? Why are they going to bed? The nights only just getting started! And why did Dongmins parents leave?”

Jinwoo sighed and rubbed Myungjuns back. “They’re not going to sleep. They have to consummate their marriage, so it’s seen as official in the eyes of the Deity. You don’t need to know what that means yet sunshine. I’ll tell you when it gets closer to our wedding okay?”

Usually Myungjun would listen to Jinwoo and let him make the decisions on what he needed to know. But this time he was much too curious. Everyone’s behaviour had been so weird. Not only Dongmins, Moonbins and Dongmins parents, but the rest of the people inside the tavern too. Lots of giggling and whistling had occurred as the married couple ascended the stairs and the conversation happening around their table now was strange.

“Who wants to bet on who tops and who bottoms?” Donghan asked, sitting back with a smirk. Gikwang rolled his eyes and got up to go to the bar but the rest of them looked interested.

“Moonbin tops, definitely.” Youngjae said without hesitation. “Ten thousand coins says he does.” There were a few agreements and plenty more coins being bet.

Hyungwon sipped on his drink before speaking. “Twenty thousand coins for Dongmin topping. Do you guys really think Moonbin would want him to feel any discomfort on his wedding night? Moonbin hates him feeling that way at all.”

Myungjun sighed feeling terribly confused. He wanted to be in on the fun, but nothing made sense. “What are you all talking about?”

“Don’t any of you dare answer him.” Jinwoo warned. “He doesn’t need to listen to your filth.”

Myungjun turned to scowl at him as their friends laughed. Jinwoo just shrugged. Myungjun wasn’t going to let him get away with it. He tried searching Jinwoos mind instead. He rarely ever did it. It was incredibly rude and invasive, but the champagne was numbing his morals.

However, the alcohol was also making it hard to concentrate and Jinwoos psychic shield went up immediately as he sensed him trying.

“Stop it Junnie. You don’t need to know yet and no one is going to tell you so just accept it.”

Myungjun huffed and got up off of Jinwoos lap. He walked over to Donghans chair and tugged at his arm. “Let’s go and see our children Dongie. I don’t want to sit in here with these meanies.”

Donghan grinned and stood up, offering Myungjun his arm. Myungjun took it and stuck his tongue out at Jinwoo who just rolled his eyes in response.

“Donghan I swear to the fucking Deity if you tell my fiancé what they’re doing up there I’ll kill you myself.”

Donghan scoffed. “Try me little flame and I’ll snuff you out.”

With a growl Jinwoo stood up but Soonyoung pulled him back down, warning him not to rise to Donghans bait. Jinwoo looked like he wasn’t going to listen but slumped back in the chair with an angry huff of air a few tense seconds later.

Donghan led Myungjun outside into the snow, ignoring all of his questions about what consummation was and he whistled high and sharp. Wrath flew down from the roof immediately and landed in the middle of the street, stretching out its giant wings. The dragon was almost invisible against the darkness of the night, but its bright green eyes stood out harshly.

Donghan led them over and they both stroked the dragon lovingly. Its scales were hard and smooth to the touch. Myungjun couldn’t wait for his dragon to be this strong. Wrath blew smoke in their faces and made a strange purring noise in the back of its throat.

Donghan saw Myungjuns surprise and laughed. “It’s cute right? It started doing that only recently. I thought I was going crazy the first time I heard it. Wanna go for a ride?”

Myungjun looked up at his manic grin and nodded eagerly. Donghan led him around and picked him up, placing him on Wraths back. Myungjun clung to its neck suddenly feeling frightened. He was already higher up off the floor than he was used to atop Princess, and he’d never ridden on the back of a dragon before.

Donghan climbed up behind him, wrapping a strong arm around Myungjuns waist and pulling him back up to his chest. “Don’t be scared little dragon. I won’t let you fall.” 

Myungjun felt comforted by his words and leaned back against him, hands digging into the tops of Donghans thighs. Donghan patted Wraths neck. “Let’s go.”

Wrath screeched and took off with a powerful flap of its wings that blew the snow up from the street in clouds. Myungjun squealed as the ground rushed away from them. Donghan leaned forwards, pushing Myungjun down with him to find the balance they needed as Wrath rose higher and higher towards the stars.

The air grew colder the higher they climbed, and the snow seemed to fall faster. Myungjun shivered violently and felt Donghan wrap around him tighter, trying to share his body heat. It didn’t work very much and Myungjun was soon missing Jinwoos warmth.

Then the dragon burst through the clouds and all of Myungjuns thoughts were wiped from his brain. It was like a whole new world. There was no snow falling on them and they were blanketed by a peaceful silence. The clouds spread out beneath looking plush and inviting and the stars shone brightly above them. The moon was full and shone brilliantly. Myungjun was entranced as Wrath levelled out into a graceful glide.

“Wow.” He whispered, not wanting to break the silence. “It’s beautiful Dongie.”

Donghan hummed in agreement and leaned back, pulling Myungjun up with him before loosening his hold. Myungjun quickly made a noise of protest, still fearing how high up they were, and he heard Donghan sigh behind him before Donghans arm tightened around his waist again.

“You’re safe up here little dragon.”

“I feel safer with your arm around me.”

“How romantic.”

“Shut up Dongie."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dongjun back at it again stealing all my uwus
> 
> For those of you who may not remember, Dongmin had a rule in his relationship with Moonbin. Moonbin wasn’t allowed to do anything other than kiss/cuddle him until they got married, and now suddenly they have to consummate their marriage…that went from 0 to 100 real quick. Good luck to them ig
> 
> Myungjin smut next chap. Lowkey Kinky, like super lowkey.


	217. Christmas At The Guild-Part 1.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER WARNING:  
> Smut, but like...barely

Myungjun woke up at the guild on Christmas day with a slight headache from drinking so much champagne the night before. Luckily enough, travelling the skies above the clouds with Donghan had sobered him up a lot so his hangover wasn’t as bad as it could have been. He was extremely grateful for that. The last thing he wanted was to spend Christmas day stuck in bed.

Myungjun pulled out of Jinwoos warm hold gently, trying not to wake him, and climbed off the bed, making his way to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face. He tried to do it as quickly as possible. It was cold. 

On his way back into the room he noticed that Jinwoo had already been down to get him a glass of water the night before that he’d left on Myungjuns bedside cabinet. Myungjun smiled and went over to drink it all down. He felt like he could drink a thousand more cups, but he was instantly distracted by Jinwoo rolling over onto his back, groaning quietly but not waking. 

Myungjuns eyes trailed down Jinwoos body. He’d kicked the blankets off sometime during the night, or maybe he’d just tucked Myungjun in with them all, probably remembering the Christmas he’d kicked the covers away and made Myungjun sick. Myungjun didn’t care too much about _why_. He just cared about the sight he was met with.

Jinwoos arms were thrown up over his head, and as a consequence, his top had ridden up, revealing the jut of his hipbone and an expanse of his beautiful skin. Myungjun tore his eyes away to look further down. Jinwoo hadn’t bothered packing his pyjama shorts in their overnight bag, no doubt preferring to go without the layers, so Myungjun was met with the sight of his underwear. A sight that instantly made him hot. Jinwoos strong, lean legs were as haphazard as his arms, with one knee hitched up and resting more on Myungjuns side of the bed. With his legs spread in such a way, and with only the thin material of his underwear to cover himself, it left nothing to the imagination. 

Myungjun whined low in his throat before closing his eyes and counting to ten. He needed to control himself. Jinwoo was _sleeping_. It wasn’t right to look upon him in such a way as he lay there unaware. Myungjun felt his resolve waver when Jinwoo made another sleepy noise. It shouldn’t have affected him as much as it did. 

Myungjun opened his eyes to look at him again. He bit at his lip nervously as he got back onto the bed and before he could convince himself not to, he crawled over to climb on top of Jinwoo and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. Myungjun knew that that much was okay. Jinwoo sometimes woke him up with kisses, and one time woke him up by kissing and licking at his neck.

_As long as I don’t press our bodies together it will be fine._

Myungjun leaned down to kiss him again, a delicate press of his lips on Jinwoos other cheek. Jinwoo didn’t stir. Myungjun could count his eyelashes. He kissed the tip of Jinwoos nose, his eyebrows, the sharp line of his jaw. Myungjun jolted when Jinwoo gave a loud snore and tried to roll over.

After getting over the initial shock, he giggled and pinned Jinwoo back down onto his back. Myungjun leaned down to kiss him again, on the lips this time, and he shivered at the small noise Jinwoo made deep in his throat. He knew Jinwoo was close to waking up now, so he kissed him one last time, a firm press of his lips, before pulling back to see Jinwoo slowly opening his eyes.

Myungjun tried to mentally prepare himself for how attractive Jinwoo was going to sound now that he’d just woken up, but it was no use. As soon as Jinwoo said his name he melted quicker than ice cream on a hot afternoon. His arms holding him up weakened and he let himself fall down against Jinwoos chest with a happy whine.

Jinwoo chuckled and wrapped his arms around Myungjuns waist. “This is a nice way to wake up. Why’d you stop sunshine?”

“You’re too sexy in the morning JinJin.” Myungjun huffed into his neck.

“How am I too sexy?” Jinwoo asked sounding amused.

“Your voice is so deep. I feel like I might drown in it. It sounds so good it always makes me weak.”

Jinwoos hands started to move, rubbing circles into Myungjuns back. “You like my voice? Should I keep talking then? Or should we do something else?” Jinwoos voice was deepened even further as he spoke his suggestive words. His warm hands travelled down to the hem of Myungjuns top, slipping underneath it to trail heat up his sides.

Myungjun shivered at the feeling and before he could stop himself, he grinded his hips down and breathed out heavily at the feeling. A jolt of pleasure through his nerves. Jinwoos hands shot back down, to clamp down hard on Myungjuns hips, holding him in place so he couldn’t move.

“Did I tell you that you could do that?”

Myungjun whined unhappily and tried to repeat his actions. It was useless. Jinwoos grip was as strong as iron and he couldn’t move his hips at all.

“You said we could do something else JinJin.”

“I did say that, but I didn’t specify what did I?”

Myungjun pulled his head out of Jinwoos neck to pout at him. “Well you used your sexy suggestive voice and I thought that this is what you wanted!”

Jinwoo held back the smile threatening to overtake his face and quirked an eyebrow at him instead. “Sexy suggestive voice? You’ve mentioned my voice a lot. I didn’t know you liked it this much. Have we found a new kink?”

“A new kink?”

Jinwoo let his hips go and rolled them over. Myungjun liked being on top of Jinwoo, but he liked Jinwoo being on top of him even more. He was enveloped in warmth this way and the firm weight of Jinwoos body on top of his own was comforting. 

Jinwoo leaned down and brushed his lips against Myungjuns ear. “How much do you like the sound of my voice hmm?”

Having Jinwoo speak to him face to face was one thing. But having him speak directly into his ear, when he still sounded so sleepy, was another thing entirely. Jinwoos voice seemed to travel from Myungjuns head to his toes. It was toe curling and underwear tightening.

“A lot.” Myungjun replied feeling breathless.

Jinwoo pulled back to look at him with a smirk and reached down with one hand between their bodies. When his hand reached Myungjuns hips, Myungjun pressed up into it, desperate for his touch.

Jinwoo hummed low in his throat. “Mmm you’re hard already and I’ve hardly touched you at all. You really do like the sound of my voice. Good to know.”

Myungjun flushed and tried to distract him with a kiss but Jinwoo wouldn’t let him near his lips. He just pulled his hand away from Myungjuns hips, grabbing Myungjuns wrists instead and pinned them down against the mattress.

“Let’s play a game. You keep your hands up here and no touching.”

Myungjun frowned. “That doesn’t sound like a very fun game Jinwoo.”

“It’ll be fun for me.”

“You’re an ass.”

Jinwoo looked genuinely surprised. “Wow. That was feisty, even for you.”

“What are you going to do about it?” Myungjun challenged. He was feeling rebellious.

Jinwoos eyes narrowed. “Don’t be a brat or I won’t play nicely anymore.” The tone of Jinwoos voice sent a hot bead of fear trickling down Myungjuns spine and his rebellious streak disappeared in the blink of an eye. He was apologising soon after. Jinwoo smiled and leaned down to kiss him gently. “Good boy.” Myungjun melted at the praise, feeling happy that he’d apologised after all and Jinwoo chuckled at the sight. “I bet I can push you over the edge just by praising you. I’d just need to tell you how pretty you are and how sexy you look and how you’re a good boy. _My_ good boy.” 

Myungjun whined loudly. His cheeks were much too hot. “Stop it.” 

“Why?” Jinwoo asked cockily. “I know you like it. You like being praised and you like my voice. I like praising you too and watching the way you fall apart at my words. It turns me on so much. The way you whimper and whine and blush…fuck it’s so sexy. So attractive. I want to hear it and see it all the time. But I know that’s not a good idea. I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on anything else. I’d just end up pinning you against the nearest wall and pleasuring you until you let go with a cry of my name. With my hands or my mouth, I’m not fussy.” Myungjun was breathing heavily, mouth dry and mind clouded over with a lusty haze so thick he couldn’t form words. Jinwoo noticed his demeanour and smiled knowingly. “You like that too? When I tell you about the things I want to do to you? That’s also good to know. Every time I find out something new that you like it surprises me more and more. You’re not as innocent as I’d like to think, are you sunshine?” 

Myungjun didn’t know how to respond. He was barely registering what Jinwoo was saying in the first place. All he could think about was the terrible ache in between his legs. He just needed friction and he needed it now. Jinwoo was talking again but he couldn’t hear him. Jinwoo hadn’t pressed their bodies back together again yet so Myungjun reached down between them and slipped his hand into his underwear to touch himself. 

Jinwoo faltered with his words and looked down with wide eyes. “Junnie what-” 

Myungjun only had to stroke himself a few times before he let go with a choked moan. He let the waves of pleasure sweep him along and felt Jinwoos warm hand clamp down over his mouth to stifle the noise.

Myungjun slumped down exhausted from his release and opened his eyes to see Jinwoo staring at him frozen. It took a few seconds for Myungjun to realise why. Then the shame and the embarrassment hit. 

Why had Jinwoos words affected him so much? Why had Jinwoos voice affected him so much? Why had he touched himself like that? 

Myungjun pushed Jinwoo away and scrambled off the bed, ignoring Jinwoos noises of confusion. He raced across the room to the bathroom on shaky legs and slammed the door shut behind himself, locking it and sliding down the wood to land heavily on the floor. His underwear felt gross and stuck to him uncomfortably which only added to the shame. It didn’t help that his hand was covered, and he wiped it on his top with a grimace. He was officially disgusting. 

Myungjun jolted in shock when Jinwoo knocked on the door. “Sunshine? Sunshine what’s wrong?” 

“Nothing. Go away Jinwoo.” 

“I can’t do that. I can tell that you’re upset. Talk to me.” Myungjun sniffled and heard Jinwoo sigh from the other side of the door. “Sunshine I can feel your emotions from here. You don’t need to be embarrassed.” 

“I do! I’m not normal. You didn’t even touch me. You just spoke a few stupid words and I…I couldn’t stop myself.” Myungjun cringed hard. He cringed harder when he remembered the look on Jinwoos face. “You were looking at me in shock too. I’m so embarrassed Jinwoo.” 

“You don’t need to be embarrassed.” Jinwoo repeated softly. “I’m sorry for staring at you. I _was_ shocked, but not in a bad way. I liked what I saw. I like having that effect on you. I like it so much. So, if you’re not normal then I must be a freak.” 

Myungjun choked out a laugh despite how unfunny the situation actually was. “Stop saying things just to make me feel better.” 

Jinwoo was quiet for a few seconds. His voice sounded strange when he spoke. “Open the door Myungjun.” 

Myungjun got up to open it wondering why he sounded that way and why he’d used his actual name instead of his nickname. It opened to reveal Jinwoo looking down at him with something new in his eyes. It was almost scary. He took a step forwards and Myungjun reflexively took one back. Then another, and another and another until Jinwoo had him backed up against the bathroom sink. Jinwoo caged him in like Donghan had done to him before, with one hand gripping the edge of the sink on either side of his hips. Except this time, he didn’t feel uncomfortable. He just felt hot and flustered. 

“I’m not just saying that to make you feel better.” Jinwoos voice was low and dark. “I love having that effect on you because it makes me feel powerful. I like feeling that way. Especially around you. I like it even more knowing that you like it too. You like it when I overpower you, I can tell. You like my muscles and the way I use them to handle you. Picking you up, carrying you around, moving you aside, pinning you against the wall or against the mattress. You like all of it. You always have. Isn’t that right?” 

Myungjun swallowed thickly. Jinwoo was right. He _did_ like it. Jinwoo showing off his strength always got him flustered, no matter how small the display. He gave a small nod and Jinwoo smirked. 

“I knew it. I love that about you. You’re so responsive to my touch, to my voice, to my words. You’re weak for me Myungjun. You’re so strong out there for everyone else, but alone with me, you’re weak.” 

There was no malice or mockery behind Jinwoos words. He said it simply, as if it were a fact Myungjun couldn’t possibly deny. Myungjun wouldn’t have denied it anyway. He was weakest around Jinwoo. And he liked it. He had to be strong, and firm and assertive as the Dragon Knights son and as one of the eldest in their friendship group. He looked after his friends, made hard decisions and felt a lot of responsibility, sometimes feeling a lot older than his nineteen years.

But around Jinwoo it was different. When he was alone with him, he didn’t feel burdened with responsibilities at all. Jinwoo took care of everything for him, looked after him, made him feel safe and happy and relaxed. When he was with Jinwoo he wasn’t the Dragon Knights son, or the Hyung. He was just Myungjun. Kim Myungjun who loved being fussed over and taken care of. He did it so much for everyone else, _including_ Jinwoo, so it was nice to take a break once in a while.

Jinwoo did everything for him. Brushing his hair, his teeth, helping him get dressed, running his baths, cooking his food, massaging him when he felt stressed. He needed it. He needed someone to look after him in return and as a result, he was weak for his handsome fiancé. He’d never been embarrassed about it and now the chances of him being embarrassed were lowered even further after hearing that Jinwoo liked it so much too.

 _We really are perfect for each other._

Jinwoo reached up with one hand to stroke Myungjuns cheek. Myungjun unconsciously leaned into the touch, only realising what he was doing when Jinwoo chuckled, he tried to pull away but Jinwoo had a firm grip on his chin in an instant, holding him in place. 

“There’s no need to be shy about it. I love it, how responsive you are. I loved how you got so worked up earlier too. Watching you melt as I complimented you and told you the things I wanted to do to you. The way you were so desperate for pleasure because of it that you had to touch yourself.” Jinwoo shuddered and breathed out shakily. “I didn’t even touch you, yet I had so much power over you. You have no idea how that makes me feel Myungjun. But you like it too don’t you? You like giving up your own control for me. Letting me look after you, doing what I say and getting praised at the end of it. Right?” 

Myungjun kept quiet not wanting to admit it. He might not be embarrassed about it, but he had a feeling that if he admitted it, something would change between them, and he wasn’t sure if he was ready for that yet or not. 

He was pulled out of his thoughts by Jinwoo tightening the grip he had on his chin. Jinwoo growled low in his throat. “I asked you a question.” 

“Yes.” Myungjun blurted out. He groaned internally. He could never keep his thoughts inside. “I…I like it JinJin. I like it a lot.” He blushed furiously as he spoke. 

Jinwoo let out a breath of air like he’d been winded, and his tight hold loosened. “Good.” He tilted Myungjuns head up gently to kiss the marks he had left behind on his chin. “I’m sorry for being rough. I got carried away.” 

“It’s okay.” Myungjun replied quietly. “I didn’t mind.” Myungjun was silent for a few seconds before talking. “Does this change things between us now?” He asked nervously. 

Jinwoo smiled and gathered Myungjun up in his arms. “It does. But it can only change for the better. I’m slowly building a list in my head of all the things you like so I can make our time alone even more pleasurable for you. I just want to make you happy Myungjun. I’d give you whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted, as long as I could see you smile at the end of it. If you ever wanted anything from me, no matter how embarrassing you think it may be, you can ask me, and we’ll work something out. Remember when you wanted to pleasure me with your mouth, but you were too ashamed? We spoke about it and worked it out, didn’t we? And it was definitely worth it in the end. That’s all you have to do. Just talk to me. And if I really can’t bring myself to do something to you that you want me to do, or I can’t let you do something to me, then we’ll find a compromise. It’s that simple. I love you sunshine and I’ll do everything I can to make you happy.”

Myungjun cuddled up to him feeling overwhelmed. He didn’t deserve Jinwoo. Jinwoo was so kind and thoughtful and understanding and he always supported him no matter what. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to cry, but he just squeezed Jinwoo tight to keep the tears at bay. 

“I love you too JinJin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My fic has had so many different plot lines interwoven together to the best of my abilities, so they flow well enough and help this story to continue healthily and I have to admit that one of my favourites is Myungjuns journey through his sexual understanding. I’m always terribly embarrassed to write stuff like this, but to see how far he’s come, navigating the highs and lows, the joys and embarrassments, it’s so obviously worth the effort I put into it?? I know the majority of you probably don’t care that much, I understand, but to me it’s a big thing. Like…a BIG thing.
> 
> Myungjin still have to take the biggest leap of all, and the journey up to it has been so damn long, but it’s perfectly portrayed their relationship in my eyes and I couldn’t be prouder for pushing myself out of my comfort zone to include such an intimate plot line to my story.
> 
> Oof self praise how terrible of me TT


	218. Christmas At The Guild-Part 2.

The married couple didn’t come down to the tavern to celebrate Christmas with the rest of them until the afternoon. Hani had decorated the tavern prettily for the festive day but Moonbin and Dongmin paid it no attention. They were too busy clinging to each other and giggling at whatever the whispers were that they were sharing. Moonbin was wearing a pair of pyjama trousers and nothing else and Dongmin was wrapped up in the white shirt from Moonbins suit. They made their way to the table and Moonbin pulled out of Dongmins hold to pull his chair out for him and pushed it in when Dongmin was seated. Very gentlemanly.

“There you go my gorgeous husband.” Moonbin said, leaning down to kiss Dongmins cheek. “Would you like a drink?”

Dongmin grinned at him, eyes full of adoration, and nodded.

“You’re so in love. Gross.” Soonyoung gagged.

“I can’t wait for you to fall in love. I’ll pay you back for all the teasing you’ve done ten-fold you little brat.” Moonbin threw back as he poured Dongmin a glass of water from the jug at the centre of the table.

“Little brat? You’re one to talk. You’re like, the King of brats.” Soonyoung replied cheekily. He dodged the knife thrown his way with a surprised shout.

“That’s Youngjaes title. And anyway, I’m mature now. I made a promise to my handsome husband that I intend to keep.”

“Let’s see how long that lasts.” Jinwoo muttered under his breath making Myungjun giggle.

“I hope I didn’t just see you throwing a knife in my tavern.”

Everyone turned at the sound of Myungjuns fathers voice. He was followed close behind by Moonbins parents and Myungjuns mother. He’d just finished giving them a proper tour of the guild. Despite his words, he didn’t look at all angry, instead, he was smiling.

“If I say he deserved it can you just pretend you didn’t see?” Moonbin asked hopefully.

Moonbins father just sighed and crossed the tavern to pick up the discarded utensil. “You gave such a grand speech yesterday about being a better husband and the first thing you do is come down and launch a knife at your friend. Why am I not surprised?”

Moonbin pouted and sat down hard in his chair. Dongmin just smiled before leaning in to whisper something in his ear, something that made Moonbin blush.

“Ew I don’t even want to know what you just said to him.” Soonyoung muttered under his breath as he wrinkled his nose in disgust.

Moonbin looked ready to throw another knife at him but he held back at the stern look his parents were giving him as they sat down at the table.

“I’ll go and see if Hani needs any help with dinner.” Myungjuns mother spoke up before heading for the kitchen door behind the bar.

Myungjuns father sat down in the empty chair on Myungjuns other side and smiled as he looked at Myungjuns ears. “You’re wearing them already.”

Myungjun reached up to touch the delicate yellow flowers that were dangling from his ears on thin silver chains. They’d been his Christmas gift from his father, and he’d been so excited when he’d unwrapped them.

Myungjun smiled at him and nodded. “I adore them. Thank you father.”

Everyone turned, startled, to look at the tavern doors as they burst open to reveal the raging snowstorm happening outside. Myungjun had never seen snow so fierce. It was almost unnerving.

Donghan stepped inside wrapped up in a scarf that covered half of his face, leaving only his eyes visible. He turned around to close the tavern doors, fighting against the strong wind, until they slammed shut again, blocking out the noise and the cold.

Donghan looked frozen as he made his way over, brushing the snow from his hair and his shoulders. He was wearing fingerless leather gloves and the tips of his fingers were a bright red. 

“Fuck its cold out there.” Donghan grumbled with a shiver as he pulled his scarf down to reveal his mouth. He fell down into one of the chairs and looked around at everyone. “Why the fuck are you all staring at me?”

“Donghan we have guests. Can you at least _try_ to be more civilised?” Myungjuns father sighed.

Donghan scoffed and sat up straight. He bowed his head politely to Moonbins parents who just looked amused. “Hello. How do you do? My name is Donghan, it’s nice to meet you both. I know we met yesterday at the wedding, but formal introductions weren’t given. Congratulations on your son’s marriage. I’m sure they’ll be very happy together.” He said everything with mock chivalry and smiled sweetly to Myungjuns father when he was done. “Was that good enough for you _Sir_?” When Donghan got his confirmation, he slumped back lazily in his chair and looked over at Moonbin and Dongmin with a grin. “So, who topped and who bottomed?”

Myungjuns father groaned loudly in exasperation and buried his face in his hands.

*

When everyone was feeling full and content from dinner, Donghan asked to speak to Myungjun alone. Myungjun accepted and followed him to the door beside the bar, which Donghan opened up to reveal the greenhouse. 

When they were inside, Myungjun turned to look at him. “What’s up Dongie?”

Donghan didn’t answer straight away, instead, he dug around in his coat and pulled out a long box. Myungjun recognised the logo on the top. It had come from one of Aredrinnors top jewellers. 

Donghan held it out to him. “Take it. It’s your Christmas present.”

Myungjun took it feeling somewhat apprehensive. Whatever it was, it had clearly been expensive, and it made him feel bad for the present he had gotten for Donghan in return that was currently nestled in the pocket of his white tailored trousers.

Myungjun opened the clasp on the box and pulled up the lid. There was a bone inside, long and sharp and carved at one end into the head of a dragon. The dragon’s eyes were red like Baby’s were and Myungjun had no doubt that they were real rubies.

“Wow.” He said breathlessly. “It’s beautiful Dongie. It must have cost a fortune.”

Donghan made a noise of dismissal. “Nothing I couldn’t afford. It’s made from real dragon bone. I had it made for you to look like Baby. It goes in your hair.”

“It does?” Myungjun asked, tearing his eyes away to look up at Donghan in surprise. “How?”

Donghan sighed. “Grow your hair out, I’ll show you.”

“How long?”

“Past your shoulders.”

Myungjun moved his magic up to his head and felt his hair lengthen.

When his hair was of the required length, Donghan took the dragon bone and turned Myungjun around. Donghans hands were on his hair a second later, pulling it all up to the top of his head. Even though his giant hands held so much strength, he handled Myungjuns hair gently with a deftness and skill that only came from prolonged practice.

Donghan pulled his hands away a second later and turned Myungjun back around until they were facing one another. He leaned down with his hands on Myungjuns shoulders to look at his handiwork and fussed over his hair, fixing bits into place before pulling away completely and gesturing to the door.

“Let’s go to the toilets so you can look in the mirror.”

Myungjun left with him and walked around to the other side of the bar, smiling Jinwoos way when he looked at him questioningly. Myungjun followed Donghan into the toilets, approached the mirror and gasped when he saw his reflection.

Donghan had tied his hair up in a neat topknot and slid the bone through it sideways. Myungjun turned his head to see it at every angle, admiring the way the rubies flashed in the light. He felt Donghans gaze on him the whole time and when they locked eyes in the mirror Donghan quickly looked away.

“Dongie how did you tie my hair up so fast? It’s so neat too!” Myungjun asked awed as he turned away from the mirror to look up at him properly.

“I used to tie up Yuqis hair a lot.” Donghan answered quietly. “I was always better at it than Gikwang. Not exactly a skill I get to use much anymore so it’s a bit sloppy. I tried to fix it though.” Donghan looked down at him again. “Do you like it? The bone?”

Myungjun nodded quickly, reaching up to touch it. “I do. I love it so much. Thank you Dongie its really pretty.”

“It suits you.”

“Are you trying to say that I’m pretty too?” Myungjun asked cheekily.

The tips of Donghans ears turned red and he scowled. “Of course not. You’re not pretty. You’re ugly.”

Myungjun giggled. He could tell the difference between Donghans truths and Donghans lies. That was a lie. “Thank you Dongie. I think you’re pretty too.” Myungjun thought Donghan was more handsome then pretty but he was just saying it to tease him.

The blush spread to Donghans cheeks and he scowled. “I’m not _pretty_. Just because you’re in touch with your feminine side doesn’t mean I am. Take it back.”

“No take backsies.” Myungjun sing-songed teasingly. He squealed as Donghan lunged for him and narrowly dodged the hands that would no doubt tickle him until he couldn’t breathe. 

Something fell to the floor and they both looked down to see the box containing Donghans Christmas present. It had fallen out of Myungjuns pocket in his attempt to get away. Donghan was snatching it up of the floor before Myungjun could even consider picking it up himself.

“Oh look its addressed to me.” Donghan said with a grin, holding it high up in the air, out of Myungjuns reach as he tried to grab it.

Myungjun didn’t want to give Donghan his Christmas present now after seeing how much money Donghan had spent on his and he was cursing himself for trying to be organized by labelling everyone’s gifts with their names.

“Dongie give it back! I need to get you a new present.”

“Why?” Donghan asked sounding genuinely curious. “Let me guess, you didn’t spend a lot of coin on it and you’re embarrassed after seeing the present I got for you?”

“Did you just read my mind?” Myungjun narrowed his eyes.

Donghan snorted in amusement. “Did you _feel_ me reading your mind? No? Exactly. You’re just ridiculously predictable. I don’t give a fuck how much you spent on my present. I know you and Jinwoo spent all your money on your house. But I still want it. I want it because it’s from you and you’re my friend. Also, you should give it to me anyway considering its also my birthday.”

Myungjun was getting ready to whine but paused, surprised. “What? It’s your birthday? As in today? Christmas day?”

Donghan nodded. “Me and Gikwang don’t celebrate it anymore but it’s still our birthday regardless. So, I want this gift. Like you said, no take backsies.”

Myungjun let his arms fall down to his sides feeling strangely sad. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was your birthday. You should have said sooner, and I would have bought you two presents.”

Donghan didn’t bother to reply and just opened his gift, eyes widening slightly as he looked inside. “You got me new piercings?”

Myungjun nodded when Donghan looked down at him. “I noticed you still hadn’t worn any piercings after the colourful ones I gave you, not even your original ones, so I wanted to get you some new ones to replace them.”

“What do you mean replace them?” Donghan asked with a frown. “I gave you those colourful piercing back after I ripped them out. Did you get rid of them?”

“No.” Myungjun admitted quietly. “They’re in one of my jewellery boxes at home. I just didn’t think you’d want them back considering the memories you’ll probably have looking at them again.”

Donghan took a step towards him with something akin to desperation in his eyes. “I want them. I want them back. They were the first gift you ever gave me so if you have them, I want them. I don’t care about why I gave them back, it’s irrelevant because we’re friends now. I want those ones AND these ones. Let’s go get them.”

Donghan didn’t give Myungjun any time to reply, he just grabbed his arm and dragged him from the toilets, across the tavern and out of the tavern doors into the raging snowstorm, ignoring everyone’s confused shouts. Myungjun turned back to see Jinwoo standing from his seat at the table looking concerned before he was pulled up against Donghans stomach as the ground opened up.

Myungjun sighed briefly in relief when they landed outside of the farmhouse. It wasn’t snowing so heavily here which he was grateful for as his coat had been left behind at the tavern. 

Myungjun stepped away from Donghan to scowl up at him. “You’re so impulsive! I didn’t even get to tell Jinwoo where we were going. He’s probably worried sick!”

Donghan wasn’t listening. He just headed up the steps to the porch, moved Myungjuns pot of flowers aside that was nestled by the front door, to reveal the spare key hidden beneath. He made a noise of satisfaction and unlocked the door. Myungjun rolled his eyes and followed him. He didn’t get very far. Donghan stopped right in the doorway to take his boots off leaving Myungjun out in the cold.

Myungjun sighed irritably and pushed at his back. “Just go in. I don’t care if you keep your shoes on. I’m not as fussy as you about the mess. So just move. I’m freezing out here.”

Donghan continued to ignore him as he unlaced the other boot, setting them down neatly to the side before heading straight up the stairs. Myungjun whined irritably and shut the front door, racing after him.

Donghan moved faster with his longer strides and when Myungjun finally caught up, Donghan was already at his dressing table, opening up all of his jewellery boxes and dumping them aside when he couldn’t find the piercings.

Myungjun rushed over, taking the box out of his hands that he was currently holding and shooed him over to the bed. “Bloody hell you’re so impatient! You can’t just toss my jewellery boxes aside like that! Most of this stuff came from Leo and is no doubt more expensive then I can afford to replace.”

“I don’t care. Hurry up.” Donghan fell backwards onto the bed before quickly getting up again and wrinkling his nose. “I don’t even want to know what you two get up to in here.”

Myungjun flushed and hurried over to the dressing table to find the correct box. “We’ve done nothing there so you’re fine.”

“ _What_? You’re telling me you’ve been living together all this time and you’ve not done _anything_ in this bed? What the fuck is wrong with you? Can’t get it up or something?”

Myungjun turned to scowl at him blushing furiously. “No. There’s nothing wrong with my…just no. We haven’t had _time_ to do anything there. We’re much too tired when we come home from the guild.”

“What about that week you spent away from the guild when you first moved in? You had plenty of time then.” Donghan pointed out not looking at all uncomfortable at the conversation.

Myungjun went back to looking in the box. “There was…a complication. With me. Mentally not physically. It’s not like we didn’t do _anything_. We just did it somewhere else.”

“Gross.”

“You asked!” Myungjun raged feeling terribly embarrassed. He found the little bag full of Donghans colourful piercings and chucked it at him. “There’s your stupid piercings. Now take me back to the guild.” When Donghan didn’t answer, Myungjun looked up to see Donghan staring at him. “What?”

“You’re kinda cute when you’re embarrassed.”

Myungjun huffed and stormed out of the room hearing Donghan laugh behind him.

“Wait little dragon!” Donghan caught up to him halfway to the stairs and spun him around with a hand that engulfed Myungjuns shoulder completely.

“What?” Myungjun asked irritated.

Donghan grinned at him before reaching around inside his coat again. “I have another present.” He pulled out a chain with a key attached to it and put it around Myungjuns neck. “Wear this at all times. It opens up the door to what me and Gikwang have called ‘the pit’. Its where our dragons will reside when we’re at the guild because they’re too big to fit on the guild halls roof now. Me and Gikwang said we had a plan in place for when that finally happened, and this is it. It’s a massive dome, sort of like the crucible but with a barred roof so they don’t feel too confined. We’ve spent so much coin having it built and it took longer than we expected but its finally done, just in time too.”

“Where is it?” Myungjun asked curiously as he tucked the necklace into his top. “Is that where our dragons are now?”

“Yeah they’re there. It’s in the guild district, right in the corner near the river. We put it there so that we didn’t have to travel too far. They can sense how far away we are and if it’s too far they get distressed. Much like how Baby got distressed after you left to look for Sanha. You lost three fingers because of it but me and Gikwang dealt with a whole lot more from your little brat. Your dragon might be the smallest but it’s definitely the most fierce.”

Myungjun grinned. “I can’t wait to see Baby again.” He gasped suddenly feeling worried. “You said a barred roof? In this snowstorm? Will they be okay?”

Donghan was looking at him like he was an idiot. “They’re DRAGONS. They literally breathe fire you dumbass. They’ll be fine. We built replica nests under a more sheltered part anyway, Gikwangs idea not mine, he’s too damn soft for them. Before I came to the guild earlier, I made sure they were settled. We built three nests, but they’ve all squeezed into one the fucking saps.”

Myungjun felt more reassured at his words and giggled at the thought of them all cuddling. “They’re not saps. They’re siblings and they love each other. You can’t say anything anyway. You share a bed with your brother too and I bet you cuddle him _all night long._ ” Myungjun teased.

The blush was back on Donghans face as he spluttered out a denial. “I don’t…we don’t…”

Myungjun burst out laughing at his flustered state. “You actually cuddle? Oh bloody hell I’m never going to let you live this down.”

Donghan growled angrily. “Shut up you little midget or I’ll leave you out here and go back to the guild and tell everyone, _including_ your parents, that you and Jinwoo got freaky in the shower.”

Myungjun stopped laughing abruptly and stared up at him with wide eyes. “How did you know that?”

“I didn’t. It was a lucky guess. So, you better shut your mouth about me and my brother or I’ll spill the gossip about you little dragon.” Donghan smirked.

“No-one would believe you.”

“I’ll just show them my memories of this very conversation.”

Myungjun pouted and turned away from him to make his way down the stairs. “You’re a jerk Dongie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m SCREAMING at Donghan being such a little shit at the beginning of this chapter. Mocking Myungjuns father, calling him Sir and then asking Binmin who topped and who bottomed in front of Moonbins parents xd


	219. A Kings Duty.

Myungjun and Leo were sitting in Hakyeons teashop on the first of January, enjoying their tea and cake. Myungjun took a bite of his and hummed happily at the taste. Lemon. It reminded him so much of the lemon cupcakes Grey used to make him at the academy and the memories warmed his heart and brought a smile to his face.

What didn’t make him very happy however, was the fact the teashop was empty again after the patrons fled at the sight of Leos armoured guard. Myungjun didn’t understand why the people were so scared. If anything, he would have thought the people would clamour around Leo like they did when they rushed to see him give his yearly speech.

Myungjun sighed and looked around, eyes landing on the owner of the teashop who wasn’t doing much behind the counter today. Hakyeon was reading a book instead, flicking the pages every so often and reading it with such intensity that Myungjun wondered if it was one of his favourites. He often saw Jinwoo reading like that at home in the library.

Leo had been looking over at Hakyeon often as he sipped at his tea and Myungjun was beginning to get suspicious of his behaviour. His suspicions were only heightened when he tried to engage Leo in a conversation that failed to get his attention. The older man was too busy staring at Hakyeon as he turned the next page of his book. Hakyeon had a small smile on his face. Whatever he was reading must have amused him.

“Your majesty? Hello? Leo?” Myungjun sighed and leaned into Leos line of sight, blocking Hakyeon from view.

Leo blinked a few times as if remembering Myungjun was in fact there and he quickly looked down at his teacup with a light blush rising high on his cheeks. “Sorry. What were you saying Mr Kim?”

Myungjun stayed quiet for a few seconds wondering whether he should say something about Leos weird behaviour. It wasn’t just his weird behaviour today that was making Myungjun suspicious. It was his weird behaviour _every_ time they’d met up here. Myungjun decided to just ask.

He leaned closer to Leo and lowered his voice. “Hyung what’s going on? You always act strange when we come here. You’re always looking at Hakyeon and blushing when you get caught…” Myungjun trailed off, eyes widening. Now he’d said it out loud it suddenly made sense.

Leo saw his expression and quickly pulled away with an awkward laugh and a wave of dismissal. “Nothing’s going on. I’m just daydreaming that’s all. This place relaxes me. If I happen to be staring his way, it’s just a coincidence.” Myungjun could sense the panic rising in Leos emotions and opened his mouth to tell him that it was okay, but Leo cut him off with what Myungjun knew was supposed to distract him. “Anyway, I need to tell you something.”

Myungjun sighed, sitting back in his chair. “Okay. What do you need to tell me?”

Leo visibly relaxed, clearly thinking his distraction had been successful and smiled. “I’m going to be opening up the throne room to the public. I only use it to speak to the royal emissaries and that’s a terrible waste of such a lovely room.”

Myungjun had to agree. The first time he had seen the throne room he had been stunned. It was a massive space of white, shiny marble with golden pillars flanking the walk up to the golden throne that stood proudly atop a set of wide sweeping stairs. The giant stained-glass windows on the wall behind the throne allowed in the light of the sun, throwing rainbows of colour around the room. Myungjun had been entranced by how beautiful it was. He always wondered why Leo never used it, but he guessed it wasn’t Leos choice. The magic counsel no doubt had a part to play in that too.

“You’re opening it up to the public?”

Leo nodded excitedly. “My father used to use it all the time. He’d sit on the throne and listen to the concerns of the people in the city and find ways to help them, whether it be with coin, imports or construction. I want to do that too. I want to get to know the people of my city more, help them more, let them see my face more and maybe then they wouldn’t run away whenever I approached them.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea your majesty. You’d have something to do to pass the time then. We both know you have a lot of spare time on your hands.” Myungjun grinned at Leos pout. “Also, you get to meet new people and prove to them that you’re a good King who actually cares about what happens to his subjects.”

“I just want them to trust me.” Leo said with a sigh as he finished the rest of his tea. He put his teacup down, pushing it away and Myungjun jumped in surprise as Hakyeon suddenly appeared at their table. The fact he’d appeared so quickly after Leo finished his tea made Myungjun wonder if Hakyeon had been watching Leo too. His suspicions were back in full force, but directed at Hakyeon this time, and he looked between the two men as they smiled shyly at each other.

Myungjun didn’t purposefully try to read people’s emotions often, he thought it to be too invasive of their privacy and usually only felt someone’s emotions when they were so strong they reached him anyway, but this time Myungjun reached out to read them intentionally.

_They’re attracted to each other._

Myungjun didn’t think the attraction was strong enough to be love or even a serious crush but there was definitely something there. He held his tongue about his findings as they exchanged innocent pleasantries and Leo asked for a slice of cake to go. The strong emotions of Leos guards surrounding the table confused Myungjun. Clear amusement. He wondered what was going on and what seemed so funny.

As they left the teashop, Myungjun jumped in surprise a second time at the sound of Greys voice entering his mind.

*A slice of cake to go is their secret way of communicating. It’s strictly one-sided. Hakyeon writes Leo a message on the inside of his cake box every week. They think they’re being stealthy, but we all know about it*

Now it made sense to Myungjun. He remembered seeing Hakyeons pretty handwriting on the inside of the first cake box and it was interesting to know it happened every time Leo came here. Leo had been a regular customer at the teashop for months now so he must have received a lot of messages. Myungjuns curiosity about what those messages contained was instantly ignited. 

He climbed up into the back of the white and gold royal carriage with Leo, flanked on either side by two guards and watched as Leo kept sneaking looks between the box and the armoured men. Myungjun could feel how impatient Leo was with the need to look inside but he clearly wanted to be alone before doing so. However, Myungjun had other ideas.

The carriage started moving and Leo opened the little sliding window behind his head that lead to the carriage drivers. “Please take us to Dragon Bl-”

“No.” Myungjun interrupted firmly. Leo turned to look at him surprised. “I’m coming back to the castle with you. We need to talk.” Myungjun stared pointedly at the cake box in Leos hands before looking back up at him with an eyebrow raised.

Leo flushed. “Okay. Take us back to the castle.”

*

Myungjun was sitting cross-legged on Leos bed, opposite the man himself, with a stack of folded down cake boxes between them. Myungjun opened up the last one. The one from today.

**So you’re opening up your throne room? I might pay you a visit. It would be nice to see your workplace instead.**

The rest of the cake boxes hadn’t revealed anything exciting like Myungjun had been expecting. They all contained random sentences that probably only made sense to Leo and a few of the others had quotes from poems and books, some of which Myungjun recognised from the books Jinwoo had already read to him when they’d been curled up in front of the fireplace in their library at home.

Myungjun sighed and put the cake box down.

“Why did you sigh?”

“I thought we’d have something exciting to gossip about.” Myungjun answered with a pout. “You like him don’t you?”

Leo blushed and quickly looked away. “Even if I did it wouldn’t matter.”

“Why not?” Myungjun asked with a frown. “Of course it matters. He’s the first person you’ve ever liked.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Leo repeated quietly. He sounded sad. “I’m the King. I can’t like the owner of a teashop.”

“Why not?”

“Because it wouldn’t be appropriate. I have to marry someone of a nobler birth. I also cannot like him because I have to find a Queen. Aredrinnor cannot be ruled by a King who likes men. The people wouldn’t accept it. Much like how they wouldn’t all accept a magical King. Hakyeon is both a man and magical. Therefore, I don’t like him. I just like his tea…and his cakes…and the messages he leaves me every week. But that’s it. Nothing more.”

Myungjuns frown deepened. He didn’t like this at all. Leo should be allowed to like whoever he wanted. Especially after the life he has had to endure.

“Hyung do you even want to find a Queen?”

“I need to carry on my bloodline.” Leo answered stiffly. “I need a Queen.”

Leo suddenly climbed off the bed. He picked up the stack of flat cake boxes and walked across his room. Myungjun saw where he was going and jumped off the bed to stop him. He grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

“Leo what are you doing?”

“I’ve made up my mind. I’m not going back to the teashop. I’ve been a fool for too long. I know my guards know about these messages. How could they not? I’ve embarrassed myself time and time again in front of them. I wouldn’t be surprised if they all laughed about it behind my back. Enough is enough. I’m not going back to see him. I’m getting rid of these boxes and I’m going to find a Queen. It is my duty as King.”

Leo pulled out of Myungjuns hold and tossed all of the boxes into the blue fire burning brightly in his fireplace. The boxes curled up and blackened before turning to ash.

When Leo turned around, he had a different look in his eyes. One Myungjun didn’t like.

“I don’t like Hakyeon, I don’t like Ravi and I’m going to find a Queen. It’s my duty as Aredrinnors King.” Leo spoke with determination before turning on his heel and leaving the room.

Myungjun was stunned. _Leo likes Ravi too? The man from the boxing ring?_ Myungjun remembered the way Leo was staring at him, how he was playing with his rings and how his face wore the same expression it had when looking at Hakyeon. It suddenly all made sense. Everything made sense and that just made Myungjun even more sad. _Has Leo visited Ravi again after the first time they met?_ Myungjun didn’t know.

He didn’t know it was possible to like two people at the same time either but surely that meant Leo was going through double the heartache right now. That worrying thought made Myungjun rush out of Leos room to find him.

He spotted him striding down the corridor, followed closely by two of his guards.

“Your majesty wait!”

Leo ignored him and carried on walking through the halls, round the corners and down the stairs, leading them deeper and deeper into the castle. When Myungjun finally caught up he could see the look of determination hadn’t left Leos face and when he looked around properly, he could see where Leo was heading. His non-magical counsel. The people who helped him deal with the non-magical side of things. 

“Go ahead and inform the counsel I wish to speak to them.” Leo ordered one of his guards. “Tell them it’s time to find me a Queen.” The guard bowed and rushed off and Leo suddenly spun around to look down at Myungjun, face expressionless and eyes hard. “It was nice seeing you today Mr Kim. I’ll get in contact with you when I’m ready to see you again.”

Myungjun knew not to protest. The finality in Leos voice said it all. He just watched as Leo walked away, shoulders tensed, towards a future he clearly didn’t want.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leo baby no :(
> 
> Its sometimes easy to forget, even for me, that Aredrinnor isn’t completely accepting of magic and/or specific sexualities, and it’s really highlighted here. It’s also easy to forget that Leo is an actual King with actual responsibilities and a pristine image that he must uphold. There does need to be an heir to the throne but let’s just hope someone can talk some sense into him before he does something irreversible. Like Myungjun thought, Leo has endured a hard life. He deserves happiness and I can’t imagine him being truly happy with a Queen at his side.
> 
> However, on a lighter note, the next chapter contains someone we’ve all been missing…*screams*


	220. The Gravecrawlers-Part 1.

Myungjun was eating dinner in the tavern with Jinwoo, Hoseok and Moonbin when they heard a commotion happening outside on the street just beyond the tavern doors. It came out of nowhere and they all looked around confused.

_Has Baby escaped the pit?_

Myungjun quickly pushed that thought away. There was no way his dragon would have been able to squeeze through the barring on the roof. He hadn’t left it alone for that long either, no more than an hour since he last went to check before dinner, so there’s no way it would have gotten lonely. The last time he had checked, it had been asleep, curled up in one of the nests.

Myungjun was pulled out of his thoughts by the frightening appearance of Hyungwon who came running into the guild with a face full of fear and anger. Mainly anger. A thick river of blood was pouring out of a wound above his eyebrow.

“WE’RE UNDER ATTACK! DARK GUILD!” 

Myungjun screamed as Hyungwon was lifted into the air and tossed aside by air magic. Hyungwon crashed into one of the empty tables with a pained shout and Hoseok rushed over to check on him. Myungjun scrambled out of his seat to get to Hyungwon too, knowing he was in need of healing, but he froze as the three people from his nightmares strode into the tavern. The pink lady, the purple man and the snake boy. They were followed by other members of their guild who all looked like thugs with crazy looks in their eyes and predatory smiles on their faces.

Back when Myungjun had first told Jinwoo of his bounty, after they’d made up after their argument, Jinwoo had sat Myungjun down and asked for detailed descriptions of the people from the temple, even going as far as asking for sketches so he could see what they looked like. He wanted to know in case this day ever came, so he’d be able to recognise them immediately. And recognise them he did. 

Jinwoo was out of his chair in an instant and pulled Myungjun behind him, blocking him from view. “Why are you here attacking our guild?” He growled. “You should leave. The other guilds in the district will come to our aid and you’ll soon be outnumbered.” 

“We’re here for the pretty one behind you.” One of the thugs spoke up, licking his lips suggestively.

Jinwoo made a noise of pure rage but before he could move, the purple man turned around and chopped the thugs head off with his bare hand. “Disgusting little wretch. His thoughts were so loud.” He grimaced and wiped the blood off his skin. Myungjun was stunned. He’d just killed a member of his own guild and he didn’t even look apologetic about it. “What he said is correct though. We’re here for the Dragon Knights son and you’d be wise not to stop us. The other guilds will not come to your aid. We’ve erected an impassable shield around this guild hall. They won’t be able to get in.”

“You’re not taking him. You’ll have to kill us all first.” Jinwoo growled letting his flames spread up his arms. Moonbin stood up too and got ready to fight but a firm voice stopped them. 

Myungjuns father was descending the stairs, hands clasped behind his back looking relaxed. “The thistle flower, the dark tornado and the young master; the serpent lord. What brings you to my guild?” 

The pink woman smiled. “You’ve been doing your research _Dragon Knight_.” 

“Well I’ve had to. Your King has put a bounty on my son’s head after all.” His father didn’t sound angry or scared or even the slightest bit worried. He almost sounded amused.

“Things have changed.” The snake boy spoke up in his creepy hiss of a voice. The pink woman stepped back to let him take over. It was clear he was their master and Myungjun still couldn’t believe it. He was so young. One of the boy’s serpents appeared and curled up at his feet. “We’re not here to kill him, but we’re here to take him. By force if necessary.” 

Myungjuns father hummed thoughtfully before shrugging. “Fine, take him.” 

Everyone turned to look at him in shock and Jinwoo made a noise of disbelief. 

“What the fuck are you doing? They’re not taking him.” Jinwoo spat, shaking with rage as he glared at Myungjuns father. 

The purple man sighed and flicked his wrist. Jinwoos chair was lifted into the air behind him and before Myungjun could grab it, it shattered over the back of Jinwoos head. Jinwoo went down hard, not to move again. 

“JinJin!” Myungjun dropped to the floor to check on him. Jinwoo had been knocked out cold but luckily there was no blood.

“If you don’t come quietly, I’ll do a lot worse than that.” The purple man drawled lazily. “I’ll tear the whole guild hall to shreds and everyone inside. I’m not called the dark tornado for nothing.” 

“Myungjun you need to leave.” His father said quietly. 

Myungjun looked up at him with tears in his eyes. “Why are you doing this?” 

“We can’t fight them. The guild is in danger. It’s my duty to protect it.” 

“By giving up your own son?” Moonbin seethed angrily. 

“If I must.”

“As an added…incentive.” The pink woman began, pulling a purple crystal out of the air. “Take a look at this.” 

She tossed it across the room and Myungjun caught it. He recognised what it was immediately. One of the crystals that helped you see what was happening elsewhere. He closed his eyes and what it revealed made his heart seize up with fear. 

Sitting at the head of a long table, bound to a chair, gagged, battered, bruised and unconscious; Sanha. 

Myungjun dropped the crystal and it shattered noisily over the floor. “You monsters! He’s just a child! Let him go!” 

“Who are you talking about Hyung?” 

The woman interrupted. “We’ll let him go if you come with us. We have no further need for his assistance.” 

Myungjun looked down at Jinwoo one last time, stroking his cheek gently. If Myungjun tried hard enough, he could almost believe Jinwoo was sleeping. “I’ll be back soon JinJin. I’ll come back to you no matter what.” Myungjun stood up amidst his friend’s protests. He was just happy to see Hyungwon back on his feet. 

“Don’t do this Hyung!” 

“It’s a trap they’ll kill you!” 

Myungjun turned to look at them and smiled. “I’ll be okay. Look after my fiancé and get prepared for Sanhas return. He’s coming home.” They all looked shocked but Myungjun ignored their questions and walked towards the dark guild. He stopped beside the pink woman and turned to look at his father feeling nothing but betrayal. “I’m going, the guild will be safe. I hope you tell mother the truth about what happened here today.” 

An unidentifiable emotion flashed in his father’s eyes, but it quickly disappeared. His father nodded and that was all Myungjun needed to see. 

He turned to look at the pink woman to see her sickly, sweet smile. “Take me to my little brother.”

*

The Gravecrawlers guild was located in a rundown building with wallpaper peeling off the walls and flickering lights. It smelt musty with the underlying metallic scent of aged blood. It made Myungjun feel sick. There were no windows to the building so he couldn’t see what was outside. They’d terraported in, so he had no idea where on Aredrinnor they actually were. He worried briefly if they were even still on Aredrinnor but quickly pushed that thought away. They couldn’t have gone across the sea. One, ground users could only terraport to connecting land and two, the fall would have been a lot longer if they could.

Myungjun shivered at the combined feeling of the thick dark energy lingering in the air and the multiple sets of eyes watching him as he walked past. The guild was a lot busier than he’d been expecting and that worried him. He tried not to think about what that meant as they turned down the last corridor that led to a set of double doors made from a dark, chipped wood.

The purple man opened them and ushered the pink woman, the snake boy and Myungjun inside. He told the other guild members who had followed them to get lost before slamming the door in their faces. 

Myungjun looked around. It was dark, only lit by the torches on the walls and an old stone fireplace that was blazing behind the chair at one end of the table.

The chair that Sanha was bound too. 

Sanha was awake now and when they locked eyes, Sanhas eyebrows furrowed. He tried to speak but his voice came out muffled by his gag. 

“Sanha.” Myungjun whispered in disbelief.

He rushed down the table towards the younger boy and ungagged him. Now that he was up close to him, he could see just how bad Sanhas injuries were. He looked terrible. His right eyebrow was split, swollen and crusted over with dried blood. His nose was clearly broken, and he had dark bruising on various parts of his face. They’d beaten him up badly and Myungjun was furious.

“What are you doing?” Sanhas voice was hoarse and he sounded angry. “Get out of here.”

Myungjun couldn’t stop looking at him. He hadn’t seen Sanha in so long, it almost didn’t feel real. He looked thinner, like he hadn’t been eating and there was a darkness in his eyes and in his aura that Myungjun hadn’t seen or felt before.

“I came to save you.” Myungjun answered quietly, reaching out to stroke his cheek.

Sanha leaned away from him with a scowl. “Don’t touch me! You haven’t come here to save me. You can’t save me Myungjun. You’re an idiot for coming here! Get out while you still can.”

Myungjun pulled his hand away feeling like he’d been slapped. Sanha didn’t sound friendly at all and he’d called Myungjun by his name, not Hyung.

“Ddana I-”

“Don’t call me that.” Sanha seethed. “Just listen to me for once! Get out! It’s not these people you need to be concerned about. Someone else is coming. Someone worse. If you make a run for it, you might have a chance.”

“He’s not going anywhere.” The purple man sighed, walking over to them. He stopped behind the chair beside Myungjun and pulled it out, gesturing for him to take a seat. When Myungjun hesitated, the man grabbed him and forced him down into it.

“Who else is coming here?” Myungjun asked feeling fear settle in his gut. He couldn’t imagine anyone being worse than these three.

The pink woman took a seat at the table and straightened out her pink frilly dress. “Our King.”

“Your King? The one who put a bounty on my head?”

“The very same.” She confirmed.

“What does he want with him?” Sanha asked coldly. “It can’t be anything good. Let him go.”

The woman looked up at Sanha with a frown. “You seem to be mistaken boy. He’s not our prisoner. Neither are you. Not anymore at least. Right now, you’re our guests.”

“Guests?” Sanha scoffed, tugging at the ropes binding his wrists to the arms of the chair. “Funny way of showing hospitality don’t you think? You kidnapped me, tortured me and beat me until I passed out. And for what? To get Myungjun here? You’re not going to let us go. You’re going to kill us. This is just a set up. I know how dark guilds work.”

“What could you possibly know about dark guilds kid?” The purple man spoke up sounding bored as he picked at the black polish on his fingernails. “You’re from _Dragon Blades_.” He spat the name like filth.

Myungjun bristled but before he could retaliate Sanha was already speaking again.

“I’m not from Dragon Blades. I haven’t been a member of Dragon Blades for a long time. If you idiots had even bothered to check you would have seen I don’t have the guild mark anymore.”

Myungjun looked at him with wide eyes. “You don’t have the guild mark? That’s not possible. Father never removed it from you.”

The purple man got out of his chair and walked over to Sanha expressionless. “Where?”

“Left bicep.” Sanha answered bluntly. 

The man yanked his sleeve up and Myungjun gasped. The guild mark had been carved off of Sanhas skin, leaving a nasty, fleshy scar behind.

Sanha didn’t meet Myungjuns eyes and just glared up at the man. “Now lift the other sleeve.” Sanha growled. 

Myungjun was in shock. Sanha sounded so different, looked so different, acted so different. He was dark and angry and had even gone as far as carving his dragon off his skin. The thought made Myungjun feel sick. Just what had happened to their innocent baby to make him like this?

Whatever the man saw when he lifted up Sanhas other sleeve drained the colour from his face. Myungjun couldn’t see what it was from where he was sitting and when he leaned forwards on the table to get a better look, the man dropped Sanhas sleeve down cursing loudly before he could see himself.

“He’s with Enhex.”

The pink woman made a noise of disbelief and was out of her chair in an instant, rushing around to look for herself. “What the…”

A slow unsettling smile spread across Sanhas face. “How are you going to explain this to your King hmm? You better untie me before he gets here.”

With a grunt, the purple man ripped the ropes off of Sanhas body. Sanha stretched with a pained groan amidst their apologies. Myungjun was completely lost. Why were they suddenly looking at Sanha with fear and a hint of respect? Why were they apologising and offering him water and trying to fix his face?

“What does that mean?” Myungjun asked, cutting their fretting short. “What’s Enhex?”

Before anyone could answer him, the doors Myungjun had previously entered in flew open and the whole room fell silent as a man walked inside. He was as tall as the twins but less muscular with dark energy so strong his purple aura was visible to the naked eye around him. His long black hair was tied up in a ponytail at the back of his head and reached all the way down to his waist. Bright purple eyes scanned the room. Myungjun guessed he was about forty as his black goatee beard was shot through with white streaks. His attire screamed royalty. The heavy black cloak settled around his shoulders, the black silk shirt left open at the top to reveal a cropping of black chest hair, the beautifully made leather trousers and knee-high boots. They all added to his regal appearance. The only thing he was missing was an actual crown.

Their three captors were on their feet bowing politely but Myungjun stayed seated. He watched, bewildered, as Sanha nodded his head respectfully to the man from his own seat. Sanha didn’t look frightened at all despite his earlier warning to Myungjun that this man was somehow worse.

“Your majesty please take a seat.” The woman rushed around to the chair at the other head of the table and pulled it out for him. 

The King sat down as he stared right back at Sanha. “Who are you?” His voice was surprisingly soothing.

“Yoon Sanha.”

“What are you doing in my guild Yoon Sanha?”

“Your minions kidnapped him!” Myungjun spoke up angrily after finally finding his voice again. “I wondered why there had been no more sightings of him after SnakeShire but now it makes sense. They lured him there and kidnapped him.”

“SnakeShire?” The purple man sounded confused. “We’re not permitted entry into SnakeShire.”

“What?”

“We found him at Zepheholde yesterday trying to board a ship.”

Myungjun looked over at Sanha, critically scanning his appearance. “You’re lying. Some of his wounds and bruises are old. He’s been here for a while.”

“They’re telling the truth.” Sanha replied quietly, still avoiding eye contact with him. “I got the bruises and scarring elsewhere.”

Myungjun leaned towards him feeling nothing but concern. “Sanha look at me.” Sanha didn’t. “What happened to you? Who hurt you?”

The King cleared his throat noisily from the other end of the table, cutting their conversation short. “You were permitted entry into SnakeShire? Who invited you?”

“The Red Reaper.”

Gasps filled the room and the King sat up straight. “Why would the guild leader of Enhex invite you there?”

Sanha leaned back in his chair looking almost cocky. “To recruit me. She offered me a place and I accepted.”

“Why would a member of a light guild accept a place at a dark guild?”

Myungjun could hardly keep up with the conversation. He was just staring at Sanha in disbelief. He was a member of a dark guild? No way. Not Sanha. Not their baby. He was only sixteen. A kid. Why would he be mingling with, as Donghan labelled them, the scum of Aredrinnor? Murderers and Rapists and thugs? It made no sense.

“I don’t belong in a light guild.” Sanha answered stiffly. “I belong at Enhex with the rest of my kind. She knew what I was which is why she recruited me and now you all know what I am too, so I suggest you let us go. I bet my team is already on the way here now to wipe your guild out for taking me. You know how easy it would be.”

Everyone turned to look at the King who just sat back in his seat with a sigh. “Mr Yoon you are free to leave when you wish. I apologise for the behaviour of my subjects. It was not on my orders that they took you. I only ordered them to bring me the Dragon Knights son, nothing more.”

“Let Myungjun leave first.”

“We will be letting him go after we have spoken to him.” The King finally turned his purple eyes on Myungjun and scanned his appearance. “The Dragon Knights son. It’s a pleasure to meet you at last.”

Myungjun squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze. There was something about this man. Something intimidating and not quite right. “Sorry but I can’t return the sentiment.” Myungjun got out through gritted teeth. “You tried to have me killed.”

The King shrugged seemingly unbothered. “A mistake on my part. I was just following orders.”

“Following orders? You’re the King aren’t you?”

“I am a King to the subjects in my alliance that is all.” He answered as if that should be enough to explain it. 

Myungjun was just feeling more confused by the second. “So, someone higher up than you, _the King_ , wants me killed? Why?”

The King sighed and leaned forwards to rest his elbows on the table. “Even I myself am not certain as to why. But the reward on your head was irresistible so I spread the request to my guilds. However, it was a mistake to try and kill you. I have since been informed of your abilities Mr Kim, and because of that I took the request down. No-one in my alliance will harm you. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same about the other dark guilds. They are no doubt still waiting for the opportunity to strike but I’m sure you are more than capable of handling them yourself.” Myungjun kept his mouth shut. This man was referring to his SS Rank. If he confirmed it…it wouldn’t end well for him. The King saw his unwillingness to speak and gestured to the people around the table. “Only the people in this room know about your power Mr Kim, minus your friend of course. After your fight at the temple, I was told of your power and decided to keep it a secret.”

“What power?” Sanha asked confused.

Myungjun ignored him. “Why? Why would you keep it a secret? Why wouldn’t you spread it around?”

“Because in return for our silence you’re going to do us a favour.”

Myungjun just stared. Was this man insane? He wasn’t going to do any favours for these psychos. “What favour?”

“You interrupted my necromancers’ ritual in the temple. She was the last necromancer we had. Rather irritatingly, the twin dragons of your guild keep killing them. You are a resurrector are you not?”

Myungjun had a bad feeling in his stomach. “You want me to resurrect someone?”

“An important someone.” The King confirmed his suspicions. “With your amount of power, you won’t need the energy of other sacrifices. You could do it alone.”

“You’re crazy. I’m not resurrecting anyone you deem important!”

“If you refuse to help us, we’ll tell everyone of your secret, and you will no doubt lose your life. However, I’m not an idiot, I’ve done my research about you Mr Kim. I know you’d gladly lay down your own life to prevent this resurrection, so I’m here to tell you that we wouldn’t stop there. We’ll kill everyone you love. Starting with your mother.”

The King waved his hand and his guards opened the door. Another two guards came in, dragging a woman between them who was fighting and screaming behind her gag. 

Myungjun locked eyes with her and fear gripped at his heart. “Mother?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> …  
> *inhales*  
> …  
> SANHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA


	221. The Gravecrawlers-Part 2.

“MOTHER!” Myungjun and Sanha both shouted at the same time as she was dragged into the room fighting and screaming behind the cloth stuffed into her mouth.

Myungjun jumped out of his seat, getting ready to tear the whole place down regardless of who saw his magic, but was stopped by the dagger pressed against his mother’s throat.

“Sit back down, both of you, before I order my guard to spill her blood.” The Kings voice was unforgiving and Myungjun knew he would do it. He sat back down, trembling with barely contained rage and he saw Sanha take a seat out of the corner of his eye.

He couldn’t tear his eyes away from his mother though. He hadn’t seen her for a couple of days at least as he was too busy at the guild. How long had she been here? Her hair was a mess and her hands and clothes were filthy. Myungjun couldn’t bear to see her looking this way. That was his mother. She was supposed to be clean and happy and healthy.

“Let her go.” Myungjun turned to look at the King with hatred burning hot in his heart. “Let her go before I tear you and your guild to pieces.”

The King looked at him for a few seconds before nodding to his guard. The guard shoved her towards the table, and she stumbled before catching herself on the back of the nearest chair. She was too busy staring at Sanha with tears in her eyes. Sanha just looked uncomfortable.

“Sanha? Is that really you?” Her voice sounded weak. She walked towards him and reached out for his hand.

Sanha pulled it away from her, much like how he had pulled away from Myungjuns touch. “Please don’t touch me.” He muttered, looking away from her hurt expression. “Go and sit-down Ms Kim.” Myungjun saw the confusion on his mother’s face. 

“Ms Kim? Sanha baby it’s me. Your mother.”

“You’re not my mother.” Sanha stood up and walked away to stand in front of the fireplace with his back to them all. “My mother’s dead. Murdered on King Leos orders. You were just a replacement.”

Myungjun growled angrily and stood up from his chair again. “Don’t you dare call my mother a replacement! She took you in and looked after you for years. She _is_ your mother. She might not be your birth mother but she’s the closest thing you’ve had to parents in-”

“And whose fault is that?” Sanha spun around to glare right back. “Your wonderful _Hyung_. Brave King Leo.” Sanha spat his name with such venom it took Myungjuns breath away. “I went looking for them you know. When I left. I tried to track my parents down to ask them why. Why they did this to me. Why they turned me into a monster. And can you imagine my disappointment when I get told ‘Oh sorry kid, you’re too late. The couple that lived here before were hunted down and killed on the Kings orders.’” Sanha laughed, it sounded pained and crazed. “My parents are dead. They turned me into a freak and then got themselves killed. How fucking great is that? Now I’ll never know why they did this to me.” Tears welled up in Sanhas eyes and he turned back to the fire. “I’m done talking. My team is here, I can sense them.”

The second Sanha finished his sentence a high-pitched scream sounded from somewhere in the guild. 

Then all hell broke loose.

The King sprung up looking tense. “Go and bring them here.” He ordered his guards. “Try to stop them from killing my people. If they do, don’t get in their way. We can’t aggravate them any further.”

The guards nodded before rushing from the room as more screams and shouts and crashes echoed through the air.

“Sanha what the hell is going on?” Myungjuns mother asked.

Sanha turned to her, expression stony. “I’m going home. Don’t stand in my way. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

The doors burst open to reveal three new people Myungjun had never seen before. A girl around Sanhas age was standing at the front. She looked like a creepy doll with her big glossy eyes and pouty lips. Her long hair was tied up in bunches and fell down her sides, all the way down to her thighs, in thick white ringlets. She was wearing very little and carrying a staff with a raven sitting on the top, its beady eyes scanning the room.

“Sanny!” She whined clearly upset. She rushed towards him and hugged him tight around the middle, burying her face in his chest. “Sanny you worried us! You just disappeared off the ship and never came back! We knew something was wrong and I had to make Kai do a tracking spell to find you.” She pulled back and looked up at him. Her eyes widened and she reached up to cup his face in her hand. Sanha let her which hurt Myungjun more than it should have. “Look at you. Who did this to your handsome face? Tell me. I’ll kill them Sanny. I’ll kill them all.” The raven on her staff screeched angrily.

Sanha smiled down at her. “Thank you for coming back for me. I’m happy to hear Kai actually listened to you for once. You should exercise your power as our leader more often. It’s definitely effective. But you don’t need to kill anyone else. I’m fine, honestly.”

“Well that sucks.” One of the men who had come in behind the girl sighed before his face settled into a smile. He was handsome and equipped with two daggers that glinted threateningly at his thighs as he walked over to bump fists with Sanha who was grinning widely in his direction. “Good to see you’re still in one-piece San. Lex has been crying the whole time thinking you’d been killed.”

“I haven’t!” The girl huffed with a pout. “I knew Sanny was still alive anyway. Shut your mouth Kai before I shut it for you.”

The other male who came in behind them walked over with a yawn. He was pretty, with silver hair and a petite figure. He cuddled up to Sanhas side, closing his eyes and humming happily. “I cried. I cried a lot.” He admitted. His voice was as pretty as his face. “I had no-one else to cuddle and keep me company. It was boring without you my love.”

_My love? Are they…_

The King cleared his throat almost nervously and Sanhas team turned to glare at him.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your reunion,” the King began. “but I think we should talk and clear the air. Please, take a seat.”

“We’re leaving.” Sanha said bluntly. “We don’t need to clear the air. Your people kidnapped me thinking I was a member of Dragon Blades but let me go the second they realised I was with Enhex. I was harmed but not killed and I’m sure your guild has suffered more than enough bloodshed today.” Sanha looked down at the girl, Lex. “How many people did you kill here?”

She hummed thoughtfully as she twirled a strand of hair around her finger. “Twelve?”

Kai barked out a laugh. “It was fifteen. Can you not count?”

Lex banged the butt of her staff against the floor and Kai yelped as he was lifted into the air and hung upside down. 

“Don’t piss me off. I can count. I was just being modest.” She spat.

“Okay okay I’m sorry! Let me go you fucking psycho!”

Lex smiled sweetly. “As you wish.”

Kais eyes widened. “No wait I-” He shouted as he fell, and he landed on his head with a yelp. “Bloody hell you’re one crazy bitch you know that right?” He climbed to his feet scowling her way and rubbing his head.

She blew him a kiss and looked over at the King. The friendliness was wiped from her face and even Myungjun shivered at the look she gave the man. “You’re lucky I’m in a forgiving mood today. And you’re lucky that our Sanny is soft. If I had it my way, I’d skin you and all of your men alive for touching his cute face.” The King kept quiet and she seemed satisfied. “Nothing to say? Good. We’ll be on our way then.”

She breezed across the room with the others close behind. 

“Wait!” Myungjun called out desperately. He couldn’t just sit back and let Sanha leave again. Especially with these people who enjoyed killing like it was a fun game and oozed dark magic. “Sanha please wait!”

The guy clinging to Sanhas arm turned back to scowl Myungjuns way first and the others soon followed. They didn’t look happy.

“Who are you?” He asked, burrowing closer to Sanhas side.

“He’s no-one important.” Sanha muttered pulling him along towards the door. “Let’s go. We have a request to do remember.”

Myungjun rushed towards them not ready to give up yet. “Sanha please. Can we talk? I haven’t seen you in months. Everyone misses you.” Sanha ignored him, walking quicker. “Sanha! You can’t just leave like this. You don’t belong there. You belong at Dragon Blades with me.” Myungjun took a deep breath. “Rocky misses you.” Sanha froze. “Rocky went back home to Zepheholde because he missed you so much. He can’t animate Rocky Jr anymore either. He’s too upset. Please come back to us. Please come back and help us bring Rocky Jr back. Rocky Jr loves you. He’s your son too.”

Sanha spoke without looking back. His voice was strained. “Minhyuk will get over it. He’s just a rock.”

Sanha left taking Myungjuns heart with him.

*

Myungjun stared down at the plate of food in front of him feeling empty. Sanha had left over an hour ago and Myungjun had sat down at the table after he left and let the tears make silent tracks down his face. 

Sanha was a member of a dark guild. A powerful dark guild. His aura was darker. His whole personality was darker. He no longer cared for any of them. Not Myungjun, not their mother, not Rocky, nor Rocky Jr. The Sanha they had known was gone.

The grief was crushing.

“You should eat whilst you can.” The King spoke as he cut up his own food. “You’ll need all of your energy for the resurrection.”

Myungjun looked up at him feeling nothing. “Will you let my mother go if I do it?”

“I’ll let you both go, and I’ll spread the word that you’re not to be harmed.”

Myungjun picked up his cutlery and began to eat. The food could have been nice, but he didn’t taste anything. He just felt numb. Probably shock. He didn’t care much. He realised he didn’t really care about anything. He just wanted to go home. He wanted to go back to Jinwoo to reassure him that he was okay and then cuddle him as he broke down about the day’s events. Then he’d go to his father and ask to have his guild mark removed. He couldn’t stay at Dragon Blades. Not after his father willingly handed him over to these monsters. He loved the guild and everyone in it, but his fathers’ actions had hurt him too much.

Today had officially been one of the worst days of his life and a quick look at the clock told him that it still wasn’t over. There was still an hour to go until midnight.

“…jun. Junnie.”

Myungjun looked up at the sound of his mother’s voice. “Yeah?”

She looked over at the King before leaning across the table and lowering her voice to a whisper. “You can’t do this. You can’t resurrect whoever it is they want you to resurrect.”

“If I don’t, they’ll kill us and everyone we care about.” Myungjun said emotionless. “I have to do this.”

She sighed irritably. “You don’t have to do anything. They won’t kill us. They won’t have time. People will come for us. Jinwoo, your father-”

“Father was the one who handed me over in the first place.” Myungjun interrupted sharply. “He’s not looking for us and Jinwoo was knocked out cold when I was taken. Face it mother, they’re not coming. I have to do this. I have no choice.”

He watched as her eyes widened. “Your father handed you over? What do you mean? He wouldn’t do that.”

“Oh he did.” The pink woman spoke up cheerfully as she sipped at her teacup full of blood. She licked the residue from her lips with a happy sigh. “Even _I_ was shocked. The Dragon Knight threw his own son away.” She tutted and shook her head. “How heart-breaking. I expected him to put up a good fight at least. I didn’t even get to kill any pesky dragons. I was desperate to get my hands on the twins. What a shame.”

Myungjun just ignored her and stood up. “I’m ready. Let’s go and get this over and done with.”

*

Myungjun looked around at the magic circle he was standing in. He could read the runes clearly after studying so hard with Dongmin. A resurrection circle crafted especially for him. He watched as two of the Kings guard carried over a long glass box. A coffin.

It was placed down gently at Myungjuns feet and he looked at the person inside. A young girl. Beautiful, perfectly preserved and as white as marble.

The snake boy came over and crouched down to open up the lid, touching her cheek lovingly. “Sister. I’ll see you again soon.”

Myungjun looked between them. He could see the resemblance now. Twins. The boy climbed to his feet and looked up at Myungjun. His snake-like eyes still made Myungjuns skin crawl.

“Please bring her back.” He said quietly. “I miss her.” Myungjun nodded and the boy stepped away to give him space. “Thank you.”

Myungjun breathed out heavily before opening himself up to the soul plane. The girl’s soul was standing in front of him already. She was watching him silently. Myungjun was relieved to see her eyes were normal.

“I will not forget this kindness Kim Myungjun.” Her voice was faint as she held out her hand.

“I’m not doing it for you. I’m doing it for my family and friends.” Myungjun said stiffly as he bent down to grab the hand of her dead body. It was icy cold. He held it out towards her, and she took it. Myungjun could see her soul solidify at the contact and he grabbed her hands between his own.

“You may not be doing this for me, but you’re still doing it regardless.”

Myungjun ignored her and began to chant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ‘He’s just a rock.’ Me=Heartbroken
> 
> A quick summary of everything we know about Sanha and what he's been up too since he left:  
> His parents did something to him when he was younger, turned him into a 'freak'/'monster' so he went looking for them when he ran away from Myungjuns to find out why, only to be told they'd already been killed on Leos orders. At some point after that, he went to the SnakeShire nightclub after being invited by the guild leader of Enhex (The Red Reaper). Sanha accepted and had his Dragon Blades guild mark carved off and replaced with Enhex's. Sanha was going on a request with his team across the sea when he was kidnapped off the ship by the Gravecrawlers to be used as bait to lure Myungjun in. It worked and now he's gone after being rescued by his new team.   
> [Enhex is clearly a guild higher up the chain then the Gravecrawlers so they all treated Sanha and his team with respect and let them go despite them killing 15 of their members.]
> 
> The team:  
> Lex- 16, Team leader, air magic, creepy doll appearance, channels her magic through a staff, pet raven.  
> Kai- Age unknown but older than Sanha, can use tracking magic, fights with daggers, magic unknown.  
> Mystery guy- Name, age and magic all unknown, silver hair, pretty, called Sanha 'my love'.
> 
> Also, I haven't been replying to any comments from the last chapters because I have NO self control and I would have spilled all the spoilers on what was happening with Sanha. So I'm sorry for not replying, just know I'm not ignoring any of you, I'm just trying not to ruin everything I've spent months planning xd


	222. The Gravecrawlers-Part 3.

Myungjuns chanting echoed around the room. He was speaking the language of the Ethereals and knew his words must sound strange to the others watching him. The King, two of his guards, the snake boy, the pink woman and the purple man were all present. Myungjuns mother had been taken away at Myungjuns request. He couldn’t have her witnessing his power.

Myungjun clasped the girl’s hands tightly between his own as he worked on merging her soul with her body. It was hard and tiring even with the amount of power he had. This was the first time he was ever using the spell to actually bring someone back, so it was difficult on him. He could feel his life force draining and knew that when the spell was complete, there was no going back. He was either going to lose a day of his life, or anywhere up to a year, for the snake boys’ sister. A year he’d never be able to get back. A year he wouldn’t be able to spend with Jinwoo.

Tears filled Myungjuns eyes and he chanted faster, just wanting it to be over and done with. Once it was done, he could go back home, his mother could go back home. That’s all he wanted right now. Home.

A noise from outside the room made Myungjun pause and everyone turned to the door to look. A guard stepped inside breathing heavily and hurried over to whisper something into the Kings ear.

The King growled angrily. “Dispatch all the men and gather up anyone in the guild hall to hold them off. Don’t let them get inside.” He turned his purple eyes back to Myungjun. “Keep going.”

Myungjuns brain was whirring and hope was blooming in his heart. There’s no way it wasn’t them. His friends. They’d come to save him. Why else would the King not want them inside? Why else would he dispatch all of his men and the entirety of the guild to hold them off? No other light guild on Aredrinnor was as strong as Dragon Blades. If anyone would be a threat to the Gravecrawlers, it was them.

Myungjun cleared his throat and tried to keep his face expressionless. “I’ve been interrupted now. I have to start again.” He didn’t have to start again, but they didn’t need to know that. He just needed to buy some time. Maybe he wouldn’t have to give up some of his life for this girl after all.

He looked up at her soul to see her eyes full of suspicion. “Kim Myungjun, I hope you’re not trying to trick us.” Her voice was stronger now.

“I’m not. I really have to start again.” Myungjun muttered. “Be quiet and let me concentrate.”

He started the chant all over again and tried to speak the words at a slower pace, but not slow enough to be suspicious. The fighting outside was more obvious now. Panicked screams and shouts, rumbling and crashing. It sounded like the whole guild hall was coming down around them.

Nervous murmurings filled the room and the snake boy hissed angrily. “Hurry up! We don’t have much time. I need my sister back.” Myungjun chanted a little faster just to make it seem like he was cooperating. “If my sister isn’t resurrected today, I’ll kill your mother myself.”

Myungjuns chanting stuttered. Then he picked up speed for real. He knew the boy was serious. Even if he and his mother were saved today, the snake boy wouldn’t stop until she was dead. Myungjun could hear the boy’s thoughts loud and clear.

Myungjun poured all of his power into the spell and his skin lit up as it flooded out of him. He opened his eyes to see the girl’s soul merging back into her body and he felt his own life draining. It started to hurt them both and Myungjun began to chant through gritted teeth, trying not to let the pain get to him.

_This isn’t normal. I’m not supposed to feel any pain._

The magic circle beneath him started to glow a dark red and the snake boy made a noise of pure joy.

Myungjun uttered the last words and slumped back exhausted, his skin dimming. “It’s done. Leave my mother alone.”

The snake boy rushed over and crouched down beside his twin in her glass coffin. She stirred for a few seconds before her eyes snapped open.

“Brother?”

“Sister.”

He helped her sit up and pulled her in for a hug before bursting into tears. “I’ve missed you so much! I told you we’d find a way to save you. I-”

The door broke apart noisily and one of the Kings guard flew across the room to crunch sickeningly against the nearest wall. Donghan stepped inside cracking his knuckles and grinning manically. His eyes fell on the purple man and the grin widened.

“Well look who it is. The purple haired bitch. I’ve been desperate to have a rematch. Care to go for another round?”

The purple man growled and pushed himself off the wall. “Your first beating wasn’t enough? I’ll be happy to-”

“That’s enough.” The King stepped between them. “I’m a man of my word. Mr Kim and his mother are free to leave. They will not be harmed any further, so there is no further need to fight.”

Donghan scoffed. “No further need to fight? You’re just scared because we have this place surrounded. You’re going to pay for what you’ve done.”

Myungjuns vision was going dark around the edges as he tried to stay awake. He needed to stay conscious. He needed to fight, to help Donghan who was outnumbered.

“I’m not outnumbered little dragon.” Donghan turned to look at Myungjun with a smile. Myungjun looked past him with wide eyes to see Jinwoo, Rocky and his father step into the room.

_Rockys here?_

Rocky wasn’t alone. He was followed close behind by a golem. A metal golem. Rocky spotted Myungjun first and rushed over with Jinwoo close behind. “Hyung? Hyung where’s Sanha?”

_Oh. That’s why he’s here. Someone must have told him what I said back at the guild._

“He’s gone.” Myungjun answered weakly. “Sanhas gone. I’m sorry.”

Myungjun felt the world tip on its axis as his lack of energy finally caught up with him and everything went black.

*

Myungjun had been awake for a while. He’d woken up in his bed at home. Jinwoo was asleep above him, with his warm hand tangled in Myungjuns hair. Myungjun had woken up with his head in Jinwoos lap and decided he didn’t want to move. Jinwoo was sitting up against the headboard with his head lolling to the side as he snored softly. 

_He must be tired. He must have used a lot of energy fighting the dark guild to get to me._

Myungjun sighed and sat up. Jinwoos hand slipped from his hair to land on his lap and he was awake immediately.

“Sunshine?” He sounded dazed and blinked a few times before his eyes widened and he cupped Myungjuns face tight. “Sunshine? Are you okay?”

Myungjun gave him a weak smile. “I’m okay JinJin. Physically at least. Just tired. It’s still dark out so lay down okay? You can’t sleep sitting up.”

“Do you need anything? Water? Food?”

“A cuddle.” Myungjun whispered before bursting into tears as his emotions took over. “A cuddle JinJin. Please.”

Jinwoo shushed him and got them both comfortable against the pillows with his arms wrapped around Myungjun, pulling him close to his chest. Myungjun buried his face in the soft material of his top and cried harder.

Jinwoo let him cry, pressing kisses into his hair and humming tunelessly under his breath. Myungjun focused on the sound and allowed it to calm him. Jinwoo knew all the best ways to calm him down and he was grateful.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Jinwoo asked quietly. Myungjun took as shaky breath and nodded against his chest. “Okay. Whenever you feel ready sunshine. I’ll listen.”

Myungjun didn’t speak for a long time but when he did, his voice was wobbly. “Sanhas gone. Really gone. He’s not the Sanha from before. He’s different, dark, angry. His aura and his eyes Jinwoo. You should have seen it.”

Jinwoo swallowed loudly above him. “Why wasn’t he there when we turned up?”

“His team came to collect him. Killed fifteen people so fast it was effortless.”

“His team?”

Myungjun choked on another sob. “He’s joined a dark guild JinJin.”

Jinwoo sat up fast, dragging Myungjun up with him. He held Myungjun at arm’s length and Myungjun could see the pure worry in his eyes. “Sanhas joined a dark guild? Are you sure? He can’t. He has the Dragon Blades-”

“It’s been carved off of him. Whether he did it himself or they did it, it’s gone.”

Jinwoo paled and breathed out heavily before looking away. “That’s awful. Oh bloody hell I feel sick. That must have hurt so much.” Jinwoo turned back to look at Myungjun with watery eyes. “Do you know what guild?”

“Enhex.” Myungjun answered quietly. “I don’t know who they are but they’re powerful. High up in the dark guild ranks and run by a woman named the Red Reaper. The second they found out Sanha was a member, they untied him and treated him like royalty. Even their King was unnerved. They’re bad news Jinwoo. Sanhas in danger.”

Jinwoo chewed on his bottom lip and Myungjun could see he was thinking it over. “You said Sanhas team came to get him? What were they like?”

“Creepy.” Myungjun shuddered. “There was a girl named Lex, around Sanhas age I would guess, and she looked like a doll. She channelled her air magic through a wooden staff with this raven sitting on the top. It was a real bird. She called him Sanny and ran over to hug him. She seemed really upset when she saw how badly he’d been beaten and promised to kill everyone for him. Sanha just smiled and placated her, telling her that she didn’t need to kill anyone else. The only other thing I know about her is that she’s their team leader. There were also two guys. One was clearly older, Kai, and he treated Sanha like a close friend. They bumped fists and everything. I’ve never seen Sanha do that with anyone before. The other guy was different from the rest. He had something darker about him. I didn’t get to hear his name, but he had silver hair and bright purple eyes. He was smaller than Sanha and slimmer with a pretty face.” Myungjun looked up at Jinwoo before speaking his next words. “I think he’s Sanhas boyfriend.”

Jinwoos mouth dropped open in shock. “Boyfriend? What made you think that?”

“He was all over Sanha. Cuddling up to him, telling him how he cried when Sanha disappeared, how much he missed his cuddles and company and he even called Sanha ‘my love’. But there was something strange about it. Sanha didn’t seem to mind how touchy he was, and he definitely felt something for him in return, but there was a small hint of fear in Sanhas emotions too. It wasn’t anything major, but I still felt it. I don’t even know how old that guy is Jinwoo. It was so hard to tell but what if he’s a lot older than Sanha? What if he’s forcing himself upon him? Dark guilds are full of bad people.” Myungjun felt the first of his petals falling down around them as the panic built in his chest. “Oh no…what if…what if he’s tou-”

“Don’t say it.” Jinwoo interrupted firmly. “Don’t. We can’t think like that. Come here.” Myungjun cuddled back up to him and Jinwoo wiped at the tears on Myungjuns face. “Listen Sunshine. I asked you what his team was like so I could understand just how much danger he was in, but from the sounds of it, Lex and Kai really care about him at least. And if this…boyfriend of his was happy to admit that he cried over him going missing then maybe he cares too. They stormed a massive guild, just the three of them, to get him back. Just like how I stormed the place to get you back. Yes, Sanha is clearly in a dangerous environment, but at least he has friends who look out for him.”

“Are you saying we should just leave him there?”

“Did it look like he wanted to come back to us?” Jinwoo asked quietly. “Answer me truthfully Myungjun. Do you think he’d want that? If it’s a yes, we’ll go and look for this guild right now and bring him home.” Myungjun swallowed down the lump in his throat and shook his head. Jinwoo sighed. “We can’t force him to come back if he doesn’t want to. He’s not a boy anymore. He became a man the second he decided to leave and set out on his own. He’s been making his own decisions so far and he’s still alive because of it. You said this guild, Enhex, was of a higher status…good. Less people will want to get on their bad side then.”

“So we’re giving up on him?” Myungjun asked, pulling away from Jinwoo. “You want us to give up?”

Jinwoo sighed again and leaned back looking tired. “Of course not. We’ll never give up on him. We know the name of the guild now so we can do our research. We can’t force him to come back, but maybe we can convince him. But for now, we know he’s safe enough which gives us the time to plan this all out properly.” Jinwoo suddenly sat up with wide eyes. “Junnie. The request for your assassination. The King told us he got rid of it. Is that true?”

“Sort of. He only got rid of it from the guilds in his alliance. He said other dark guilds may still attempt it, but he also promised to spread the word that I’m not to be harmed.”

Jinwoo frowned. “Why? Why would he help you like that? He wanted to kill you.”

Myungjun hadn’t wanted to get to this part of the conversation. But he also knew he couldn’t avoid it forever. He’d already learnt it wasn’t a good idea to keep secrets from Jinwoo. He didn’t want it to end in another big argument.

“I resurrected someone for them in return.”

Jinwoo didn’t move, didn’t speak, didn’t look away. He just stared and stared and stared. He stared for so long that Myungjun wondered if he had slipped into actual shock.

The second Myungjun moved to check on him, Jinwoo spoke. His voice was frighteningly calm. “You resurrected someone?”

Myungjun nodded, unable to look away. “You found me inside of a magic circle didn’t you? The glass coffin. There was a girl inside. The snake boys twin. I resurrected her so that the guild would let my mother go. They had her Jinwoo.” Myungjun gasped and jumped up from the bed. “My mother! Where is she?”

“She’s fine. Your father saved her.” Jinwoo said, voice still controlled. “Sit down Myungjun.”

Myungjun looked at him. Jinwoo appeared calm on the surface but Myungjun could feel his barely contained fury and panic. He climbed back onto the bed, not wanting to anger him any further and Jinwoo took a deep breath in.

“You resurrected someone.” Myungjun nodded. “You really resurrected someone and shortened your life.” Myungjun nodded again. Jinwoo looked up at the ceiling. Myungjun could feel the heat rolling off of his skin. “Get me my suppressants.” Jinwoo ordered quietly.

“What?”

“Get me my suppressants.” The flames licked over Jinwoos hands and he had his eyes screwed shut trying to fight it. “NOW.”

Myungjun jumped at the volume of Jinwoos voice and he rushed to get them for him. He found the glass bottle full of the white tablets in the drawer of Jinwoos bedside cabinet and pressed it into Jinwoos hand, being mindful of his fire. Jinwoo didn’t open his eyes, he just shook out a handful and swallowed them all dry. 

The flames that had slowly been spreading up Jinwoos arms died down and he breathed out heavily in relief. “Fuck. That was close.”

Myungjun just stood by the bed not knowing what to say. Jinwoo was angry, understandably so, and he knew he couldn’t fix it. Not this time. There was no way to fix this. He’d done the one thing Jinwoo had never wanted him to do. He’d done it despite knowing how Jinwoo would feel.

“Myungjun. I’m upset. I’m going to sleep in another room.” Jinwoo got up off of the bed and grabbed one of his pillows. 

Myungjun wished Jinwoo would shout at him. The calm way he was talking was somehow worse. He sounded disappointed. Myungjun didn’t ever want Jinwoo to be disappointed in him.

Myungjun stepped forwards to stop him. “JinJin wait. Sleep here. I’ll go sleep somewhere else. I’m the one who’s upset you.”

“No.” Jinwoos voice was firm and he looked down at Myungjun with watery eyes. “You had a hard day. Sleep in our bed.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Myungjuns forehead, letting his lips linger for a few seconds before brushing past him and slamming the door on his way out.

Myungjun sat down on the edge of the bed with a trembling lip. The sun was already rising outside. He wouldn’t be able to sleep at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Donghan making a dramatic entrance and calling the purple-haired man a bitch is unnecessarily funny to me.


	223. Mr & Ms Kim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER WARNING:  
> Brief mentions of sexual assault.

With a clenched jaw, Myungjun sat inside of his father’s office waiting for the man himself to arrive. He had sent his father a note twenty minutes ago now, telling him that they needed to talk and that he’d be waiting in his office for him. He didn’t know what his father was doing, so he didn’t know when he’d be back, but he was willing to wait for however long it took.

Luckily, he didn’t have to wait much longer. The door opened behind him and he didn’t bother looking back as his father strode into the room breathing heavily as he closed the door.

“Myungjun. What brings you to my office today?”

Myungjun didn’t answer until his father was seated opposite him behind his desk. Now that Myungjun could see him, it was obvious why he was breathing so heavily. He was in his workout clothes, which Myungjun knew meant he had been out on the training fields. 

When Myungjun finally spoke, his voice was cold, and he made sure to look his father in the eyes. “I’m leaving Dragon Blades.”

Genuine surprise bloomed on the man’s face. “You’re leaving? Why?”

That just made Myungjun even angrier. “What do you mean why? You handed me over to the Gravecrawlers! You didn’t even look sorry about it. I can’t be part of a guild whose leader would willing give up one of their own members, even if it was to save the others from harm. We’re supposed to be a family. I’m supposed to be your SON.”

His father looked contemplative for a second. “I did hand you over. And I’m glad I did.”

Myungjun growled angrily. “Are you insane? Why are you glad? They could have killed me. They could have killed mother!”

“But they didn’t.” His father pointed out. “You’re both alive and my plan was a success.”

Myungjuns face scrunched up in confusion. “Your plan? What plan? What the hell are you talking about?”

The man sighed and leaned forwards to rest his elbows on the desk. “Remember when you came to me to tell me about the bounty on your head? You asked me to find a solution, alongside the twins, and I told you it wouldn’t be easy and that it would take a long time.” Myungjun nodded slowly. His father smiled. “Me and the twins have been discussing ways to get to their King and Donghan came up with an idea. He told me about the necromancer trying to resurrect an important someone in the temple and suggested that we use that to our advantage. He and Gikwang have been taking out all of their necromancers, and in turn, spreading the fact that you are a resurrector yourself in the hopes that they would come for you. I didn’t think it would work, but Donghan assured me it would. He said that you would be irresistible to them but when I asked why, he wouldn’t elaborate. Do you know why he said that?”

Myungjun did know. He was irresistible because of his power that only they knew about. He was able to resurrect without the need for sacrifices. His father couldn’t know that though, so he just shook his head. 

His father hummed thoughtfully before continuing. “Well it doesn’t matter anyway. Donghans plan was put into place and they wiped out all of the necromancers and spread the news of your abilities. I knew it was only a matter of time before they came here to get you. I also knew they’d put up that shield around the guild hall, to block any outside help from coming to our aid, so the second I sensed dark energy entering the city I sent the twins away. They went to the magic counsel, told them of your kidnapping and your tracking rune was activated. They were able to tell us where you were. Jinwoo was adamant on telling Rocky when he eventually woke up and heard of Sanhas return. Rocky terraported to the guild immediately and then we all left with the dragons when the shield was taken down.” 

Myungjun was stunned but he still had so many questions. “So, you knew I got taken to their guild to resurrect someone. Got it. You said it was your plan to meet the King, but you couldn’t have known he would come.” 

His father sighed. “That was a risk I needed to take. I just trusted in Donghans words, that you were irresistible to them, and luckily it paid off. If he didn’t come, then we would have rescued you and thought of a different plan to lure him out.” 

“And what about if they had killed me before you got to me?” 

The corner of his fathers’ lips quirked. “You’re my son. You’re a survivalist. You would have found a way to escape, I’m sure of it. You’re smart and strong and you need to have more faith in your abilities. _I_ had faith that you would be okay, and so did the twins. Also, why would they kill you when they needed your resurrection magic?” 

Myungjun felt his angry fizzle out. “So, you really didn’t hand me over just to keep everyone else safe?” 

“Of course not. Your safety is of the utmost importance to me. It’s why this had to be done in the first place. Your life was in constant danger from the bounty and where there are big threats, there are big decisions to be made, big gambles to take. I made the decision to send you away and gambled with your worth to rid the bounty once and for all. Luckily, you’re very valuable.” 

Myungjun flushed and looked down at the desk. “Well how did you know the King would get rid of my bounty?” 

“The young master, the snake lord, said when they entered our guild that plans had changed for you, so I knew Donghans rumours had paid off. They wouldn’t have come to the guild just to kill you when they know they’d have to get through all of us first.” 

Myungjun breathed out heavily feeling a large weight lift from his shoulders. His father and the twins had had the situation under control all along. 

A second later and Myungjun was frowning. “Hold on. What about mother? Did you know they took her too? She looked terrible and filthy when I saw her there, like she’d been there for days.” 

Anger flashed across his father’s face. “No. I didn’t know. I’m furious that they took her too. They used her as leverage I’m guessing?” 

Myungjun nodded. “Jinwoo told me you saved her. Thank you. I know they said they’d let her go b-” 

“They had no intention of letting her go.” His father said darkly. 

Myungjun froze. “What? What do you mean? They told me they were letting us both go.” 

“They’re a dark guild Myungjun. You can’t take everything they say at their word. They may have seemed chivalrous enough whilst you were there but they’re members of a dark guild for a reason. They were going to let you go, in return for the resurrection, but they were planning on keeping your mother for…other purposes.” His fathers’ fists clenched on top of the table. “I got to her just in time. They were undressing her, and I was forced to kill them.” 

Myungjun gasped feeling horrified and more than a little nauseous. “Are you saying…they were going to…them? More than one?” 

The heat was rolling off of his father as he nodded, and he closed his eyes tight to fight against it. “Three of them went to her when your back was turned. It’s not your fault, so I don’t want you to think that. You couldn’t have known what they were doing. I’m just glad I got to her in time.” 

Myungjun tried to swallow past the lump in his throat. It was difficult. “Thank you. Thank you for saving her. I’m going to go and see her today. To make sure she’s okay. Would you like to come with me?” 

His father opened his eyes when the heat faded, and he smiled. “I’d be happy to accompany you. Although we should probably pick up a few supplies to cheer her up first. I know your mother. She acts tough to keep others from worrying about her but deep down she’s probably shaken by what happened. I know exactly what she’ll need.” 

“Chocolate and wine.” They said together at the same time before looking at each other with expressions of surprise and laughing. 

*

Myungjuns mother opened the door nearly a full minute after Myungjun had knocked. It was coming up to dinnertime and she was already in her pyjamas. Myungjuns heart sunk. That wasn’t a good sign at all. 

She looked surprised to see them both. “Hello. I wasn’t expecting anyone today. I would have gotten dressed if I knew you were coming. Why didn’t you send me a note Junnie?”

Myungjun smiled and held out the wine and the chocolates. “We come bearing gifts. Can we come in?” 

“Of course.” She ushered them inside and told them to take a seat in the living room whilst she got the glasses for the wine. 

His father sat down on the sofa looking uncomfortable and out of place but Myungjun sunk down into his old reading chair with a happy sigh. 

When his mother came back in with the glasses, she opened the bottle of wine, poured them all a glass and handed them out before curling up on the remaining seat on the sofa. 

“You can relax and sit back.” She said. “I won’t bite.” 

His father laughed almost nervously and Myungjun watched as he sat back looking as stiff as a board. It almost made him giggle. 

“So, my gorgeous son and my heroic ex-husband have come here to give me gifts? What’s the catch?” 

“No catch. We just thought you could use a pick me up.” 

Her eyes narrowed. “Did you tell him?” 

His father gave a small nod and sipped at his drink. 

She groaned. “I told you not to tell him! He didn’t need to know. He’ll just worry.” 

“He did. He needed to know so that he could look after you.” 

“I don’t need looking after. I’m the mother. It’s my job to look after him not the other way around.” 

Myungjun felt invisible as they spoke about him like he wasn’t there, but he was just content to watch them. It made him happy to see them sitting together on the same sofa, drinking wine and conversing. It was a sight he’d never seen before and he felt hope ignite in his chest when his father turned around to face her better. 

“Exactly. You’ve looked after him, by yourself, for so long. It’s about time you let him do the same for you in return. You’re a human being before you are a mother and all of us need a little care every once in a while.” 

She sighed irritably and looked down into her glass as she swirled the dark liquid around. “I’m fine. More than fine.” 

“No, you’re not.” He said quietly. “I know what you’re doing. You always do this. Put on a brave face for the sake of those around you. What happened to you was terrible and its ok to be upset about it.” 

Myungjuns heart clenched painfully in his chest when he saw how watery his mothers’ eyes became as she looked down into her glass again. 

“I’m fine.” She repeated. It sounded weak, like even she wasn’t convinced. “I’m fine.” 

His father sighed and took her glass from her when she started to cry. He set both glasses down on the table before opening up his arms in a silent invitation. She only hesitated briefly before leaning into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and looked over at Myungjun, gesturing for him to come over. Myungjun set his own glass down and went to cuddle up to them. 

“It’s okay mother. You can cry. It’s just us.” He reassured her quietly.

* 

Myungjun sent Jinwoo a note telling him he was staying at his mothers for the night and reminded him to feed the dragon and the horses and asked cheekily if Jinwoo could water the plants in the greenhouse for him. 

When he was done, he raced back downstairs to say goodbye to his father and then hid behind the door frame to listen to his parents talk. He could just about hear them as they spoke quietly.

“Thank you for coming. I’m sorry for getting emotional. I know you don’t like it.” 

“Don’t apologise I’m…not like that anymore. Emotions can be a good thing. Our son taught me that.” 

“I’m glad he managed to talk some sense into you.” 

A laugh. “He’s grown into an amazing young man. You’ve done an excellent job raising him.” 

“Wow was that a compliment? From the _Dragon Knight_? I’m honoured.” 

Another laugh. “The Dragon Knight is off duty right now. It was simply a compliment from me I’m afraid.” 

Silence. 

“Thank you for saving me. For stopping them from assaulting me. I tried to fight them, but they were too strong and I’m ashamed to admit I’m not as talented in combat as I used to be anymore. I know I’d be feeling a whole lot worse right now if they’d been able to finish what they started.” 

“You don’t need to thank me. It’s my job to protect you.” 

“You’re no longer my husband.” 

“Correct. But you’re the mother of my child. It felt good to step up and be a proper father for once. A father who can protect his family.” 

“You had to kill people. How are you coping with that?” 

“I’m coping well enough. It felt good to kill them.” 

“You probably shouldn’t say that.” 

“Also correct but I’m saying it regardless. I’ve never liked killing other people, but I felt a strong satisfaction ending their lives after seeing them undress you.” 

“Because I’m the mother of your child?” 

“Because you’re the woman I used to love.” 

More silence. 

“Am I going to be okay?” His mother’s voice wavered. 

“In time you will be…May I come back? May I come and see you again? To check on you of course.” 

“Are you asking to come back alone, or with our son?” 

“Whatever you’re comfortable with.” 

“You saved my life. I’m comfortable with either.” 

“I’m pleased to hear it. So…I’ll see you next Saturday? To check on you.” 

“Sure. To check on me. I’ll make sure to be dressed this time. I’m rather embarrassed to have been caught in my pyjamas at this time of the day.” 

“There’s no need to be embarrassed. You still look beautiful.” 

Myungjun covered his mouth to stop the excited squeal from escaping. Was his father…flirting? 

He heard how flustered his mother was when she finally spoke again. “Another compliment? I fear you’re drunk Mr Kim. Go home.” 

A bright laugh. “I had one glass, and you finished it off for me remember.” 

“Goodbye Mr Kim.” 

Myungjun heard one last chuckle from his father before the door was slammed shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first time Myungjun has ever had a joint hug with both of his parents I am: soft.
> 
> Also, I haven't written anything new for this fic in weeks. Not because I don't know what else to write (because I have a million things left to talk about let's be honest) I just haven't been able to find time and on the days I have nothing to do I've been really demotivated. It also doesn't help that I'm on new medication that made me depressed and sick for a while *sigh* My uploading schedule will be changing soon because of it so when I've worked out what I can handle now, I'll let you all know. Ly<3
> 
> Next chapter is smut btw


	224. Welcome Home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER WARNING:  
> Smut.

Myungjun ended up spending the week with his mother. Looking after her, helping with the housework and being her kitchen assistant when she cooked meals. He was happy to see her slowly going back to her normal cheerful self. 

Myungjun had been distraught upon hearing about the attempted sexual assault on her that had happened a few rooms away from him no less, with him completely unaware. A part of him felt responsible, he shouldn’t have sent her away. But if he hadn’t, then she would have seen his power and he would have been killed by the magic counsel for breeching his contract and he knew his mother would cope a whole lot worse with his death. 

He’d learnt with Bora in therapy that it was toxic to hold onto guilt so instead of keeping his feelings inside, he sat down with his mother and apologised for sending her away. He cried, she cried, she told him he was forgiven and then they cuddled for a long time and Myungjun managed to wake up the next day feeling so much better. 

He was on his sixth day of his weeklong stay when his mother sighed from across the table. “Myungjun go home.” 

“What? Why?” Myungjun asked, looking up at her in surprise. 

“You’ve been moping all day and reading the notes Jinwoo has sent you. You clearly miss him.” 

“Mother I’m fine I can wait-” 

“And I’M fine. But I’ll feel even better if you go home.” 

“Are you saying you don’t want me here?” 

She laughed at his pout. “Exactly. I want you to go home to your fiancé so you can stop being miserable. Now go before I get angry.” 

Myungjun stood up with a huff. “Fine. I’m leaving.” 

He rushed up the stairs to pack his things and when he came back down his mother was waiting for him with his coat. He could only keep a straight face for a few more seconds before he grinned. 

“I’ll come and see you again soon okay?” 

“Come and see me this weekend…just not on Saturday. I have plans.” 

“Oh yes. You have a date with father.” 

Her eyes widened. “How do you…were you eavesdropping on us young man?” Myungjun giggled and nodded. She scowled, a blush rising high on her cheeks. “It’s not a date. He’s just coming to check on me to make sure I’m okay.” 

“Sure.” Myungjun said sarcastically, dodging his mothers’ fist with another giggle. He snatched his coat and quickly put it on before dashing out of the door. “Love you! Remember to dress pretty for your date!” 

“GET BACK HERE KIM MYUNGJUN!”

* 

Myungjun rushed up the porch to the front door and knocked loudly feeling excited. Jinwoo wasn’t expecting him home until the next day and he couldn’t wait to see his face. It was dark outside because of the late hour and the air was chilly. He adjusted his bag on his shoulder before knocking again. Was Jinwoo already asleep? He sighed and bent down to grab the spare key from under the plant pot beside the door, but he needn’t have bothered. 

He heard movement from the other side, the sound of the lock and then the door opened to reveal his fiancé breathing heavily and looking dazed. 

Myungjun stood back up straight feeling concerned. “JinJin are you-” 

Myungjun squealed as Jinwoo yanked him inside, crashing their lips together and groaning into Myungjuns mouth as the door slammed shut behind him. Jinwoos hand felt wet and Myungjun pulled away to look down at it. It was covered in the thick, pearly liquid Jinwoo always used to touch him with because his hands were too rough and Myungjun was quick to put the pieces together. 

Jinwoo being short of breath, the look on his face, the fact it took him a while to open the door. Myungjun looked up at him with wide eyes and blushed. 

“JinJin were you…touching yourself?” He whispered it and Jinwoo nodded not looking ashamed at all. 

He looked completely out of it as he took Myungjuns bag, dumped it aside and picked him up. Jinwoo looked around, eyes unfocused, deciding on where to go, before carrying Myungjun into the living room and laying him down on the sofa. He climbed on top of Myungjun to kiss him again. 

“Is this okay?” Jinwoo asked, voice strained as he moved down to lick and suck at Myungjuns neck. “Tell me I can do this now Myungjun. If you don’t want it, I’ll stop.” 

Myungjun was completely stunned by Jinwoos behaviour but he was more than happy to accept where it would no doubt lead. 

Myungjun wrapped his arms around Jinwoos neck. “I want it. Please don’t stop.” 

Jinwoo groaned loudly and pulled away to yank his top off. He pulled Myungjun up and yanked his top off too before pushing him back down against the sofa and trailing kisses down Myungjuns chest. 

“Is it…is it okay to do this here though?” Myungjun asked, watching as Jinwoo reached the top of his trousers. 

“It’s our sofa.” Was Jinwoos only answer. 

He unbuttoned Myungjuns trousers and took them off, alongside Myungjuns underwear, in one swift motion. He dumped them on the floor and took off his own shorts. Myungjun saw he wasn’t wearing any underwear underneath them, and the thought made him hotter. 

Jinwoo had already used enough of the pearly liquid on himself, so when he grabbed Myungjun in his hand, the slide was easy. Myungjun moaned as Jinwoo stroked him up and down and Myungjun reached out for him. 

“Come back here JinJin.” 

Jinwoo was quick to oblige and he leaned back down to kiss him as his hand picked up speed. Myungjun hadn’t expected this at all and that just made it all the more mind blowing. His skin was on fire and all he could think about was how good Jinwoo felt on top of him. 

He made a noise of unhappiness as Jinwoo stopped stroking him and pulled his hand away. 

“I want to touch us both.” Jinwoo muttered against his lips. Jinwoo pressed their hips together and took them both in his hand, squeezing gently. “Wrap your legs around me Junnie and hold on to me.” 

Myungjun did as he was told and wrapped his legs around Jinwoos waist and clung to his neck wondering why he needed to. 

He didn’t have to wonder for long. 

Jinwoos hips snapped forwards, rocking into him and sending them sliding against one another in Jinwoos hand. Myungjun barely had time to register the feeling before Jinwoo was doing it again. And again. And again. Hips thrusting forwards at a pace that made Myungjuns head spin. Jinwoos movements were fast and unforgiving and Myungjun barely had time to get over one wave of pleasure before the other was crashing into him. 

The dark room was filled with noise. Jinwoos grunts and groans, Myungjuns own noises of pleasure, the obscene slick noises of Jinwoos wet hand and the sharp sound of skin on skin as their thighs met with every thrust of Jinwoos hips. They’d never done this before, and it felt incredible. 

Myungjun tightened his hold around Jinwoos neck to pull him closer and Jinwoo crashed their lips together again. Myungjun slipped his tongue into Jinwoos mouth and gasped as Jinwoo began to suck on it. 

The room felt much too hot and Myungjun was starting to sweat. He tried to move his own hips, using the legs around Jinwoos waist as leverage and they both moaned loudly at the feeling.

Jinwoo tightened the hand he had around them and thrusted impossibly faster as the heat began to pool in Myungjuns stomach. 

He buried his face in Myungjuns neck with a whimper. “I can’t hold off for much longer.” 

“I’m close too JinJin.” Myungjun choked back. 

Jinwoo moved his head up to nip at Myungjuns ear and moved his hand alongside his hips. “Let go for me Junnie.” His voice was strained and deep and pushed Myungjun straight over the edge. 

His release hit hard, and he cried out, clinging to Jinwoo like his life depended on it. Jinwoos hips stuttered as his own release hit him and his deep drawn out moan made Myungjun shudder. It was one of Myungjuns favourite sounds.

Jinwoo pulled his hand out from between them and collapsed on top of him. 

They stayed like that for a while, breathing heavily and coming down from their highs. 

“Welcome home.” Jinwoo muttered into his neck making Myungjun splutter out a laugh. 

“Can you welcome me home like this every time?” 

Myungjun could feel Jinwoo grin into his neck. “Did you like it?” 

“A lot. It felt amazing JinJin.” 

Jinwoo sighed happily “Good. It felt amazing for me too. I’ve always wanted to do that. However…” Jinwoo pulled their bodies apart and sat up. “It doesn’t feel so amazing right now. Bloody hell I feel gross.” 

Myungjun could only agree. He was sticky and sweaty, and his body was aching. 

“Can you walk?’ Jinwoo asked, climbing shakily from the sofa. 

“Maybe in about…one hour?” Myungjun replied weakly. 

Jinwoo chuckled and bent down to scoop him up. “I’ll carry you then handsome. Let’s go and get cleaned up.” 

“How do you still have the strength?” Myungjun asked as he wrapped his arms around Jinwoos neck. “You always have energy afterwards and I don’t understand that at all. I feel like jelly Jinwoo.” 

Jinwoo laughed and pressed a kiss into Myungjuns hair as they reached the bottom of the stairs. “I have to look after you so I can’t be tired.’ Jinwoo wobbled slightly as he ascended them and Myungjun pouted. 

“I feel bad JinJin. I’m always too tired to look after you in return.” 

“Don’t be silly. I love looking after you. It’s my job.” 

“But you’re clearly tired too.” 

Jinwoo carried Myungjun into their room and set him down on the bed. “I’m not that tired.” Jinwoo scoffed. “In fact, I have so much energy left I could go for round two.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and Myungjun shrieked, hiding his burning face behind his hands. 

Jinwoo really was too much to handle sometimes.

*

When they were clean and cuddled up in bed, Myungjun cleared his throat nervously to talk. The last time he had seen Jinwoo, Jinwoo had been angry with him about the resurrection. He needed to know how Jinwoo was feeling now.

“JinJin?”

“Yes sunshine?” Jinwoo pulled him closer to his chest and ran a soothing hand through Myungjuns hair.

Myungjun hummed happily at the feeling, calming slightly. “Are you still angry at me?”

Jinwoo was quiet for a while. The hand didn’t stop moving. “I’m not angry with you anymore.” He admitted quietly which relieved Myungjun greatly. “I understand why you did it. You didn’t know we were coming to get you and you were just trying to save your mother. However, I’m still upset, and I think I’ll always be upset about it. Whether your life was shortened by a day or anywhere up to a year, it’s still shortened. I won’t ever be able to get that time back with you and that’s horrible to think about.” Jinwoos voice cracked at the end. “I just love you so much and I want to spend as much time as I possibly can with you before we both die.”

Myungjuns heart swelled with love for him and he looked up at Jinwoos wet eyes and puckered his lips. Jinwoo smiled before leaning down to press a soft kiss against them.

“We’ll just have to work extra hard to make every moment we spend together even more special then JinJin.”

Jinwoo blinked back the tears in his eyes and hummed thoughtfully. “Hmm. Okay...Round two?”

Myungjun shrieked out a giggle as Jinwoo rolled over on top of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cuties.
> 
> I have a question lovely people.  
> When I write the reveal of Sanhas history/story theres 2 ways I could do it. 
> 
> 1\. Myungjun POV where he and Sanha have a whole conversation about it  
> Pros: We get to see Junnies reactions to everything  
> Cons: Sanha will shorten everything down and we won't see everything in detail or know Sanhas emotions
> 
> 2\. Sanha POV where I write his story out properly i.e what he remembers from when he was a child/what happened when he left the guild.  
> Pros: We get to see everything in detail/know Sanhas emotions throughout it. There will be more than one chapter on it.  
> Cons: We'll only see Junnies overall reaction to it.
> 
> So, which one would you be more interested in? I'm leaning towards writing Sanha POVs honestly.


	225. Relationship Advice.

Myungjun was walking back to the guild after completing a local job in the city when he heard the fluttering of parchment and looked up to see a note falling down above him. He could guess which air user it had come from straight away; it was Greys weekend off after all, but the slim possibility that it could be from Sanha instead made him snatch it out of the air with shaking hands.

**Junebug, meet me at Hakyeons teashop ASAP. I’ll wait for you here**

Myungjun sighed, feeling slightly disappointed that it hadn’t been from his little brother after all, but he hurried off in the direction of the teashop feeling happy that he was seeing Grey again. And this time, there was no Donghan to steal his friend’s attention.

Luckily, he wasn’t too far away, and he was soon pushing open the door and hearing the bell tinkle above him. He waved to Hakyeon behind the counter before looking around the busy tables to find the one Grey was seated at. He spotted him sitting by one of the windows, leg jiggling up and down and fingers drumming against the tabletop. Grey looked antsy and that instantly made Myungjun worry.

He rushed over and slipped into the chair opposite him. “Grey?”

Grey turned away from the window to look at him and relaxed with a smile. “Hey. You got here fast.”

“I was nearby. What’s wrong? Your note seemed urgent.”

Grey quickly nodded, expression suddenly serious as he leaned across the table. He stared directly into Myungjuns eyes. “I need your help. I need your help in getting Donghan to fall in love with me.”

Myungjun looked at him for a few seconds as he processed his words. Then he slumped back in his chair with an irritated whine. “Bloody hell I thought you were in trouble! I thought something was wrong!”

“Something _is_ wrong.” Grey whined back. “I can’t stop thinking about him. This hasn’t happened to me before. Usually it’s just a one-off fling and I never get attached but Donghan is different. I meant what I said Junebug. I think I’m in love with him.”

Myungjun could see how distressed Grey was and he sighed, pushing his irritation aside in favour of being some help. “You can’t stop thinking about him? In what way?”

“I can’t stop thinking about the sex we had.” Grey said it too loud and the people at the nearest table turned to look with wide eyes.

Myungjun quickly apologised to them before telling Grey to lower his voice feeling embarrassed. Grey just huffed.

“You don’t understand Junebug. I’ve slept with a lot of people, but no-one has ever come close to making me feel the way Donghan makes me feel. Not only is he the most attractive man I’ve ever laid eyes on, but he treated me _exactly_ how I wanted to be treated in bed. Fuck it was so hot. He’s so strong and rough and you would not _believe_ how big his dick is Junebug. Its massive. A monster.” Myungjun squealed and hid his burning face in his hands. Grey didn’t seem to notice and just kept talking. “…gest dick I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s like the size of my forearm. How he fit that up my-”

“Stop it!” Myungjun shrieked, lunging across the table to cover Greys mouth. “I don’t want to hear about the size of his…thing.”

Grey looked surprised for a second before pulling away from Myungjuns hand and spluttering out a laugh, “ _Thing_? Just say dick. It won’t kill you.”

“I’m not saying that word.” Myungjun flushed. “And I really don’t want to have that image in my mind. I’ll never be able to look at Donghan the same way again now.”

“As long as you don’t start lusting after him it’s all good. He’s mine.” Grey winked and Myungjun grimaced. “But anyway, I can’t stop thinking about him and I need you to help me. He’s ruined my sex life Junebug. I’ve tried sleeping with other people but it’s not the same anymore. It’s never as good. My expectations are too high now. There’s no one on Aredrinnor like him and I want him desperately.”

“There is.” Myungjun replied absentmindedly, still trying to cool down the heat in his cheeks. “He literally has a twin remember.”

Grey froze and then his eyes widened. “A twin? Oh fuck of course he has a twin! How did I forget that?” Grey whined loudly and let his head fall down against the table with a thud. Myungjun felt mildly concerned at the sound but before he could ask if he was okay Grey quickly looked back up with desperation in his eyes. “Tell me about him. His twin.”

Myungjun hummed thoughtfully as he tried to assemble his thoughts. “His names Gikwang. They’re identical twins, same height, but Gikwang is blonde and slim and wears glasses. He looks soft and wears a lot of fluffy sweaters but he’s even more brutal then Donghan. Like, literally evil. Which you wouldn’t expect at all. Donghans broader and more muscular but Gikwangs skill with a bow is insane.” Grey had been hanging on to his every word and when Myungjun finished he could see a worrying look in Greys eyes. “Grey no. You can’t try and have sex with him too. He’s not like Donghan. He’ll literally kill you.”

Grey completely ignored his warning and sighed dreamily. “There’s two of them. This is a literal dream. And he wears glasses? What does he look like in them? Hot teacher? Sexy secretary?”

Myungjun rolled his eyes. “Are you even listening to me?”

“Do you think I could convince the twins to have a threesome? Oh fuck I’d _die_ to get them both into bed.”

“Get them both into-”

“Please tell me he’s gay as well.” Grey interrupted, eyes finally focusing on Myungjun again. He reached across the table and grabbed Myungjuns hand tight. “Is he?”

Myungjun sighed and shrugged. “I don’t know. But you need to listen to me. I understand that you’re attracted to Donghan, and maybe in love with him too, but the twins are…damaged. Gikwang especially. I know things about them that no-one else does and I can promise you it’s not a good idea to like either of them right now. I saw what Donghan did to you that night. You looked terrible Grey. You were bruised and shaky and crying and your lip was bleeding. Like actual blood. Donghan is dangerous and he’s already hurt you. Why would you want that again?”

“You’re right, he did hurt me, and I know I must have looked messed up afterwards, but I WANTED that Junebug. I wanted him to be rough with me. The pain heightens the pleasure for me. I knew he wouldn’t be gentle with me to begin with and I purposefully wound him up that day so he’d be even rougher.”

“Pain heightens pleasure?”

Grey nodded. “That’s not necessarily true for everyone but it is for me. Which is why you don’t need to worry about me. I can handle the twins.”

“No.” Myungjun said firmly, squeezing Greys hand tight. “You can handle Donghan. Not Gikwang. I’m being serious Grey you need to stay away from him. Please.”

Grey stared at him for a few seconds before rolling his eyes and sighing. “Fine. I know you wouldn’t protest this hard if there wasn’t a good reason behind it. I’ll stay away from his brother. But you still need to help me with Donghan. You’re his best friend, you know him better than anyone.”

“I wouldn’t say we’re best friends.” Myungjun mumbled, looking down at their entwined hands. “It’s more like I’m his only friend.”

“Same thing. Tell me everything about him Junebug. What he’s like, what he likes, his favourite food, what he does in his spare time. _Everything_. Don’t leave anything out.”

*

Myungjun finished the rest of his tea and pushed the cup away with a content sigh. Grey had left a while ago after bombarding Myungjun with questions and Myungjun had stayed behind after realising he hadn’t actually ordered anything. He didn’t want to be rude to Hakyeon and use his teashop for his meetings without spending any coin.

The man himself suddenly appeared and sat down in Greys vacated seat. “Mr Kim can I speak to you for a second?”

Myungjun nodded, surprised, and sat up straight. Hakyeon had never approached him like this before. “Are you okay?”

“Not really. I’m worried about Leo.” He quickly back tracked. “I mean the King. He hasn’t come here for a while. He usually came once a week and sat at the same table in the corner and ordered the same tea and cake. It was a routine but suddenly he stopped. Do you know if he’s okay? Has something happened to him?”

Myungjun didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t heard from Leo for a while either, not since he declared he was going to find a Queen. But he could clearly see and feel how worried Hakyeon was, so he decided to just tell him the truth.

“Leo decided not to come back here anymore.”

“What? Why?” Hurt flashed in Hakyeons eyes. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No. Definitely not.” Myungjun rushed to reassure him. He saw Hakyeon relax slightly. “Leo is just…inexperienced when it comes to relationships, friendly or otherwise. He spent his whole life locked up in the castle and the only two places he was allowed to visit were the Academy and the Crucible. He doesn’t have a lot of friends because of it and he doesn’t know how to make friends either. I know he wants to be your friend, he wouldn’t have come here as often otherwise, but he’s also trying to be a good King. He just wants to be loved. He wants to be loved by the people of Aredrinnor and he thinks he needs to find a Queen to fulfil his duties to the people.”

Hakyeon swallowed loudly. “A Queen? Does he really want that?”

“I’m sure you already know the answer to that question.” Myungjun answered quietly. “Honestly, I haven’t seen Leo since the last time we came here either. And when I left him, he wasn’t acting like himself. I’m worried about him too. I’m worried he’s about to make a terrible mistake, but I can’t stop him.” Myungjun was suddenly hit with an idea and he looked up at Hakyeon with wide eyes. “I can’t stop him but maybe you can! You like him, don’t you?”

Hakyeon blushed and quickly looked away. “That’s…maybe. But what can I do?”

“Tell him you like him. If he hears it from you it may change his mind. Like I said, he’s inexperienced, he can’t see the signs that you like him too. He probably thinks its one-sided which is making it easier for him to avoid you.”

Hakyeon looked back at Myungjun. “One-sided? He likes me? Did he tell you that?”

Myungjun chewed on his lip nervously. Was it even okay for him to be the one to tell Hakyeon? Shouldn’t Leo be doing this himself? Would Leo be mad at him if he said anything? He pushed all those thoughts away. If he didn’t say anything then Leo was going to get married to a woman he would never properly love. It would be a mistake. Leo would just be trapped again, but in a marriage instead of the castle. He couldn’t see him go through that.

“He didn’t say it outright, but he hinted at it.” When Hakyeon deflated a little Myungjun quickly blurted the rest out. “But he kept all of your cake boxes. The ones you wrote messages in. He kept them all in a box under his bed and I know he looked at them often.”

“Really?” Hakyeon asked, with hope in his eyes and a smile tugging at his lips. “He really kept them?”

Myungjun nodded before he remembered what Leo had done to them. Then he just felt sad. “But he doesn’t have them anymore.” Myungjun sighed. “He burnt them all in his fireplace when he decided he needed to find a Queen. I bet he regrets it.”

“Then I’ll just have to give him a new one.” Hakyeon said with a newfound determination in his voice. He sat up straight and smiled. “The throne room will be open to the public in a months’ time, and I intend to go there myself.”

Myungjun gasped excitedly. “You should! You should take him a cake and write on the box that you like him!”

Hakyeon grinned and stood up from the table. “I will do exactly that. Thank you for speaking with me today Mr Kim. You’ve been a great help.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grey is so fxcking thirsty I love it.  
> Hakyeon is so cute missing Leo I love it.
> 
> Yesterday everyone answered my question saying they wanted a Sanha POV for his history and that's what I've decided to do uwu  
> I won't be writing it for a while but it will happen at some point. Thank you for being patient with me >.<


	226. A Heart Unable To Heal.

VOREDAN CRUCIBLE- FEBRUARY COMPETITION

COMPETITION NAME: MONSTER BRAWL  
COMPETITION DATE: SATURDAY 21st FEBRUARY   
LOCATION: THE CRUCIBLE, VOREDANS FIGHTING DISTRICT

PARTICIPANT INFORMATION:   
MAGICAL AND NON-MAGICAL PARTICIPANTS WELCOME. GUILD PARTICIPATION WELCOME. UP TO 10 PER TEAM. WEAPONS ALLOWED. MAGIC ALLOWED. TEAM HEALERS ALLOWED.  
COMPETITION DETAILS:  
PARTICIPANTS WILL ENTER THE CRUCIBLE IN THEIR TEAMS AND FIGHT AGAINST MONSTERS RELEASED IN WAVES. PARTICIPANTS GAIN 1 POINT FOR EVERY MONSTER KILLED AND 5 POINTS FOR EVERY TEN WAVES CLEARED. THE TEAM WITH THE MOST POINTS AT THE END OF THE COMPETITON WINS THE GRAND PRIZE AND THE SPECIAL EVENT TITLE-MONSTER BRAWLER.  
THE COMPETITON WILL RUN OVER THE COURSE OF A WEEK (EXTRA DAYS MAY BE ADDED DEPENDENT ON THE NUMBER OF TEAMS PARTICIPATING)  
THE DEADLINE TO SIGN UP FOR THE COMPETITION IS WEDNESDAY 18TH FEBRUARY.

REWARDS:  
FIRST PLACE- THE GRAND PRIZE + ‘MONSTER BRAWLER’ TITLE + 25,000,000 COINS  
SECOND PLACE- RUNNERS UP PRIZE + 5,000,000 COINS  
THIRD PLACE- RUNNERS UP PRIZE + 1,000,000 COINS  
FOURTH TO TENTH PLACE- 500,000 COINS  
ELEVENTH TO TWENTIETH PLACE- 100,000 COINS

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:  
LIVE AUDIENCE.   
LIVE COMMENTARY.   
REVIVAL UPON DEATH (HEALERS AVAILABLE).

Myungjun read over the competition notice, wondering whether he should be feeling excited or apprehensive. The excitement would stem from the fact he’d be fighting with his friends again, against wave after wave of monsters which he had found fun last time. But the apprehension came with the fact he’d be watching said friends die and be taunted by their dead bodies again afterwards. A sight that had made him snap before.

He was sitting opposite Rocky in one of the coffee shops in the shopping district and had picked up the notice when walking inside. He held it out now.

“Here. Have a look at this. It’s that time of the year again. Will you stay in Voredan until the competition? We could really use your help.” Myungjun asked as Rocky took it from him.

Rocky was quiet for a while as he read it over and Myungjun could see he was struggling to answer. Rocky had left in the first place to get away from everything to do with Sanha, so he didn’t have to be reminded of him, so he could get over him.

But the second Jinwoo had told him they had found Sanha, Rocky had come rushing back. His feelings were clear. He was still in love with Sanha whether he liked it or not. Now that Sanha had slipped through his fingers again, he must be struggling even more. Myungjun couldn’t imagine him wanting to stay at the guild until the competition but he wanted to try and convince him anyway. He hadn’t seen Rocky for two and a half months. 

Rocky already looked so different. He’d grown his hair out and he’d bulked up a lot, especially in his arms and chest. He smelled more like metal now too and that wasn’t just because of the giant metal golem standing silently behind him. 

Rockys new companion was the complete opposite of Rocky Jr. Rocky Jr had been bubbly and lively and cute and made lots of noise. Whereas, Rockys metal golem was quiet and only moved when Rocky moved. He was bigger than Rocky Jr too. A lot bigger, standing taller than even Rocky himself and dark in colouring. The golem was almost frightening and Myungjun wondered what that said about how much Rocky had changed. 

Rocky looked over the notice one more time and sighed. He looked up at Myungjun and offered him a small smile. “I’ll do it. I need the coin anyway.” 

_That was…easier than expected._

Myungjun grinned right back. “You can stay with me and JinJin if you want. We haven’t had a chance to have guests over and the guest bedrooms are going to waste.” 

“Thanks Hyung. I’ll come and stay.” 

Myungjun squealed excitedly and clapped his hands. “Then its settled. Why do you need the coin anyway?” 

“I need to order in some new materials.” 

“New materials?” 

“The fortune teller at the circus told me I should focus on my weaponsmithing because I’ll make lots of money that I’ll need in the future. So, I’ve been working at a blacksmith in Zepheholde, learning the trade, perfecting my craftsmanship skills, and I feel like I’m ready now to craft my own weapons to sell on the side. I spoke to my boss and she said I could do that as long as I used my own materials.” 

That explained the metallic scent lingering around him and the way he had suddenly bulked up. 

“How long are you going to be doing that for? How long will it take for you to earn a lot of money?” Myungjun asked curiously. He wanted to know when Rocky would be coming back to the guild. They all missed him terribly. 

Rocky looked down at the table and traced the wood with his fingers. “A long time probably. I’m thinking about opening up my own blacksmiths eventually.” 

Myungjuns stomach sank. “Does this mean…” 

Rocky looked up at him and nodded. “If my plan works out then I’m leaving the guild. I’m sorry Hyung but I…I just can’t be here anymore. I thought I was healing, getting over him, moving on. But apparently not. I came running here like an idiot when I thought he was coming home.” Rocky laughed quietly. It sounded sad. “The day you got taken by the dark guild, I had a date. I was supposed to be meeting someone for drinks. I thought maybe that would help me too. Seeing someone else I mean. But then I received Jinwoos note and I thought it was fates way of telling me not to do it. Not to meet anyone else. I cancelled the date straight away and didn’t even feel bad about it. But now I feel bad. Now I regret it. I shouldn’t have gone running after Sanha because now I’ve messed up what could have been a good relationship. Running after Sanha has done nothing but make me more miserable.” 

Myungjuns heart went out to him. He’d been upset enough to have Sanha leave with the dark guild, but at least he’d been able to see him. Rocky hadn’t even been able to do that. 

“I’m sorry you had to cancel your date. Can’t you just get back into contact with them? Try and reschedule?” 

Rocky sighed and shook his head. “He’d been trying for a long time to get me on a date. But I never felt ready. Then I got his hopes up by saying yes but cancelled at the last minute. He’s annoyed at me.” 

“But if he’d been trying for a long time that means he must like you and he’d probably say yes if you asked him instead.” Myungjun pointed out, trying to be helpful. 

“Maybe…” Rocky didn’t sound too convinced. He suddenly looked up at Myungjun with a frown. “Why are you suddenly in favour of me seeing other people? I thought you’d protest. You were the one who said my love for Sanha was special and should be cherished. What happened to that mindset?” Myungjun froze. He didn’t want to tell Rocky. He REALLY didn’t want to tell Rocky. Rocky just looked more suspicious at his hesitation. “What is it Hyung?” 

Myungjun swallowed trying to think fast. Should he tell him? He didn’t know for sure himself if it was true. But maybe it would help Rocky to move on. Myungjun breathed out heavily and decided to start from the beginning. If he was going to tell Rocky, then he needed to tell him everything. 

“Hyung you’re worrying me now.” 

“Sorry.” Myungjun muttered. “I’m just nervous.” 

Rockys frown deepened. “Nervous? Why are you nervous? You don’t need to be nervous.” 

“You won’t like anything I’m about to tell you.” 

“Okay…try me.” 

“I will but I need you to stay quiet and just listen. I need to tell you everything before you make your own conclusions.” 

Rocky nodded slowly. “I’m listening.” He mimed sealing his lips and Myungjun smiled weakly. 

“Sanha joined a dark guild.” Rocky opened his mouth to speak but Myungjun stopped him. “Just listen. Ask questions at the end.” Rocky looked reluctant but nodded again. Myungjun continued. “He joined a dark guild, a powerful dark guild called Enhex. They’re high up in the ranks, treated like royalty by the lesser guilds. I don’t know how high up, but they’re clearly respected a lot. When I first arrived at the Gravecrawlers guild, Sanha was tied up and beaten badly. I was allowed to ungag him, and he sounded so _angry_ at me. He didn’t call me Hyung and he wouldn’t let me touch him. He looked thinner, and there was a darkness in his eyes and his aura that hadn’t been there before. I was told he was taken off a ship at Zepheholde which he was boarding with his new team.” Rockys eyes widened at the mention of his hometown, no doubt stunned that Sanha had been so close to him at one point without him knowing. “I didn’t believe it at first because he had all of these old bruises and scars. I thought they’d kidnapped him long before, but he told me that he’d gotten them elsewhere. He was adamant that he wasn’t going to leave until they let me go, saying that it was a trap and that he knew how dark guilds worked. One of our captors asked him how he knew anything about dark guilds and that’s when he revealed he was from Enhex. I was stunned. Sanha left us as an innocent boy but something has changed him. He’s not the same as he was before…But then something happened that gave me a little bit of hope.”

“What? What was it?” Rocky asked, no longer able to keep himself quiet. Myungjun was surprised he’d lasted that long to begin with. 

“As you already know, they took my mother too. When she was brought into the room, me and Sanha both called out to her. We both called her mother. It made me think in that moment that there was still something left behind of his old self. But then when my mother tried to approach him, he shut her out, calling her Ms Kim, telling her she wasn’t his mother and that she was just a replacement.” 

Rocky looked shocked. “Did he really say that?” Myungjun nodded sadly. “That’s not like him at all.” Rocky added.

“I know.” Myungjun sighed. “He said something strange afterwards as well. He said his parents turned him into a freak and then got themselves killed on Leos orders.” 

Rockys eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Turned him into a freak? What’s that supposed to mean? And why would Leo send anyone to assassinate them?” 

“I don’t know. It doesn’t make any sense. I’m going to have to ask Leo when I next see him but even then, I don’t know when that will be. Leos having a hard time too.” Myungjun groaned. The more he thought about it, the more he realised that everything was going wrong lately. He sat up straight, determined to finish this conversation at least. He still had the worst part to tell Rocky, so he braced himself and made sure there were napkins nearby in case Rocky needed them. “Anyway, Sanhas team came to save him. A girl around his age, she was their leader, and two guys. I don’t know whether that’s his full team or just part of it, but they were so strong they tore through the guild in less than a minute, killing fifteen people in the process. I was shocked. They were so strong and clearly merciless, but they really seemed to care about him.” Myungjun swallowed and got ready to break his friends’ heart.

_He needs it. He needs it to be able to heal._

“Rocky…I think one of the guys on Sanhas team is his boyfriend.” 

Rocky blinked a few times, processing the information. “His boyfriend? Sanha has a boyfriend?” 

“I think so.” 

“Why? What made you think so?” Rocky was eerily expressionless, voice steady. 

“Rocky I don’t think-” 

“Tell me. Tell me everything. I need to know. I need…I need to hear it.” 

A big part of Myungjun was regretting this now. Why did he have to open his big mouth? He blamed it on lying so much to Jinwoo. It made him want to blurt out the truth wherever else possible to make him feel like he was still a good person. 

“Well…he cuddled up to Sanha, telling him he cried when he was kidnapped and that he missed his cuddles and company and he called him…” Rocky gestured for him to continue when Myungjun paused. “’My love.’” Myungjun finished weakly. 

Rocky breathed out heavily and cracked his knuckles on the tabletop. His voice was still steady when he spoke again. “This guy, what was he like? What did he look like?” 

“Silver hair, purple eyes, pretty, slim.” Myungjun was utterly perplexed to see the smile tugging at Rockys lips. “What’s so funny?” 

“He’s not Sanhas type.” 

Myungjun frowned. “What?” 

“He’s not Sanhas type.” Rocky repeated, smiling fully. “Think about it Hyung. Who’s the only person Sanha has had a crush on?” 

Myungjun thought back and his eyes widened. “Wonho.” 

Rocky nodded. “Exactly. This ‘boyfriend’ doesn’t sound like Sanhas type at all. Did they say they were boyfriends? Did you get a read on their emotions when they were together?” 

“They didn’t specifically say they were together, but their actions indicated that they were. I did get a read on Sanhas emotions. Not the other guys. Sanha definitely felt something towards him, affection maybe, but there was also a hint of fear, only slight, nothing major.”

Rocky hummed thoughtfully as he sat back in his chair. “Well even if they are boyfriends, it won’t last. He’s not Sanhas type and maybe the fear Sanha felt is because he knows they won’t last, and he’s worried about what that will mean for his team.” 

Myungjun wished he could believe Rocky, but something was telling him that Rocky was wrong. Rocky just seemed to be trying to convince himself more than anything else. 

Myungjun just sighed. “Maybe. Anyway, do you have any more questions, or can we go home now?” 

“One more. What happened to Sanhas guild mark? He couldn’t have joined another guild if he still had it.” 

“It’s been carved off of him.” Myungjun revealed quietly. 

Rocky paled. “I wish I’d never asked.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rocky clutching at straws to make himself feel better just makes me sad. I don't know if Sanha can really have a 'type' after crushing on one person but whatever makes him feel better I guess...
> 
> Monster brawl next chap though, and the team line up may surprise you oof.
> 
> Also...SANHA WITH MINI BUNCHES IN HIS HAIR (The pic he posted on twitter) I'M SCREAMING HES SO CUTE TT TT TT  
> I thought they were buns at first and I was going to scream even louder. Now I want the Sanha in my fic to have a sleepover with Junnie where he lets him style his hair all cute >.< Babies


	227. The Monster Brawl-Part 1.

**Competition Participation: The Monster Brawl**

**Name: Kim Myungjun**

**Age: 19**

**Guild: Dragon Blades**

**Rank: A**

**Magic Type: Plant**

**Other Magic: Light, Shifter, Resurrection**

**Categorization: Anomaly**

**Companions: Flower (Camellia), Tree entity, Monstertrap**

**Weapons: Bow, Daggers**

**Team Members: Park Jinwoo, Lee Dongmin, Moon Bin, Park Minhyuk, Kwon Soonyoung, Choi Youngjae, Lee Wonho, Donghan, Grey**

*

Myungjun was sitting in one of the restaurants inside the crucible, waiting for the dinner they ordered to be brought to their table. They’d ordered a lot of meat, courtesy of Donghan, and Myungjun could hardly wait to fill his stomach. He’d need the energy for their match at the brawl. They were the last team to fight, probably because it was predicted that they would be fighting for a while. They had Donghan after all.

Donghan always fought alone with his brother, but Gikwang had been struggling particularly hard with his curse over the last couple of days and Donghan had forced him to sit this one out. Gikwang wasn’t very happy.

However, Myungjun was happy. More than happy. He was ecstatic. Their team was strong, and they had a good chance of winning first place. Maybe they’d even set a new record for the most monsters killed.

Bright laughter cut through Myungjuns thoughts and he looked across the table to see Grey laughing at something Wonho had said. Myungjun still couldn’t believe that they’d once dated, and he still couldn’t imagine it, no matter how hard he tried. But it was easier to understand why they hadn’t worked out as a couple after what Myungjun had learnt about Grey. Grey liked to be roughly treated but Wonho, despite his muscular physique, was a total sweetheart. A terribly flirty sweetheart.

“I think you’ve grown more handsome since I last saw you. Wanna come back to my place tonight? For old times’ sake.” Wonho asked Grey with a wink.

Grey laughed again and hit him lightly. 

Donghan put his glass down on the table with a little more force then necessary beside Myungjun.

“Can you two stop flirting? You’re going to put me off my fucking food.” Donghan growled.

Myungjun wanted to point out that the food hadn’t even been served yet, but he realised that that would probably just make Donghan even angrier. Donghan had been in a foul mood all day, ever since they’d arrived at the guild to travel to the crucible together. Myungjun had asked what was wrong but Donghan had just brushed him off. It was upsetting for Myungjun to see Donghan this way.

“Don’t be jealous Donghan.” Grey replied teasingly with a smirk as he turned away from Wonho to look at him. “You’re still my favourite.”

Donghan scoffed in disbelief. “Your favourite? You can stick that up your ass.”

“I know what else I’d like to stick up my-”

“Okay that’s enough.” Jinwoo cut Grey off sharply. “Can you at least _try_ to avoid being so vulgar in front of my fiancé?”

Grey just blew a kiss in Jinwoos direction before going back to his conversation with Wonho. They were being particularly touchy with each other today. Grey kept trailing his fingers over Wonhos exposed bicep and leaning in to whisper things into his ear that had Wonho grinning. Wonho would whisper things back and his hand had made a permanent home on Greys thigh.

Myungjun was terribly confused at their displays of affection. Grey had claimed to love Donghan, yet he was flirting shamelessly right in front of him, with his ex no less. It made no sense to Myungjun at all. He loved Jinwoo and he could never imagine himself flirting with anyone else in front of him. It was too awful to think about.

Wonho leaned over again and nipped at Greys ear. Grey shrieked out a laugh but fell silent as Donghan stood up from the table, his chair scraping back noisily. Donghan excused himself, saying he needed the toilet and Myungjun watched as he walked away, shoulders tensed.

“You’re playing a dangerous game Hyung.” Youngjae spoke up, looking at Grey.

Grey just gave him a devilish smile in return. “My favourite type of game. I like danger. The prize is always worth it in the end.”

“And what if you lose and have to deal with the consequences instead?”

“The consequences can be just as fun.”

Youngjae sighed and shook his head. “You’re crazy.”

Myungjun looked between them completely lost. He didn’t have time to ask any questions though. The food was finally brought out and Myungjuns attention was diverted immediately as the yummy smell filled his nostrils.

_Time to eat._

*

The crowd roared as they walked out into the arena. The atmosphere was even more charged than it had been the last time Myungjun had fought in the brawl. He knew it probably had something to do with the fact Donghan was fighting with them.

**“Ladies and gentleman, for our final match of the day, lets welcome The Dragons!”**

The commentators loud voice boomed around the arena and Myungjun stood tall and proud amongst his friends as they bathed in the crowds resulting response. The commentary was coming from the same man as before it seemed and Myungjun sighed internally. He hoped this time around the focus wouldn’t be solely on him again. But if it was, Myungjun vowed not to let it annoy him this time. He had to concentrate if they wanted to do well and win first place.

The prize for first place the last time Myungjun had fought in the brawl was the bow the twins had won, which Myungjun was wielding now after being gifted it by Donghan. He adored it. Donghan had gone to the trouble of personalizing it for him, with the protective runes he painted red against the sleek blackwood, and the carving on the inside, of Myungjuns anomaly guild mark. He still loved looking at it and the ‘LD’ carved into the dragon’s chest always made him smile.

The prize for first place this year wasn’t a weapon. It was armour. A chest plate made from a dark metal and studded with white crystals. Myungjun had never thought about purchasing armour before, but he could see why it would be useful. It would be nice to be able to take a hit in the chest without potentially dying from it.

**“It seems the most interesting team was saved until last. The majority of the members came from the team self-dubbed ‘Baby Dragons’ that competed in the brawl a few years ago, ending in twentieth place. An impressive feat considering they were only rookies and the majority of them fresh out of the academy. They’ve teamed up with a new member, the newest addition to Dragon Blades and a promising fire user, and also one of King Leopold’s very own Kingsguard.”**

Soonyoung and Grey gave sweeping bows and grinned at the response they received. Myungjun could see they liked the attention.

**“However, most exciting of all, they have also been joined by Donghan. One of the legendary twin dragons!”**

Donghan, like the last time Myungjun had seen him compete here, didn’t look at all interested. He’d plunged his greatsword into the ground and was leaning against it, picking at his nails. He completely ignored the cheers he received.

**“We cannot start the match without mentioning the other notable figure amongst them. The Dragon Knights son. He hard carried his team through the brawl last time and singlehandedly killed a dragon! His crazy, adrenaline fuelled rush of power was felt by all and many of us had to question whether he was secretly at S Rank already, despite only leaving the academy the previous year.”**

Myungjun kept his face expressionless and ignored all of the looks his friends were giving him. They’d all died before Myungjun had killed the dragon, so they weren’t fully aware of what had happened. Myungjun didn’t feel like enlightening them either. It would just give rise to too many questions he knew he couldn’t answer.

**“I can feel everyone’s excitement and I know we’re all desperate to see what this team can achieve this time around with more experience in the real world under their belts. Maybe we’ll even see a new record being set. Let’s get started shall we?”**

Myungjun pulled his bow off of his back and heard everyone else unsheathing their weapons around him as the giant portcullis gates cranked and clinked open around them. Only four of the gates were opening and Myungjun could see the bright, yellow glowing eyes in the darkness beyond.

“Wolves.” Donghan sighed. “Don’t let them pin you down. Two people to each gate. Our two archers take as many down as you can before they reach us.”

Myungjun and Grey both nodded, accepting their commands and nocking their arrows.

“I’ll take this side Grey. You take that side.” Myungjun pointed them out before turning away and waiting for the portcullises to finish rising. 

He got into position, holding his bow steady and took a calming breath in. The first contact with any enemy was always the most nerve-wracking. But he knew they could do this. Like the commentator had said, they were more experienced now. They’d gotten used to risking their lives out on requests, trained hard every day to improve their magical and physical power and skills, and were better equipped because of it. Myungjun was confident that they would do better than the last time at least.

The portcullises clanged loudly and stopped rising. 

Then the wolves broke free.

Myungjun could see the glint of their sharp teeth even from a distance as they snapped their way hungrily. The wolves tore across the arena as Myungjun let arrow after arrow loose, each of them hitting their mark.

**“Very interesting. The Dragon Knights son is using the bow the twin dragons won at the brawl they all participated in previously. A gift perhaps? Between friends? Or something more…”**

Myungjun rolled his eyes. Was this man really trying to start a scandal in the middle of the competition? He didn’t want to see Jinwoos OR Donghans face right now. It was likely that they were even more annoyed then he was himself at the man’s words. Jinwoo especially.

“Archers fall back.” Donghan commanded sharply as the wolves started to close the distance. “Let the rest of us take over. Move out behind us and collect your arrows.”

Myungjun was almost tempted to roll his eyes again. They’d appointed Donghan as their leader and Myungjun could already see that Donghan liked to have complete control over their actions. The leader inside of him wanted to snap back at Donghan, telling him that he already knew what to do and that he didn’t need to be told, but he held his tongue. And when Jinwoo rushed past Myungjun to clash with the nearest wolf, Myungjun could see the tenseness in Jinwoos jaw as he held back the leader inside of him too.

This was going to be a long competition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grey is up to something again...poor Donghan xd


	228. The Monster Brawl-Part 2.

The waves kept coming and Myungjun kept looking up at the scoreboard to see where they were ranking. They moved quickly to first place for the days attempts at the brawl, but they were still a long way off from first place overall for the whole competition. Myungjun wasn’t too worried. They cleared waves and bosses easily enough and there were very few injuries. Myungjun had only handed out a couple of energy revive herbs too. He had plenty left so he knew they’d be fighting well into the night.

The portcullises opened again and Myungjun whined unhappily at the sound of rushing water. They’d been lucky enough not to fight any aquatic monsters so far but apparently that lucky streak had run out.

Donghan summoned his metal golem and called for Rocky. “Everyone come here. Our golems will keep us together. Hold on.”

The water flooded towards them in gigantic crashing waves from all sides and Myungjun ran over to cling onto the arm of Rockys metal golem, holding on tight.

“I CAN’T SWIM!” Soonyoung suddenly shouted, voice full of panic.

Myungjun turned to look at him with wide eyes. He couldn’t swim? 

Grey raced towards Soonyoung as the water got closer and grabbed the younger boy around the middle before rocketing up into the air just in time. The water skimmed their shoes on the way past.

Myungjun breathed out in relief, closed his eyes and braced himself for the inevitable impact. 

The water hit Myungjuns front first, hard, knocking the air out of Myungjuns lungs and sending him backwards. He lost his grip on the golem and flailed desperately to grab something, anything that would keep him from being swept away. Multiple hands reached out for him, but he couldn’t get a good enough hold in time and felt his feet leave the floor. 

The water crashed into him from every direction and took him far away from the others. He could see the worry on their faces but there wasn’t much anyone could do until the water calmed down. Myungjun just looked around frantically for any enemies lurking in the water. He soon gave up. He couldn’t see much at all.

His lungs were starting to burn from the lack of oxygen when the water finally levelled out and begun to rise up the arena’s walls, up toward the stands of spectators. Myungjun kicked up towards the surface and broke through gulping in the air he needed. It was almost painful. But not as painful as what he felt next. 

Something bit down on his ankle and dragged him back under, sharp teeth tearing through his skin. The scream he let out was swallowed by the water, the only indication of the noise being the bubbles exiting his mouth, and he looked down panicked to see a giant fish-like creature with big fins trying to chew his foot off.

The water suddenly heated up at Myungjuns back and bright green fire engulfed the monster completely, forcing it to let go. Blood billowed out into the water and Myungjun felt faint upon seeing the damage to his ankle. He was surprised his foot was even still attached.

A strong pair of arms wrapped around him and pulled him back up to the surface. Jinwoo turned him around, face pale.

“Stay here Junnie. The bloods attracting more. I’ll protect you. Take a herb to help with the pain.” With that being said, Jinwoo disappeared back under the water and Myungjun saw the water light up as Jinwoo used his magic.

As he was fumbling with the herb pouch strapped to his chest, a worried voice made him look up.

“Junebug! Are you okay?” Grey asked as he lowered himself and Soonyoung closer to the water.

Myungjun couldn’t see much past the tears in his eyes or think of much past the pain but he nodded anyway. It hurt terribly but he wanted to be back on dry land before healing it.

It was hard to tread water with only one leg, but somehow be managed and pulled a pain relief herb free before popping it into his mouth and whimpering in relief as the pain faded.

It only took a few more minutes before the water started to drain and Jinwoo came back up to settle Myungjun in his arms so that Myungjun wouldn’t land on his feet and injure himself further.

When all of the water was gone, Donghan strode straight over to take a look as Myungjun trembled against Jinwoos chest. He was grateful that Donghan was a healer. He really didn’t want to look at it again himself.

They didn’t have long before the next wave so Donghan made quick work of shredding Myungjuns trouser leg to seal the wound without the fabric getting in the way. The portcullises disappeared around them and a giant one, indicating a new boss, formed against the wall opposite Myungjun.

“Hurry up.” Jinwoo urged. “Boss incoming.”

“I’m trying.” Donghan replied through gritted teeth as his hands waved over Myungjuns ankle. “Fucking hell that bastard got you good. I’m surprised you still have a foot. It’s literally hanging on.”

Myungjun felt a fresh wave of nausea overtake him and he buried his face in Jinwoos chest with an unhappy whine.

**“A terrible injury sustained by the Dragon Knights son. And at a terribly inconvenient time too. There’s no way his wound can be healed in time. The boss is already out. Say hello dragons.”**

Jinwoo cursed loudly. “Shit Donghan we don’t have time.”

“We can’t just leave him like this!” Donghan said angrily. “Put him down. I’ll keep working on it and you go and take the lead.”

Jinwoo lowered Myungjun to the floor, setting him down gently, and pressed a quick kiss to his lips before rushing away shouting orders.

Donghan kneeled down and leaned close to him. “Little dragon heal yourself. I’ll cover you with my coat. Do it now.”

Myungjun nodded and when his ankle was shielded from view of their friends and the spectators alike, he healed his ankle in an instant and breathed out heavily in relief as Donghan helped him to his feet.

Donghan grinned down at him, the first genuine smile he’d given all day. “Your magic is badass. Can you walk?” Myungjun tested it by putting his weight onto his ankle and nodded. “Good. Let’s go.”

They both turned to look at the boss and Myungjuns eyes widened. A giant hound made of bones. It had no flesh. Myungjun had never seen anything like it before. He couldn’t even understand how it was moving in the first place.

Rockys metal golem raced forwards and punched one of its legs. The sound of breaking bones shocked Myungjuns ears. Donghan was quick to send his metal golem to aid Rockys. They worked together to incapacitate its front legs as the hound snapped at them, unsuccessfully biting their metal bodies. The noise of screaming metal as its hard teeth scraped along them was the worst part.

“How the hell are we supposed to kill something made of bone?” Myungjun asked incredulous. 

“Smash it to pieces I guess.” Donghan answered with a manic grin as he cracked his knuckles. “My favourite hobby. Try crushing it with your vine’s little dragon. We can do this.”

*

The first death was always the hardest, the most shocking, seemingly the most brutal. But Myungjun was sure this was the worst first death of all. Mainly because it happened right on top of him.

His team was spread out, separated despite their best efforts to stay together. The sheer number of monsters let out in this wave had excited Myungjun at first. The more monsters they fought, the closer they would be to breaking the record. Something he desperately wanted to do. But then they’d been overwhelmed, all of them surrounded on all sides by what Myungjun immediately recognised as wyrms.

He had read about them briefly in one of the books he had purchased when trying to find out more about his dragon. Wyrms were closely related to dragons, with no wings and shorter legs. Their bodies were corded with muscle underneath their shimmering scales and Myungjun had quickly begun to realise that this fight wasn’t going to be as easy as he had initially thought. 

Looking around, he tried to see how all of his friends were doing. Moonbin and Dongmin were the furthest away, almost on the other side of the arena from Myungjun himself. As always, they were working well together. Every time the wyrms would get too close, Moonbin would flood the ground at their feet to push them back, and as they fought against his water, he slashed and hacked at them with his swords, his muscles straining with the effort. Dongmin was shedding snow everywhere as he shot shards of ice around, and when a good amount of the cold flakes had settled on the floor, he waved his hands over it, chanting under his breath and Myungjuns eyes widened when shapes started to emerge. Small snow golems birthed under his hands and scattered in all directions, running underneath the wyrms and distracting them. Myungjun almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it. They were so cute.

He tore his eyes away to look further around. Youngjae and Wonho were working surprisingly well together. Youngjae was strongest in defence, his categorisation, and he proved that now. He ran behind Wonho who was carving a path through the wyrms in front of them with his axe. Youngjae shielded them both with his vines whenever one would get too close and the wyrms could do nought but bounce off of them angrily. Youngjae was having so much fun his face was lit up and his yellow petals swirled around him. Myungjun was happy to see one of them was enjoying themselves at least. 

Grey was up in the air, firing arrows all around and bobbing up and down as the wyrms beneath him tried to snatch him in their jaws. Grey was almost teasing them.

Donghan wasn’t far away from him. He’d reigned in his metal golem to use his sword instead. As his rock golem kept the wyrms off of his back, he swung his sword in great cleaving arcs and severed heads from bodies with startling ease. Myungjun could hear the crowd chanting his name, but as usual, Donghan seemed to be paying them no attention.

Closest to Myungjun was Jinwoo and Soonyoung. He had once been told that their teamwork rivalled that of the twins and now he could see why. Their green and blue fire swirled together, creating a devastating tornado of heat that set light to anything it touched. The monsters stood no chance. They were charred to a crisp before Myungjuns very eyes. Hoshi was whizzing around at top speed, making a high-pitched squealing noise and Myungjun watched, stunned, as he disappeared down a wyrms throat. The wyrm went still before roaring in pain as smoke poured out of its mouth. It fell down limp and Hoshi shot back out of its mouth to find his next victim.

Myungjun turned back to his own fight, counting how many were left in front of him. Four. His tree companion was fighting against one, swinging its gnarled branches that sent loud thuds to Myungjuns ears as they came into contact with the wyrms muscled body. It wasn’t doing much damage but Myungjun was only using it to keep the wyrm distracted. His monster trap was doing the most. It crawled around on its roots, severing limbs and necks wherever it could reach.

Myungjun could feel Rocky fighting at his back. He was so close Myungjun could feel the comforting heat of his skin. The ground was rumbling beneath them as Rocky tore it open but Myungjun was never afraid. The control Rocky had over his magic now was astounding. He could control exactly how big to make his tears in the floor and could even seal them up. Myungjun could remember a time when Rocky had little control and his tears would sometimes grow wildly, swallowing everything in its path.

Rocky suddenly spoke behind him, pulling Myungjun out of his thoughts and confusing him greatly.

“Sanha?” Rocky asked in disbelief.

Myungjun looked back at Rocky over his shoulder to see him staring to the left, up into the stands. Myungjun followed his gaze and frowned. The crowd was just a manic sea of bodies as they cheered and screamed. There was no way Rocky could have picked him out individually. 

And that’s when the first death struck. Rockys distracted state cost him dearly. A wyrm slipped past his metal golems defence and lunged, knocking Rocky backwards, and ultimately sending Myungjun down too. Myungjun saw the ground rushing up to meet his face as Rocky hit him from behind and he reached out in front of himself to stifle the blow. Myungjun found himself pinned completely, the air stolen from his lungs as the combined weight of Rocky and the wyrm landed on top of him. He tried to wriggle free, but it was useless. He couldn’t even move his arms; they were pinned to his chest.

Rocky struggled on top of him, grunting and shaking as he tried to push it off, but it was no use. Rocky started speaking high and fast in his metallic screech of a voice as he communicated with his golem, no doubt asking for its aid, but it was already too late. Rockys speech was cut off as he screamed and Myungjun heard the crunch of bones and the sound of tearing flesh. Someone else was screaming too and Myungjun realised, startled, that it was him. He was screaming and trying to get out from underneath his dying friend as Rockys own screams of pain rang in his ears. 

The smell of Rockys blood filled his nostrils and Myungjun felt it seeping down onto him, drenching his clothes and making them stick to his back. He shuddered violently as the blood trickled down his neck and tickled his skin. It pooled around them in a thick crimson river and after a time Rocky fell silent above him in his death. His body felt impossibly heavy, a true dead weight, and all Myungjun could hear was the sound of the wyrm feasting on him. A cacophony of squelches and cracking. 

Myungjun had never felt a sickness like it. 

“NO! MYUNGJUN!” Jinwoos voice was laced with grief. He thought Myungjun was dead too.

Myungjun tried to call out but he found he couldn’t talk, and his body felt rigid and unnaturally cold. He shivered again and closed his eyes, trying to block out all of the noise. He could feel the panic building in his chest as more of the monsters crowed around to feed on Rocky above him. He knew it wouldn’t be long before they finished with him and discovered Myungjun beneath.

“BURN THEM ALL!” Donghans harsh voice bellowed from Myungjuns other side.

“I CAN’T!” Jinwoo choked back. “HIS BODY. I CAN’T BURN IT.” Myungjuns heart clenched painfully. Even though Jinwoo thought he was dead; he still didn’t want to harm Myungjuns body any further.

Donghan cursed loudly and Myungjun could hear him getting closer. His grunts, the sound of his sword slashing through the air and monsters alike, the monsters dying screeches. The hope should have bloomed in Myungjuns chest but instead he felt nothing.

_Am I going into shock?_

He didn’t know. It felt different this time around. He just closed his eyes and tried to block out all of the noise around him. It was too hard to concentrate on casting any spells. He knew that he stood a chance if he transformed, turned himself to metal. They couldn’t kill him if he did that. But he couldn’t remember how. His mind was entirely occupied by the blood flooding the ground around him, drenching his clothes and wetting his cheek that was pressed to the floor. He could taste it. He wanted to be sick.

“HE’S ALIVE!”

Myungjun hadn’t realised the wyrms dying noisily above him, but suddenly he was being pulled to his feet. It didn’t help; he just collapsed back down again.

“Shit. Little dragon? Little dragon? Myungjun?” Myungjun was suddenly upright again and Donghan was peering into his face worriedly. “Are you okay?”

Myungjun just stared, trembling in his hold. _The blood,_ he wanted to say, _get the blood off of me._ Nothing came out of his mouth. But tears came out of his eyes, sudden and unexpected, falling thick and fast.

“JINWOO GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE.” Donghan bellowed, looking over Myungjuns head.

Myungjun felt an intense heat and then a pair of warm arms wrapped around him. Where had Donghan gone? He was there a second ago but now Myungjun had his face buried in Jinwoos chest. Time didn’t seem to be flowing right.

“Sunshine?” Jinwoo muttered softly, his tone full of nothing but relief. “I thought you were dead.”

Dead.

Dead.

_Dead._

Dead like Rocky. Rocky had died. Right on top of him.

All of Myungjuns emotions flooded back to him and suddenly he couldn’t take it anymore. He pushed Jinwoo away, finding his strength again, and tore at his clothes, desperate to get the bloodied fabric off of his skin. 

“Get it off.” Myungjun choked out. “HELP ME! GET IT OFF!”

Jinwoo looked shocked and tried to grab him but Myungjun stumbled away. All he could focus on was getting clean. His fingers fumbled over his herb pouch and somehow, he got it loose. Then his bow was tossed aside and his quiver full of arrows spilled out across the floor next.

“Junnie.” Jinwoo said desperately. “Junnie stop.”

Myungjun yanked his top off, sobbing uncontrollably at the realisation he felt no cleaner. Rockys blood was still on him. He could feel it. It was sticky on his back and when he looked down, he could see the red liquid all over his hands.

The ground rumbled under his feet as his vines writhed beneath the surface. In the back of his mind he was panicking, feeling his magical energy spike, his carefully constructed cover slowly unravelling the longer he thought about Rocky being mauled on top of him.

And then suddenly everything went black. The light immediately disappeared, and the roar of the crowd dampened. He could smell the comforting scent of Donghans skin and felt the leather of Donghans coat rub against him. It barely registered in his mind that Donghan had thrown his coat over his head.

*Little dragon calm down* Donghans voice cut through his mind like a knife, pulling him out of his panic. Myungjun cuddled further into Donghans arms and felt his giant hands rubbing his back comfortingly *That’s it. Take deep breaths. You’re going to be okay*

*Where’s JinJin?*

*The next wave is here. I sent him away to lead. The further away he is from you, the less he’ll notice your power. You need to get it under control*

*Why did you put your coat over me?*

*One, in case your skin started glowing, and two, I saw you freaking out about the blood. If you can’t see it, you can calm down. I’ll ask Moonbin to come over when this wave is done. He can wash it off of you*

*But my clothes. There’s still blood on my trousers and my top is ruined!*

*Wanna go naked?* Donghans voice sounded much too innocent for the question he was asking. Myungjun spluttered out a laugh against his chest and he felt Donghans clear amusement. *I’ll give you my top little dragon. Its will be big enough on you to cover the blood on your trousers*

*Okay*

Myungjun slowly calmed himself down, feeling himself relax further as Donghans hands continued their soothing path over his back. He couldn’t hear much and found that confusing.

*Dongie why is it so quiet?*

*I boxed us in. Manipulated the ground. I taught myself how to do it after seeing you do it so much with your vines. Its handy but I can’t see shit its so fucking dark*

Myungjun was impressed that Donghan had taught himself a new spell and felt strangely proud that he had been his inspiration. He knew somewhere in the back of his mind that spell creation was banned on Aredrinnor, but he couldn’t find it within himself to care at this particular moment. He just pulled out of Donghans hold instead and wriggled out from under his heavy coat. 

Donghan was right. It _was_ dark.

“Are you okay now?” Donghan finally spoke aloud.

Myungjun hummed. He was still far from okay, but he felt calmer and the ground was no longer rumbling beneath his feet. Donghans coat disappeared from Myungjuns hands and he heard the rustling of fabric before something warm and soft was pressed into his chest.

“Here. My top. Put it on and then I’ll take the walls down. Jinwoo didn’t look very happy when you started stripping.”

Myungjun just sighed as he pulled Donghans top over his head. It smelt strongly of him and calmed Myungjun even further. Myungjun smiled when he realised just how big the top was on him. It swamped him completely, falling past his knees and making him feel strangely safe.

“Thankyou.” Myungjun whispered into the dark. “Thankyou for looking after me.”

Donghan didn’t answer immediately, but when he did, his voice was unnaturally soft. “You don’t need to thank me little dragon. This is what friends are for. I’ll always look after you.” Donghans hand was suddenly on Myungjuns cheek, stroking it once gently before it disappeared.

Myungjun bit his lip to stop himself getting emotional as the world brightened up around them. Donghan pulled his walls down and the noise of the excited crowd flooded back in. It shocked Myungjuns ears and he flinched. It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the light.

When his senses were fully adjusted, he looked over to see Grey shoot down the last monster. The floor was littered with bodies and Myungjuns heart clenched painfully in his chest at the sight of Moonbin and Dongmin lying side by side, unmoving. Guilt hit him hard. If he hadn’t freaked out then they wouldn’t have died, he was sure of it.

_I have to get my emotions under control. I can’t carry on like this._

Myungjun watched as Jinwoo tore across the arena towards him and he reigned his emotions in. He wouldn’t risk any more lives today. When everyone fell, he wanted it to be because of their own mistakes, not his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rocky :( Minnie&Binnie :(
> 
> Dongjun keep stealing my uwus and I’m getting sick of it. STOP BEING SO CUTE.
> 
> Unfortunately the time has come to declare the death of my daily uploads. At least for the near future. My new anxiety medication has made me pretty much brain dead. I've been slowly listing all of the things I need to write about for this fic (theres still so much omfg) but trying to turn that list into actual chapters is 10/10 difficult for my numb ass brain. I'm going to go storm the doctors next week and hopefully get put on something else so my brain can actually work again yeeeee. So until then, I'll upload once every couple of days because I'm running low on chapters TT   
> Sorry bbs:(


	229. The Monster Brawl-Part 3.

Myungjun looked up at scoreboard to see how many monsters they had taken down.

**55,355**

They were less than a hundred away from breaking the record of the most monsters killed. The time displayed showed it was well past midnight now. Myungjun wasn’t feeling so confident anymore as he handed out the last of his energy revive herbs to his tired team. 

They’d lost Youngjae and Soonyoung as the monsters became bigger and fiercer and more plentiful. And now they were down to five. Myungjun, Jinwoo, Wonho, Grey and Donghan. Their numbers cut in half.

It made Myungjuns head spin to think that even with the ten of them, they still weren’t enough to smash the twins record. He had secretly thought at the beginning that they would far surpass it with the sheer size of their team alone. But apparently not. It just showed how well the twins worked as a team and the giant leaps between the Ranks.

“Boss incoming.” Jinwoo had perked up considerably after chewing on his herb but Myungjun could see how tired his body still was. He was moving slower as he pulled his daggers free from the sheathes on his thighs.

Myungjun wondered if he would have to watch Jinwoo die this time around. He hoped not. He was still hanging on by a thread after Rockys terrible death. He’d been too close to snapping before, and had it not been for Donghan calming him down, he would have wiped the entire crucible out. It was at times like this when he was especially glad he’d told Donghan his secret.

Wonho approached Grey and threw a heavy arm over his shoulders. “You okay handsome?”

Grey sighed and nodded, cuddling up to his side. “Yeah ‘m fine. Just sleepy.”

Donghan made a quiet noise of disbelief as he looked at them before stalking away over to the giant portcullis that was slowly cranking up. Behind his back, Grey pulled away from Wonho and they shared a meaningful look before following him. Jinwoo just shook his head.

“What’s going on?” Myungjun asked, completely missing the point.

Jinwoo lowered his voice as they trailed behind the others. “Greys been trying to make Donghan jealous all day. Wonhos helping him which is why they’re being extra touchy. Honestly, they’re just idiots. All they’re doing is winding him up and eventually he’s going to snap. Grey needs to stop thinking with his dick and start thinking with his head for a change.”

Myungjun flushed. It made sense now. Their strange behaviour. “Why is Grey trying to make him jealous?”

“He probably thinks Donghan will get all possessive. Unfortunately, for that to happen, Donghan actually has to like him first, and at the moment that seems unlikely. Donghans put up with a lot of it today. Surely if he liked Grey as much as Grey apparently liked him, he would have gotten between them a lot sooner. Or maybe he has a lot of patience for this kind of thing or just doesn’t get jealous easily. I suppose we’ll never know.” Jinwoo let out a heavy breath before smiling down at Myungjun. “How are you feeling anyway? Ready to face this boss?”

Myungjun pulled his bow off his back and nodded. “I’m ready. Tired, but ready.”

Jinwoos smile broadened. “Good. Just think, it’ll be over soon and then we can go home and cuddle.”

Myungjuns heart fluttered at the thought and he smiled back almost shyly. “I’d like that JinJin. I think I need to cuddle for at least three days straight.”

Jinwoo chuckled and reached out to ruffle Myungjuns hair. “That can be arranged sunshine. Now let’s focus. We still have a record to beat remember.”

Myungjun forced all thoughts of cuddling his handsome fiancé out of his mind and turned to see what boss they would be facing next. The giant portcullis finally stopped rising and Myungjun felt dizzy at the sight of the monster that crawled out.

He’d seen it before. Remembered it clearly. The giant bug with too many teeth that had risen out of the sand in the Talbadana desert. It had bitten down on Babys wing, tearing it almost beyond repair. He felt a hot spike of hatred shoot through him at the sight of it. Even though he knew he was being ridiculous, it obviously wasn’t the same one as before, he couldn’t help it. The memory of his dragons’ pain and fear was still too fresh in his mind.

Myungjun growled almost ferally as he nocked an arrow. He couldn’t wait for the immense satisfaction he would no doubt feel upon watching it fall.

**“A formidable foe awaits the dragons. They are less than a hundred enemies away from breaking the record for the most monsters killed in the brawl. However, they have to get past this boss to have any hope of achieving it. The twins currently hold the record, so I wonder how Donghans brother will feel to have it taken away from him. The absence of Gikwang is definitely felt today. Not only in our hearts but in Donghans performance. I must say, he’s not performing at his usual standard this year.”**

The look on Donghans face was murderous and with a snarl he raced forwards toward the boss with the tip of his sword scraping and sparking against the floor behind him. Wonho and Jinwoo dashed after him, preferring to fight close quarters too as Myungjun and Grey held back.

They stood side by side, loosing arrow after arrow and taking out more of the bugs arms as the others worked on hacking at its legs.

Everything seemed to be going well until a pair of wings suddenly sprouted out of the bugs back and Myungjun was horrified to see new limbs growing to replace the old, damaged ones.

“It regenerates?” He asked incredulous. “How are we supposed to kill it?”

“It must have a weakness.” Grey muttered, eyes searching its body.

The bug took off into the air and Myungjun saw the crowd in the stands physically recoil as it got higher. Myungjun didn’t think that any of the monsters could get into the stands, but he could imagine how the people must feel having it so close.

Myungjun put his bow onto his back in favour of using his magic instead. He tore his vines through the floor and reached up for the bugs legs. He shouted in triumph when they wrapped around a few and the bug buzzed and clicked angrily as Myungjun pulled it back down with a grunt of exertion.

“Nice one little dragon.” Donghan complimented as he raced past.

Myungjun beamed proudly and giggled as Jinwoo blew him a kiss as he raced past next.

Grey sighed and put his bow onto his back too. “Time to use my magic I guess. I haven’t used it in a while.”

Myungjun watched as Grey stepped forwards, closing his eyes and lifting his palms out towards the monster. He took a deep breath in and the air suddenly started to move. A light breeze ruffled Myungjuns hair and then suddenly it turned into a howling wind that had the others looking back in shock.

“BLOODY HELL WARN US BEFORE YOU START USING YOUR MAGIC YOU FUCKING IDIOT!” Donghan called out angrily as he dived to the side to avoid the growing tornado heading his way. 

Jinwoo and Wonho made it safety just in time too and Greys eyes snapped open as the tornado grew in size and ferocity. Myungjun had never seen one so fierce. Greys hands trembled as he reached his limit and with a shout, he pushed it forwards at a faster pace than before. It hurtled towards the bug and the second the tornado made contact, it started to shred the monster to pieces. 

Myungjun covered his ears to block out the sound and ducked with a squeal when a chunk of the monster flew towards him. Pieces of it were flung around the arena and Myungjun tried not to laugh, and failed, when a particularly large chunk hit Donghan straight in the face. Grey heard Myungjuns laugh and turned to wink down at him. Myungjun was instantly suspicious. 

The tornado eventually died down until the air stilled around them. Myungjun wanted to ask Grey if he had done that to Donghan on purpose but decided he didn’t want to know after all. Grey was too busy bowing towards the stands at the cheers he received anyway.

However, the cheers soon turned to gasps and when Myungjun saw why, his whole stomach dropped. The largest chunk of all was moving, regrowing, regenerating before their very eyes.

“WHAT THE FUCK?” Wonho yelled angrily. “HOW DID THAT NOT KILL IT?”

Greys eyes widened. “THAT’S THE PART WE NEED TO DESTROY! I THINK THAT’S ITS HEART! HURRY BEFORE ITS TOO LATE!”

Myungjun pulled his bow off of his back again and reached for an arrow in his quiver, only to find it empty. He whined in annoyance, remembering he’d used them all to take out the bugs arms beforehand and rushed around trying to find one. He was just happy he’d been smart enough to have all of his arrows enchanted with all of the enchants he deemed useful, including being unbreakable. Greys wind had been shockingly fierce and should have ripped them to splinters, but he soon found one, undamaged and flung against the far side of the arena.

He nocked it in his bow and turned around to aim it. The sight he was met with pulled a gasp of shock from his mouth.

In his distracted state, the bug had regenerated two of its arms. And squirming desperately in the pincers attached to those arms were Grey and Wonho. Myungjun was stunned as he watched Jinwoo desperately running towards them. 

“SAVE HIM. NOT ME!” Grey shouted out, looking over at Donghan who was frozen too.

Donghan looked between them both before a noise of pure anger tore out of his throat. He gripped his sword tight, pulled his arm back and launched it. It hurtled through the air before ripping straight through one of the bugs arms. Donghan sprinted forwards to catch Grey on his way down and Myungjun closed his eyes as the pincer engulfing Wonho squeezed. His dying scream cut through Myungjuns heart.

When he opened his eyes again, the bug was engulfed in bright green flames and blackened before turning to ash. Myungjun hoped it was dead this time. He saw Jinwoo sink to his knees and ran over to check on him. Jinwoo was tired and he could barely move. Myungjun was surprised he’d been able to use his magic at all. He crouched down in front of him and cupped Jinwoos face in his hands. Jinwoo could barely keep his eyes open.

Myungjun pressed a kiss to his forehead, letting his lips linger for a few seconds before pulling back to talk. “I’ll get Camellia.”

Jinwoo shook his head weakly. “I can do this sunshine I-”

“No. You can’t.” Myungjun said quietly but firmly. “You’re hardly awake. At least this way you’ll go without pain.”

Myungjun didn’t give him any time to protest further and summoned Camellia to his side. He asked her to put Jinwoo to sleep and stood back as the pollen washed over him. Jinwoo mumbled something that Myungjun didn’t catch and then he was gone, slumping down with a peaceful expression on his face. Myungjuns heart hurt unnecessarily at the sight.

“Why did you save me and not him?” Greys wavering voice made Myungjun look around. Grey was still in Donghans arms after Donghan had caught him and was looking at Donghan from under his eyelashes. “I asked you to save him.”

Donghans lips were pulled into a frown. “You can’t tell me what to fucking do that’s why.”

“Is that all?” Grey asked quietly. “Is that the only reason you chose me?”

Donghan stared at him for a few seconds but didn’t answer and just let him go. Grey landed on the floor with a yelp but instead of looking angry that Donghan had purposefully dropped him, there was a smile playing around the corners of his lips.

Donghan turned to look at Myungjun. His eyes flickered down to Jinwoo and his frown deepened. “What happened to him?”

“I put him to sleep. He was barely awake.” Myungjun explained, walking over. “It’s just us now.”

Donghan sighed. “Fine. I could tell he was tired anyway. I asked him to burn that bug to begin with, but he said he didn’t have enough energy.” 

The sound of portcullises clinking open had them turning to see what they would be facing next.

A wave of trolls came stomping out from the two gates that had opened beside each other and Myungjun was struck with an idea.

“Let me incapacitate them all.” Myungjun said, looking up at his friends. “I can hit them all with Camellias pollen and you won’t have to expend any energy at all this round. If we fight them off any other way, we’re going to be too tired to face any more waves and we won’t beat the record at all.”

“Little dragon there’s loads of them. You’ll drain yourself.”

“I don’t care. We’ll get further this way. Just let me. Please. It’s probably the best way to die anyway.”

Donghan studied him for a few seconds before sighing and conceding. “Fine. Knock yourself out.”

Myungjun grinned and turned to Camellia who was waiting by his side. “You ready?”

“Of course.” She replied, her pretty tinkling tone always welcome to his ears. “Tell your friends to stand back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Donghan saved Grey. Donghan saved Grey. Donghan saved Grey.
> 
> Myungjin had nice deaths, the nicest deaths of all. Thank god.


	230. Monster Brawl Aftermath.

Myungjun walked into the guild, dragging his feet tiredly behind him. They’d all been discharged from the medical wing in the crucible and decided to just come back to the guild to sleep. The sun was rising, and it felt weird to Myungjun to be going to bed when the day was only just beginning.

He adjusted the hold he had around Jinwoos waist and helped his sleepy fiancé up the steps. Myungjun was surprised Jinwoo was awake at all. He’d fought the fiercest with his body and it had tired it out immensely. 

When they reached the fifth floor, which took a lot longer than Myungjun was willing to admit, he found an empty room and helped Jinwoo inside. Myungjun knew they should shower before they went to sleep but he didn’t think Jinwoo would be able to make it. So, he just helped him into bed and got him out of his dirty, ruined clothes. Jinwoo hummed happily as he snuggled under the covers and he opened his eyes a fraction to look up at Myungjun who was making his way to the bathroom.

“Sunshine where are you going? I said we were going to cuddle.”

Myungjun looked back at him and smiled. “We can. I just need to shower. I still have Rockys blood on me. Moonbin died before I could ask him to wash it off me and I can’t sleep covered in it. I’ll be out in five minutes.”

Standing under the warm running water of the shower felt heavenly. It relaxed all of Myungjuns aching muscles and made him even more sleepy. He watched Rockys blood run down the plughole, staining the water a bright red. The sight of it brought back the ghost of Rockys scream that lingered in his mind. Shaking his head to try and clear it away, he reached for the shampoo and got to work on his hair.

Myungjun almost cried in relief when he collapsed into bed five minutes later with a head of damp hair. He had been planning on asking Jinwoo to steam it dry like he usually did, but he should have known Jinwoo would be fast asleep by the time he got out. 

Instead he just burrowed under the covers and latched onto Jinwoos warm side and was asleep in an instant.

*

When Myungjun woke again, he felt groggy and disoriented. His body was aching, and his mouth felt much too dry. A quick look at the clock revealed that it was three in the afternoon and he groaned. He’d slept for ten hours but he felt like he could sleep for ten more.

He wasn’t at all surprised to see Jinwoo still fast asleep beside him and he pressed a soft kiss to Jinwoos bare shoulder before slipping out of bed with only the thought of a drink to quench his thirst on his mind.

After putting on some spare clothes from the dresser in the room, he shuffled down to the tavern which was alive with noise. Nearly all of the tables were full and Myungjun greeted everyone as he walked past, accepting their congratulations for his team’s performance at the Monster Brawl.

He made his way to the bar and sat down on one of the empty seats. Hani came straight over with a bright smile.

“Congratulations on setting a new record. I wasn’t there to see it but the people who did attend told me your team fought well.”

Myungjun grinned and thanked her before asking for two glasses of water. He wanted to make sure Jinwoo had something to drink when he woke up too. Hani brought them back over and Myungjun whined happily as he sipped at his own glass. The icy liquid felt amazing on his dry throat.

“Have you seen any of the others?” Myungjun asked as he put the cup down.

Hani nodded before grimacing. “Donghan and Grey disappeared into the toilets ten minutes ago and haven’t come out yet.”

Myungjun felt his concern spike. “Are they okay? Do you think they’re sick?”

Hani gauged his expression before shaking her head and sighing. “No. I highly doubt they’re sick. I’m sure they’ll be out soon.”

As if on cue, the toilet door beside the bar opened and they both stepped out. Donghan looked relaxed and Grey was beaming. Grey turned around to say something to Donghan and he laughed at whatever response he got in return before grabbing the front of Donghans top and pulling him down for a kiss. Donghan was frozen, eyes wide, and he didn’t kiss him back. 

A few seconds later Grey let him go with a pout and said something that made Donghan roll his eyes. Donghan reached out and swiped his thumb over Greys cheek, sealing a small cut he had there. Then he swiftly bent down to press a kiss to the healed skin before brushing past Grey and striding out of the tavern to terraport away. 

Myungjun noticed Donghans ears had been a bright red on the way past.

When he looked back at Grey, Grey was standing there with a shocked expression on his face as he reached up with a trembling hand to touch his cheek. He breathed out shakily before looking around and spotting Myungjun.

The grin on his face returned as he rushed over to occupy the empty bar stool beside him. 

“Did you see that?” Grey asked excitedly. “Donghan stroked my cheek and kissed me! He _never_ kisses me.” Myungjun shelved his question to point out that Donghan was actually sealing a cut he had on his face. Grey looked confused before understanding crossed his features and he sighed. “I’ll have to tell him not to hit me there next time. My face is important as a Kingsguard.”

“Donghan hit you in the face?” Myungjun asked appalled. “Why?”

“I was backchatting him and he was already pretty pissed at me for mine and Wonhos little game.” Grey said with an unbothered shrug. “I deserved it. And before you start freaking out, I liked it. I wanted it. I was basically begging for it when I backchatted him. I knew what would happen…and stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“All judgy and disapproving and shit. I bet you have a kinky side too that’s just waiting to be released. It’s always the innocent looking ones that do.”

There was that word again. Jinwoo used it sometimes. According to Jinwoo, Myungjun had a muscle kink AND a voice kink. But he never understood what that meant. So, he asked.

Grey hummed thoughtfully. “How do I explain it…it’s like you gain pleasure from something that isn’t deemed ‘normal’. It’s not normal for people to get turned on by pain but I do. So, I have a pain kink.”

Myungjun thought over his words for a few seconds. “Can you have more than one?”

Grey nodded and took Myungjuns glass to drink some of his water. He put it back down on the bar and when Myungjun reached out for it to take a sip himself, Hani suddenly appeared and pulled it away from him.

“You don’t want to drink that anymore.” She said, almost in warning.

Myungjun looked up at her confused. “Why not?”

She didn’t answer and just stared pointedly at Grey. “I hope you cleaned up in there.”

A slow, devilish smile spread on Greys face. He licked his lips. “Nothing to clean up.”

Hani sighed. “Just what I thought. I’ll get you a new glass Myungjun.” 

Myungjun turned to Grey feeling even more confused. “What was that about?”

“I gave Donghan a blowjob in the toilet. Not my finest moment. The floor is hardly clean, but I couldn’t say no.”

“What’s a blowjob?” Myungjun asked curiously.

“Stop corrupting him. His fiancé will kill you.” That was definitely a warning this time as Hani set Myungjuns new glass of water down.

Grey just laughed. “I’m not corrupting him. I’m educating him. Junebug I sucked his dick.”

Myungjun was halfway through a gulp of water and he choked, sending it all back out over the bar. Grey laughed again and smacked him on the back a few times. 

Myungjuns throat was burning as he spoke. “In the toilet?” He asked in disbelief. “Grey anyone could have walked in!”

“That’s what makes it so fun.” Grey said happily. 

Myungjun thought he was insane.

He scrambled for anything to divert the conversation elsewhere as he felt his cheeks heat up and he blurted out the first question that came to mind. The one he had shelved before. “Why hasn’t Donghan kissed you before?” He coughed awkwardly and quickly rephrased it. “You said earlier that Donghan never kissed you. Why? I thought he had when you…”

Grey smiled. “When we had sex?” Myungjun nodded, quickly looking away. Grey sighed loudly. It almost sounded sad. “I tried to kiss him, but he wouldn’t let me. He wouldn’t even kiss me before we went down to the toilets. I bumped into him today, on the way out of the room I slept in upstairs. I tried to kiss him again and he pulled away. But he looks so good when he’s just woken up and I couldn’t help myself. I owed him for last night anyway. He saved me from that bug, even though I asked him to save Wonho AND he died for me in the end.”

“He died for you?” Myungjun asked. “What do you mean?”

“We had five more monsters to kill before we beat the record and I ran out of arrows. We were fighting these monsters that were ridiculously large and hairy and had blades for arms, I’d never seen anything like it. Like I said, I’d run out of arrows and was trying to hold one off with my daggers, but it was too strong. I saw the blade coming for me and knew I wouldn’t be able to stop it but suddenly I was falling down and it went over my head instead. Donghan had swept my legs out from under me but ended up taking the hit himself. It sliced straight through his stomach, but he still killed it and three others before he went down. He was so brave Junebug I swear my heart fluttered.” Grey sighed dreamily. “So, he saved me. Twice. I had to show my gratitude somehow, didn’t I? I offered to suck him off and luckily, he accepted. Honestly he could have told me to blow him out here in front of everyone and I would have said yes.”

Myungjun flushed and quickly stood up from his seat. “Okay I don’t want to hear any more. I’m going back to bed.”

Grey chuckled and ruffled Myungjuns hair. “Sweet dreams Junebug. Thank you for asking me to join your team. I had lots of fun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GREYXKASDJKAS HES SO SHAMELESS SOMEONE STOP HIM
> 
> I’ve only just realised how long Sanha had been gone for in my fic…34 chapters since he ran away…WTF I DIDN’T NOTICE. Ever since I counted the chapters yesterday I've been making a million plans in my head of how to have him return but the problem is I cant settle on one of those ideas. I keep changing my mind or improving upon the ones I like which is why I've always said I need to be at least 10 chapters ahead for this fic to feel comfortable. I've lost count of the amount of times I've either rehauled a whole chapter or changed a lot of it like a week after actually writing the damn thing. I'm so indecisive TT
> 
> All I can say for sure is Sanha will definitely be making a reappearance in my fic. However, part of me doesn't want him to rejoin Dragon Blades because of what he's found out about himself and also, having a prominent character in a dark guild would open up so many possibilities for me. But the other part of me does want him to rejoin Dragon Blades because despite everything that's changed with him he's still part of that family and always will be. *fat sigh* I'm hecking STUCK
> 
> If you had the patience to read my mini rant then I just want to say ily and I hope you're having a good day/night uwu xo


	231. The Tingling Of Rockys Sanha Senses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me I'm not the only one who finds the title of this chapter funny.

Jinwoo slept for thirty-six hours straight after the monster brawl and Myungjun was relieved and happy when he finally woke up. It always worried him whenever Jinwoo slept for so long and the wait to finally see and speak to him again was always agonizing.

“JinJin I missed you!” Myungjun cried dramatically as he enveloped his sleepy fiancé in a tight hug the second he opened his eyes. 

Jinwoo chuckled and hugged him back. “Hello handsome. What’s the time? How long have I been asleep?” 

“Its five in the afternoon. You’ve been asleep for a day and a half!” Myungjun said with an accusing edge to his voice. 

Jinwoo stretched with a long drawn out groan and slumped back down when he was done with a satisfied grin. “I needed that sleep. My body is aching now though. I’m hungry too. Can we go and get some food?” 

Myungjun pouted and sat up. 

Jinwoo noticed. “What are you pouting about?” Myungjun just shook his head stubbornly, not wanting to tell him and tried to get off the bed. He didn’t get far. Jinwoos hand wrapped around his bicep and tugged him back. “Tell me.” Jinwoo commanded firmly. “Why are you pouting?” 

Myungjun whined unhappily. He was never able to go against whatever Jinwoo said when he used that tone. Myungjun just turned to him, pout more prominent. It made him mumble when he spoke. “You’ve been asleep for ages and I’ve had no attention at all and now the first thing you want to do is get food. You haven’t even _kissed_ me yet Jinwoo.” 

Jinwoo let go of Myungjuns bicep and Myungjun crossed his arms over his chest sulkily. The mattress moved as Jinwoo shuffled over the bed until he was sitting in front of Myungjun properly. He reached out to cup Myungjuns face in his hands, forcing Myungjun to look at him again. Myungjun saw the soft amusement in his eyes. 

“I’m sorry sunshine. You’re right. You’ve waited a long time for me, haven’t you? You’ve been so patient, so good for me. You deserve a reward. I want to kiss you. Can I kiss you now?” 

Myungjuns heart fluttered and he nodded, trying and failing to keep the pout in place. Jinwoo smiled and leaned down to press a gentle kiss to his lips. It was the type of kiss that made butterflies erupt in Myungjuns stomach and made his head spin. He leaned into it with a happy sigh and parted his lips. 

Then Jinwoos stomach grumbled. 

It was so unexpectedly funny that Myungjun couldn’t help the laugh that slipped out. Jinwoos own laughter sounded more embarrassed. 

“Sorry.” He muttered against Myungjuns lips. “I told you I was hungry.” 

Myungjun just pulled away from him with a bright smile. “That’s okay. I’ve had my kiss now. Let’s go and get some food.” 

*

Myungjun was just finishing his meal when Rocky came into the tavern carrying his bags. He’d clearly been back to the farmhouse to pack which meant he was leaving again. The thought hurt Myungjuns heart. He didn’t want to say goodbye. He was reluctant to. When would be the next time they would see each other? How much more would Rocky change from now till then? 

Rocky came over with a tired smile and sat down at the table. It was only occupied by Myungjun, Jinwoo and Donghan so he had a lot of choice for seats. He placed his bags down and rested his chin on the heels of his hands, elbows on the tabletop. Before Rocky could start his goodbyes, Myungjun butted in with a question he needed to ask. One, because he really did need to ask it and two, to put off the inevitable for a while longer. 

“Rocky you said Sanhas name in the crucible before you died. Why?” 

Rocky sighed and sat back up straight. “I was wondering when you would ask.” 

“You were looking up at the stands. But the people up there are so small. You wouldn’t have been able to pick him out.” 

“I know. I didn’t actually see him I just…I thought I sensed him.” 

“Sensed him?” 

“Yeah. Whenever Sanha is near me, or looking at me, it’s like I can _feel_ it. It makes my skin tingle.” He seemed embarrassed and looked away from them all. 

Myungjun didn’t think it was embarrassing at all. He knew exactly what Rocky was talking about. He himself felt it around Jinwoo all the time. 

“But I know that’s impossible.” Rocky muttered under his breath. “I know he couldn’t have really been there.” 

“Why not?” Donghan challenged. Rocky looked up at him. “Why couldn’t he have been there?” 

Rocky shuffled uncomfortably in his seat. “Because he’s part of a dark guild. He wouldn’t have been let in.” 

“What idiot told you that dark guilds couldn’t get into the crucible?” Donghan asked with a quirked eyebrow. 

Rocky opened his mouth and closed it again. He clearly had no response to that. Myungjun guessed it was because it was his own assumption. One that Myungjun had assumed too.

“Surely members of dark guilds can’t get into the crucible.” Myungjun spoke up in disbelief. “You have to sign in at the front desks. You have to give them the name of your guild. Wouldn’t they know?” 

“Not necessarily.” Donghan said with a shrug. “You don’t have to be part of a guild to enter the crucible. He could have lied and said he wasn’t part of one. They don’t check. But most likely they recognised him anyway. He competed with you at the brawl the first time you went right? They probably remembered him as a member of Dragon Blades, and he could have gotten in that way.” 

“Okay…but what if he has dark magic now?” Rocky asked, sounding almost reluctant to. “Wouldn’t they be able to sense it?” 

“Just because a person has dark magic, doesn’t make them a bad person.” Donghan replied simply. Myungjun remembered Gabriel telling him the exact same thing in the castle. “Even if Sanha does use dark magic now, that’s strong enough to be detected, he still would have gotten in. You said you sensed him? Trust your instincts.” 

Rocky bit his lip nervously as he thought over his words. When he looked back up again Myungjun could see the sadness in his eyes. Rocky laughed quietly. “Well it doesn’t matter anyway does it? Because he’s gone again. He told me in his letter that he was never coming back, that I would never see him again and so far, he’s kept those promises.” 

Myungjun couldn’t bear to see his friend so sad. “But doesn’t the fact he came to the brawl mean something?” Myungjun asked almost desperately, trying anything to cheer him up. “Maybe he knew we were fighting, and he wanted to see us. Maybe he’s changed his mind and he wants to come back.” 

“If that were the case Hyung, he’d be sitting here with us right now.” Rocky replied as he stood up abruptly from the table. He looked angry as he grabbed his bags. “I’m going home now. I can’t wait around for Sanha to come back. If he ever comes back. And if he does…don’t tell me. I don’t want to know any more. I want to move on properly. I NEED to move on properly.” Rocky breathed out shakily. “But thank you. Thank you for giving me a place to stay and for letting me join your team for the brawl. I’ve got more than enough coin for my materials now. I’ll see you all later.” 

Myungjun stood up from his chair feeling emotional. “How soon is later?” 

Rocky gave him a small smile and shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ll send you a note when I decide.” 

Myungjun rushed over to give him a hug and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. “Do you want us to see you out?” 

Rocky quickly shook his head, eyes suspiciously wet. “No.” Rocky pulled away and strode across the tavern before disappearing outside. 

Myungjun went to sit back down with a trembling lip and stared down at his hands. He hated goodbyes. Especially goodbyes with his friends. Jinwoo moved his chair closer to wrap an arm around Myungjuns shoulders and Myungjun leaned into him needing the comfort. 

They stayed like that for a while until Myungjun could properly compose himself and then he turned to Donghan. Speaking about Sanha had reminded him of something else he wanted to ask. “Dongie what do you know about Enhex?” 

Donghans eyebrows pulled together as he frowned. “Is that the guild Sanhas joined?” Myungjun nodded. Donghan whistled low between his teeth. “So, he’s running with the big boys now…Remember when we went on that request to the temple to kill the necromancer? I told you that there were five main dark guilds currently in operation when you asked about them. Enhex is one of them. In terms of what I know about the guild itself…not a lot. Its run by a woman known as the Red Reaper. The rumours about her are pretty gruesome. Some say she’s called that because every day she bathes in blood. Some will tell you it’s animal blood, others will tell you it’s human. She’s a reaper because she kills. Like _a lot_.” Donghan grinned as Myungjun shivered. “Don’t be scared little dragon. Like I said, they’re only rumours.” 

“What else do you know?” Jinwoo asked changing the subject. Myungjun was grateful. 

“The guild itself is small. Really small. It has less members than Dragon Blades and our guild is already one of the smallest out there. Last I heard, they only had around twenty members. That’s a third of what we have.” 

Myungjun knew why Dragon Blades was small. His father only recruited the best of the best. Is that what Enhex did too? “If it’s so small, everyone must be powerful, especially as one of the main guilds. So why would the Red Reaper herself personally invite Sanha? His magic is unstable, he was the weakest amongst us because of it and he can’t even fly.” Myungjun felt guilty saying that about Sanha but it was the truth. Sanha was never as good with his magic as the rest of them and even Sanha knew that himself. Rocky used to bully him about it all the time in the academy before they became friends. 

“Enhex does things differently. They have special…requirements for a person to become part of their guild.” 

“What requirements?” Myungjun asked warily. He wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to know. But luckily, or unluckily, however he decided to look at it, Donghan just shrugged. 

“I have no idea about that either. They’re pretty secretive about it. The requirements can’t be good though.” 

Myungjun sighed. He’d asked plenty of questions today but had ended up with plenty more. Now that he’d questioned Rocky and Donghan, he only had one more person left. 

Myungjun turned to Jinwoo and smiled. “I’m going out for a bit. You can head home without me if you want. Leave Princess in the stable for me. I’ll get Baby myself too.” 

“Okay. Where are you going though?” 

“To the castle. I haven’t seen Leo in too long. He told me he’d get into contact when he was ready to see me again but I’m afraid he has no choice on the matter now. He shouldn’t have any duties at this time of the afternoon so he can’t refuse and send me away. I have plenty to ask him and I’m determined to get some answers.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Myungjun being a sulky baby at the beginning because he didn't get any attention for a day and a half is big me energy. Junnie I feel you on a spiritual level TT
> 
> Rocky has left again ;-; Socky needs to stop leaving dammit. Just come home and love each other already >.<
> 
> A whole chappie of Leo next x3 All hail the King uwu


	232. Questions For The King.

Leo opened his bedroom door with a vacant look in his eyes and a carefully constructed expressionless mask on his face. His eyes found his guards first and it didn’t change, but when they travelled down to Myungjun, finally seeing him properly, they widened a fraction.

“Mr Kim?”

“The one and only.” Myungjun didn’t wait for an invitation, he just brushed past him into the room and made a home on one of the white and gold chairs in front of the fireplace. The fireplace Leo had destroyed all of Hakyeons cake boxes in. The blue fire was still burning brightly in the grate and Myungjun briefly wondered whether it ever went out or not. He’d never seen the fireplace unlit.

Leo closed his door with a muttered dismissal to his guards and he crossed the room to sit in the other chair. “I didn’t expect to see you today.”

Myungjuns anger suddenly reared its head without his permission. He turned to look at Leo with a scowl. “I wonder why.” Leo flinched at the tone of his voice. “You told me you would get into contact with me when you were ready, but I haven’t heard from you in weeks! Do you know how worried I’ve been? You just cut me off! Even Grey wouldn’t tell me anything when I asked, and when I pressured him into telling me why that was, he told me that you asked him not to! What’s going on with you Hyung?”

Leo swallowed loudly and looked down at his hands. His fingers immediately found one of his rings and he twisted it around. “I’m sorry little brother. I just…I needed time. I needed time to sort myself out.”

“Make the biggest mistake of your life you mean.” Myungjun pointed out with a huff. “And let me guess, you didn’t want me there because you knew I’d be able to talk you out of it?” Leo gave a tiny nod of his head and Myungjun sighed, leaning towards him and letting the anger fade out of his voice. “Listen Hyung. I understand why you think you need to do this, why you think you need a Queen, but it’s not going to make you happy.”

“I don’t need to be happy.” Leo said so quietly Myungjun almost missed it. He wished he had. Leos words made sadness twist in his heart like a dagger. “I just need to be a good King.”

“Being gay doesn’t make you a bad one.” Myungjuns bluntness made Leo flinch again.

“I’m not…” Leo trailed off, still staring down at his rings. “I’m not gay. I can’t be. I’m not allowed to be. I’m getting married.” Leo finally looked up at Myungjun then. His eyes held no emotion. “I’m getting married. Soon. I’m announcing it during the opening of the throne room.”

Myungjuns stomach plummeted so fast he feared it would never find its rightful place in his body again. “What?” He choked out in disbelief. “Please tell me this is a joke.”

Leo scowled and turned away to watch the blue flames dance in the fireplace. “It’s not a joke. I’ve met many suitable women from all of Aredrinnors notable families and my counsel has decided on who would be best for me. The arrangements have already been made.”

“Exactly.” Myungjun said, trying to fight back the overwhelming frustration and sadness that was warring inside of him. “Your _counsel_ decided. Not you. You don’t want this. _You shouldn’t do this_.”

Leo turned his eyes back to Myungjun. They were filled with anger. “The last time I checked, I was still the King. Do not tell me what I should and should not do. You are young, unburdened by the title I carry and luckily so. You have no idea the pressures I’m under as the sole ruler of this entire land. I NEED a Queen. Now more than ever. I should have been married years ago but I always put it off not wanting to subject anyone else to the life I was living trapped within these walls. But now I’m free.” A bitter laugh slipped from Leos lips. “As free as I’ll ever be in a land whose occupants are too scared to be near me. All those years in confinement did nothing good for my reputation as King. The people don’t trust me, the people don’t love me, and I’ve done nothing to deserve either of those things.”

“And you think going against who you are as a person is going to gain their trust and love?” Myungjun interrupted feeling just as angry as Leo looked. He wasn’t angry with the man himself; he was angry with the situation. “To gain someone’s trust you have to be honest. How can you be honest with them if you can’t even be honest with yourself? I’m not telling you what you can and can’t do because like you said, you’re the King. But I’m also your friend and friends look out for each other. I’ve seen you suffer so much Leo. I don’t want to see you suffer anymore.”

The anger faded from Leos eyes as they filled up with tears and he quickly looked back down at his hands. “Everyone is allowed to have their own secrets. This is my one big secret. I won’t lie to them any more than that. I’ll be honest everywhere else. They can trust me.”

“Leo that’s not-”

Leos eyes snapped back up with a fierce intensity. “What about you? You have loads of secrets that you’re keeping from everyone else. Yet they trust you, don’t they? Jinwoo? Your parents? Your friends?” Leo sat up straighter in his chair looking satisfied when Myungjun failed to answer. “Exactly.”

Myungjun swallowed loudly. “It’s not the same.” He muttered. “My secret is different. My life depends on it. Yours doesn’t. What’s the worst that could happen if you decided to come out? So what if some people didn’t like it? You can’t please everyone in life. They’ll get over it eventually.”

Leo growled in frustration and pushed himself up from his chair. “It’s not that simple!”

“Well then explain it to me properly!” Myungjun cried, standing up and closing the distance between them. He grabbed Leos hands and clutched them tightly as he looked up at him. “Why isn’t it as simple as that? Why can’t you have what you want? You’re the King. You make the rules. Where in the rules does it say that Aredrinnor cannot be run by more than one King anyway?”

The first of Leos tears escaped and rolled down his cheek. “There doesn’t NEED to be rules against it because its common sense. Never in history has a King wed another man.”

“Its people themselves who make history. Just because it hasn’t happened before, doesn’t mean it can’t happen now. You’ll be remembered for many years to come as the King who was brave enough to embrace his sexuality. You’ll be a beacon of hope for those too afraid to accept that side of themselves and you’ll be happier yourself because of it. True happiness Hyung. Don’t you want that?” Myungjun asked desperately. He needed Leo to see. To see how important this was.

Leo choked on a sob. “I _can’t_. I have to do this. I have to do this for my parents.”

The sudden mention of Leos mother and father threw Myungjun completely. “Your parents? What do you mean?”

“They were good rulers, the people loved them, and their rein was cut too short. I owe it to them to carry on in their footsteps, to be a King that everyone will love and not everyone _will_ love me if I tell them what I am.” Leo sniffled as a fresh wave of tears spilled over. Myungjun was desperate to wipe them away but Leo was clutching his hands so tightly he couldn’t move them at all. “I only have a few clear memories of my parents left, and one of those memories is how often they used to talk about giving me siblings, how they wanted a large family, how they wanted for me to have a large family in the future too…I can’t have that without a Queen. I can’t fulfil my parents’ wishes if I selfishly think of my own happiness. I-”

“It’s not selfish.” Myungjun interrupted firmly, hoping to convey his sincerity with his eyes. “I believe what you said, that your parents wanted to give you more and that they wanted you to be surrounded by your own children one day, but above all I have no doubt in my mind, that ultimately, they just wanted you to be happy. Can you honestly see yourself being genuinely happy with a Queen at your side? Even surrounded by your own children? Can you? If the answer is yes, then I’ll give up. I’ll give up trying to change your mind. Answer me truthfully Leo.” Leo bit nervously at his lip and nodded. Myungjun sighed and deflated in defeat. “Okay. I’ll stop.”

Leos tight hold on Myungjuns hands loosened and Myungjun pulled them away.

“I can be happy with my own children, knowing I’ve given my parents what they desired.” Leo said quietly. “I can. I will.”

Myungjun went back to sit in his chair and waited until Leo had taken a seat again too. If Leo could truly be happy that way, which Myungjun secretly doubted very deeply, then so be it. Leo had clearly made up his mind already. 

Myungjun had another question that needed addressing so he pushed all thoughts of Leos marriage out of his mind to focus on asking it. “Hyung I need to talk to you about something else. When I was kidnapped by the dark guild, Sanha told me that his parents were killed on your orders.” Myungjun was planning on broaching the subject more subtly then that but he hoped getting straight to the point would distract Leo from the sadness Myungjun could feel exuding from the older males’ emotions. “Why did you send guards to kill them?”

Leo looked completely lost. “Sanhas parents? Do you know their names?”

Myungjun shook his head. “If they were married, and Sanha had their family name, then I would guess they would be called Mr and Mrs Yoon. Sanha never told me their first names…if he even remembers them.”

Leo looked lost in thought with his eyebrows knitted together. After a few seconds he slowly shook his head. “The only other Yoon I know is the one teacher at the academy. Do you know anything else about them which may jog my memory?”

“Well Sanha said they turned him into a ‘freak’, a ‘monster’ and said that he belonged in a dark guild now because of it. That’s all I really know.” Myungjun sighed. He knew that wasn’t really a lot to go on.

Leo was quiet for a while, head turned back around to stare into the fireplace as if he would find the answer in the flames. Myungjun waited patiently.

“Did Sanha ever speak of having siblings?”

“No. I’m sure he was an only child. He would have told us if he wasn’t.”

Leo sighed and looked over at Myungjun with an apologetic smile. “Then I have no idea who they are. If Sanha had siblings, it would be a different story, because I do remember sending my guard to dispatch of a couple who were doing…unsavoury things to their children.”

Myungjuns eyes widened slightly. He suddenly felt morbidly curious. “What did they do to them?”

Leo grimaced. “It’s not a pleasant story. Also, it’s getting rather late. Would you like to stay in the castle tonight? I can tell you the story if you do. But if not, you should probably head out now.”

Myungjun was terribly tempted to accept Leos offer but he couldn’t leave Baby in the pit all night. He’d told Jinwoo he would get Baby himself and asked for him to leave Princess in the stables before sending him home. He couldn’t stay.

“It’s tempting but I should go. Maybe another time.”

“Yes.” Leo agreed. “Another time.”

They both got up and walked to the door. Myungjun suddenly remembered something and stopped him feeling a bit embarrassed. 

“Leo wait. I have to…warn you about something.”

Leo instantly looked worried. “What is it?”

“Umm…” Myungjun found he couldn’t quite keep eye contact with him. So, he decided to stare at the shadow of stubble dusting Leos jaw instead. “I went to Hakyeons teashop to meet Grey and when Grey left, Hakyeon came over to talk to me.” Myungjun didn’t miss the way Leo visibly stiffened but he carried on. “He was worried about you, worried that he’d done something wrong. I felt bad so I told him the truth about why you’d stopped visiting. He seemed surprised that you wanted to find a Queen and I…I may have given him false hope.”

Myungjuns eyes flickered up nervously to read Leos expression. Leo was pale.

“False hope?”

Now that Myungjun had looked into his eyes, he was struggling to look away. “I told him that you wanted to be his friend, but you weren’t good with people. And that you’re inexperienced with relationships of any kind and-”

“Can you just get straight to the point?” Leo asked stiffly. “What do you need to warn me about?”

Myungjuns voice came out as a squeak and his words spilled forth in a rush. “Hakyeon is coming to the opening of the throne room with a cake box. With a message inside.”

Leo swallowed loudly. “A message? What message?”

“Leo I think-”

“What message? Tell me.” Leo demanded.

“That he likes you.”

Leo just stared. “He…likes me?” Myungjun nodded cautiously. “He said that?” Myungjun nodded again. Pure pain flashed in Leos eyes, but it was gone in an instant. If Myungjun had blinked, he would have missed it. Leo covered it up quickly with his favourite expressionless mask. “Please tell Mr Cha that he needn’t bother coming all of this way to give me cake. I’m on a strict diet now. I’ve eaten too many sweet things. I simply cannot stomach any more. I hope you don’t mind, but I’m awfully tired tonight so…”

Myungjun got the hint and made his way to the door feeling sad. He’d hoped, even the tiniest little bit, that hearing that Hakyeon liked him too may have changed Leos mind. Clearly not. Leo was intent on chasing a future he didn’t want to make his dead parents happy. Something hot and uncomfortable writhed around in Myungjuns stomach but he tried to push it away as he saw himself out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Sigh* I can't wait for everyone to be happy again.
> 
> Although, /I'm/ happy. I finally wrote a new chapter for this fic last night, for the first time in weeks ;-; I'm still finding it ridiculously hard because of my medication but I persevered and spent HOURS putting one together. My brain was literally fried by the time I finished and I'd barely written 1700 words xd The struggle is real.
> 
> BUT to give you all some good news, the chapter I wrote stars our favourite baby Ddana *sobs*


	233. Myungjuns 20th Birthday.

It was dark. Jinwoos hands covering Myungjuns eyes allowed no light in. Myungjun just had to keep moving slowly forwards, blind and unsure. 

“JinJin how much farther?”

“Nearly there.” Jinwoos voice was edged with excitement. “Just up this last step.”

Myungjun reached around with his foot until he felt the solid ground beneath it and climbed the last step with Jinwoo close behind. His hands never slipped from Myungjuns eyes.

Myungjun felt the familiar thrum of the energy imbued in the guild halls walls and frowned. “We’re at the guild?”

“How do you know we’re at the guild?” Jinwoo whined unhappily. 

Myungjun grinned. “I can feel it.”

A sigh came from behind him before Jinwoo moved him forwards again, through the tavern doors. It was suspiciously quiet. Myungjuns brain was whirring with all the possibilities of why Jinwoo could have brought him here but one in particular stood out amongst the rest. 

Before he could open his mouth to voice said suspicions, the hands slipped from his face and he was immediately deafened.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”

Myungjun clamped his hands down over his ears as his friends rushed at him screaming in various degrees of excitement.

_How did I forget it was my birthday?_

“Welcome to the twenties Junnie.” Hoseok screeched, pulling Myungjun in for a bone-crushing hug. “You’re old like us now!”

“Watch your mouth. I’m not old.” Hyungwon warned him as he stepped over to ruffle Myungjuns hair.

Myungjun giggled and hugged Hoseok back. “Thank you Hyungs. What is all this?”

He looked around the tavern to see that it had been decorated prettily with flowers and streamers and a big banner with, mortifyingly, a picture of Myungjuns face embroidered on it. 

“A surprise party of course!” Dongmin said happily as he crossed the tavern to hug Myungjun next. “Happy birthday Hyung.” He pulled away to scan Myungjuns outfit. “Pretty. Come and sit down. Food, drinks, cake and presents, in that order.”

Myungjun just accepted his fate and allowed Dongmin to drag him over to the table to sit down. “Who’s cooking? Hani?” He asked curiously as Dongmin handed him a bright blue drink with a white flower decoration. Very cute. He sipped it and was pleasantly surprised at how cool it tasted. “Yummy.”

“Hani and a few other guests…” Dongmin trailed of mysteriously.

Myungjun didn’t even have to ask who. The kitchen door flew open and Donghan stumbled out being pushed by an angry looking Grey.

“Get out of the kitchen you monster!” Grey raged.

Donghan laughed and licked his lips. “I was just tasting it. I’ve never seen you cook before. I got curious.”

Grey huffed, nostrils flaring, and he crossed his arms over his chest and glared up at him. “There is a CLEAR difference between _tasting_ and _eating_ it all! That was Myungjuns special surprise! You no good, greedy, son of a- oh hello Junebug, happy birthday!” Greys face smoothed out and he waved as he spotted Myungjun across the tavern.

The look of relief on Donghans face made Myungjun giggle and he waved back as he sipped more of his drink. It really was delicious.

Grey went back into the kitchen, slamming the door in Donghans face, and Donghan looked positively cheerful as he made his way over to their table. 

“Happy birthday little dragon. The cupcake Grey made you was delicious. Lemon. You have good taste.”

Myungjuns mouth dropped open in horror. “You ate my cupcake?” He near enough screeched. “Greys right. You ARE a monster!”

Donghan snorted in amusement and dumped himself down on one of the empty chairs. “If I was a monster, I wouldn’t have gotten you gifts.”

Myungjuns eyes narrowed. “Gifts? Plural?” Donghan made a noise of confirmation. “Well…where are they?”

“Food, drinks, cake and _then_ presents. You can have all of your gifts later.” Dongmin reminded him from his own seat at the table. Moonbin was grinning beside him at Myungjuns pout.

Myungjun knew there was no point arguing with Dongmin. Dongmin loved planning and loved sticking to those plans. It wasn’t a good idea to try and sabotage them. Dongmin was probably the scariest amongst them when he got angry and that said a lot considering Myungjun knew how awful Gikwang could be when he lost his temper. 

So, he just ate his meal when it was served to him by a pleased looking Grey and drank down two more of the yummy blue drinks that left his mouth feeling icy cool.

Grey sat far away from Donghan, still angry at him for eating Myungjuns cupcake, but Myungjun could see his resolve wavering soon enough. Donghan seemed to sense it too and used cleaning up the empty dishes to get back into Greys good books. When they came back to sit at the table with Myungjuns actual birthday cake, Grey allowed himself to be pulled down onto Donghans lap. Myungjun was just happy to see them getting along again. He didn’t have the patience or the energy to worry about any more relationship drama. 

Jinwoo snapped his fingers over Myungjuns cake and all twenty candles lit up with his green fire. He held it out to Myungjun with a wide grin.

“Happy birthday sunshine. Make a wish.”

Myungjun smiled back and closed his eyes. He took wishes very seriously and racked his brain for what he really wanted. Every year he usually wished for him and Jinwoo to stay happy and together. But this year he knew what he wanted that tiny bit more. He made sure his psychic shield was up so no-one could hear his wish and jinx it.

_I wish for the chance to see Sanha again, to speak to him, to convince him to come home. Please, please, please, let me meet my little brother again._

Myungjun wished it with all of his strength before opening his eyes and blowing out all of the candles.

As everyone cheered and congratulated him, Jinwoo leaned over to whisper in his ear.

“What did you wish for sunshine?”

Myungjun turned to him, hoping to convey his disapproval with his eyes. “You know I can’t tell you that Jinwoo. My wish won’t come true otherwise.”

Jinwoo just looked fond. “Okay cutie. Can I have a kiss instead?”

Myungjun was more than happy to give him that in place of his wish. Jinwoos lips were warm as usual with the additional hint of his own drink. Myungjun decided he wanted to try what Jinwoo was having next. He leaned closer and wrapped his arms around Jinwoos neck, slipping his tongue into his mouth to taste it some more. Jinwoos hands moved up to cup Myungjuns face and Myungjun could feel his smile. It made his heart flutter.

“Parents alert.” Soonyoung muttered under his breath.

Myungjun quickly pulled away from Jinwoo with a light blush to see his parents descending the stairs. He knew he didn’t need to be embarrassed about kissing Jinwoo in front of them, as they’d long since accepted their relationship, but he couldn’t help it.

Myungjuns mind was instantly distracted when he realised his parents were coming _down_ the stairs. It meant they had been in his father’s office. He wondered what they’d been talking about. They were standing closer together than they usually would which made Myungjun ridiculously happy.

“Happy birthday my beautiful baby boy!” His mother cried as she hurried over to scoop Myungjun up in a hug.

Myungjun giggled and stood up to hug her back better. “Thank you mother. Although I’m not a baby anymore.”

“Debatable.” Jinwoo muttered. Myungjun ignored him.

“You’ll _always_ be my baby boy.” His mother huffed as she pulled away to let his father pass.

“Happy birthday son. You’re twenty already. You’re making me feel old.” His father joked lightly as he pulled Myungjun in for a hug.

Myungjun hugged him back with a happy sigh. He was beginning to get familiar with the scent of his fathers’ skin and found it immensely comforting.

“Thank you father. You’re not that old though. You’re not even forty yet!”

His father grinned when they parted ways to sit down. “I suppose I have some life left in me then. Although I _did_ find my first grey hair on my head today. I’m aging prematurely.”

“I’m not surprised.” Myungjuns mother spoke up as she accepted the slice of cake Youngjae gave her. “Thank you dear. Anyway, I’m not surprised you’re greying already. Being a guild leader is stressful and you’ve basically raised all of these boys since they arrived.” Everyone around the table nodded their agreements. Myungjuns mother turned to glare at them all. “So, I hope you boys behave. Or you’ll have me to answer too.”

Myungjun couldn’t help but smile at some of the apprehensive looks on his friends faces. His mother really did have a scary aura sometimes.

“So, does this mean you’ll be at the guild more?” Grey asked politely.

His mother nodded as she took a bite of the cake. The face she made told Myungjun that she liked it.

“Why?” Myungjun asked her. “Why will you be at the guild more? I thought you didn’t want to work here.”

“Because they’re clearly fucking.” Donghan spoke up sounding almost bored as he gestured lazily to Myungjuns parents with the hand that wasn’t settled on Greys waist. Grey laughed on Donghans lap as Myungjuns parents spluttered out their denials.

“Young man watch your language!” Myungjuns mother was blushing a bright red. “We are NOT…sleeping together.”

“We are merely trying to get along for our sons’ sake.” His father added looking just as red.

Donghan gave Myungjun a wolfish grin when he saw Myungjun glaring at him from across the table. “Looks like your parents will be getting back together soon. What a lovely birthday present.” Donghan suddenly stood up, keeping his arm around Greys waist so he wouldn’t fall. Grey wrapped his legs around Donghans waist and clung to him looking terribly small. “Speaking of fucking…” Donghan turned around and carried Grey towards the stairs. Grey was practically vibrating from excitement and shedding his magic. The light breeze ruffled their hair and their clothes as they disappeared up to the higher floors.

“BREAK ONE MORE BED AND I’M KICKING YOU OUT OF THE GUILD!” Myungjuns father called up to them. He got nothing but muffled laughter in return. He sighed, shaking his head. “Those boys will be the death of me. I had to replace four beds the last weekend Grey was here. _Four_. I don’t wish to know how they managed to do that.” He tutted and took a bite of his cake. “Mmm Grey did a good job on the cake though. So maybe I can forgive them just this once.”

*

Myungjun sat surrounded by the presents his friends had gotten him. Dongmin and Moonbin gave him a new set of gardening tools that were personalised with his name. He’d been meaning to replace his old ones so he was ecstatic when he opened them and may have shed a tear when he saw the engraving of his name on each of the wooden handles. Hoseok and Hyungwon made the three of them new friendship bracelets to replace the old, worn ones which Myungjun had made them in the academy. It was pretty and Myungjun flaunted it for everyone to see. Youngjae added a new stuffed bird to Myungjuns collection, a baby bird, and Myungjun really did cry that time over how cute it was, much to everyone’s amusement. 

Rocky had sent Myungjun some new daggers with intricately carved flower handles that rendered Myungjun speechless. The craftsmanship was incredible. Every leaf, petal, and grain of pollen had been shaped to perfection. The thought of how much time and effort Rocky would have gone to, to do this for him, made a lump form in his throat that was hard to swallow past. He made a mental note to send him a thank you letter and maybe some fresh flowers in return.

Myungjun turned to his parents next as his father pulled the biggest box Myungjun had ever seen across the tavern floor. When the box was settled, Myungjun stood up and went to open it feeling terribly curious and terribly excited.

“It’s been specially made so the size can be adjusted. Your mother designed it and I picked the materials. We hope you like it son.”

Myungjun opened the box to see a lot of leather. He tried to pull it out and made a noise of surprise at how heavy it was. 

“Let me sunshine.” Jinwoo moved him aside gently and lifted it out with ease. He held it out and Myungjun gasped. It was a saddle. But ridiculously big. It was studded with dark red crystals that glittered in the light. The leather was soft to the touch and padded for the comfort of both the rider and the mount.

“This is…beautiful.” Myungjun breathed as he ran his hands over it again. “But its massive.”

“It needs to be if you’re going to put it on your dragon.” His mother pointed out.

Myungjun looked up at them with wide eyes. “This is for Baby? I didn’t know you could saddle dragons. Donghan and Gikwang don’t.”

“Gikwang was the one who told me about it in the first place. He said it would be more comfortable for you because you seemed to have issues when riding Wrath with Donghan at Christmas.”

Myungjun scowled. Donghan had ratted him out to his brother. It wasn’t Myungjuns fault that he kept sliding all over the place on Wraths back. Dragons backs were also a lot bonier than he thought they would be and truly very uncomfortable. He was grateful for Gikwangs advice, but he was loathe to think how much Donghan must have laughed relaying the story of how Myungjun had screamed and whined whenever he thought he was slipping too far.

“Well I’ll have to thank him then.” Myungjun sighed. “It will definitely help to sit on something more comfortable and I’m already used to riding astride Princess on a saddle so it can’t be much different on a dragon…right?” He laughed nervously as he thought about trying to get this giant thing on Baby without the dragon protesting about it.

“Time for my present.” Jinwoo said happily as he put the saddle back down into the box. 

“I helped make it!” Soonyoung interjected excitedly. “So, it’s from both of us!”

Jinwoo looked just as excited as he produced the delicate silver bracelet. He clasped it around Myungjuns wrist and smiled.

“It’s a charm bracelet sunshine. It will fill up with charms over time. The first one is from me.” Jinwoo pulled out another delicate item. A small crystal carved into a heart. “Rocky grew this crystal and I carved it. So really, this gift is from all three of us.” He connected it to the bracelet and let go of Myungjuns wrist to let him have a better look.

Myungjun loved it. The idea of it filling up over time with charms from his friends made his heart swell and he engulfed Jinwoo and Soonyoung in an awkward three-way hug. 

“Thank you. Both of you. I love it more than I can say. It’s so thoughtful.”

“You’re welcome sunshine.”

“Yeah it was fun to make Hyung. We’re glad you like it.”

Myungjun let them go, trying not to get emotional as he looked down at the bracelet again.

“I’ll be back in a second.” said Jinwoo as he pressed a quick kiss into Myungjuns hair before racing up the stairs.

By the time Jinwoo came back down, Myungjun was at the bar sipping on a new drink. Jinwoos face was wrinkled in disgust and he made his way over to sit down beside Myungjun with a small groan.

“I wish I hadn’t seen that.” He wouldn’t explain any further when Myungjun asked and just pointed to the stairs. 

Donghan and Grey were descending looking dishevelled but content. They looked around before spotting Myungjun and hurried over to speak to him.

“We heard you opened your presents. This one is from me Junebug.” 

Myungjuns eyes narrowed as he looked at the flat box in Greys hands. It was labelled with a logo Myungjun had never seen before. He turned in surprise when Jinwoo made a strangled noise beside him. 

Jinwoo didn’t look back at Myungjun though. He was too busy staring at Grey with bright red ears. “Why the hell did you buy him something from there?”

Grey grinned and thrust it into Myungjuns hands. “Don’t worry. It’s not what you’re thinking.”

“How could it not be what I’m thinking?” Jinwoo asked through gritted teeth. “That’s from a lingerie store.”

Myungjun froze in his movements to open the box. He knew what lingerie was, he’d seen it before, and the images that flashed through his mind now made him blush. 

Donghan snorted in amusement. “Just open it little dragon. It’s nothing bad. I managed to talk Grey out of buying you one of those dress things.”

“One of those dress things?” Grey spluttered out a laugh.

“I don’t know what the fuck it’s called.”

“They were _babydolls_ dumbass and you know as well as I do that Junebug would have looked _incredible_ in one. They’re pretty, just like him.” Grey explained happily before turning to Myungjun and grinning at the blush on his face. “But unfortunately, it’s not one of those. But you’ll still like what’s in there trust me. It’s pretty as well. You like pretty things.”

Myungjun only felt mildly reassured by his words and he tried to calm his racing heart as he pulled the lid off the box. 

It was filled with thick, luxurious, white tissue paper that crackled noisily when he moved it aside to reveal the bundle of silk nestled between the sheets. Myungjun ran his fingers over it with wide eyes. The pure white fabric felt beautiful and light under his fingertips and he carefully pulled it out to see what it was.

“It’s a night robe. Real silk too. I’ll admit that I did find it in the women’s section. The men’s robes were just too _boring_.” Grey rolled his eyes. “I had to get you a size up because of it but it will still be a bit short on the leg. Do you like it?”

Myungjun looked up at Grey with a smile. “I love it. It’s beautiful. Thank you.” Myungjun put the bundle of silk back in the box and pulled Grey in for a hug, squeezing him tight. “You know me so well.”

Grey laughed and kissed the top of his head. “I do. Now it’s time for Donghans gifts.” Grey let Myungjun go and stepped aside so Donghan could hand over his tiny box.

“It’s a charm to go on your bracelet.” Donghan explained when Myungjun tipped it out onto his palm. “A little dragon for the little dragon.” Myungjun giggled as Donghan fumbled trying to attach the charm to the delicate chain for him. His fingers were much too big. Donghan growled irritably. “For fucks sake why is it so small? Here. You do it.” Donghan tossed the charm to Jinwoo who caught it and attached it with ease.

“Thank you Dongie. It’s really cute.”

“You’re welcome. But I have another gift.” Donghan pulled out a sheet of parchment and handed it over.

Myungjun took it and unfolded it to see a request from the S Rank request board upstairs. It was for a herb delivery to an important person in a place called Taungar. Myungjun had never heard of it before and he didn’t understand why Donghan was giving this to him.

“Umm…thanks?” Myungjun said awkwardly, looking up at him.

Donghan laughed. “I saved that for you for a few different reasons. One, the reward is insane. Two, you’ll free up a whole load of space in the guild greenhouse. And three, Taungar is across the sea. It’s about time you got out of Aredrinnor don’t you think?”

Myungjuns eyes widened and he looked down at the request again. “Across the sea? Really?”

“Yep. It’s S Rank so I’ll have to go with you, but I thought it would be a nice break for you and Jinwoo to get away from here for a while. You need the coin anyway don’t you?”

Myungjun looked down at the reward. 

**Reward: 10,000,000 coins**

“Why is the reward so high?” Myungjun asked surprised.

“Because they’re asking for a lot of herbs.” Donghan explained. “But I know you have enough. It’s for some rich bastard too. It was the perfect request for you, so I had to take it. We have to leave within the week though.”

Myungjun turned to Jinwoo to see his reaction. Jinwoo was smiling.

“We’ve never been on a ship before sunshine. I think this will be fun. And like Donghan said, it will be a nice break. I’m willing to go if you are. We _do_ need the coin after all.”

“You don’t need the coin as much as you think.” Myungjuns fathers voice interrupted them all. 

Myungjun turned to look to see him crossing the tavern towards them. “What do you mean?”

“The prize for first place at the monster brawl was just delivered today. Me and your mother were upstairs sorting out everyone’s share of the coin and the first-place armour prize, the chest plate, is here too. Have you decided on who will be receiving it?”

“We’re giving it to Soonyoung. He’s a tank after all so he needs the protection.” Jinwoo answered. 

Myungjuns father made a noise of approval. “Good choice. Okay. Well everyone’s coin is ready for collection so before you leave here tonight remember to come up to my office. Now enough talk about requests and money. Its Myungjuns birthday so we should celebrate with a few drinks don’t you think?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Junnie is 20!!! D: *screams*
> 
> A list of all the notable things from this soft chap:  
> 1\. Donghan ate Myungjuns special cupcake because he got curious about Greys cooking. Utterly unacceptable.  
> 2\. Myungjun used his birthday wish to see Sanha again🥺🥺  
> 3\. Donghan gives 0 fricks and called Myungjuns parents out for sleeping together. Also unacceptable.  
> 4\. Dongrey keep breaking beds. (Are we surprised? Nope.)  
> 5\. Jinwoo was highkey SHOOK when Grey handed over the lingerie box.  
> 6\. Donghan lowkey slipping into the conversation that he went shopping in a lingerie store with Grey. (Yet again, are we surprised? Also Nope.)  
> 7\. Myungjun is finally going across the sea 233 chapters into the fic *screams*
> 
> So in conclusion:  
> 1\. Donghan is a little shit.  
> 2\. Myungjun was hecking spoilt like the little prince he is.  
> 3\. Jinwoo would pass out if he ever saw Myungjun in actual lingerie.  
> 4\. Dongrey are still unbothered about flaunting their kinky fwb relationship.  
> 5\. And its taken me, the author, a million years to send Myungjun overseas.
> 
> Is that everything?


	234. You Are Temptation Itself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER WARNING:  
> Barely-there smut.

Myungjun was fresh out of the shower and drying his damp hair with his towel when the pretty box under the bed caught his eye. It contained the white silk robe Grey had given him as a birthday present and he was yet to try it on. He looked down at what he was currently wearing, just his underwear, and realised that now was as good a time as any.

He knelt down to pull the box out and got back up to sit on the bed. Balancing the box on his thighs, he opened it up and moved the thick luxurious tissue paper aside. The robe was just as light and pretty as he remembered, and he rushed to the mirror to put it on. 

The fabric felt amazing against his skin and he felt a rush of satisfaction upon realizing how good it looked on his body. It was short like Grey had said it would be and showed off the guild mark on his thigh that always teased Jinwoo immensely. Myungjuns skin tingled at the thought of how Jinwoo would react seeing him in this.

Jinwoo was downstairs in the library waiting to read Myungjun his bedtime story but Myungjun had other things in mind now.

Wearing such a beautiful piece, that showed off so much skin, made him feel sexy and he realised he was desperate for Jinwoo to think he was sexy too. He wanted Jinwoo to think he was desirable. 

So, with a sudden surge of confidence, Myungjun got to work on improving his appearance. He opened the robe at the top to show off a sliver of his chest, grew his hair out to Jinwoos favourite style, pink and curly, and fluffed it up with his fingers hoping that the dampness wouldn’t ruin his image. He chewed on his lips to make them more pouty and rushed to find his lip gloss, swiping a small amount on his cupids bow and on the centre of his bottom lip. 

Looking in the mirror at the finished product made him flush. Was he really doing this? Dressing up in the hopes of teasing Jinwoo enough to make him want him? What if Jinwoo didn’t notice his efforts? He knew he’d be disappointed. 

_Don’t be silly, of course he’ll notice. This is Jinwoo. He always notices._

Pushing those negative thoughts aside and gathering all of his courage, Myungjun made his way down to the library. 

After taking a few seconds to calm his racing heart he stepped through the door. Jinwoo was looking through the books on one of the shelves and didn’t seem to hear his approach.

Myungjun cleared his throat quietly and Jinwoo turned to look at him with a smile, holding out a book. 

“Hey sunshine I thought we could-” Jinwoo froze mid-sentence. 

Myungjun waited nervously as Jinwoos eyes roamed his body up and down, his gaze halting at Myungjuns thighs. Jinwoo swallowed loudly and put the book down. 

“Myungjun…” his voice was strained. Jinwoo took a step towards him and stopped. “Myungjun you look…” Jinwoo finally tore his eyes away from Myungjuns thighs and looked back up at his face again. “Breath taking.” Jinwoo finished. Jinwoos skin was tinged pink and his breathing sounded uneven. 

Myungjun finally relaxed. He made his way into the room and whined quietly in relief when Jinwoos warm arms wrapped around him. 

“Beautiful.” Jinwoo muttered as he tilted Myungjuns face up. “You’re stunning Myungjun, the most perfect being to walk this land, an angel. I can’t believe you’re mine.” Jinwoos eyes shone with wonder and awe and seeing that expression aimed towards him from the man he loved made butterflies erupt in Myungjuns stomach. 

Myungjun smiled shyly. “I’m yours JinJin, as you are mine.” Myungjun reached up to stroke Jinwoos cheek. “I love you.” 

Myungjun heard Jinwoos breath catch in his throat. 

“I love you too sunshine. More than anything.” Jinwoo leaned down to kiss him. A firm press of their lips that conveyed their feelings. Jinwoo broke the kiss a second later to look at Myungjun with a new intensity in his eyes. When he spoke, his voice was deep and dark. “Lip gloss?” a look of suspicion crossed his face and Myungjun froze as Jinwoo pulled away to look him over again, his eyes landing on the exposed skin of Myungjuns chest. A smirk spread slowly on Jinwoos face. “I see.” He muttered; voice full of understanding. “You made yourself pretty for me didn’t you?” Myungjun flushed and quickly looked down when Jinwoo met his gaze. “Answer me Junnie.” 

Myungjun whined quietly feeling embarrassed and gave a small nod. 

Jinwoo chuckled. “Adorable. I’ll never understand how you can be so seductive yet so devastatingly cute at the same time. I’m the luckiest man on Aredrinnor, you know that right?”

Myungjun looked back up at him to see his favourite smile. He couldn’t help but smile back. 

“Come here handsome.” Jinwoo said as he picked Myungjun up with practised ease. 

Myungjun wrapped his legs around Jinwoos waist and his arms around Jinwoos neck sighing happily at how Jinwoos skin warmed his own. 

“JinJin lets go upstairs. Forget the book. I just want you. I want you now.” 

The grip Jinwoo had on Myungjuns thighs tightened. “Fuck I love hearing you say that.” Jinwoo growled as he carried Myungjun swiftly from the room and up the stairs. “You are temptation itself Kim Myungjun.” 

Myungjun buried his face in Jinwoos neck, inhaling deeply and letting the scent of Jinwoos skin distract him from the embarrassment he felt when asking the question he was desperate to hear the answer to. “Wearing this robe makes me feel…sexy.” He whispered. “Do you think I look sexy JinJin?” 

Jinwoo chuckled again and sat down on the edge of their bed with Myungjun sitting comfortably on his lap. “Sexy isn’t a strong enough word to describe how you look right now. Seeing you like this is driving me insane. Remind me to thank Grey for getting you this gift.”

Myungjun giggled feeling relieved and pressed a kiss into the warm skin of Jinwoos neck. “I’m going to wear this all the time now.” 

“We’ll never get anything done if you do.” Jinwoo warned as his fingers trailed over the white silk. “I won’t be able to keep my hands to myself.” 

Myungjun gasped quietly as Jinwoo slipped the silk off of his shoulders and flipped them over. Jinwoo pressed him into the mattress and nosed at the sensitive skin along Myungjuns jaw. 

“It’s pretty but it has to come off sunshine. I need to see you. _All_ of you.” 

Myungjun shivered happily. “I want to see you too JinJin. I want to touch you and…” He trailed off and flushed. 

“And what? Tell me what you want Junnie. You can have anything.” 

“I want to pleasure you with my mouth.” Myungjun whispered. It was embarrassing to voice what he wanted but he knew it would be worth it in the end. 

Jinwoo groaned loudly and pulled back to look at Myungjun properly. His eyes were dark and full of desire. “Are you sure?” 

Myungjun nodded quickly. He wanted it desperately. He couldn’t remember the last time he had done it and the desire to have Jinwoo in his mouth now was almost overwhelming. 

“Please JinJin.” Myungjun begged quietly. “Please let me.” 

Jinwoo breathed out heavily and surged forwards to kiss him. The kiss was hungry and rough and made Myungjuns head spin. He reached down to tug at the hem of Jinwoos top and Jinwoo broke the kiss with a gasp to pull it off. They were both naked before Myungjun realised what was happening and Myungjun rolled them over until he was on top of Jinwoo instead. 

“Can I?” Myungjun whispered against his lips. 

When he received his confirmation he was quick to move down the bed and whined quietly when he reached Jinwoos hips. How could every part of Jinwoo be so perfect? Jinwoo had declared that he was the luckiest man on Aredrinnor to have Myungjun but Myungjun knew it was the other way around. 

This strong, gorgeous man was all his and he couldn’t be happier. 

* 

Myungjun was out in the paddocks trying to saddle Baby and he wasn’t having much luck. It was much too heavy to lift with his arms so he was using his vines, but the dragon kept moving around restlessly. 

Myungjun groaned in annoyance. “Please sit still. It will only take a second and then we can go for our first flight together. You’re big enough now. Don’t you want that?” 

The dragon huffed smoked out of its nostrils and finally stilled. Myungjun sighed in relief. 

He was just buckling the last strap when Jinwoos voice floated across the field. 

“SUNSHINE? ARE YOU OUT HERE?” 

“OVER HERE!” Myungjun called back as he stepped away to look at his handiwork. Baby looked stunning. The crystals that glittered around the seams of the saddle matched the dragons bright red eyes perfectly. 

A warm pair of arms wrapped around Myungjuns waist from behind and Jinwoo rested his chin atop Myungjuns head and made a noise of approval. 

“Both of my babies look incredible today.” Jinwoo said happily. 

Myungjun giggled and turned around in his arms to look up at him. “The saddle is big enough for us both. I was thinking about taking Baby to the castle for the opening of the throne room. It’s happening in a few hours. Do you want to come with us?” 

“I’d like to but one of us should stay behind and pack. We’re leaving for Zepheholde tomorrow remember. Did you finish packing all of the herbs at the guild yesterday?” 

Myungjun nodded proudly. “All three crates are full to the top. Donghan was right. It _has_ cleared a lot of space for me in the greenhouse. I’m growing so many medicinal plants that we’re drowning in herbs. They’re not being used fast enough. Listening to how Rocky is setting up his own business on the side has made me think about setting up my own too. I could get into contact with all of the apothecaries in Voredan and see if they’d be willing to buy some. It would be nice to have a steady income instead of relying on the appearance of good requests.” 

Jinwoo smiled and reached out to stroke Myungjuns cheek with the back of his hand. “Good idea handsome. I’ll help you with that when we get back from Taungar. Speaking of plants, how is your mystery seed coming along? The one you got from the assassination request. Is it growing yet?” 

Myungjun sighed and shook his head with a pout. “I don’t know what’s going on with it. It’s been months and it’s still not sprouting. I was worried that it was damaged and wouldn’t grow but it looks perfectly healthy and I can feel the life inside of it. It must need something special to help it grow. I just don’t know what that is yet.” 

“You’ll work it out eventually sunshine.” Jinwoo reassured him. “Have you said goodbye to your mother yet? We’re going to be gone for a while.” 

“She came to the guild last night and I said goodbye then.” Myungjun answered before pulling out of Jinwoos hold and walking over to their dragon. 

Jinwoo helped him to climb on and then stepped away to grin up at him. “You look fierce up there Junnie. My heart is fluttering.” 

Myungjun snorted in amusement and patted the smooth, black scales on the dragon’s neck. “Let’s go for a test flight my baby. Then I’ll feed you and we can set off for real.” 

Jinwoo cleared his throat noisily. “I need a kiss from my favourite baby first.” 

Myungjun went to protest about having to climb down for a kiss but the dragon beat him to it. It lowered its head to Jinwoos height and bumped its snout against Jinwoos face. 

Myungjun shrieked out a giggle as Jinwoo stumbled backwards from the force of it. Jinwoos bright laughter rang through the air a second later. 

“Thank you Baby. I guess you’re my favourite now. Fly safe and don’t let him fall okay?” 

Baby made a strange noise in the back of its throat before stumbling forwards a few steps and stretching out its wings. Myungjun clung to the front of the saddle, suddenly full of fear. 

“Hold on Junnie. If you fall, I’ll bring you back to life and kill you myself for worrying me so much.” 

Myungjuns reply was swallowed by a squeal of surprise as the dragon took off with one powerful flap of its wings. The ground sped away and the warm breeze whipped his hair and clothes around. Myungjun held on with all his might and tried to ignore the ache that soon settled in his arms. Once the dragon levelled out, he’d be okay…he hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soft Myungjin is the best Myungjin.  
> But their dragon stealing Myungjuns kiss though? Cheeky Baby.
> 
> Myungjuns mystery seed...highkey want it to grow something like a single flower that can ward off death, or a flower that opens up and there's a little baby creature inside of it because Myungjun mentioned feeling the life inside when he touched it...if anyone has any other ideas for what it could grow though let me know. I'd like to read them. I do this often, place items or characters in this fic with no real objective for them so that I can make a purpose at a later date when they could become useful xD
> 
> Next chap is the opening of the throne room though!!! A quick reminder that Hakyeon is going to give Leo his confession cake box uwu


	235. The Throne Room.

Myungjun opened the giant doors to the pit and ushered Baby inside. His first long flight to the city had been successful and he still had some time to kill before the throne room was opened to the public. 

He watched as Baby flew up to the nests that Gikwang had had built for their dragons to rest comfortably in and was pleasantly surprised to see Arvioth and Wrath already enjoying a nap. They were gigantic but still tried to curl up in the same nest. 

The nests themselves were fifty feet off the floor on a stone platform and Myungjun had to climb up a ladder to get to them. He tried not to look down as he got higher and higher off the floor. 

When he reached the top, Wrath raised its head sleepily and looked over at him with its bright green eyes. It made the strange purring sound in the back of its throat that Myungjun had grown used too and he went over to stroke its wing fondly. 

“Hello. I’ve brought Baby to nap with you. Do you have room?” Wrath tried moving over and fell back down with enough force to shake the entire platform. Myungjun squeaked in fear and tried to steady himself. 

Baby squished itself into the space Wrath had left behind and rested its head against Wraths chest. Myungjun cooed at the cute picture they made but quickly fell silent when a low, angry rumble came from their sleepy sibling nearby. Arvioth didn’t seem to be in the mood for visitors so Myungjun said his goodbyes and quickly descended the ladder. 

He knew Arvioth wouldn’t hurt him, but it was definitely the most volatile dragon of the bunch and if it was in a bad mood then Myungjun didn’t want to upset it any further. 

Arvioth mirrored Gikwangs emotions more strongly than Baby mirrored Myungjuns or Wrath mirrored Donghans, so Myungjun was guessing Gikwang was in a terrible mood too. Myungjun counted himself lucky that he wouldn’t be stopping at the guild today. He was going straight to the castle instead. 

After locking the doors to the pit with the key that was permanently chained to his neck, Myungjun set off for the castle on foot. It would take a while to get there, especially with the foot traffic out on the streets for such an exciting day. It seemed everyone in the city wanted to see the throne room in all of its dazzling glory. 

Myungjun allowed himself to be swept along by the crowds and let his mind wander. Today was the day Leo was announcing his upcoming marriage. Today was also the day Hakyeon would turn up with his cake box. 

Leo had asked Myungjun to tell Hakyeon not to bother, but Myungjun had been too much of a coward to do so. Telling Hakyeon that Leo didn’t want his cake would result in Myungjun having to tell him about the marriage announcement too and he couldn’t bear to see him upset. By not telling Hakyeon, he hoped that Leo would somehow change his mind upon seeing him again. Myungjun didn’t know how likely that was though and sighed unhappily. 

Then he was struck with an idea. 

He changed direction and hurried down a back alley that would lead him to the fighting district. Maybe two men would be better than one at changing Leos mind. 

* 

Ravi wiped the sweat from his forehead and downed a whole bottle of water before jumping out of the ring and walking over. 

“Hello. You’re the Kings friend right?” 

Myungjun nodded and smiled. “My names Myungjun. And you’re Ravi.” 

“That’s me. What can I do for you today Myungjun?” 

Myungjun had thought long and hard on the way here about what to say to him but had come up completely blank. How would he even begin to approach this conversation? All he knew was that Leo was attracted to this man. He didn’t even know if they had met again after the first time. 

_Oh. That’s where I should start._

Myungjun cleared his throat to speak. “Did the King ever come back here after the first time we met?” 

Ravi was quiet for a few seconds, eyeing Myungjun with suspicion. “Why do you want to know?” 

“It’s important.” Myungjun answered quietly. “It’s okay if he has.” 

Ravi seemed to be deciding whether he should answer or not. He slowly shook his head. “No. He never came back here. But I have bumped into him a few times at that teashop he likes.” 

Myungjun was surprised. “You’ve been to Hakyeons teashop too?” 

Ravi smiled as if there were some secret joke involved. “Yes. Me and Hakyeon go way back. When I told him about the Kings visit here, Hakyeon told me all about Leo becoming a regular customer at his place. And when he told me how Leo visited at the same time every week, I got curious. Leo seemed interested in me when we first met so I wanted to see how he would react if we saw each other again.” 

Myungjun felt surprised all over again but tried to hide it. “Interested in you? What do you mean?” He asked cautiously. 

Ravi’s smile turned into a grin. “He almost called me handsome if you don’t remember. His blush is also rather unforgettable. I’m not clueless when it comes to these things. People have looked upon me that way before. I’ll admit that its mainly women who do but I have no objections that our King finds me attractive. He’s very handsome himself.” 

Myungjun was completely stunned. Ravi had seen Leos interest straight away. Something that had taken Myungjun a long time to see himself. 

“You said you saw him a few times in the teashop. How did he act?” Myungjun asked.

“Polite, flustered, shy.” Ravi listed them off with a small smile. “Are you aware that Leo is also attracted to Hakyeon?” 

Myungjun nodded suddenly feeling awkward. He didn’t know how Ravi would react to Leos heart being divided. Myungjun knew that if Jinwoo were the same and liked Myungjun and someone else then he himself would feel terribly jealous and upset. 

However, Ravi just looked amused. “He didn’t know where to look, me or Hakyeon, and I did tease him about that once or twice…” Ravi trailed off looking like he was enjoying a fond memory. 

“And how do _you_ feel about that?” Myungjun asked carefully. “About Leo liking you both?” 

Ravi looked back down at him with a quirked eyebrow. “Are you asking me if I was jealous?” 

“…Yes.” 

“Not at all. I can understand. Hakyeon is an attractive man. It doesn’t make any difference anyway.” 

“What do you mean it doesn’t make any difference?” 

“Well we’ll never find out who Leo would have chosen between us. Not only is that impossible given his status as King but I’ve also heard that he is looking for a Queen. So, it makes no difference.” Ravi sighed and walked over to a nearby table to grab another water bottle from the small collection there. He drank it all down and wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand. “Is that all you wanted to ask me?” 

Myungjun hurried over and shook his head. “I have a favour to ask of you. I know this is sudden and a bit unconventional considering we know nothing about each other, but I’m desperate.” 

Ravi looked surprised. “Umm…sure. If I can help, I will. You seem like a decent guy.” 

Myungjun smiled nervously. “Are you busy right now?” 

*

Given Myungjuns status in the castle, he was allowed to skip the queue of people waiting to see the throne room and the King that stretched for miles outside of the castle gates. He was escorted by the guards right to the front of the queue with Ravi and Hakyeon close behind. 

The throne room was packed with people. The ones who had no request for the King, who just wanted to watch, were divided into two halves on either side of the giant room, with the queue of people who did want to see Leo forming a river between them. 

Leo looked stunning in his heavy golden cloak and golden crown that was nestled on a head of freshly dyed silver hair. The colour was similar to Greys who was standing as still as a statue beside the golden throne. Greys eyes were the only things moving, making a constant round of the room, on high alert for any danger. Grey allowed himself a small smile when he spotted Myungjun and Myungjun grinned back.

The guards led them to the front and left them there with polite bows. Myungjun could hear Hakyeons shallow breathing and turned to see if he was okay. Hakyeon looked jittery with nerves as he stared at the man seated on the throne.

Leo was smiling and talking to an elderly couple. Myungjun was happy to see that whatever they spoke of couldn’t be heard over the excited chatter going on inside the room. It meant that whatever Hakyeon and Ravi said to Leo would go unheard too. That made things a whole lot easier. He said as much to the older males and Hakyeon visibly relaxed. His hands still shook slightly as they clutched at the cake box.

Leo nodded his head politely to the elderly couple who were escorted back down the stairs, away from the throne, and froze when he took in the sight of who he would be speaking too next. Myungjun only felt a little guilty about surprising him like this. It was for his own good after all.

The three of them ascended the stairs and kneeled in front of the King, heads bowed.

Ravi was the first to speak. “Your majesty. It’s good to see you again.”

Myungjun raised his head in time to see the flustered look that crossed Leos face before it smoothed out into a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“It’s good to see you again too Ravi. Have you been well?” Leo asked politely.

Ravi stood up, with Myungjun and Hakyeon soon following and he smiled back. “Not particularly. You’ve stopped visiting the teashop. I haven’t had my weekly dose of you in a long time.”

Ravi’s straightforwardness made Leos calm composure waver. Pink colouring filled his cheeks. “I’ve been busy.” He replied quietly.

“I’ve heard.” Ravi said. “Congratulations on your engagement by the way. I know you’re announcing it soon but Myungjun already told me.”

Myungjun quickly turned his head to the other side to see Hakyeons reaction. Hakyeon didn’t know Leo was already engaged. He just knew that Leo had been looking for a Queen.

Hakyeon was frozen, staring at the rings on Leos hands with wide eyes, no doubt searching for the one signifying the engagement. Leo seemed to feel his stare and tilted his hands in his lap, so the rings were hidden from view.

Leo cleared his throat awkwardly. “Thank you Ravi. I am…very happy.” He didn’t look or sound happy at all.

“You’re engaged?” Hakyeon finally spoke up. He was so quiet Myungjun doubted Leo had heard. But Leos eyes were on him in an instant, as if he were surprised to hear Hakyeons voice again. He probably was surprised. They hadn’t seen each other in a long time.

“Why?” Hakyeon asked. The hurt was clear in his voice. Pure pain flashed in Leos eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it had come. “Why are you engaged?” Hakyeon asked again when Leo failed to speak. “It’s not what you want.”

Leo swallowed and looked down at his hands. “It is what I want. I…love this woman. I want to father her children. I want to have many sons with her. She can give me that.”

_And you can’t._

Myungjun heard the unspoken words in Leos voice and Hakyeon did too apparently. 

Hakyeon turned to Myungjun with tears in his eyes and thrust the cake box towards him. “I can’t do this Mr Kim. I’m sorry. I have to go.”

Myungjun took the box from him and watched feeling terribly sad as Hakyeon raced down the steps, away from the throne, and pushed his way through the crowd to get away.  
Myungjun didn’t know how to salvage this conversation but luckily Ravi did it for him. However, it was with something Myungjun hadn’t expected at all in this situation. Ravi actually laughed. A laugh that sounded so genuine Myungjun was sure it wasn’t forced. Leo looked just as confused as Myungjun felt.

Ravi finally quietened down but was still smiling as he spoke. “Hakyeon has always had a flair for the dramatics. Racing from the room like that. Give him a few hours and he will have calmed down again.”

Leo shifted on the throne looking uncomfortable and Myungjun could feel the utter devastation in his emotions. 

“You came here to see me.” Leo began quietly. “There must be something you want. Everyone has come with a request. What request do you both have? If its within my power to give, then I will. Coin? Help with construction? Food? Water?”

“A date.” Ravi interrupted smoothly. “A date with the King. That is my request.”

Leos eyes widened as he looked up at him. “A date?”

“A date.” Ravi confirmed. There was a playful smile tugging at his lips, but his eyes were serious. “You are not yet married, and I haven’t seen you in a while. A date between friends. That’s all I’m asking.”

The word ‘friends’ seemed to help Leo relax.

“You are using your request to ask for my company?” Leo asked again. He didn’t wait for an answer. “I’m afraid that’s not within my power to give you. I’m terribly busy these days, with the upcoming wedding, I do not have time to spare. You may, however, change your request.”

Ravi shook his head not looking upset at all. “I cannot. That is my one true request. I have no need for anything else but your company my King. You may, however, change your mind.” Ravi said, lightly mocking Leos words. “I will be visiting Hakyeons teashop every weekend at your usual time. If you do change your mind, you know where to find me.” 

Leo clenched his jaw and turned to Myungjun with obvious irritation in his eyes. “What is your request Mr Kim?”

“I request that you accept Ravi’s request.” Myungjun answered quietly. He knew it wasn’t nice to push Leo, but he had already made plans to do so with Ravi on the way to the castle earlier. “A date at Hakyeons teashop. Just like the dates me and you used to have. Tea and cake, that’s all he wants.”

Leo breathed out heavily and sat back looking even more annoyed. “I’ve already said that I cannot do that. If you have no other requests, then my guards will escort you both out.”

“We’re done here I think.” Ravi spoke up sounding cheerful. He took the cake box out of Myungjuns hands and held it out towards Grey. Grey winked behind Leos back and took Hakyeons gift, ignoring Leos protests that he couldn’t accept it.

Leo huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. Myungjun wanted to giggle when he saw the small jut of Leos bottom lip. He looked like a sulky five-year-old with his pout.

“Our time is up. Guards.” Leo called for them and Myungjun and Ravi left without protest.

When they were back out on the street and away from the crowd Ravi turned to look down at Myungjun with a wide smile.

“I think that went well. Did you do your mind reading thing? What did he think about my date offer?”

“He was already planning ways to escape his guard this weekend.” Myungjun replied with a happy squeal. “He’ll be there. Thank you for doing this. I know it’s going to be awkward for you and Hakyeon, now that you both know Leo likes the both of you, and the fact this date is with you at the teashop, but I can’t think of any other way to get Leo to change his mind about this marriage. Maybe spending time with you both will make him see sense.”

“I’ll do my best. But no guarantees. How can I get into contact with you again? To tell you about what happens?”

“Unfortunately, you can’t. I’m going overseas tomorrow and won’t be back for a while. I’ll come and find you when I return though. Thank you again for doing this, and please reassure Hakyeon that Leo received his box. Leo was desperate to open it right there and then despite his protests, so he’ll have seen Hakyeons confession by tonight, I’m sure of it. Take care of yourself Ravi and good luck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hakyeon= emotional  
> Ravi= A flirt/tease  
> …  
> Good luck Leo I guess~
> 
> For us Ddana enthusiasts I have some good(ish) news, depending on how you look at it.  
> I was suddenly hit with mad inspiration at 3am in the morning a few nights ago and started to write Sanhas story. I have trouble sleeping at night so I've spent every night since the first writing some more of it and...the chapter I'll be writing next is titled 'Sanhas Story-Part 10.'...  
> 10+ chapters of Sanha POVs coming soon I am sCREAMING. IT WAS ONLY MEANT TO BE 2-3 CHAPTERS WHY AM I LIKE THIS??? I have 0 self control when I get sucked into writing.
> 
> So its going to be a long story and I won't lie, its unpleasant as heck. Sanha has joined a dark guild. Dark guilds are full of terrible people. Murderers, rapists, thugs etc. So when it gets to that part of the story, I'll have to add a million chapter warnings again. And to mentally prepare you, 2 of those chapter warnings; Abusive/manipulative relationship + mentions of attempted sexual assault. Its literally going to be that dark.  
> Like I've done before, I'll be writing summaries of each chapter in the notes at the end, so the people who don't want to read about Sanhas suffering don't have to.
> 
> I'm going to hell for what I've written and you're all going to hate me yeeeeee


	236. Zepheholde-Part 1.

Myungjuns cry of excitement was swallowed by the wind when he saw the sprawling city of Zepheholde in the distance. Jinwoos arms wrapped tighter around him from behind and Myungjun looked over to see Donghan grinning their way from his seat atop Wrath.

They’d ridden the dragons from Voredan, completing a two week journey in just one and Myungjun was so proud of Baby for being able to keep up with its bigger sibling despite carrying both him and Jinwoo AND their luggage which Donghan had shown him how to attach safely to the giant saddle they were currently sitting on.

The weather had changed dramatically over the last hour. They were getting closer to the sea, so the wind was a lot stronger as it blew inland and carried with it the distinct scent of the ocean.

Myungjun breathed it in deeply and couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face. It reminded him of the days he spent holed up in the twin’s cottage, searching for clues in Donghans books on how to cure Gikwangs curse. He had a lot of good memories there.

One of those memories being the time he had showed Donghan how to make his hot chocolate for the first time which left them both covered in the sugary powder and laughing until their stomachs ached. 

Or the time Myungjun first touched the cold sea water. He’d been so desperate to feel it and Donghan had taken him out there one day after Myungjun had dramatically declared that he needed a break from all the reading before his brain turned to mush. Donghan had been the first to brave the waves and had dipped his bare feet in, cursing loudly at how cold it was. Myungjun had thought it was a good idea to try and push him in. Big mistake. Donghan was much too heavy for him to move and upon realising what Myungjun had just attempted to do, Donghan had paid him back tenfold by picking him up and running straight into the waves, dunking them both in the icy water as Myungjun screamed at the top of his lungs. He was too used to the heat of Jinwoos skin so the freezing water no doubt felt a hundred times worse for him then it did for Donghan. 

Myungjun had so many good memories at the cottage beside the sea, that the smell of it now lifted his mood to immeasurable heights. The happiness welled up inside of him and he expended his magic, allowing his dark red petals to trail behind them as they approached the city.

Donghans voice cut through Myungjuns mind.

*We’re going straight to the port. We can explore the city after I’ve secured our ship.*

Myungjun gave him an excited thumbs up and watched as Donghan leaned forwards on Wraths back. Donghan rode his dragon more then Gikwang and Myungjun did theirs, so Donghan and Wrath were well attuned to one another. Wrath knew what every movement meant and was soon descending, tucking its wings in and plummeting towards the city at a startling speed. Donghans elated shout was carried back to Myungjuns ears by the wind and with a burst of pure stupidity, Myungjun ordered Baby to follow him.

Donghan rode recklessly. Myungjun liked to ride safe. This was not safe. Baby wasn’t used to riding this way either, so the dragon had a hard time keeping level against the wind. Jinwoo shouted in surprise when they tipped to the side and removed one arm from around Myungjuns waist to grip the edge of the saddle so they wouldn’t slip right off. 

Thousands of tent-like structures were spread out beneath them in a colourful sea of fabric and the closer they got, the easier it was to see what they were. Market stalls. Rocky had once told him that Zepheholde was the city of trade. It had Aredrinnors biggest trading district and Myungjun was blown away by the sheer size of it.

Myungjuns eyes were streaming and he scrubbed at them to clear his vision. Donghan was far below them now and for one heart stopping moment Myungjun was sure that Wrath was going to crash. 

At the last second, Wraths wings spread back out to stop their descent just in time, its clawed feet skimming the tops of the tents. The startled shoppers screamed at their sudden arrival. 

Baby was still plummeting and Myungjun knew it would take his dragon a lot longer to stop. Luckily Baby seemed to understand what needed to be done and spread its black leathery wings in one swift, but far from smooth, movement that threw them even more out of balance.

Myungjun screamed as they got closer to the colourful sea as Baby desperately flapped its wings, trying to gain control against the wind. People scattered like ants in every direction beneath them, trying to get away from the impending crash.

The adrenaline of the free fall and the fear of being splattered against the ground made Myungjuns head spin and the edges of his vision started to fade. 

_Oh no._

Everything went black.

*

“…un? Myungjun? Are you back with me now?”

Myungjun opened his eyes with a groan and blinked against the light. Jinwoos face came into view, blocking it out. Myungjun realised he was laying down and struggled to sit up. Jinwoo helped him and sighed in relief.

“What happened?” Myungjun asked as he looked around. “Where are we? Are we dead?”

The room they were in was bright, white and airy. He could smell the ocean and hear the hustle and bustle of the city outside their window mixed in with the jarring cries of the gulls. 

“We’re very much alive.” Jinwoo answered as he pulled Myungjun across the bed and into his arms. “We’re at an inn. Baby managed to land safely enough but we destroyed three different tents on the way down. I can’t believe you tried to follow Donghan. Scared the life out of me sunshine.”

Myungjun felt instant regret when the memories came flooding back. “Sorry JinJin. It was stupid. I was just so _happy_ and got too excited. I won’t ever try that again.”

“I hope not.” Myungjun could hear the pout in Jinwoos voice. “Not only was I terrified of us crashing but you passed out too! You just went limp and I nearly lost my grip on you. You really would have died if I had!”

Myungjun pulled his head out of Jinwoos neck to look at him. Jinwoos eyes were watery and the pout Myungjun had heard in his voice was prominent on his lips. 

“Please don’t cry JinJin. I’m okay. We’re both okay.” Myungjun suddenly gasped. “Baby. How’s my baby?”

“Baby is fine. A bit distressed. Its outside with Wrath. The innkeeper wasn’t very happy when we turned up with two dragons, one of which took out three businesses but Donghan bribed her with coin to let us stay until you woke.”

“Where is he?” Myungjun asked, only just realising the absence of their giant friend.

“He went ahead to the port to deal with our ship and sent me a note a few minutes before you woke saying to meet him outside when you were ready. Do you want to go? Or do you want to rest a bit more?” Jinwoo asked, peering worriedly at his face. “You still look a bit pale.”

Myungjun grimaced and pulled out of Jinwoos hold. “I’m fine. Let’s just go.”

*

Zepheholdes trading district was a sight to behold. So many things to see, sounds to hear, scents to smell. Myungjun felt dizzy trying to take it all in. It didn’t help that it was utterly packed with people. Myungjun had thought Voredan was a busy city but Zepheholde made Voredan appear almost peaceful. They were lucky to have Donghan leading the way through the crowd. The people moved out of the way for him looking mildly startled and Myungjun and Jinwoo were able to follow close behind. 

Donghan had suggested leaving the dragons behind at the port so they could hunt for food in the oceans waves and at first Myungjun had felt concerned about leaving them unattended in a new place but the dragons seemed to like the idea so he reluctantly let Baby go after promising that they’d be back soon. They were desperate to explore the city after all.

Jinwoo had been to Zepheholde once before on a request he had taken with Soonyoung, to escort an important person, but he had only been as far as the outskirts of the city, he had never stepped foot inside the trading district so everything was new to them both. Myungjun was strangely glad about that fact.

He looked around at the stalls they passed, trying to see everything at once. It was hard. Some selling fabrics including large coloured bolts of silk that looked soft to the touch, some selling candles and incense and other fragrant items, others selling spices, fruits and vegetables; some Myungjun didn’t recognise. And the ones that stole his attention the most where the businesses selling clothes. It was interesting to see the garb people wore across the sea. It said a lot about the different environments they must live in. Thick woollen furs and heavy looking boots suitable for the snowier regions were sold right next to another stall selling skimpier cotton and silk shifts that would leave nothing to the imagination.

The people shopping at these tents were also interesting to look at. Myungjun had never seen so many different skin colours. From snowy white to golden bronze to coal black. He tried not to stare too much. A lot of people had decorated their skin with body paints, tattoos, bizarre piercings and elaborate hairstyles which gave Myungjun plenty of ideas for his own hair. More people wore jewels of all sizes and colours, some even decked out with weapons and armour offering varying degrees of protection.

“Look over here.” Donghan called out, instantly gaining Myungjuns attention. “This place sells companion food and accessories.”

Myungjun rushed over feeling excited at the word ‘accessories’ and looked over the display of items Donghan was pointing to.

The woman running the stall greeted them with a smile. “Hello there gentleman. Are you looking for anything in particular?”

“I have a question actually.” Myungjun spoke up, leaning towards her so that they could converse better over the chatter of the crowd. “I have a flower companion. She disappears in a puff of petals whenever she dies or if I send her away. Wouldn’t these accessories just fall off of her when she does?”

“My accessories are specially designed to bind to your companion. They will disappear when she does. However, unfortunately, I’m all out of accessories for flower companions. If you come back tomorrow, I’ll have some more.”

Myungjun thanked her and left with the others feeling disappointed that he couldn’t treat Camellia to anything. They would be gone by tomorrow so he wouldn’t even be able to see what she could be accessorised with.

“Cheer up sunshine.” Jinwoo said happily as he draped his arm over Myungjuns shoulders, pulling him close to his side. “Let’s go and look somewhere else.” Jinwoo used his height to look over the heads of the crowd and gasped excitedly. “There’s a place selling mystery eggs. That sounds cool I wonder what they’ll hatch…oh! And there’s one selling plants! The whole tent is covered in vines Junnie it’s so cool!”

Myungjun huffed. “I want to see JinJin! It’s no good just telling me.”

Donghan looked back at them in amusement. “Just make yourself taller little dragon.”

“I can’t.” Myungjun whined. “I still feel weak after passing out.”

Jinwoo sighed loudly and when Myungjun looked up at him he saw a scowl. “I told you that you should have rested some more! Hop on.” Jinwoo let Myungjun go and crouched down in front of him. 

Myungjun jumped up onto his back with a wide grin and was overjoyed when Jinwoo stood back up. He could see a lot better.

“Thank you JinJin. I think I’m starting to like how tall you are now.”

Jinwoo snorted and shook his head. “Are you saying you didn’t like how tall I am?”

“Of course I didn’t. I’m a midget next to you now and everyone keeps teasing me about being the shortest.” Myungjun said bluntly making both Jinwoo and Donghan laugh. “Stop laughing at me or I’ll make you carry me around all day. Then when you tire, I’ll make Dongie carry me.”

“I think the fuck not.” Donghan replied with a scoff.

Jinwoo cut in before Myungjun could argue. “I won’t tire anyway sunshine. You’re not that heavy. I’ll carry you all day if it will make you happy. My little cutie.”

“I’m not little!” Myungjun all but shouted. He ignored their laughter and pointed in the direction of the viney tent. “Take me there JinJin. I want to see what’s inside.”

“Yes your majesty.”

Donghan cleared the way for them again and pulled the vines aside so they could all enter. It smelt earthy with a strong floral undercurrent inside and Myungjun felt right at home. His magic agreed as it hummed under his skin. 

As expected, there were a lot of plants that he didn’t know the names of and some he’d never seen before, not even in books. The little old couple running the business sold not only plants, but seeds and bulbs too. They were on the pricey side but Myungjun couldn’t help himself and bought a few to plant in his greenhouse at home. He still had a lot of room in there to fill and the thought of growing new plants was terribly exciting for him.

Myungjun had a feeling he’d be coming back here again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Myungjun learnt a valuable lesson here today; Do not try to follow Donghans reckless behaviour.
> 
> Zepheholde is so magical in my head and I'd love to visit ;-; Also, its a relief to finally be writing about the city, when the first time I mentioned it was all the way at the beginning when Rocky and Myungjun first met. :o


	237. Zepheholde-Part 2.

Jinwoo continued to carry Myungjun around Zepheholdes trading district on his back as promised and Myungjun loved every second of it. He could see a lot more from this vantage point and cheekily asked Jinwoo to take him to every market stall he deemed interesting enough. Luckily Jinwoo did so without complaint and even seemed to be enjoying himself. 

Myungjun watched as Donghan abruptly changed course and headed towards a stall selling old books. Myungjun knew what he would be looking for. Books on curses to add to his collection. Gikwang had ordered him to throw them all out but Donghan had ignored said order and hidden them all from him instead. 

Whenever Myungjun thought about Gikwangs curse he felt guilty. He hadn’t been much help recently as he’d been too caught up in his own problems and the dramas of others. He cherished Donghans friendship dearly and the fact he wasn’t helping him made him feel terrible.

“JinJin let me down. I’m going to go look at the books with Dongie.” Myungjun said, already wriggling against Jinwoos hold.

“Okay sunshine.” Jinwoo crouched down to let Myungjun safely off and turned around to pull Myungjun in for a quick kiss. Myungjun kissed him back, allowing himself to get momentarily distracted and only realised his distraction when Jinwoo pulled away with a chuckle. “I thought you wanted to look for books? You won’t find any in my mouth.”

Myungjun flushed and pouted up at him. “It’s not my fault your lips are so irresistible. They’re terribly distracting Jinwoo. I need to concentrate now so go away.”

Jinwoo laughed and pinched his cheek, not looking upset at all at Myungjuns bad attitude. “Okay handsome. I’ll go and get us some drinks okay? Is there anything you want?”

“Hot chocolate.” Myungjun answered excitedly as the pout disappeared off his face. “With extra whipped cream and those cute baby marshmallows. I love them Jinwoo they’re so _adorable_.”

“Not as adorable as you though.”

Myungjun pretended to gag at Jinwoos cheesiness and gave him one last kiss before rushing off to find Donghan. 

Donghan was crouched down searching through a box on the floor so Myungjun completely overlooked him at first, expecting him to be towering over everything as he usually did. Donghan looked up when he called his name and held out a book.

“Found one. You can read this on the ship little dragon. Remember to do so away from Jinwoo though. I know he’s trustworthy, but I don’t feel like sharing my brothers…condition with anyone else.”

Myungjun nodded dutifully and took the book from him to look it over. It was so old the cover was faded, and the corners of the book were curled and frayed. 

“I have a good feeling about this book Dongie.”

“Really?” Donghan asked, standing back up and looking at him with hope in his eyes. “Let’s go back to the ship now then.”

Myungjun held out his hand to stop Donghan from rushing off. “Stop. We can’t. Jinwoo left to get us some drinks so we need to wait here for him to return. Let’s just keep looking. We may come across another good book and the more information we have the better the chance of us curing him once and for all.”

Donghan conceded easily enough and went back to looking. Myungjun hurried over to the owner of the business, a wizened looking man, to pay for the book himself before Donghan could. It was the least he could do after being so neglectful to the hunt for a cure over the recent months. It made him feel a bit better when he handed over the coins.

“Do you have any more books on curses? If so, I’d be happy to purchase them.” Myungjun asked the old man politely.

The man smiled, showing off his pink gums. He didn’t have many teeth left. “That’s the last one I’m afraid. However, I have other things you may be interested in.”

Myungjun looked around to see if he could spot Jinwoo in the crowd. He couldn’t, and Donghan was busy searching another pile of books with a determined glint in his eyes so Myungjun knew he had some time. 

He followed the old man as he hobbled over to a wooden wine rack filled with scrolls of parchment. Some were crisp white and newly pressed, and others were yellowing and crumbling with age. They looked so delicate Myungjun was afraid to touch them in case they turned to ash in his hands.

“These are spell scrolls that have been imbued with magic.” The man explained as he pulled one of the newer pieces from the rack. “Just speak the words on the scroll and you can cast the spell. It’s one use only and a favourite amongst the non-magical community. If you’re looking for books on curses you must be interested in dark magic. I have a lot of dark magical scrolls here which may interest you. Just try to be careful with the older ones.”

Myungjun thanked him and watched the old man hobble away to help someone else. He turned back to the scrolls and looked for the ones labelled with skulls, the symbol of dark magic. The man was right, he did have a lot of them and Myungjun had to wonder where he had gotten them in the first place. He’d never seen a practice like this before so it must not be something done on Aredrinnor. Which meant it was unlikely to be safe to use. The thought of a non-magical person using these to cast spells was absurd to him anyway. He could never imagine his mother using magic, or Leo or even Ravi. 

Part of him didn’t even want to see what was inside of the scrolls. They’d been imbued with dark energy after all. He knew well enough by now that using dark magic didn’t make you a bad person but the thought of wielding such power still made him uncomfortable.

However, a bigger part of him was morbidly curious and if there was one thing Myungjun struggled with, it was resisting his curiosity.

With a sigh and a slightly shaking hand, Myungjun reached for the first scroll he saw and opened it up. He only had to look at the picture before he was quickly rolling it back up and shoving it back on the shelf. Demons. 

Demons were terrible creatures, created by the Prince of Darkness for only one purpose. Destruction. He had learnt enough about demons in his demonology class at the academy to know how awful they were, and he’d faced enough demons to have some first-hand experience with them too, to see the truth behind what he had been taught. The demon burns on his arm were enough proof of their unnatural evil, so he was utterly bewildered to see a scroll being sold on the practice of summoning one of the vile creatures. How could a demon ever be summoned for a good purpose?

Myungjun looked through a few more of the scrolls and grew even more uneasy. Scrolls on the manipulation of the mind, scrolls on communicating with the dead and even scrolls on deadly curses.

_How is he even allowed to sell these? Surely they should be illegal?_

Myungjun was so caught up in worrying over the contents of the scrolls that he didn’t hear Jinwoos approach until he was right behind him. Myungjun jolted in surprise and turned to see Jinwoos worried expression.

“Are you okay sunshine? You’re pale again. Do you want to go and sit down somewhere? Are you tired? Do you want to just go to the ship now?”

Myungjun relaxed upon being in Jinwoos comforting presence again and smiled. “I’m okay. Just a bit freaked out by what I read in these scrolls. Some of them are imbued with dark magic Jinwoo. They’re scary.”

Jinwoo sighed and held out Myungjuns hot chocolate for him to take. “Let’s move away from here then cutie. I don’t like the thought of you being around dark magic at all.”

Myungjun happily allowed Jinwoo to lead him away with a strong arm wrapped around his waist and they met up with Donghan who was looking ready to leave too. He held out his hand for the book Myungjun was clutching to his chest.

“Hand it over. I’ll pay for it now so we can leave. I’m finished here.”

“I already paid for it.” Myungjun replied, handing it over with a smile. “Let’s go.”

*

Everywhere they went in Zepheholde they saw people with their companions. Flower companions, golems of all materials, animated flames, miniature tornados that flitted around their persons heads, and plenty of companions not related to a person’s magic at all. 

Myungjun was stunned to see a water user walk past with a giant bubble of water floating behind them that contained a siren combing its long blue hair. Sirens were dangerous, venomous, so why would anyone want it as a pet of sorts?

Donghan saw the startled look on his face and laughed. “Don’t worry little dragon, that’s most likely not real. People can buy copies of magical creatures here for vanity purposes. They would be completely useless in a fight, but they look good.” They continued on down the next street to see it lined with cages. Donghan pointed to one nearby. “However, those are real.”

The cages contained animals Myungjun had never seen before. Big cat-like creatures with thick fur around their heads were napping in one cage and in a cage further down stood three long necked animals that were so tall Myungjun had to tilt his head all the way back to see them properly.

“What are they?” Myungjun asked awed.

“The animals back there were lions, and these are giraffes.” Donghan answered. “They come from one of the hotter lands across the sea.”

“What magic do they have?” Jinwoo asked curiously.

“None. The lions are higher up the predatory chain than the giraffes, they hunt in packs, kind of like wolves. That’s all I really know.”

They carried on past the cages with Donghan pointing out all of the different animals and telling them everything he knew about their species. Myungjun was fascinated. He hadn’t learnt so much in a long time and he realised Donghan was a good teacher. 

Seeing everything the market had to offer, all of the different clothes, food, plants and animals, had made Myungjun even more eager to leave for Taungar. He wondered what sort of place it was. Would it be hot? Cold? Full of life? Or as barren as a desert? Donghan hadn’t been able to give him much information on the place when he asked, saying he hadn’t even been there himself, so Myungjun was faced with a journey to the unknown. It was both exciting and frightening at the same time. He was just happy to have two of the strongest people he knew by his side for the journey.

They’d only seen a fraction of what Zepheholde had to offer by the time Jinwoo reminded Myungjun that if they wanted to find the blacksmiths that Rocky worked at before their ship leaved, then they needed to leave the market soon.

Myungjun reluctantly agreed and asked Donghan to take them to any nearby blacksmiths that he knew about that were run by a female. That’s all Myungjun knew about Rockys job. His boss was a woman and luckily that meant Donghan was able to track the business down soon enough. Apparently, there weren’t many women willing to run such a place. Myungjun didn’t understand why. Blacksmiths were essential which meant they made an incredible amount of coin, something Myungjun would have thought that everyone would want, regardless of gender.

The walk to the blacksmiths took longer than anticipated with the swell of people around them but Myungjun knew their progress would have been a lot slower without Donghan there to clear the path with his intimidating aura. Everyone moved out of their way and Myungjun heard a few muttered recognitions as the people conversed about the twin dragon. However, he tuned them all out completely when he heard mentions of the Dragon Knights son. It was always embarrassing to hear people talking about him like he was someone special.

Instead, he focused on the other sounds around them. The most prominent being the sellers on their market stalls, calling out the names and prices of their wares trying to entice people over with promises of low prices and cheap deals.

Donghan scoffed beside him as they passed a stall selling crystals of different shapes and sizes. Some as small as Myungjuns fingernails and others as large as the dragon egg Baby had hatched from.

“Half of this shit is overpriced.” said Donghan shaking his head. 

Donghan stopped beside a woman at the next stall over who was admiring a pretty silver necklace. The business owner, a pot-bellied balding man, was eyeing the coin pouch attached to her belt greedily.

Donghan tapped her on the shoulder and she turned around to look at him. “Hey. I’m a ground user so I know a fake when I see one. That’s fake alongside everything else on here. Try the jewels stall around the next corner north from here. Their stuff is legit and a lot cheaper.”

The owner turned a bright red with anger and shouted insults and profanities at Donghan for ruining his sale. He was shaking his fist Donghans way as the fleshy jowls on his face quivered with rage.

Donghan just laughed. “Don’t be such a greedy bastard then. We already pay enough having to look at your ugly face. Do us all a favour and go con elsewhere.”

The woman looked stunned but thanked Donghan profusely before rushing off. Donghan ignored the man’s shouts and carried on leading Myungjun and Jinwoo through the crowd. Myungjun exchanged a look with Jinwoo before hurrying to catch up with him.

“Why did you help her Dongie? You didn’t need to.”

Donghan shrugged. “I don’t like dishonest people and I see that man robbing people of their coin every time I come here. It pisses me off.”

Myungjun followed Donghan through the door to the blacksmiths with a smile on his face. Donghan hid his niceness well but sometimes it managed to break through his colder exterior. 

Out on the streets of Zepheholde the air had been thick with the scent of the ocean mixed in with the scent of the merchant’s wares. Spices, florals, perfumes, sizzling meats and the sweet scent of fruits.

But inside the blacksmith the only things Myungjun could smell were metal and leather and sweat. Donghan strode through the giant room, running his fingers over the racks of weaponry and mumbling appreciatively under his breath about the craftsmanship.

Myungjun looked around to see five giant furnaces lining the walls of the room with bright orange fires roaring inside. The room was filled with the noise of clanging metal and jarring sizzles as the newly beaten metals were cooled in barrels of cold water. Myungjun wished he could dunk his head in the icy liquid. He was already beginning to sweat in the heat of the room. He was grateful when Jinwoo moved away from him to keep him from suffering further from the heat of his skin.

However, Myungjun wasn’t sweating nearly as much as the big burly men who were hammering away at their anvils, creating the beautiful weaponry that was displayed all around the room for everyone to see. Their drenched tops clung to their backs as rivers of the liquid ran down their faces and arms. Myungjun could never see himself working in a place like this.

He let his eyes wander over the men, trying to spot one in particular. He found him hammering at the anvil on the far side of the room. Rocky had discarded his shirt and Myungjuns eyes widened at the sight of him. Rocky was impossibly bigger than he had been the last time Myungjun had seen him at the brawl. It felt like only yesterday that Myungjun had said goodbye to him, wondering how much more he could possibly change. The answer to that; a lot apparently.

_He must be working day and night to have gained that much muscle._

“Donghan!” A cry of joy cut through the air as a woman, who Myungjun guessed was the owner of the place, weaved through the working men to get to the older male. “Long time no see. How have you been babe?”

Donghan made a non-committal noise. “Busy. How’s business going?”

“Getting better every day. Where’s your delicious friend?”

Donghan snorted. “I AM the delicious friend.”

Her bright green eyes roamed his body up at down and she hummed appreciatively. “I guess you are. But you know who I mean.”

“Minho is out on another request unsurprisingly.” Donghan answered as he got comfortable leaning against the nearest surface. “He took my brother, so it’s been quiet lately.”

“How is he?” She asked, wiping her soot stained hands over her forehead, replacing the sweat with back streaks that matched her shoulder length hair.

“He’s going through a rough patch right now. It’s getting to that time of the year again.” Donghan answered with a sigh.

A flicker of sadness crossed the women’s face and she reached out for Donghans hand, giving it a squeeze. “How are you feeling? Much the same I’m guessing.”

“Yeah.” Donghan agreed, voice edged with pain. “I’m thinking about going home this year, to see them you know. Gikwang doesn’t ever want to go back but I feel like I need to. We haven’t been back in years and I’m heading out that way tonight anyway.”

“Take some flowers for me.” She said smiling sadly. “They’ll appreciate them I’m sure. Just be careful okay? People will probably recognise you there.”

Donghan stiffened, pure anger rolling through his emotions. “I hope they do. I hope they come for me. It will give me a reason to cave their heads in…not that I haven’t already been given reason enough to do that.”

She sighed and shook her head, face fond. “You’re still the same as you were when we first met. If you’re going to go on a killing spree just try not to get caught. You’re my favourite supplier. I need you.”

Donghan laughed and pulled his hand out of her grasp, gesturing to Myungjun and Jinwoo behind him. “We’re here to see Rocky.”

“Rocky?” The woman asked confused.

“Minhyuk.” Myungjun quickly interjected, walking over to them now that their strange conversation was finished. “Rocky is just a nickname.”

“OI ROCKY!” She bellowed, looking over her shoulder at him.

Rocky looked up startled, no doubt wondering how she knew that name. His eyes found Donghan first then Myungjun and Jinwoo. A smile bloomed on his face and he dumped the sword he was working on into the bucket of water beside his anvil and removed all of his protective gear before racing over.

“Hyungs!” He called happily. “What are you doing here?”

“We’re going on a request across the sea!” Myungjun answered excitedly. “We’re going to be on a _ship_. A real ship! Can you believe it?”

Rocky whined unhappily. “I’m so jealous! I live here yet I haven’t even been out on the sea yet. When are you leaving?”

“Tonight.” Jinwoo replied sounding just as excited as Myungjun felt. “We’ll be gone for a while. Can’t you come with us?”

“No.” Rocky frowned. “One of our smiths left last week so I’m picking up his workload on top of my own.”

“That explains how you’ve become so buff.” Myungjun pointed out.

Rocky grinned and flexed his arms. “A perk of the job. I-” Rocky suddenly paused and his eyes flickered to Jinwoo. A second later and the smile was back. “Sorry. Hold on.” Rocky rushed back over to his anvil and picked up a bundle of fabric off the floor. He pulled his top on as he made his way back over to them.

Donghan barked out a laugh and looked down at Jinwoo. “Really?”

Jinwoo scowled and pulled Myungjun close. “He’s my fiancé.”

“Exactly. He’s your _fiancé_. You don’t need to act like such an insecure twat.” Donghan scoffed. “We all know Myungjun only has eyes for you anyway.”

Myungjun looked between them all feeling confused but when he asked what they were talking about Jinwoo just shook his head looking embarrassed. Myungjun sighed and ignored them both in favour of catching up some more with Rocky. They had a lot to talk about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jinwoo straight up telling Rocky to go put his top back on is so funny to me. And then Donghan had to be that asshole to call him out for it xd


	238. Seasickness.

Myungjuns mouth hung open in shock at the sight of their chosen transport across the sea. They had left Donghan in charge of choosing and hiring their ship and Donghan had apparently chosen the biggest in the port. It looked like a cleaner version of the pirate ships Myungjun had only ever seen in books. He was stunned into speechlessness.

The hull of the ship was twice as long as any of the other ships nearby and made from a sleek dark wood that was embellished with golden accents. It was beautiful. The ship had three masts with the tallest standing over one hundred feet tall.

“Look Junnie!” Jinwoo gasped excitedly as he pointed to the giant metal objects sticking out of the side of the ship that they were facing. “Cannons! I learnt a bit about them from the book you bought me for completing the intensive weapons training course at the academy. Cannons are really cool. I wonder if they shoot the usual metal balls or if they shoot magic.”

“You can ask if you want.” Donghan spoke up as he strode ahead, leading the way towards the wooden ramp connecting the pier to the ship. Myungjun knew it was called a gangplank. He’d read a book on ships in preparation for today. He didn’t want to be completely clueless. Donghans heavy footsteps shook the plank when they reached it and a man rushed forwards to greet him.

“We’ll be setting sail within the hour Sir. Your belongings have been taken to your cabin. The dragons are still within sight from the crow’s nest.”

“Good.” Donghan replied curtly. “Show us to our rooms and tell the captain I wish to speak to him.”

Myungjun stepped onto the ship after Donghan and looked around with wide eyes. The ship was beautiful but also very, _very_ busy. People were rushing all over the place, carrying coils of rope, rolling barrels of salted meat and fish and scrubbing the wooden deck to a polished shine. It was a large vessel, so it required a large crew but Myungjun was still surprised to see so many people aboard.

“Oh fuck.” Jinwoo said weakly from beside him. He was clinging to the railing looking pale.

“What’s wrong?” Myungjun asked, immediately feeling worried and turning away from the people to look at Jinwoo properly.

Before Jinwoo could open his mouth to speak, another voice sounded from nearby. 

“There’s always one.” A woman sighed, walking over to them. She grabbed Jinwoos arm and yanked him away.

Myungjun followed her making noises of protest. “Hey! Stop it! Who are you? Where are you taking him?”

She ignored him and kicked open a door that led to a set of stairs travelling downwards. Jinwoo wasn’t fighting her as he was dragged down them. He was beginning to look rather green. 

Myungjun kept up his protests until they reached a door clearly labelled with a sign that read **’Infirmary’**. The woman knocked on it before opening the door and pushing Jinwoo inside.

“Got one for you Doc. He won’t last. The ships not even moving yet.”

A chuckle bounced around the room and a handsome man with chocolate brown, shaggy cut hair came into view. He looked kind and helped Jinwoo over to the bed, thanking the woman before she disappeared.

Myungjun rushed over to sit beside Jinwoo feeling the worry eating away at his stomach. He’d never seen Jinwoo look so bad before. He looked sick. Jinwoo never got sick except the occasional hangover. The magic inside of him always burnt any proper sickness out of his system before it could take effect. So even when Myungjun got sick, and Jinwoo cared for him all day, he never got sick himself.

“What’s wrong with him?” Myungjun asked as he reached out to take Jinwoos hand. “Is he going to be okay?”

“Yes of course. Its just nausea caused by the boat rocking against the waves. He’ll be fine after I’ve restored his sense of balance. There’s always one passenger with seasickness. I, myself, have suffered with it in the past. However, it’s rare to see someone this bad. Like our lovely first mate said, the ships not even moving yet. Has he ever been like this before?”

“Never.” Myungjun answered, feeling slight relief at the news that Jinwoo would be okay after all. “But then again, this is his first time on a ship.”

The man pressed a hand against Jinwoos clammy forehead and made a noise of understanding. “A fire user. Lucky. They never get sick. Which explains why he’s so bad now. He isn’t used to feeling this nauseous so it’s a shock. My name is Suho by the way. May I ask for your names in return?”

“It’s nice to meet you. My name is Myungjun and this is my fiancé Jinwoo. Please help him.”

“To do so, I’m going to need you to step back and give us some space."

Myungjun did so quickly and had to watch as Suho placed two fingers on either side of Jinwoos head.

“Jinwoo, can you hear me?” The man asked clearly. The only response he received was a groan. “I need you to tell me when you’re starting to feel less sick Jinwoo.” Suho closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. The air suddenly thickened with magic.

Myungjun waited anxiously at the side, wanting nothing more than to help Jinwoo himself. He felt useless as he watched Jinwoos pale face contort in discomfort.

A whole minute later and Jinwoos face started to relax. 

“It’s getting better.” Jinwoo spoke up, still sounding just as weak as before. “Bloody hell this sucks.”

Suho made a noise of amusement but kept his eyes closed. “I know the feeling. Tell me when you feel well enough to move.”

It took another full minute before Jinwoo was sitting up and thanking the man for helping him. Suho left them to talk and Myungjun rushed over to hug Jinwoo tight feeling nothing but relief.

“You scared me JinJin!” Myungjun sniffled loudly into his neck. “I thought you were going to die!”

Jinwoo cooed sadly as he rubbed Myungjuns back. “I’m sorry sunshine. That really was awful. But I feel a lot better now, so you don’t need to worry. I’m never going to die. I can’t leave you. We still have lots of things to do together that I don’t plan on missing out on.”

Myungjun cuddled closer to him. “Now I know how you feel when you see me feeling unwell. It’s the worst thing ever Jinwoo I hated it.” Myungjun looked up at him with a pout. “Are you really feeling better? Truly?”

Jinwoo smiled softly at him and pressed a gentle kiss to Myungjuns forehead. “All better I promise. Receiving your hug had speeded up my recovery considerably.” Jinwoo added trying to cheer him up. It worked.

Myungjun grinned and kissed him properly, sighing happily when he felt Jinwoos fingers brush through his hair. 

They broke apart when the infirmary door burst open to reveal Donghan looking worried. The look was quickly replaced with a scowl.

“For fucks sake. I come rushing here thinking one of you was dying only to find you making out. If you’re feeling well enough to suck each other’s faces off, then you’re well enough to come and talk to the captain with me. Let’s go.”

*

The captain reminded Myungjun of Bane, except this man was a lot louder and his teeth were pearly white instead of gold. He carried a large sword on his back like Donghan and wore a ridiculously large black hat on top of his greying hair. He was nice enough though and offered them drinks as they discussed payments and the route to Taungar and the dragons.

Baby and Wrath were still young so they needed more rest than an older dragon would. This meant they wouldn’t be able to make the entire journey by flight alone and their species didn’t do well in water. They were the reason Donghan had sought out this particular ship. It was the only ship big enough for the dragons to land on to sleep when they grew too tired.

The captain had no complaints about their dragons, but Myungjun was sure that had something to do with the amount of coin they were paying for the journey. Myungjun was just glad the reward for the herb delivery was high.

When all of the talking was done, and all of their glasses were empty, they said their goodbyes and made their way down below deck to their provided cabins. Myungjun was glad to see how comfortable his and Jinwoos bed looked and dived straight onto it as Jinwoo shut the door behind them.

Jinwoo climbed straight on top of Myungjun to kiss him and pulled back with a devilish smile. “Now that I’m feeling much better, I can think of a handful of things I want to do.”

Myungjun giggled and reached up to squish Jinwoos cheeks in his hands, turning his seductive look into a cute pouty one. 

“Is one of those things napping? Because all of this excitement has worn me out JinJin.” Myungjun said with a perfectly timed yawn.

Jinwoo laughed and removed Myungjuns hands from his face to pin them down against the mattress. “Napping is the last thing on my mind but if you need some sleep then that’s what you’ll get.” Jinwoo leaned down to kiss him softly but quickly pulled away. “Kissing you isn’t a good idea. If I start, I won’t stop and then you won’t be sleeping at all.” With a groan, Jinwoo rolled off of him and landed on his own side of the bed. “You go and get changed first Junnie. I’ll try not to look.”

Myungjun grinned and went to find some pyjamas in his bag. His pyjamas now mainly consisted of Jinwoos old clothes that he’d grown out of and Myungjun loved them all. Not only did they remind him of the times Jinwoo had worn them before, and all the memories that came with those days, but they were extra comfy because they were so old and worn in. Myungjun undressed as quickly as he could. The air was chilly on the sea and made him shiver. 

He didn’t hear him move, but suddenly Jinwoo was behind him, wrapping his arms around Myungjuns waist and pressing his newly bared chest up against Myungjuns unclothed back.

“I should have known you wouldn’t be able to keep away.” Myungjun joked lightly as he turned around in Jinwoos hold to look up at him.

Jinwoos gaze was dark and intense. “I tried not to look. I really did. But I’ve told you before, you are temptation itself.”

“So it’s not because I looked cold?” Myungjun asked innocently.

“I’ll admit, your shiver made me move. But I was already planning on moving anyway. Your ass looks really good in my shorts.” Jinwoo reached down past Myungjuns waist to grab a handful and gave it a rough squeeze. Myungjun squealed in surprise and tried to wriggle away but Jinwoo held him in place. 

“JinJin let go!”

Jinwoo grinned. “Nope. I don’t get to touch your sexy little butt often, so I need savour this opportunity.” Jinwoo kneaded it in his hand and leaned down to nip roughly at Myungjuns ear. “So perfect Junnie. Feels so good. I know you’re tired…”

Myungjun whimpered quietly and involuntarily pressed back into Jinwoos hand. The chilly air had woken him up some but Jinwoos deep voice in his ear had all of his nerves on high alert.

“JinJin please.” Myungjun whined, hands reaching up to clutch at Jinwoos shoulders to steady himself.

“Please what baby? Tell me what you want.” 

Myungjun flushed from head to toe hearing that nickname. Jinwoo rarely called him baby, and even when he did, it was only said when Jinwoo thought Myungjun was being extra cute. Jinwoo had never said it in a suggestive way before and it made an entirely new feeling erupt in Myungjuns body.

Jinwoo pulled back to look at him with a smirk, no doubt noticing his new demeanour. “I thought you wanted to sleep Junnie?” Myungjun quickly shook his head, eyes desperate, breathing heavy. “Do you want to play?” Jinwoo asked almost teasingly as he trailed a finger over Myungjuns cheek. 

Myungjun grabbed Jinwoos wrist and pulled his hand down until Jinwoos finger brushed over his lips. Then he licked it gently, looking up at Jinwoo from under his eyelashes, teasing Jinwoo back in the way he knew Jinwoo liked.

Jinwoo growled low in his throat. “I’ll take that as a yes. Don’t worry sunshine. I know you’re tired, so I’ll look after you. I’ll do all of the work.”

Myungjun scowled up at him and shoved a hand against his chest, pushing Jinwoo back towards the bed. “We do everything together. I don’t care if I’m tired. Also, it’s not sunshine right now. Its baby. Get it right.”

Jinwoo chuckled and scooped Myungjun up before turning around and stepping back over to the bed to dump Myungjun down onto the mattress.

“Okay baby. Now take those shorts off before I tear them off for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even though Jinwoo was the one who got sick, Myungjun ended up needing the comforting...Peak Myungjin culture honestly (for this fic anyway) xd
> 
> I don't know if I've ever written a Donghan POV before (because my memory is literal trash so for the love of god if anyone remembers that I have please let me know) but I just finished writing one now *screams* and the chapter finished with a barely-there smut scene between Dongrey and I swear its made me love Grey even more. He's so damn thirsty and Donghan is the literal facepalm emoji. That's their relationship in a nutshell honestly.
> 
> More good news:  
> We are now THREE chapters away from seeing Sanha again *screams even louder*


	239. Orphans.

The journey to Taungar took three weeks across the sea. Jinwoo woke up every morning feeling seasick and it became routine for Suho to appear outside their cabin at six in the morning with a bucket and his helpful spell. 

After Myungjun revealed that he too had light magic, Suho spent a few minutes of his precious time everyday teaching Myungjun how to cast it himself. It was more difficult than Myungjun was expecting and took him nearly the entirety of the three weeks to get the basics, but he knew it was necessary. Maybe the next ship they would get on, for another request in the future, wouldn’t have another healer who could cure Jinwoos nausea and there was no way Myungjun was going to sit by for weeks on end watching his fiancé throw his guts up.

It still worried him greatly to see Jinwoo in such a state, but he didn’t panic as much about it anymore. Myungjun just held Jinwoo close and tried to distract him with bad jokes and kisses to his clammy forehead until Suho could show up to right his sense of balance.

Then Jinwoo would be okay again and they could get out of bed to go about their day. 

The day usually started with breakfast below deck. Fresh bread and plump fruits were a regular meal at the beginning but soon they ran out with the sheer size of the crew and they had to chew on salted meats and eat bowls of what the cook called gruel. Myungjun had been reluctant to try something with a name like ‘gruel’ but he’d tried a mouthful when he grew too hungry to refuse anymore and found it didn’t taste as bad as the name suggested. 

Definitely the most interesting meal had been the day a large creature with fins had fallen out of the sky onto the deck. It had fallen right behind Myungjun and Donghan who were leaning over the edge of the railings, watching giant sea turtles swim past. Myungjun had screamed and nearly fallen overboard but Donghan had grabbed him just in time.

They had looked up to see where it had come from and spotted Wrath circling overhead. It was a gift for them apparently. Myungjun had taken a closer look at the creature and gasped in horror when he recognised it.

“Dongie that’s the monster that tried to chew my foot off at the monster brawl!” Myungjun squealed, grabbing Donghans arm and hiding behind him. The creature was clearly dead, but its sharp teeth had given Myungjun terrible flashbacks and he didn’t want to go anywhere near it.

The captain had appeared, leaning over the wooden railing leading up to the helm and whistled appreciatively between his teeth.

“That’s one large catch. Your dragons are awfully brave. That’s the biggest shark I’ve ever seen. Vicious bastards they are. Especially that species. I’ve lost plenty of men who have fallen overboard to those sharks. Bit of payback today eh?” He laughed heartily before calling orders to the crew to take the beast down to the cook and disappeared back to the helm.

That night Myungjun had refused to eat at all and pulled away with a look of disgust when Jinwoo tried to kiss him after stuffing his face with the shark meat. Jinwoo had just laughed and yanked him forwards to kiss him anyway despite his protests and Myungjun had been so angry he’d slept above deck, curled up with the dragons. Jinwoo found him the next day looking so upset that Myungjun had forgiven him on the spot. Stupid Jinwoo and his stupid puppy eyes and cute trembly pout. He could get away with anything looking like that.

*

Myungjun learnt a lot about ships during his time out at sea. There wasn’t a lot to do during the day being confined to the one vessel, so Myungjun liked to go around asking questions to whoever would listen, about all of the different parts of the ship and what they were used for and how to use and maintain them. Luckily the crew were all lovely people and never seemed annoyed by his questions.

He learnt that the crow’s nest was where lookouts kept watch with a spyglass for other sails and possible land. The helm was the steering wheel of the ship which controlled the rudder and allowed them to change directions against the waves. Rigging was the word they used for the ropes, chains and tackle that supported and controlled the masts and sails. Below the helm was the captain’s quarters, the largest room of them all and said to be well decorated with the man’s riches. 

Myungjun learnt so much he was sure he’d be an expert on ships by the time he was back home. He still had the three week return journey when the herb delivery was done after all. Another three weeks of asking questions about the things he had forgotten. 

*

“Captain said we should be arriving at Taungar by tomorrow afternoon. We should fly ahead on the dragons to see if we can spot the land first.” Myungjun said excitedly as he rolled over on the hard-wooden deck to look at Donghan better. Donghan just hummed in agreement, his eyes on the sky.

It was late, Myungjun hadn’t been able to sleep so he’d slipped out of bed to sit with the dragons and found Donghan already there, petting Wraths scaly head with a soft look on his face that had quickly disappeared when he saw Myungjun approach.

They’d been talking sitting up to begin with but over time lay down on the deck side by side instead. It was starting to hurt Myungjuns back, but he didn’t complain. He was just happy to spend such a peaceful night on the waves with one of his closest friends. If he did complain, he knew Donghan would just tell him to stop bitching and make him go to bed. He didn’t want to go to bed yet. He still wasn’t sleepy. He wanted to continue watching the stars that blanketed the sky above them.

Donghan knew a lot about the night sky and pointed out all of the different constellations, teaching Myungjun how to spot them and telling him stories about each one. When Myungjun asked how he knew so much about the stars, Donghan just looked away and answered with a shrug. Myungjun could see that he didn’t want to explain so he let it go.

Instead he asked him something that had been niggling away in the back of his mind ever since the day they had first arrived in Zepheholde. He knew it wasn’t really any of his business, but he couldn’t help being curious.

“Dongie what were you talking about with that female blacksmith? You said something about going home after we’ve been to Taungar.”

Donghan didn’t answer immediately. He’d stiffened and his jaw clenched. But after a few minutes he relaxed and sighed.

“I wasn’t born on Aredrinnor.”

“Where were you born?” Myungjun asked, not entirely surprised by this revelation.

“I don’t know. Me and Gikwang never knew our parents. We grew up in an orphanage. Either dumped there by them or taken there if they had died. When we were old enough to be curious about them, we broke into the matron’s room and stole our file. It didn’t say much about us except the fact we were abnormally large and there was nothing at all about our parents. We’d just been left on the doorstep for the matron to find when she opened the door the next day.” Donghan huffed and rolled over to face Myungjun properly. The light of the moon lit up half of his face and made his eyes sparkle. From this close Myungjun could smell the comforting metallic scent of his skin. “We ran away from the orphanage when we were ten. We wanted to find them. To find a proper home. The orphanage wasn’t a good place. We were bullied a lot because of our size.” Myungjun was surprised to hear that. Donghan saw his face and a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “I know what you’re thinking. ‘How could anyone bully those two muscly gods?’.”

Myungjun rolled his eyes. “Not exactly what I was thinking but believe what you want.”

Donghan laughed. “Whatever. Anyway, I used to be a little bitch back then, too scared to fight back, speak up, fight the bullies off. I once told you that Gikwang always saved me. It was the same even then. He’d catch them cornering me and swoop in to stop them. He was never violent, but he had a mouth on him that was convincing enough. So obviously it came to a point where we couldn’t stand being there any longer. What sort of life was it anyway? We were hated and the bullying was only getting worse over time and we knew it wouldn’t be long before we had to start using our fists. Neither of us wanted to resort to that. So, on our tenth birthday, we packed up our little possessions and left when everyone was asleep. We didn’t have a lot of coin so we walked for days, stealing food where we could and asking everyone and anyone if they knew our parents. It was pointless. No-one even knew us to begin with so how could they have known our mother and father? But we still had to try.” Donghan fell silent and rolled back over to look up at the stars.

After a few minutes it became obvious that he wasn’t going to continue. But Myungjun was desperate to know what happened next and how they came to Aredrinnor and if they had ever found their parents.

“I can hear your brain whirring from here.” Donghan mumbled, eyes now closed. “What is it?”

“You finished in a weird place Dongie. Keep going.”

Donghan snorted in amusement. “Maybe I don’t want to tell you any more.”

Myungjun pouted and rolled over to look up at the sky too. “Fine. Will you tell me another time though?”

“Why do you even want to know?”

“Because you’re my friend and I barely know anything about you at all. You know everything about me. It’s not fair.”

Myungjuns head was suddenly being yanked back around by a hand on his chin. Donghan let it go when they were facing one another in favour of poking Myungjuns lips.

“Stop pouting.”

Myungjun pouted harder and crossed his arms over his chest. “No. Not until you promise you’ll tell me more another time.”

Donghan huffed looking irritated. “Fine! I’ll tell you more another time. Just not now. I promise…better now?”

Myungjun grinned and nodded. “Better.”

Donghan rolled his eyes and turned over until his back was facing Myungjun. “Good. Now go to fucking sleep.”

Myungjun whined unhappily. “Dongie I’m not tired yet.”

“Do I look like I fucking care?”

“I don’t know. All I can see is your back.” Myungjun answered cheekily. He giggled as he watched Donghans back vibrate in silent laughter. “Can’t we stay up a little longer?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t want to be awake.” Donghans voice was suddenly soft and sounded terribly sad. “I’m…not okay. I want to sleep it off.”

Myungjun knew how hard it was for Donghan to talk about his feelings, so to hear him say he wasn’t okay was a big deal and meant he was feeling really bad. 

“What’s wrong Dongie?” Myungjun asked quietly. He reached out hesitantly to touch Donghans back but paused before he could make contact and pulled his hand away.

“I don’t like talking about my life before the guild. The only good thing about it was my brother and…” Myungjun heard Donghan swallow the rest of his words. “I just don’t like talking about it. So, can we please just go to sleep?”

“Dongie look at me.”

After a few seconds Donghan rolled back over. His cheeks were wet. “What?”

Myungjun shuffled over, closing the rest of the already slim distance between them and cuddled up to him. “I’m sorry for making you talk about it. I didn’t know how badly it’s affected you. You can forget the promise you made me. We never have to talk about it again.”

Donghan sighed and wrapped an arm around Myungjuns back, pulling him in closer. “Don’t apologise little dragon. You’re right, it’s not fair that I know everything about you, and you know so little about me. We can talk about this again, and I’ll tell you everything about me and my brother, but just not tonight. This isn’t a good time of the year for me to be thinking about my old life. I know that makes literally zero fucking sense but it’s the only thing I can say right now. Just be patient. Please.”

“Okay. I’ll be patient.” Myungjun hummed happily when Donghan opened up his coat to let him inside. He snuggled up to Donghans hard chest as close as possible to share his body heat and let his eyes fall shut. “I think I’m sleepy enough now Dongie.”

“Warm enough though?” Donghan asked as he wrapped his coat further around Myungjuns back, cocooning him in. Myungjun nodded. “Good.”

“Dongie?”

“Yes?”

“We’re cuddling.” Myungjun whispered. He giggled when he felt a hot bolt of embarrassment shoot through Donghans emotions.

“We’re not fucking cuddling. I’ve told you I don’t cuddle.”

“This is cuddling.”

“No, it’s not. We’re hugging that’s all.”

“Hugs are quick. We’ve not let go yet. We’re cuddling. Accept it. Cuddles are the best.”

Donghan growled. “Do you want me to throw you overboard?”

Myungjun gasped and tightened his hold around Donghans waist. “You wouldn’t.”

“I would. You know I would. I chucked you off a cliff once, and I dunked you in the sea the first time you went in it. I can do it again. And I’d laugh as I did.”

Myungjun realised, with startling clarity, the truth behind his words and whined with fear. “Please don’t!”

“Well then stop saying we’re cuddling. I don’t do soft shit like that. And don’t ever tell anyone about this either.”

Myungjun quickly promised, not wanting to take the icy plunge into the water below and Donghan made a noise of approval.

“Go to sleep.”

“Goodnight Dongie.”

Myungjun slowly drifted off, but not completely unconscious when he felt the soft pressure in his hair. 

“Sweet dreams little dragon.”

*

The sun was just peeking out over the horizon when Myungjun woke. It wasn’t the sun that had woken him, it was the hand shaking his shoulder. He tried to move but realised he was trapped. Donghan had an arm and a leg over him, pinning Myungjun down onto the deck as he snored loudly above. 

Myungjun turned his head away from Donghans chest instead to see who it was, blinking his eyes open sleepily.

“Sunshine? Are you okay?” Jinwoo asked quietly, leaning over until he was within Myungjuns view. There was a smile threatening to bloom on Jinwoos face as he looked between them. “You look a bit squished cutie.”

“He’s so heavy.” Myungjun whined, trying and failing to move again. It was like being crushed by a boulder.

“Want me to move him?” Jinwoo asked, sounding all too eager to do so.

Myungjun looked up at Donghans sleeping face. He looked so peaceful, even with the tornado like snores spilling out of his mouth. His eyes still looked a bit red from where he’d cried the night before and Myungjuns heart hurt at the reminder.

He turned back to Jinwoo. “No, it’s okay. I think I’m going to sleep a bit more anyway. You look well. Has Suho already seen you today?”

“Yeah. I woke up about half an hour ago and was worried when I realised you weren’t in bed with me. I went to Suhos cabin first so he could help me before I came to look for you.” Jinwoo smiled at the guilty look that settled on Myungjuns face. “Don’t feel bad Junnie. I’m guessing you couldn’t sleep again?”

Myungjun nodded with a pout. “Yeah sorry. I thought I’d be back to bed by the time you woke up but then Dongie needed me. I didn’t want to leave him.”

Jinwoos smile softened and he reached over to stroke Myungjuns cheek. “You’re so good sunshine. You have the purest heart I know, and I love you even more for it. I’ll let you sleep now okay? I’m going to stay in bed too. Come back to the cabin when you wake, and I’ll give you a massage. You’re going to be aching after sleeping out here all night.”

Myungjun felt a wave of gratitude flood through him. “Thank you JinJin. You’re the bestest fiancé ever.” Myungjun puckered his lips and Jinwoo leaned down to kiss him. They pulled away with matching giggles when Donghan snorted loudly in his sleep.

Jinwoo shook his head in disbelief and stood back up. “The fact you managed to sleep through his snores astounds me. I’ve never heard anyone snore that loudly before.”

“He does everything with strength behind it.” Myungjun joked, enjoying the grin he received in return. “I’ll come back soon JinJin. I love you.”

Jinwoo blew him another kiss before leaving them alone. Myungjun sighed happily, feeling much better after seeing Jinwoos handsome face, and cuddled back up to Donghans chest. It didn’t take long at all for him to fall back into his dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dongie getting embarrassed about cuddling is 10/10 uwu
> 
> But the twins running away, Christmas day, when they were only ten years old because no-one liked them and they didn't want to resort to physical violence is 10/10 not uwu :(   
> The twins really have suffered a lot already and I'm STILL not finished with their backstory. First I wrote about Gikwangs curse, then Yuqi, and now this...no wonder they are the way they are. But Dongie is slowly becoming softer around his little dragon and that makes me want to screamskddnsd BUBBA
> 
> (2 more chapters to go!!!!!!! DDANAAAA)


	240. Myungjuns Secret.

When Myungjun woke up, he was confused to see he was back in bed in his and Jinwoos cabin. He was sure he’d fallen asleep cuddled up to Donghan above deck after Jinwoos visit. So how had he ended up here?

A soft kiss to his shoulder made him roll over with a smile.

“Hello handsome.”

“Hey JinJin. Why am I down here?”

“Donghan carried you back. He said he tried to wake you up, but you were out of it.”

Myungjun sighed. “We must have stayed up later than I thought. What’s the time now?”

“Lunchtime. We’ll be at Taungar soon. Donghan also said something about riding the dragons ahead.”

Myungjun sat up with an excited squeal. “That was my idea! I really want to. Do you want to come with us?”

“Sure. I prefer Babys back to ships anyway…well, as long as we’re not free falling that is.” Jinwoo laughed at Myungjuns grimace and climbed off the bed before holding out his hand. Myungjun accepted it and Jinwoo pulled him to his feet and kissed him firmly on the lips. They both sighed happily when they parted. 

“Despite everything that’s gone wrong on this journey, I’m having a good time JinJin. This has been a nice break. I’ve learnt lots about ships, lots about the animals of the sea, the new spell Suho taught me to help you, and Dongie even taught me how to read the stars! I haven’t learnt so much in a long time and its terribly exciting. I almost don’t want to go home.”

Jinwoo grinned and pulled him back in close. “Your brain must be massive by now with the number of things you know. You know so much about everything and anything that I feel awfully stupid sometimes…but I don’t mind. You’re the brains of this relationship and I’m the brawn.” Myungjun giggled when Jinwoo flexed his muscles. Jinwoo lowered his voice to a secretive whisper. “I almost don’t want to go home either. Maybe we shouldn’t. Maybe we should run away and live across the sea. Just me, you and Baby. Camellia too of course.”

The image was perfectly clear in Myungjuns mind. A life just the four of them would be a life devoid of drama. Myungjun wouldn’t have the constant fear of his bounty hanging over his head, his tracker deactivated outside of Aredrinnor so the counsel wouldn’t be able to find him and that meant…that meant he could tell Jinwoo of his power. He wouldn’t have to lie anymore. He wouldn’t have to feel that sliver of guilt he felt every time he looked at his too-trusting fiancé. 

Suddenly, and without his permission, Myungjuns eyes filled with tears. The thought of being able to live such a life was so desirable for a second it made his heart ache. He clutched at his chest as a sob bubbled up in his throat.

Jinwoo was startled at the sudden noise and the appearance of his tears. “Sunshine? Sunshine what’s wrong? Did I say something to upset you? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. We don’t have to run away. I was only joking.” Jinwoos building panic distracted Myungjun from the pain in his chest and he quickly shook his head and sniffled loudly.

“No JinJin. You didn’t upset me I just…a part of me wants that. Desperately. But I know that’s wrong. We can’t just leave everyone behind. I feel bad for wanting it. I feel like a bad person for even considering it, and just to make myself happy too. It’s a selfish thought. I’m sorry for being selfish.”

Jinwoo frowned and reached out to cup Myungjuns face in his hands. Myungjun couldn’t help leaning into the warmth. 

“Don’t apologise. You’re not selfish at all for wanting that Myungjun. We deal with a lot of stress in our life back home and wanting some relief from that doesn’t make you a bad person. You, my adorable fiancé, are not capable of being bad.”

“But what if I am?” Myungjun asked quietly. “What if I am a bad person? What if I’m lying to you about who I am? Making you believe I’m good when I’m not?”

Jinwoo was quiet for a few seconds, eyes searching Myungjuns face. “I wouldn’t care.” Jinwoo finally said, voice barely above a whisper. “I wouldn’t care because I love you. You’re my soulmate. You could be the son of the Prince of Darkness and I’d still love every single part of you.” Jinwoo joked lightly. “I know you Myungjun. Even if you were lying to me, I know you wouldn’t do it without good reason. Because you ARE good. You’re a good person. The goodest person I’ve ever met.”

“Goodest? JinJin I don’t think that’s a word.”

“Shut up you’re ruining my speech.” They grinned at one another and Jinwoo wiped at Myungjuns face with his thumbs. When his face was all dry, Jinwoo let his hands fall down to Myungjuns shoulders and sighed. “Is there a reason you asked? Is there something you’re keeping from me?” Myungjun looked away from him and didn’t speak, not trusting himself to. “Myungjun I’m not asking for the details. I just want you to tell me if you are…In fact, I know that you are.” Jinwoo muttered.

Myungjun looked back up at him in surprise. “What…what do you mean?” Myungjun asked cautiously. His heart was hammering away against his ribs at the thought of Jinwoo somehow knowing about his hidden power.

“Myungjun I know I said I felt stupid around you sometimes but I’m not actually stupid. Or clueless. Ever since you came back from the castle you’ve been…different. Nothing bad. You’re just more cautious, more careful, especially with your magic.” 

Myungjun felt sick. Had he really been that obvious? Why was Jinwoo just telling him this now? Why hadn’t he brought it up before?

Jinwoo looked at him for a second before sighing. “Stop panicking.”

“I’m not panicking.” Myungjun squeaked.

“You are. I can see it in your eyes without even having to feel for your emotions. You’re panicking which means I’m right. But I also meant what I said earlier. You wouldn’t hide anything from me unless you had a good reason. When you hid the news of your bounty from me, it was because you didn’t want to worry me right?” Myungjun nodded slowly and Jinwoos lips quirked at the corners. “Exactly. Just tell me one thing. Is something else threatening your life? If it is, you can tell me. You know I’ll protect you.” Jinwoo said it with such fierce intensity that Myungjun nearly blurted everything out right there and then but he caught himself just in time.

“My life is only in danger if I tell you. That’s all I can say JinJin I’m sorry.” Myungjun mumbled.

“Then don’t tell me.” Jinwoo said simply. “Don’t ever tell me.”

“But aren’t you curious? Or angry at me for hiding something else from you?”

“Oh I’m curious.” Jinwoo admitted. “So curious I almost can’t stand it. But to hear that telling me would put your life at risk is enough to dampen that curiosity. Is it just me that doesn’t know?”

Myungjun shook his head, carefully weighing his words. “No-one knows except…”

“Except?”

“Dongie.” Myungjun answered quietly, peering up at Jinwoos face to gauge his reaction. Jinwoos face stayed perfectly still. “I told Dongie because he has a perfect psychic shield like me. No-one would be able to invade his thoughts to find out my secret.”

Jinwoo didn’t look upset like he was expecting, he just looked thoughtful. “So, you’re saying that the psychic shield is the reason you were able to tell Donghan?”

“Yes. I needed to tell somebody JinJin. I wanted it to be you, I really did. I’m so _sorry_.” A fresh wave of tears spilled out of Myungjuns eyes and Jinwoo rushed to comfort him.

“Shhh. Don’t cry Junnie. I believe you. I believe you wanted to tell me. And maybe you can.”

Myungjun pouted up at him. “What do you mean?”

“All I need is a perfect psychic shield then you can tell me right?” Jinwoo asked eagerly. 

“JinJin it’s not that simple.”

“Why not?”

“My telepathy teacher in the castle told me that he’d taught many students how to use their shields, yet I was the only one who had managed to perfect it. He’d been teaching that subject for years yet even he himself didn’t have a perfect shield.”

Jinwoo didn’t look disheartened at all. Instead, he just looked more determined. “You managed to perfect it. Donghan managed to perfect it. I’m sure that with both of your help and guidance I’ll be able to perfect it too. It may take a long time, but I have a reason to try hard. You. You’re my reason for everything Myungjun. So, you can’t say no. You have to teach me. I have to perfect it so that I can know everything about you…Also, I’m kind of jealous that Donghan knows and I don’t.”

Myungjun rolled his eyes. “Now the truth comes out.”

Jinwoo grinned and pulled Myungjun in for a hug, resting his cheek atop Myungjuns head. Myungjun buried his face in Jinwoos warm chest and hugged him tight around the middle. 

“Thank you Jinwoo. Thank you for not hating me and for being so understanding even though I’ve been dishonest.”

“I could never hate you. Never ever. And I just hope that now you can stop feeling so guilty every time you look at me.”

Myungjun gasped and pulled his head back to look at Jinwoo properly. “How did you-”

“I’m an expert at reading your emotions Junnie. Also, you have a habit of looking at me like you’ve committed a crime when you think I’m not looking.”

Myungjun flushed. “Was it really that obvious?”

“Terribly so. At first I was worried about it and didn’t want to bring it up in case what you were hiding hurt me too much, but then when I really sat there and thought about it, I was able to remind myself that you wouldn’t ever do anything to hurt me. Not intentionally at least. I was just hoping you’d tell me one day. And now I know you will and what I have to do to make that possible for you. So, no more feeling guilty, no more tears and no more pouting at me like that. You look utterly adorable and its breaking my heart. We’re supposed to be going out to ride Baby, but that pout is making me want to drag you back to bed to give you a thousand cuddles and kisses until you’re all giggly again.” The thought alone was enough to make Myungjun giggle and Jinwoo grinned, making a noise of approval. “Yes, exactly like that. My cute little baby.” Jinwoo cooed, peppering Myungjuns face with kisses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Junnie couldn't have hidden it forever. His face is too expressive and Jinwoo can read him like a book. He knows Myungjun better than Myungjun does himself sometimes so it was only a matter of time.  
> But yet again, Jinwoo has proven how good of a fiancé he is by not getting angry and instead, finding a solution. He is 10/10 supportive and Myungjun needs a lot of support with how hectically emotional he is. This is why they're soulmates :']
> 
> (ONE MORE CHAPTER TO GO *SCREAMS*)


	241. Taungars Tyrant.

Jinwoo looked weak with relief when they finally stepped foot on dry land. Myungjun could understand why. Jinwoos seasickness, that struck him every morning without fail, had been traumatising enough for Myungjun to witness, so he could only imagine how bad it must have been for Jinwoo himself.

“We set sail for Aredrinnor tonight. Complete your business before then or we leave you behind.” The captain called down to them sounding cheerful.

Donghan ignored him and turned to Myungjun. “I’ll go and find transport for your crates and we’ll meet up in an hour at the Bluebird. Its Taungars only tavern so it shouldn’t be too hard for you to find. This place is small but I’m sure you’ll find something to do until I’m back.”

Myungjun watched him leave and looked over at Jinwoo with a bright smile. “Let’s go look around JinJin.”

They walked hand in hand down the pier and Myungjun breathed in deeply. The air felt different here, thicker somehow, and the closer they got to the town of Taungar itself, the more uneasy Myungjun began to feel. He told himself it was just the anxiety of being in an unfamiliar place and tried to push the feeling aside in favour of looking around.

Taungar was a small town, sparse and dull and quiet. Everything seemed grey and damp and lifeless. It wasn’t as exciting as Myungjun thought it would be at first glance. The paths leading off of the pier were dusty and Myungjuns boots kicked up clouds as they walked down the one that would lead them directly to the centre of the small settlement.

The houses were small, made from grey cobblestone with dry, thatched roofs. The houses grew in size the farther away they walked from the sea, but they never grew more grand. The people of Taungar matched their houses. There were only a few people on the streets who hurried away when Myungjun and Jinwoo walked past. They all wore the same plain grey linen robes, with the women covering their hair with white cloths and the men walking barefoot. They never smiled.

“I think we’re a bit overdressed.” Jinwoo joked weakly as he looked down at their matching silk shirts that Myungjun had insisted on getting from Zepheholdes market in commemoration of their first trip across the sea. They needed to look smart for business after all.

“Definitely overdressed.” Myungjun muttered back feeling strangely self-conscious. They stood out like beacons on a moonless night.

“I don’t think there’s much here to explore sunshine. Should we just go straight to the tavern? At least there we could get a drink and we wouldn’t be so…visible.”

Myungjun was all too eager to agree and get away from the nervous stares they were receiving, and he allowed Jinwoo to lead him along as they looked around for their required building. If it were any other place Myungjun may have asked for directions. But the people here made him reluctant to do so. And Jinwoo too apparently as he never stopped anyone to ask either.

After ten minutes of aimlessly searching, Jinwoo finally spotted the old, battered sign swaying creakily in the breeze that announced the name of the tavern in a faded print. It may have been blue at one point but had since aged an unshocking grey. 

Jinwoo pushed the door open and stepped inside first, keeping a tight hold on Myungjuns hand. The tavern was completely empty with the exception of the bartender who looked up stunned at their arrival.

“Oh thank the Deity I thought I’d never see another new face again!” The young man behind the bar gushed as he leaned over to get a better look at them. 

The friendliness of his greeting, after being so coldly received outside, was surprising enough, but what managed to surprise Myungjun even more was the colour of the man’s hair. It was a bright yellow and stood out even more then their silk shirts did.

“Where did you come from?” The man asked eagerly as they sat down on a pair of worn wooden stools. “What are your names?” He blew at the yellow strands that were falling down over his eyes. His eyes were a regular brown but shone with excitement.

“My name is Jinwoo, this is my fiancé Myungjun. We came from Aredrinnor.” Jinwoo explained politely, pulling Myungjun closer. “Your name?”

“Everyone here calls me Canary, you know, because of my hair. But you can call me Dee.” He said, winding some around his finger and letting it spring back into place.

“What’s a canary?” Myungjun asked curiously.

“It’s a type of bird. We use them down in the mines.”

“That explains all of the dust.” Jinwoo muttered making Dee laugh.

“Sure does. Anyway, I don’t want to talk about my boring town. I want to talk about you. We don’t get many visitors here. We’re a mining town so the most we get are merchants who want to buy our wares. However, you two love birds don’t look like no merchants to me. So, why are you here?”

Myungjun was amused by the sound of his voice. Not only did Dee have the most unique accent he’d ever heard, he also said things in a strange way, with a lot of enthusiasm too.

“We’re also here on business. But I’m selling some of my own wares.” Myungjun answered before looking past the man’s shoulders to see the bottles lining the walls. They were dusty as well. “Umm…is it possible for us to get a drink?”

Dee gasped. “Oh of course! Silly me. Where are my manners? This is a drinking establishment after all. I swear one of these days the owner is going to fire me.” Dee flitted around whilst he spoke, mixing drinks together in a tall jug. 

Myungjun looked at Jinwoo apprehensively, they hadn’t even ordered yet but apparently, they didn’t need to. Dee slammed two glasses down on the bar in front of them and poured them each a glass of his mystery concoction. It came out pitch black.

“My secret recipe.” He explained excitedly as he gestured to the two cups. “Go ahead. Try it and tell me how amazing it is.”

Jinwoo eyed the black liquid suspiciously. “What’s in it? And why is it black?”

“You’re not very trusting, are you?” Dee pouted. “It’s black because of the coal powder. Just take a sip it won’t kill you.”

Myungjun didn’t think it sounded at all safe to drink anything with coal inside of it, but he tried a sip anyway just to appease him. The taste of liquorice was overwhelming, and the drink went down hot. 

Dee didn’t wait for their opinions; he just went straight back to asking questions. “What are you selling here? Who are you selling it to?”

“Medicinal herbs, three crates full. It’s a mystery buyer.”

Understanding crossed Dee’s face and he frowned. “I’m afraid you’ve just wasted your time. There’s only one person in this town with enough money to buy three whole crates worth, and that man is bad news.”

“What do you mean bad news?” Jinwoo asked stiffly. “And why have we wasted our time?”

“This town used to be vibrant, full of life, full of colour. And then he showed up. Took control of the mines and forced the men of the town to work for him with little time for rest. At the beginning everyone refused to follow his orders. But then the threats began, and gradually they evolved into actual violence. He used his wealth to hire thugs that beat up anyone who disobeyed his orders. Man, woman or child. No-one is safe from him. He went away for a while, no doubt to cause hell elsewhere, but he recently came back. A part of me hopes the reason he’s buying all of the herbs from you is to give them to the workers, but the bigger part of me knows that’s not the case. He’ll probably expect us to buy them from him at a higher price than he paid.” Dee muttered darkly. “And as for what I said about you wasting your time, another ship showed up this morning carrying more thugs for him to use and they came in here, four of them, speaking about sabotaging a business deal today, which I’m guessing is the one you’re about to attempt. The thugs looked harmless enough, one of them was even a girl, but there was something different about them, something dark. I like you both and I don’t want to hear that anything bad has happened to you, so just leave and forget the deal.” Dee walked away from them, disappearing into the back room.

Myungjun turned to Jinwoo, not entirely knowing how he should be feeling right now. Scared? Annoyed? Disappointed? They’d spent three weeks on the sea only to be told it’s a set-up. They were going to be robbed by an evil, money-grabbing slave driver.

“No. We won’t let him rob us.” Jinwoo answered Myungjuns unspoken thoughts with fierce certainty. “He has four bodyguards, but we have Donghan AND two dragons to back us up. We didn’t travel all of this way just to return empty handed. This man made a contract with Dragon Blades and if he doesn’t honour it, and he tries to have us harmed, then we have every right to fight back.”

Myungjun chewed on his bottom lip nervously. “JinJin you heard what the bartender said, this man has turned the people of this town into slaves. Shouldn’t we do something to help them?”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know…run him out of town or something?”

Jinwoo sighed and took another sip of his black drink and grimaced at the taste. “This is honestly vile.” He put the glass down and pushed it away. “Sunshine even if we run him out of town there’s no guarantee that he won’t just come crawling back the second we leave. I’m not sure if there’s really anything we can do to help.”

Myungjun didn’t like this. He didn’t like this one bit. The thought of this man sending thugs to beat up innocent women and children all for the sake of making coin angered him immensely. What right did he have to do such a thing? To take away the colour of this town and replace it with fear and misery? He was a tyrant that needed to be stopped. And as far as Myungjun was aware, this town was full of nonmagical occupants. He’d felt no magic upon stepping foot here and these people were miners, not fighters. If they were, they would have fought back already. They needed the help, and Myungjun was determined to give it to them. He didn’t know these people, and they’d treated him and Jinwoo coldly, but no-one deserved what this man was doing to them.

*

The wheels of the horse-drawn cart squeaked and groaned under the weight of Myungjuns crates as they made their way through the forest. They were meeting up with the buyer in a field on the outskirts of the town and Dee had pointed them in the direction of the best shortcut. They wanted to get there first so that they wouldn’t be taken unnecessarily by any tricks or surprises.

After telling Donghan of the towns dreadful fate, Myungjun had begged him to help him do something to fix it. Donghan couldn’t understand why he wanted to help them, but he eventually agreed to lend a hand. However, when Myungjun asked _how_ he would help, and what their plan was, Donghan had refused to tell him and said that he’d take care of it all. Myungjun trusted that Donghan had a good plan though and focused solely on the imminent trade and possible confrontation.

The trees slowly began to thin out and revealed to them a large gated field big enough to graze a whole band of horses. The field was empty, so they had time to unload the crates and at Myungjuns request, move the horses somewhere safer. Just in case a fight did break out. Myungjun wanted to minimise the casualties.

Donghan knelt down and touched the ground. His eyes immediately snapped to the right of them. “Movement about half a mile out. Fast approach. They’ll be here in a few minutes. Are you sure about this little dragon? We still have time to bail.”

“I’m sure.” Myungjun replied stubbornly. “I want to see this man for myself at least. And I want my money. You’ll be able to detect if he has money with him or not right?”

“Yeah. He just needs to get a bit closer.” Donghan answered, standing back up and crossing his arms over his chest. “If he’s smart, he’ll have it.”

As Donghan predicted, a few minutes later and a large black carriage came into view. It looked much too expensive for a barren town like Taungar and it flaunted the man’s wealth for all to see. That just made Myungjun even angrier.

The door to the carriage opened up and Myungjuns anger was immediately replaced with pure shock. All four of the hired thugs stepped out first and Myungjun heard the sharp intakes of breath from Jinwoo and Donghan beside him.

“What the actual fuck is Sanha doing here?” Donghan asked, voice thick with disbelief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> …  
> *Inhales*  
> …  
> DDANAAAAAAAAAA
> 
> One more chapter of Myungjuns POV after this and then its an avalanche of Sanha POVs :')  
> Also, chapter warnings start again in the next chapter!! Please take them seriously. You're not going to like what Sanhas going through and I don't want to trigger anyone unnecessarily. Love you all babies<3


	242. A botched deal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER WARNING:  
> -Abusive behaviour.

Myungjun could only stare as Sanha and the three other members of his team crossed the large field towards them. A lavishly dressed, portly man, stumbled along behind the group looking terribly out of place.

As they got closer, Myungjun saw the exact moment that the recognition of who they were hit Sanha and he watched as Sanhas eyes widened.

“Holy fuck its actually Sanha.” Jinwoo choked out. “He looks so different. I always pictured him the same way he looked the day before he left us but this…you were right Junnie. He’s changed.”

Sanha had changed even more since Myungjun had last seen him at the Gravecrawlers guild. He had put on weight which Myungjun was happy to see. The last time he had seen him, Sanha had been much too thin and drawn, like he hadn’t been eating well at all, but now he looked almost healthy. He’d dyed his hair too. It was the first time since Myungjun had met Sanha that he was seeing him with different coloured hair. Sanhas hair had always been a warm, reddish brown. But now the warmth was gone. He was blonde. A blonde so light he seemed to shine in the sun.

Sanha was dressed like a thug too. He was wearing a black vest that showed off his surprisingly muscular arms and Myungjuns stomach flipped when he saw the scar left behind from the removal of Sanhas old guild mark. The Enhex guild mark stood out proudly on his other bicep. Their symbol consisted of three identical figures standing side by side, no features, the only distinctive difference being the person in the middle having a set of wings. It was by far the strangest guild mark Myungjun had ever seen. The rest of Sanhas outfit was comprised of a pair of black, baggy trousers that were tucked into a pair of thick leather boots that ended halfway up his calves. He was decked out in jewels. A gold chain around his neck, multiple gold rings and most surprisingly, the baby blue and baby pink bracelet Rocky had made him for Christmas one year.

Myungjun felt disturbed not only by Sanhas tough appearance and newly muscled body, but by the smattering of love bites over his neck that disappeared into the neckline of his vest. Including a particularly nasty black mark that looked almost like he’d been bitten. Sanha was still a baby in his eyes, despite being seventeen now and despite looking even older than before. He was still his little brother and to see him marked up in that way…

Sanha was walking closest to the pretty guy with the silver hair and purple eyes that Myungjun believed was his boyfriend. He was dressed in a similar fashion but had replaced all of his jewels with a simple black choker that looked nice against his throat. He seemed to recognise Myungjun too and an unidentifiable emotion flashed across his face before it quickly disappeared, and he stepped closer to Sanha almost protectively.

Lex and Kai were too busy arguing about something to notice him and only stopped when they were within hearing distance. The raven on Lex’s staff ruffled its wings and cawed loudly. The sound cut through the air and broke the tension that had been building between them all.

Their buyer stepped out from behind them with a wide grin and open arms. He began to speak but the words died in his throat and the smile slipped from his face when his eyes fell on Donghan. 

Donghan made a noise of amusement. “Good afternoon gentleman. My lady.” Donghan added with a polite nod of the head in Lex’s direction. She mock curtseyed in return. “The herbs are here, all accounted for.” The man’s eyes flitted between Donghan and the crates and then back to Donghan again. “I know what you’re thinking.” Donghan said, a warning hint to the edge of his voice. “Don’t be stupid. It won’t end well for you. We had a deal. Three crates for ten million coins. Now I suggest you go and get our payment before I lose my patience.”

The man’s nostrils flared and his face reddened in anger. “How dare you tell me what to do? Do you know who I am?”

Donghan barked out a laugh and stepped forwards. Everyone immediately tensed.

“I don’t give a fuck who you are. Or who you _think_ you are. You’re nothing more than a scumbag who preys on the innocent to make coin. You thought you could do the same to us. Paid a group of children to rob us-”

“Excuse me but I’m not a child.” Kai spoke up happily. 

“Excuse me but I wasn’t finished talking.” Donghan replied with a quirked eyebrow and a small smile. Kai just raised both hands in surrender with a smile of his own and gestured for him to carry on. Donghan turned back to the man who was beginning to look uncomfortable. “You were smart enough to bring the coin, I can sense that it’s here, so why don’t you do the other smart thing and complete this trade the honest way. Your coin for our herbs.”

“Don’t talk down to me _boy_.” The man spat. “You may look tough, but I have an army behind me who could end your life in a second. You don’t know who I am and what I’m capable-”

“You have this all completely wrong.” Donghan interrupted smoothly sounding almost friendly. “You see, its _you_ who is unaware of the people who you are dealing with. Let me introduce us. My name is Donghan, one of the legendary twin dragons of Aredrinnor and this,” Donghans hand fell down onto Myungjuns shoulder. “is the heir to the strongest guild in existence. The man beside him is Jinwoo, his fiancé, whose name sits proudly on the academy’s legendary fighters’ plaque and these…” Donghan whistled high and sharp. “are our dragons.”

The sun was momentarily blocked from the sky as the dragons rose up over the trees with heart-stopping screeches. They landed heavily on the floor somewhere behind Myungjun and shook the ground beneath everyone’s feet. Myungjun didn’t bother turning back. The man stumbled sideways into Lex with a shout and she made a noise of pure disgust before pushing him away. 

“Don’t touch me.” She hissed. He immediately backed away looking scared.

Myungjun was busy watching Sanha. He hadn’t been able to take his eyes off of him much. He’d wished on his birthday to see Sanha again and the wish had actually come true. He found himself rendered speechless and was glad Donghan had had the initiative to take charge of the deal. He knew he wouldn’t be much help in this state.

Sanha was currently staring up at the dragons with equal amounts of wonder and shock. Myungjun understood why. The last time Sanha had seen them, they had been babies, running around on the beach and fighting with the baby golems. Now they were rapidly approaching the size of the twin’s oversized cottage. It felt like a lifetime had passed since that day on the beach had happened, yet it had only been little more than a year.

“These are our children.” Donghan finished happily as Wrath roared behind him. 

The man whimpered in fear and backed away a step. He rose a shaky hand in their direction and pointed. “Monsters. Kill them. Kill them all.”

Donghan groaned and pulled his sword off of his back as Myungjun and Jinwoo unsheathed their weapons. “I was hoping you were smarter than that.” Donghan shook his head sounding disappointed.

Sanha and the others hadn’t moved at all. The man noticed. “What the hell are you doing? I said kill them! Kill them now or you won’t be getting paid either!”

Kai tutted and pulled out a dagger from its sheath on his thigh. He flipped it up into the air and caught it again with ease. “Wrong choice of words baldy. Can’t you see what’s in front of you? Dragons. I mean, sure, we could take them down easily enough, they’re clearly still young, haven’t even gendered yet. But then you decided to threaten us. And now I don’t even want to try.”

The man made a noise of pure disbelief. “We had a deal.”

“You also had a deal with them apparently. Deals can be broken.” Kai pointed out, stepping towards him and flipping the dagger again. “You’re a right asshole you know that right? All those people in that town, those guys who just want their coin and now us? You’ve pissed off too many people. Now be a good little bitch and hand over what you owe us. ALL of us.”

The man’s face was purple with rage, but his eyes shone with fear as they focused on the dagger that was polished to a shine in Kais hand. He took a step back. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Lex laughed loud and bright. “You shouldn’t have said that.”

Kai lunged. His dagger bit deep into their buyers bulging stomach, again and again with rapid succession, and Donghan broke away from Myungjun and Jinwoo to approach the dying man. Kai looked up when Donghan stopped beside him.

“May I?” Donghan asked.

Kai grinned and stepped back. Donghans hand darted out, shifted to metal, and disappeared inside the man’s chest. With a grunt Donghan ripped it back out and clutched tightly in his fist; the man’s heart.

Myungjun turned away from the sight feeling terribly nauseous. He heard Kai laugh and compliment Donghan who laughed and complimented him back. This wasn’t how Myungjun had expected this day to go at all.

He only looked up when he felt a tap on his shoulder and saw the mans bloodied heart thrust towards him.

“I told you I’d lend you a hand little dragon. Now the people of Taungar are free. You’re welcome.”

Myungjun shrieked as Donghan tried to hand the dripping organ over. “Dongie EW! Take it away right now!”

Donghan just laughed and tossed it to his dragon. A ‘light snack’ he called it before turning away from Myungjun to look at the Enhex members who were talking amongst themselves. 

“Right you psychos, it’s been great killing with you and all, but we really are running out of time. We’ll be taking our coin and leaving now.”

Sanhas boyfriend walked forwards, with Lex and Kai immediately moving to let him pass as if they were afraid to touch him. “I don’t think so.” His voice was as pretty as Myungjun had remembered it being. “Our deceased employer only brought ten million coins with him. He promised us ten and he promised you ten. You see our dilemma.”

Donghan hummed thoughtfully. “Hmm, nope. That’s a _you_ problem. We’re taking the ten, and the herbs, and if you try to stop us, we’ll kill all of you. Including you Sanha. Sorry kid but you’ve clearly chosen your side.”

Sanhas jaw clenched. “Walk away Donghan. Let us take the coin. We’ll even let you take the herbs back. You don’t want to fight us. You won’t win.” Sanhas voice was a lot deeper than Myungjun remembered it being. He almost didn’t believe it was Sanha talking at first.

Donghan scoffed. “There’s four of you and five of us. And that’s without all of our companions out. You’re outnumbered and overpowered.”

Sanha growled and stepped forwards but his boyfriend placed a hand on his chest to hold him back. “Easy love. You know the rules. You don’t want to disappoint me do you Sanha?” Fear flashed across Sanhas face and he quickly shook his head, backing down. His boyfriend seemed pleased with his response and turned back to look at Donghan. “The biggest mistake you could make is to underestimate us Heo Donghan.”

“Heo Donghan? Why the fuck are you calling me that?”

“That is your name after all.”

Donghans growl was a lot louder than Sanhas had been and a lot more intimidating. Especially with the rumble coming from the dragon behind him.

“That’s not my name. My name is just Donghan. I don’t have a family name.”

“Heo Donghan, born twenty-three years ago on Xehne Island, abandoned as a new-born alongside his brother Heo Gikwang. Both children dumped outside of an orphanage with no indication of who their parents are, or more importantly, _what they are_.” Sanhas boyfriend continued calmly.

Donghan was trembling with rage. “How the hell do you know about that? How the hell do you know about the orphanage?”

“I know everything about you Donghan.” He said, tilting his head slightly. “I’ve lived a long life, but I’ve never heard a story as tragic as yours. The life you’ve had to live…I almost wanted to shed a tear when she told me.”

“When who told you?”

“Your sister.”

“Who the…Yuqi?” Donghans voice thickened with emotion at the mention of her name.

“No. Not Yuqi. Your _real_ sister.”

“I don’t have a real sister.” Donghan replied stiffly. “Your mind games won’t work on me. Everything that comes out of your mouth is bull.”

“Yet I knew about the orphanage. Interesting…”

Donghan breathed out heavily and clenched his fists. “Fine. I’ll take the bait. Who is my sister then? Older? Younger? Same parents?”

“Your sister is an important woman. She was born twenty-three years ago on Christmas day…a triplet.”

Donghan froze. Myungjun was stunned. How had this guy known Donghans birthday? It was entirely possible that he was lying and trying to get Donghan riled up so that they could take him out easier to even the odds for the inevitable fight over the coin. But the things he was saying…they were things even Myungjun himself had only learnt recently. The twins kept everything to themselves so how did he know?

“I can show you my memories of her if you like.”

Donghans emotions were all over the place when he nodded. He held out his hand but Sanhas boyfriend didn’t need to touch him to share his memories. He just stared at him for a few seconds until Donghan gasped and stumbled back shaking his head.

“No. No you’re lying. I don’t have a sister. If I did, if she was born the same day, she would have been left with us at the orphanage. You’re making it up. I don’t believe you.”

“It’s true.” Sanha spoke up quietly. “Aera is real. I’ve seen her myself. I couldn’t believe it either. She looks so much like you. She’s real Donghan. You have a sister.”

Donghan made a strangled noise in the back of his throat. “I don’t believe either of you. It’s not possible…I have to see her myself.”

Sanhas boyfriend smiled. Myungjun hadn’t seen him smile like that before but something about that expression was oddly familiar to him.

“We’re glad you said that Donghan. She’s been watching you for a long time and will be delighted to hear that you wish to meet. Gikwang too if he’s interested. We’re travelling back to Aredrinnor in a weeks’ time, so if you still wish to meet her then, just send Sanha a note and we’ll arrange a time and a place.”

“I don’t like this.” Jinwoo muttered under his breath, low enough for only Myungjun to hear. “I know Sanha just backed up his story, but something is off. How would they even know Donghans sister? Isn’t it too much of a coincidence to come across her out of the millions of people who live on Aredrinnor and beyond? I don’t like Sanhas boyfriend either. You were right, there’s something darker about him than the others. Sanhas scared of him too, I can see it now. We need to help him Junnie.”

Myungjun nodded determinedly and stepped forwards. “I have a request.” Everyone turned to him. “You can have the ten million and we won’t put up a fight…as long as I can have some of Sanhas time.” Myungjun turned to Sanha to see him frozen, eyes wide. “I want to speak to you Ddana.”

“Don’t call me that.” Sanha finally moved. “Stop calling me Ddana.”

“That’s what we’ve always called you. It was the nickname Rocky made for you.” Myungjun replied stubbornly. “You’re Ddana. OUR Ddana.”

“I’m not your Ddana.” Sanha seethed. The skin on his arms rippled and Myungjun watched, horrified, as something dark started to drip out of Sanhas clenched fists. Myungjun could feel it now, the dark magical energy that was pouring out of Sanhas skin. It was spiking, fuelled by his anger, and Lex stepped over to him looking worried.

“Sanny don’t. You know the rules. Calm down. We won’t let him call you that again. We know you hate it.”

“If he hated it so much, why is he still wearing the bracelet Rocky made him?” Myungjun asked, taking another step forward.

Everything happened too fast after that. Sanha paled and tried to hide the bracelet from view. It was the wrong move apparently. A snarl ripped out of his boyfriend’s throat and he was by Sanhas side again in a flash. Myungjun hadn’t even seen him move. 

Lex tried to get in between them. “Cain don’t. Leave it-” Her protest was cut short as she flew thirty feet away to crash through part of the fencing surrounding the field.

Sanha tried to turn to her looking worried, with a cry of her name on his lips, but his boyfriend, Cain, grabbed his wrist and twisted. Sanha yelped and dropped down to his knees. Cain’s slim fingers slid underneath the bracelet.

“Please don’t!” Sanha cried, trying to pull his wrist away. “Not this one. Please! I’ll do anything!”

“I told you to get rid of them.” Cain snarled. With a tug, the bracelet snapped, its pink and blue crystals scattering over the grass. Cain let go of his wrist in favour of grabbing Sanhas face in a one-handed grip that looked tight enough to break bones. He looked at the tears falling down Sanhas face and scoffed. “Crying again? You know I hate that. You must _really_ want to piss me off.”

Kai stepped over to them, carrying Lex who looked dazed. “Cain stop. Let him go, you’ll hurt him. You’ve already done enough.”

“I’m not hurting him at all right now. But I will.” Cain spat, shoving Sanhas face away. He looked down at the girl in Kais arms, pure hatred burning bright in his purple eyes. “She shouldn’t have gotten in my way. She’s too fucking soft for him. You both know not to get in my way where he’s concerned. Now finish up here, I’m going back.”

Myungjun struggled harder against Jinwoos hold. The second Cain had grabbed Sanhas wrist Myungjun had lunged, trying to get to them to stop him but Jinwoo had held him back and refused to let him go. In the back of his mind Myungjun knew why. Cain was strong, so ridiculously strong he had thrown Lex across the field with a touch so light they hadn’t heard the contact of skin on skin. Myungjuns life was actually in danger around this guy but he didn’t care. He only cared about Sanha.

“Hey! You _bastard_ , get back here!” Myungjun screamed at Cain’s retreating back.

Sanhas eyes snapped up to Myungjun. He looked terrified. “Myungjun don’t!”

Myungjun ignored him, and everyone else who was trying to quieten him. He wasn’t going to let this scumbag get away with hurting his little brother. Sanha had looked so impossibly small and weak kneeling on the floor in front of him, completely at his mercy and the image made Myungjun shake with rage.

“You’re a monster! How _dare_ you touch him like that! You’re a bully! Get back here!” Myungjun continued, finally breaking free from Jinwoos hold. Baby screeched loudly at his back and Cain finally paused.

Kai cursed loudly and put Lex down next to Sanha. “Look after her. Her arms broken. I’ll stop him.” Kai moved quickly, quicker than humanly possible. In less than a second he was at Cain’s side twenty feet away and whispering low and fast in his ear.

Cain didn’t seem to be paying attention, his bright purple eyes fixed only on Myungjuns face. “Kim Myungjun.” Cain began, voice soft. “The Dragon Knights son. There’s a bounty on your head worth more than the ten million behind us. We’ve been ordered by our leader not to kill you and begged by Sanha to stay away from you and your friends, but insult me one more time and I’ll gladly deliver your head on a platter to the man who wants you.”

Myungjun bristled and felt the presence of Baby at his back as the dragon came to protect him. “You’re right. I’m the Dragon Knights son. So, to use your words from earlier, your biggest mistake would be to underestimate me. Lay one more hand on Sanha and I’ll kill you myself. He’s a child. You’re clearly a man grown. Stay away from him.”

Cain laughed, high and sharp. “You’re right. I am a man grown, but Sanha is too. What I do to him, or… _with_ him,” Cain’s voice took on a suggestive undercurrent. “is none of your business. He’s mine.”

Myungjun felt a lump form in his throat as he looked between Cain and Sanha. Sanha was looking down at the grass, face a bright red.

“You haven’t.” Myungjun whispered in disbelief. He looked back up at Cain with a noise of pure rage. “You’ve touched him?”

Cain smirked. “He’s mine.” Was all he answered.

Myungjun felt sick. He couldn’t think of anything worse. This _man_ had touched their baby.

“How old are you?” Myungjun asked angrily. He wasn’t sure he really wanted to know the answer to that. 

“My current body is twenty-five.”

“Your current body? What the hell does that mean?”

“My current body is twenty-five. However, I have had many bodies.” Cain saw the horrified look on Myungjuns face and grinned with all of his teeth. The sound of tearing fabric filled the air and Kai quickly backed away. 

“Cain don’t! You know the rules, she’ll kill us!”

“I don’t care about the fucking rules.” Cain’s voice was completely different now. It was deeper and a lot hoarser. 

The only voice Myungjun could compare it to, was the monster inside of Gikwang, and that thought made Myungjuns muscles seize up with fear. The whites of Cain’s eyes slowly disappeared, leaving nothing but pitch-black pits behind, and the cause of the tearing fabric soon became obvious. Dark purple wings burst out of his back and spread out behind him.

“My name is Cain, one of the five demon generals of the Underworld and you, Kim Myungjun, are dead.”

Cain blurred as he moved.

A scream cut through the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A LOT to unpack here.
> 
> Main points:  
> 1\. Heo Donghan…  
> 2\. Donghan and Gikwang have a sister, Aera. They’re triplets, not twins.  
> 3\. Sanha is dating a demon general of the freaking Underworld…what?  
> 4\. Cain is a scary, violent mf, 8 years older than Sanha (his body at least) but is pretty, quiet unless provoked and looks young.  
> 5\. Everyone fears Cain and despite Lex being their team leader, Cain clearly does what he wants when he gets mad.
> 
> Also, all 5 of those points were never planned. I made everything up literally the second I wrote it. Cain was never going to be that violent, demon generals didn’t exist, neither did the twins sister and Donghan was never meant to have a last name. It just popped into my head when writing this chapter and spiralled out of my control in the future chapters…I didn’t even think about whether they would fit into my fic and the last chapter of Sanhas story (part 11) made NO sense when I reread it after everything I’d written in the earlier parts, BECAUSE of this impulsively written chapter. *sigh* I fixed it eventually (after rewriting a few things in all of the previous chapters) and I’m now glad I wrote this mess xd  
> I feel like all of my best plot lines are impulsively written.
> 
> Sanha POVs for the next 14 chapters yeeeee


	243. I Only Hurt You Because I Love You.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER WARNINGS:  
> Manipulative/abusive behaviour.

**Sanha**

“My name is Cain, one of the five demon generals of the Underworld and you, Kim Myungjun, are dead.” Cain’s deep, hoarse voice never failed to send a shiver down Sanhas spine, but this time, with the words he spoke, the shiver was more violent.

Sanhas back trembled as his wings burst free and he lunged forwards as the world took on a red tint, crashing into Cain with a scream as his boyfriend closed the distance towards Myungjun. Cain was the fastest amongst them and Sanha knew that Myungjuns eyes wouldn’t be able to keep up. He’d be slaughtered if Sanha didn’t intervene.

Sanha had tried to tell Myungjun to be quiet, to not rile Cain up. Cain was lethal, deadly, utterly without mercy. Now they were all in danger.

“Stop!” Sanha shouted desperately as Cain struggled against him. Sanha tightened his arms around Cain’s shoulders and he held on with all of his strength. He knew it was useless. Cain wasn’t only the fastest, he was the strongest too and could break out of Sanhas grip in an instant if he really tried. He had to try and stop him with his words instead. “Please! Please stop! I’m sorry. This is all my fault. Don’t hurt him!”

Cain snarled and threaded his fingers through the hair at the back of Sanhas neck, yanking his head back until his throat was bared. Sanha yelped in pain but didn’t try to get away. He’d learnt the hard way that doing so would only make things worse.

“Your precious _Hyung_ has the audacity to try and tell _me_ what I can and can’t do to you.” Cain spat. “You’re _mine_. I can do what I want to you. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes.” Sanha choked out, desperate to calm him down. “You can do anything because you…because you love me. You do, don’t you?” Sanha asked in his softest voice, the voice he knew Cain couldn’t resist.

As expected, Cain’s grip on his hair loosened and Sanha sighed quietly in relief as the pain faded. 

“Of course I love you. My sweet boy.” Cain purred, pulling Sanha down to kiss him. Sanha melted into it and relaxed when he felt Cain’s wings disappearing as he regained control. He let his own wings disappear too.

Sanha hated nothing more than when Cain’s anger was upon him. He had a terrible temper and often killed because of it. Luckily, he seemed to draw the line at their fellow guild members. Cain had never killed one of their own. He killed everyone else instead. Which is why Sanha knew Myungjun stood no chance.

When Cain broke the kiss, he was no longer the monster Sanha feared. He was the man Sanha had grown to love. 

“You upset me today.” said Cain as his bottom lip trembled and his bright purple eyes teared up. It was such a sad expression that Sanhas heart throbbed painfully in his chest.

Sanha leaned down to press their foreheads together. “I’m sorry.” He whispered. “I didn’t mean to.”

“I know. You never mean to hurt me…but you do. I told you to throw away all traces of your old life and you told me that you had. You lied to me love. You’ve given me no choice.” Cain’s voice was quiet and sad. Sanha choked on a sob as the familiar sense of fear clouded his mind. He knew all too well the consequences of his bad choices. Cain shushed him and with a gentle hand, wiped away the stray tears. “I don’t want to punish you, but you know I have to. It’s because I love you isn’t it? I’m doing this for your own good because I love you Sanha.”

Sanha clung to him whimpering quietly. The fear was making it hard to concentrate, hard to stand up, hard to breathe. But one thing was clear to him in that moment, as it was every time he made a bad choice; Cain was only going to punish him because he loved him. Like how parents who loved their children and wanted them to do well and make good choices punished their naughty behaviour. That’s what Cain had told him. That’s what Cain had made him believe. He just wanted Sanha to be good. It was more important that Sanha was good because of the evil magic inside of him. Cain was doing this to protect him from himself. 

“Y…y…you’re doing this because you love me.” Sanha stuttered out through his sobs. “B…Because I can only t..trust you. You make me…make me good. R…right?”

“Yes exactly!” Cain cried quietly with pride. “You’re exactly right. So smart my love. You’ve listened to me well.”

Sanhas heart soared at the praise. He always tried to be good, but he was rarely complimented in such a way. Not like this. It eased the fear slightly and he pulled out of Cain’s neck to look at him with a watery smile.

Cain smiled back, eyes sparkling. “I want to reward you for this good behaviour, but you still have to be punished first.” The smile faltered on Sanhas face. Cain laughed. His laugh was so pretty and lit up his face, increasing his beauty tenfold. It made Sanhas head spin. “Punishment first, reward later. How does that sound?”

“I don’t deserve the reward. I was bad. I upset you.”

“Don’t you want me?” Cain asked sadly. The pout was back on his face as he played with the golden chain around Sanhas neck. “Are you rejecting me? Am I not good enough for you anymore? Maybe you want Rocky more than me. That’s why you still wore his bracelet right?”

A new type of fear settled in Sanhas gut. The fear of Cain leaving him, leaving him alone, leaving him without protection, leaving him at the hands of the others in the Fire Palace. Cain only hurt him so that he would be good. The others hurt him because they thought it was fun. Without Cain he was easy prey. He couldn’t ever be without him.

“No!” Sanha cried, cupping his boyfriends beautiful face in his hands. His skin was soft to the touch and smelt like flowers. A scent that could either bring comfort or fear. “Never! I would never reject you. If anything, I’m the one who’s not good enough for you. Not the other way around. I don’t want anyone else. Just you. I only said that I didn’t deserve the reward because I was truly bad. I lied to you. I should never have done that. I should have listened to you. You only want what’s best for me. And I didn’t say that I didn’t deserve the reward because I didn’t want it. Because I do. I _always_ want you. When you’re there with me and even when you’re not. You’re always on my mind.”

Sanha had always been good at talking his way out of a bad situation. And when Cain smiled again, he knew he’d been successful once more.

“I hope you mean that.” Cain said, trailing a finger down the exposed skin of Sanhas chest. Sanha shivered under his touch.

“I do.”

It wasn’t necessarily a lie. Sanha had just stretched the truth a bit to appease him. He didn’t think about Cain all the time. Not anymore anyway. 

“Good.” Cain pulled away from him. “I expect you back by seven.”

“You’re leaving?” Sanha asked surprised. “Where are you going?”

“I have something to do. I meant what I said earlier though, about you being a man now, so I trust you’ll handle this situation well without me. I’m afraid that if I so much as look at your friends again I’ll kill them all. I’m only holding back for your sake. Get our money, find a healer for Lex and be back by seven sharp. If you fail to do as I’ve asked…”

Sanha swallowed loudly. “I won’t fail. I’ll see you later.”

“My sweet boy. Always so good for me. I love you.” Cain smiled the crookedly cute smile that Sanha adored before spreading his wings and rocketing off up into the air. Sanha watched him go until he disappeared above the clouds.

Sanha had been dreading this. The end of the conversation. It meant he had to turn around to face the others. To face Myungjun and Jinwoo and Donghan who he hadn’t seen in too long. To face Lex and Kai who would no doubt be looking at him with pity and concern. Sanha didn’t want either of those things. His relationship may not be perfect, but he was safe and that’s all that should matter.

Sanha took a deep breath before turning around. Myungjun was already walking over to him looking worried but Sanha ignored him and hurried over to his other team members like a coward. He couldn’t face Myungjun yet.

Sanha was relieved to see Lex back on her feet, even if she was leaning on her staff more than normal. Her broken arm looked terrible. The bone was sticking out of her skin but like usual she was putting on a brave face. She’d dealt with worse. They all had.

“We need to get you to a healer. Cain’s orders.” Sanha told her when he was close enough to be heard. 

“I’ll find her one in the next town over. This town isn’t magical and there’s no point taking her to a regular doctor.” Kai answered for her.

“We can both go.” Sanha said quickly, wanting nothing more than to just leave. “But I need to be back by seven…also Cain’s orders.”

“You’re not going anywhere.” 

Sanha froze and turned at the sound of Myungjuns voice. He was standing right behind him with his arms crossed over his chest looking angry. Sanha still shied away from him, even now. 

“I have to Myungjun. She’s hurt.” Sanha mumbled his excuse.

“I’ll fix it.” Myungjun didn’t wait for permission and walked straight past Sanha towards her. 

Lex eyed him suspiciously. “Why would you help me?”

“Because you’re going to let me speak to Sanha, alone, in return.” Myungjun said simply as he stopped beside her to inspect her arm. “You may as well let me speak to him. I’ll never stop trying. He was my little brother before he was your Sanny.” 

Lex scowled but didn’t speak. She ignored the pleading eyes Sanha was giving her. Sanha huffed. She really wasn’t going to help him get out of this after all.

Myungjun suddenly pulled his hands away from her. “Your blood.”

“What about it?”

“It’s black.”

“Well duh. I am part demon.” Lex said with a roll of her eyes.

“Your blood will burn me if I touch you.”

“Don’t fucking touch me then.”

Myungjun scowled back at her. “Stay still and I won’t have to.” Myungjuns hands trembled slightly as he moved them back over to her arm and Sanha watched as his eyes fluttered shut. 

Lex winced. “Ouch. That hurts you moron.”

“Of course it does. I’m literally sticking your bone back into your body. Just shut up and let me concentrate.” Myungjun grumbled back. 

Sanha was surprised that Myungjun was being so mouthy towards her. She could kill him in the blink of an eye but Myungjun didn’t seem at all afraid, even after hearing that she was part demon. Myungjun had always been brave, and Sanha had always looked up to him for that, but there was a difference between bravery and stupidity and Myungjun was dangerously close to falling headfirst over that line.

Five minutes later and Lex was flexing her newly healed arm. She looked impressed.

“Thanks.” She muttered before turning to Sanha and fixing him with a glare. “We’re leaving. You’re staying. Go and speak to them once and for all so we don’t have to deal with them anymore.”

Sanha sighed in defeat and nodded. There was no point arguing. He knew this day would come eventually and the quicker they had this conversation the quicker he could leave. Not that the thought of leaving was very appealing. Leaving Myungjun meant going back to his punishment. 

Suddenly speaking to Myungjun became that little bit more tempting and Sanha found he could actually turn to Myungjun and look him directly in the eyes.

“Let’s go and get a drink.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So…who’s coming with me to beat Cain up? The things he’s made Sanha believe are awful. ‘I only hurt you because I love you.’ That is a big NO. I cannot even begin to explain how wrong that is.
> 
> But…SANHA HAS WINGSSLJAKLFJFLD
> 
> The next chapter is the beginning of Sanhas story, starting with his earliest memories. So, we really get to see how it all began. But obviously, I couldn’t write /everything/ that’s ever happened to him or his story would have been as long as this fic itself xD I just picked out the key events that I think impacted his decision to run away from home. Then, after, we see what happened to him at Enhex ahhhh. Emotional rollercoaster ahead, buckle up cuties.


	244. Sanhas Story-Part 1.

The only memories Sanha had before being abandoned at the academy’s guesthouse weren’t pleasant. Dark rooms and locked doors and children crying. Then there were the needles. So many needles. All administered with the promises of medicine, the promises of ‘feeling better’. Sanha knew the only thing that would have made him feel better was _not_ taking the injections. They always made him feel funny, like there was ice in his veins that splintered into smaller pieces the closer it got to his heart.

But even then, at the tender age of five years old, Sanha knew he was one of the lucky ones. The children in the other rooms screamed in terror whenever their doors were opened and made noises of pain all throughout the night after their own shots. Gradually they would fall silent one by one and some never made another noise again. 

Sanha was lucky because he always received the ‘special’ injections. His mother always promised him that he was given the best, that she was giving him the best because she loved him. She was hurting him because she loved him. She was hurting him because she wanted to make him better. And Sanha, in all of his trusting innocence, believed her words.

And then she had abandoned him. Taken him out into the sun for the first time in…maybe in forever, and put him in a big box on wheels that was pulled by two large monsters to the front door of a multi-storeyed building surrounded by trees. The academies guesthouse.

Sanha remembered seeing Mrs Ko for the first time when she opened the door no more than ten seconds after his mother’s impatient knocks. She was younger back then, fresh out of the academy herself and full of spirit at the thought of looking after all of the younger children under the watchful eye of the previous matron.

Sanha had been much too scared to look at her and hid behind his mothers’ skirts instead. The women had exchanged a few words which went completely over Sanhas overwhelmed head, but something had caught his attention.

“…don’t want him. I either leave him here or out on the streets.” His mother had said with her lips pressed into a thin line.

“But why?” Mrs Ko had asked with her youthful forehead creased in concern. “Why are you doing this? He’s so young.”

“He’s a monster.”

Then his mother had left.

Sanha tried to follow her and ran after the giant box as it moved away. He called out for her feeling terribly scared. And then the box picked up speed and disappeared behind the trees. Sanha fell down where he stood and cried hot salty tears that rolled down his tiny cheeks. 

He was alone.

*

The first time Sanha truly realised that something was undeniably wrong with him was during his first ever attempt at the third floor in the academy’s dungeon. They had no idea what they would be facing on this floor, but the last thing Sanha would have ever expected was to find himself transported back to that room. The dark, windowless room with the locked door and the faint echoes of the other children’s screams seeping through the walls.

But there he was, standing at the end of his ratty old bed and fighting against the overwhelming horror that always came with the memories he’d tried so hard to forget, the memories that gave him nightmares every single night without fail until he woke up screaming and shaking and wishing for the eternal night to end.

He’d looked around the room wondering why he was there. Then the door had opened and a woman without a face had stepped inside carrying a giant needle the size of his arm. Her voice was faint, wispy and dreadfully hoarse.

“ _It’s time for your medicine Sanha. Sit still. You’ll be all better soon I promise._ ”

Sanha screamed as a black shape spilled out of the needles tip. The one little plant on Sanhas bedside cabinet wilted and the faceless woman withered away to skin and bone before falling to the floor not to move again.

“ _Hello Sanha._ ” The demon spoke in his own voice.

“Who are you?” Sanha asked, stumbling back against the wall trying to distance himself from the evil in front of him.

“ _I am you. You are me. We’re one and the same._ ” The demon morphed into a copy of him. They could have been twins. “ _I look forward to our awakening._ ”

The demon lunged.

*

Sanha tried for months to forget what he had seen in the illusion. He was just relieved to find out it had only been an illusion to begin with. The demon had claimed that they were the same. But Sanha couldn’t believe that. Demons were evil. He wasn’t evil. He always tried to be good, never hurt anyone intentionally and finished all of his homework on time. He couldn’t be the same as that demon.

And then came the time for the academy’s best fighter competition. Sanha had been in a terrible mood over the last couple of days for no reason whatsoever, and then _Rocky_ stepped in to make it worse.

Rocky was, without a doubt, the most annoying person Sanha had ever had the displeasure of meeting. He was cocky and rude and had bullied Sanha to the point of tears on more than one occasion. So what if his magic wasn’t stable and weaker than the others? It wasn’t his fault he was born this way. But Rocky seemed to think it was terribly amusing and liked to point it out whenever he had the chance. No-one in existence could get under Sanhas skin the same way Rocky did.

So, when the time came for them to fight, Sanha didn’t hold back his anger. Rocky had been his usual cocky self, telling Sanha in front of all their friends that Sanha would want to be his partner because no-one else would have him. None of his friends had even tried to deny it and Myungjun even went as far as changing the subject so he wouldn’t have to answer. That hurt Sanha more than anything else.

The horn had blared in the Arena the day of the competition and Sanha didn’t hesitate for a second. He slapped Rocky straight across the face. Hard. 

Then he felt it. The overwhelming desire to hurt him more. To see him bleed. To maim him beyond repair. The little voice in his head that whispered to him during the night, that had been growing louder and more persistent over the last couple of days, was now shockingly loud. It reminded him of all the things Rocky had done, all of the things he had ever said to hurt him. All of the tears that Sanha had shed at his cruel mocking words. 

Sanha screamed at the boy in front of him, telling him to fight back, to hit him back, to give him a reason to hurt him some more. But eventually he grew frustrated. Rocky wasn’t trying. The voice in Sanhas head told him that it was because Rocky thought he was weak and didn’t want to waste his energy on him.

Sanha punched Rocky in the face, feeling a sick sense of joy at the sound of his nose breaking. 

“ _Well done Sanha. We finally did it. We beat him._ ”

*

From that day forth, the voice in Sanhas head never ceased. It was a constant murmur in the back of his mind that, over time, became easier to ignore. It never quietened completely though and became a new norm in his life, a new practice, a new rule. On the good days he could barely make out the words. But on his bad days the voice would be louder and more difficult to tune out.

However, there was one exception to this rule. Rocky Jr. Whenever Sanha was around the adorable little rock, the voice would disappear completely. He was finally alone. At peace. Free. Rocky Jr was the angel that chased away the darkness inside of his head and he sought his company out more than the rest of his friends.

Which meant involuntarily getting closer to Rocky. Over time Rocky became Minhyuk and Minhyuk became his best friend. Without the voice in his head constantly reminding him of Rockys wrongdoings towards him, it was easier to get close to him and eventually he was able to forgive Minhyuk completely.

Minhyuk started to treat him differently too. Waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs at the same time every morning so they could go for breakfast together, sitting next to him at every table they ate and learnt at, complimenting Sanha whenever he revealed an improvement with his magic, no matter how small and going out of his way to cheer Sanha up whenever he was having a bad day.

They grew closer and Sanha started to notice things about Minhyuk that he hadn’t noticed before. Like the way he’d push his hair back when he was feeling stressed or how he grew random crystals to play with when he felt anxious that were suddenly always pink after Sanha revealed that it was his favourite colour. The way Minhyuk would smile extra wide with all of his teeth whenever Rocky Jr would do something cute to make them laugh and how whenever Rocky Jr would cuddle up to Sanha, Minhyuk would always look away with a blush.

Sanha liked Minhyuks blush. Sanha liked a lot of things about him. How he laughed, how he danced, how he smelt. And above all, he liked being able to call Minhyuk his best friend.

*

Sanha shrieked out a laugh as Minhyuk jabbed him in the ribs and he rolled away from him on the grass. Sanha had been feeling down after Myungjun had left to study in the castle and Minhyuk had spent days trying to cheer him up. Apparently, all Sanha had needed was a picnic in the park, courtesy of Myungjuns mother, no, _their_ mother, and a handful of Minhyuks bad jokes to lift his mood.

“Hyukkie stop!” Sanha squealed as he felt another tickle attack against his ribs. “We’ve just eaten I’m going to be sick!”

Minhyuk laughed loud and bright as he landed on top of him. He pinned Sanhas hands down against the grass with a mischievous look on his face.

“I don’t care if you’re sick.”

“You’re mean. I hope I’m sick on you now.”

“Even if you are, I wouldn’t care.”

“But its gross.”

Minhyuk rolled his eyes. “Nothing you could do is gross. It would be my fault anyway.”

“Hyukkie you’re ridiculous.”

“And you’re an idiot but you don’t hear me complaining.”

That was all it took. Sanhas anger flared suddenly and without warning and the world around him took on a red tint.

_Oh no, not now!_

He squeezed his eyes shut and breathed deeply until his anger ebbed. He knew his eyes wouldn’t go back to normal until he was calm again. This had happened before. Luckily when he was alone. He’d been terrified when he saw the black pits his eyes had become for the first time. The word demon had spilled from his lips before he could stop it.

But now he wasn’t alone and Minhyuks face was inches from his own. There was no way he would have missed it.

When Sanha felt calm again he opened his eyes slowly, cautiously, to see what he had feared. 

Minhyuk was frozen. “Ddana…your eyes.”

Sanha scowled and rolled them over so he could be on top of Minhyuk instead. “What about them?”

“They were…”

“Were what?” Sanha challenged.

Minhyuk frowned and shook his head. “Nevermind. Trick of the light.”

*

Sanhas anger was becoming a problem and now he knew the cause. He was a demon. Or shared his body with a demon. Whichever way it worked. He was a demon and there was no denying it anymore. Especially as he looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror.

It was gone midnight and Sanha had had a terrible day. It hadn’t started off terribly. In fact, he’d been having one of the best days of his life. That had all changed when the fortune teller touched his hand. 

An immense feeling of danger flooded Sanhas veins as she made contact and his body reacted. Her skin sizzled and the smell of burning flesh filled the tent. 

Sanha flinched back at the look in her eyes. Confusion followed by understanding followed by fear and finally hatred.

“Get out of here! I know what you are.” She had hissed angrily. “Get out of here before I report you to the King. You don’t belong here.” She then turned to Minhyuk. “Be careful around him. He’s not like you.”

Sanha didn’t know what else to do other than apologize and leave as quickly as possible. The panic was building inside of him. How did that woman know? Why had her skin started to burn? Was she really going to report him to the King? What would they do to him if he was captured? 

“ _They’ll kill us Sanha. You have to run. You have to run far away._ ” The little voice in his head warned him. “ _Not now. Tonight. When everyone is asleep._ ”

It was only when they left the circus an hour later that Sanha realised he’d heard the voice in the presence of Rocky Jr. His cute little one no longer offered protection for his mind and in that moment, he knew his time was up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'She was hurting him because she loved him. She was hurting him because she wanted to make him better.' Sound familiar?? No wonder Sanha believes what Cain has told him. His own mother drilled that into him when he was younger.
> 
> 'Rocky Jr was the angel that chased away the darkness inside of his head' I need to be STOPPED. It's too much. My heart cannot handle it.


	245. Sanhas Story-Part 2.

Sanha stood staring at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He felt sick at what he saw. Pitch-black eyes stared back at him before they moved to the giant dark purple wings sticking out of his back. Experimentally, he tried to move them.

His right wing shot out and hit the shelf lined with Myungjuns bottles of shampoo and bubble bath. One of the bottles wobbled precariously at the edge before falling off.

It was midnight, everyone was asleep and Sanha didn’t want to wake anyone up. He tried to grab the bottle, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to catch it in time but was left stunned when he moved so fast his hand passed _under_ the bottle. He quickly pulled his arm back and tried again. He caught it before it was even halfway through its descent.

What. The. Hell.

Sanha put the bottle back onto the shelf shaking his head in disbelief. In this form, his demonic form, he was impossibly fast, strong and more coordinated then he had ever been in his life. He didn’t have to worry about tripping over his own feet like this.

Memories of what his mother used to say hit him, the woman who gave birth to him not his new mother, and he scoffed.

“It’s time for your medicine Sanha. Sit still. You’ll be all better soon I promise. This needle is full of the best medicine, better than I give the rest because I love you. I only hurt you because I love you, because I want to make you better. You’ll be better I promise.” Sanha mocked her words. His voice came out deep and hoarse. He shivered. It didn’t sound like him at all.

“ _That’s because you’re more in tune with me in this form. You’re speaking with my voice._ ” The words rung through his head and Sanha scowled, pushing it away. He wasn’t successful. “ _Don’t try to block me out Sanha. It won’t work. You should spend less time denying me and more time packing. We’re leaving tonight remember._ ”

“Do I have to?” Sanha asked quietly. “Do I really have to leave?” He didn’t want to. He wanted to stay, to stay with his family and friends…to stay with Hyukkie and Rocky Jr.

“ _You know you have to. You heard what the fortune teller said. She’ll report you to the King. They’ll come for us Sanha. If you don’t leave, we’ll die._ ”

Images of how Minhyuk had looked after seeing Sanha burn the fortune teller in her tent flashed through Sanhas mind and he gasped and stumbled back. Minhyuk had looked so scared, so concerned, so _fearful_.

“ _Minhyuk is scared of you, of us, of what we’re capable of. Imagine how he would feel seeing you like this._ ”

Sanha looked back up at his reflection in the mirror. He reached up to touch his face only to be met with the sight of thick, black claws protruding from the tips of his fingers. He was horrified. But the thought of Minhyuk seeing him like this, no, of ANYONE seeing him like this, made Sanha choke.

“I can’t let them see.” He whispered. “I can’t let them see what I am.”

“ _Exactly. Now leave. They’ll be better off without us. They’ll be safe and happy without us. They’ll never see what we are, so they’ll never hate us. It’s better this way Sanha. You know it is._ ”

The rest of the night passed by in a blur. Literally. Sanha couldn’t shift out of his demon form because of the emotions raging inside of him so he moved silently and with speed, flitting in and out of rooms in the blink of an eye to pack a small bag of his things. He felt guilty stealing some of his Hyungs savings whilst they slept on unaware, but he didn’t know what else to do. He didn’t have a lot of coin of his own and he knew he wouldn’t be able to get by without it.

When his bag was packed and sitting by the back door, Sanha flitted back upstairs to find some parchment and a pen. He needed to leave something behind. If he didn’t then he knew his family would worry about him.

“ _They’re not your family anymore. You’re wasting time with this letter. Forget it and leave._ ”

Sanha ignored the demon in his head and sat down to write. It was harder than he was expecting to say goodbye and the tears soon started flowing. He just told himself that he needed to do this. He needed to do this to keep them safe.

Sanha signed off the letter with his favourite nickname and folded it up before printing Minhyuks name on the front. He flitted back up the stairs without making a sound and slipped it under the sleeping boys’ pillow.

Sanha looked at his face. Despite how scared Minhyuk had looked earlier that day, he looked utterly at peace now. A sliver of the moon from the nearby window fell over Minhyuks face, casting the shadows of his eyelashes across his cheeks and lighting him up like an angel.

“You’re an angel and I’m a demon.” Sanha whispered sadly. “We were never meant to be friends. I’m sorry Hyukkie.”

Sanha turned his gaze to Rocky Jr next and his heart clenched painfully in his chest. He’d neglected the little rock all day and hadn’t allowed him to sleep in his bed like he usually would. Rocky Jr _always_ slept cuddled up to him in the top bunk. Sanha always whispered stories to him to help him sleep and tucked him in when his tiny rumbling snores began. Rocky Jr was more than just a companion. He was Sanhas little one. And Sanha was going to miss him so terribly his heart was sure to break. 

Sanhas parents had abandoned him and now he was doing the same to Rocky Jr. He really was a monster.

“I’m so sorry.” Sanha choked out quietly as he looked down at his tiny sleeping figure. Rocky Jr was curled up against Minhyuks side with a slight frown on his otherwise still face. “I’m so sorry little one. I have to go. I have to do this. You’ll be okay without me. Just look after your father for me.” Sanha leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to his stony forehead before looking up at his best friend. Sanha leaned over the bed until his face was inches away from Minhyuks own. “I’m sorry Hyukkie. Really sorry. I’m doing this for you. Look after our son. He needs you.” Sanha leaned down but froze before his lips could touch Minhyuks cheek.

“Sanha?” Minhyuks sleep laden voice cut through the silence. “Sanha is that you?”

Sanha shushed him softly and pulled back to look at his face. Minhyuks eyes were half open, scanning Sanhas wings. “You’re dreaming Hyukkie.”

“Strange dream.” Minhyuk mumbled.

Sanha laughed quietly. A sound filled with sadness. “I know. I’m sorry you had to see me this way.”

Minhyuks eyes fluttered shut again and he wet his lips. “Your tears are warm Ddana.”

Sanha sniffled and wiped at his face. “Bye Hyukkie. I’ll miss you.” 

Sanha moved to pull away but Minhyuks hand darted out to wrap around the back of his neck, holding Sanha in place.

“This is a dream right?” Minhyuk asked, opening his eyes again. They were full of worry. Sanha nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Minhyuk sighed. “Good.” He pulled Sanha back down and brushed their lips together. Their first kiss. Minhyuks hand slipped away and he rolled over to cuddle up to Rocky Jr, pulling him close to his chest. “I love you Ddana.”

Sanha never heard. Sanha was already gone.

He broke through the clouds with one hand clutching his bag and the other clutching his chest. His lips burned. The wings at his back flapped powerfully behind him as he screamed at the stars in the silent night sky. A scream of pure grief. A scream for all he had lost and what he had to leave behind.

_I’ll miss you all._

*

Sanha landed at the front door of the academy’s guesthouse. He had a plan. He was going to find his parents to ask them about the demon inside of him. They had to know something about it, his mother had called him a monster after all. Maybe they’d know how to get it out of him, then he could go back home.

“ _If they knew how to get rid of me, they would have done it at the beginning, they wouldn’t have given up and dumped you here._ ”

Sanha scowled and knocked on the door. It was still dark. The journey to Voredan hadn’t taken long at all with his new type of flight. Gaining wings was ironic to him. He couldn’t fly using his air magic alone. He had to rely on the help of the monster inside of him. As an air user his one true goal in life was supposed to be the ascension to Vealla, the city in the clouds. That’s what he had been taught by Zephyr in the academy at least. He was promised a great life of peace and wealth there, but he’d given up on that dream after realising he couldn’t fly. 

But now he could. Now the very monster inside of him that was ruining his life was offering him the opportunity for a new one. He could go to Vealla, live amongst the clouds, stay away from his friends and family to keep them safe and never have to worry for anything ever again.

“ _Even the people of Vealla wouldn’t accept us. We’re demons Sanha. Outcasts. How do you think they’d react seeing a demon flying around their city?_ ”

The door opened to reveal the tired looking matron. Her eyes widened slightly.

“Sanha?”

Sanhas bottom lip trembled as he looked at the woman who had cared for him during the most terrible years of his life. Who had let him climb into her bed when the nightmares woke him up screaming in the middle of the night. Who had constantly reassured him that he was a good boy when he asked why he’d been left all alone.

“Mrs Ko.” Sanha choked out. “I need to talk to you.”

Understanding crossed her face and she stepped aside. “Come in. I’ll make us some tea.”

*  
“Why aren’t you screaming? Running away? Calling me a monster?” Sanha asked feeling terribly confused. He was standing in the middle of the guesthouse kitchen with his wings out and his vision tinged red. He scratched nervously at his arms with his claws, feeling the ghost of the needles that pierced his skin.

Mrs Ko sighed and gestured to the seat Sanha had vacated. “Sit. It’s too late at night for any running and screaming. You know I dislike running in the house.”

Sanha grinned at the joke and sat back down after switching back to his more…approachable form.

“Sanha I’ve been aware of what you are for a long time.”

A look of surprise replaced Sanhas grin. “You have? How long? Why didn’t you say anything?”

She took a long, drawn out sip of her tea before placing the cup down gently on the table. “Almost from as far back as the beginning when you first arrived. I’ve seen your eyes change before when you’ve been upset or angry and I began to notice the strange shape of your shoulder blades when I used to bathe you. I didn’t say anything because it didn’t matter. You were just a boy. Scared and alone. You weren’t dangerous.”

Sanha blinked hard to stop the moisture in his eyes from spilling over. “But I’m dangerous now.”

“Perhaps.” She answered truthfully. “I did a lot of research into demonic entities when I first discovered your condition and I found out a lot about what you would become. If you survived that is.”

“If I survived?”

Mrs Ko nodded. “Not all bodies are compatible with a demonic parasite. Some shut down because of it, or wither away as the demon drains them. Maybe that will eventually happen to you.”

Sanha audibly swallowed. “I could die?”

“Possibly.” Her gaze was full of sadness as she looked upon him. “However, I would like to think that your chances of survival are high. Some people die immediately when connecting with a demon and others can last weeks or months. But you have lasted years, you are now sixteen. I think it’s safe to say that your body is compatible.”

Sanha felt a small sense of relief but also a small sense of disappointment. He’d seen, for the briefest of seconds, how much better life would be for everyone if he had just died upon ‘connecting’ with the demon inside of him. Whatever that meant.

Mrs Ko seemed to know what he was thinking and scowled. “You’re not better off dead Sanha.”

“Why not?” Sanha challenged. “I’m a monster.”

“No. You’re not. You’re Yoon Sanha, a hard-working, kind and lovable young man. You’ve never done anything to intentionally hurt another and I know you never will. You used to hate the idea of killing your classmates in the battledome and avoided it at all costs, even at the expense of your own life. Your intentions are good and _you_ are good.”

“But I once tried to kill Myungjun-hyung in the battledome.” Sanha argued quietly, gaze glued to the tabletop. “I was angry at Minhyuk and held a dagger to Hyungs throat. I was going to kill him.”

“But you didn’t.”

“Only because Minhyuk stopped me.”

“Minhyuk was partly responsible yes, but ultimately, the choice to put that dagger down was your own. Also, you can’t be held completely accountable for your actions. The only reason your temper flares so badly is because of the demon inside of you.”

Sanha was only partly surprised to hear that. He’d always had his suspicions of course but to have it said aloud and confirmed by someone else was different.

“The demon makes me angry?” He asked, finally looking up at her again.

She nodded and gave him a small smile. “The demon has caused a lot of things that have changed you. Emotionally, mentally and physically. You are two souls sharing one vessel after all. It’s had to accommodate for you both.”

“How else has it changed me? I understand that it makes me angry, and it’s given me wings and I see everything in a weird colour when I’ve shifted. My eyesight is better than when I’m in my human form. My hearing and balance are also better and I’m a lot faster and stronger…” Sanha listed them all off slowly.

“Do you remember the growth spurt you went through?” She asked calmly. “It was around the time you threatened to kill Myungjun I believe.”

Sanha did remember. He’d been feeling stranger than usual around that time and started to grow abnormally fast to the point where he woke up everyday taller than the day before. It hadn’t worried him too much, but his friends were always commenting on it. Especially Minhyuk who made the daily jokes mocking his gangly physique.

“Maybe in time your body will have to go through more changes to stay compatible with the demon inside of you but as long as you remember who you are as a person, I’m sure you can get through anything Sanha. You’re strong and smart and braver than you give yourself credit for.”

Sanha flushed. He wasn’t complimented often, and he didn’t really like it. So, he tried to change the subject. “You said about the demon connecting to me. Do you know how that works? Or how to get rid of it? Or how it connected to me in the first place?”

Mrs Ko took another sip of her tea and gestured for Sanha to do the same as she spoke. “I believe that in your case it has something to do with the nightmares you have.”

Sanha processed her words and his eyes widened. “The injections?”

She nodded. “Your magic has always been unstable, and you struggled with learning how to fly. The main cause of such struggles with one’s magic is usually centred around the fact that the magic may not have belonged to them in the first place.”

Everything suddenly made sense. Myungjun had once told him that his father, the Dragon Knight, had stolen magic running through his veins. The man had been injected against his will and because of that, his magic was unstable, and he couldn’t use it to its full potential. How Sanha hadn’t put the pieces together before he didn’t know.

“My mother…she injected me with magic?” At least that explained her strange words about how she was only doing it because she loved him and wanted him to be better. She had thought that he would be better with magic. “But how would that relate to the demon?” Sanha asked with a frown.

“There is a high chance that one of your injections was laced with demon blood. Whether your mother knew that herself or not is another thing entirely. However, I’d like to think that she didn’t know. For your sake at least.”

Sanha buried his face in his hands. He was so tired but so overwhelmed with all of this new information. He was finally getting answers to the questions that had bugged him for years, but they weren’t making him any happier like he’d hoped they would.

Sanha wanted to believe that his mother wouldn’t have intentionally injected him with the blood of a demon, but he couldn’t be sure, and he knew that that uncertainty alone would be enough to keep him up at night. He didn’t want to be unsure. Not about this.

He pulled his head out of his hands and looked up at the matron feeling determined. “Do you have any idea where my parents are now? Did my mother say anything to you when she left?”

“She didn’t. But I tracked your parents down. I knew this day would come and I wanted to be able to help you as much as possible. I watched you grow up and looked after you to the best of my abilities so part of me feels responsible for you.” She smiled as his eyes filled up again. “You can thank me after you’ve spoken to them. No tears, you have to be strong. I’ll give you the address, but I’d like for you to do something for me in return.”

Sanha sniffed as he wiped his eyes dry. “I’ll do anything.”

“The four elemental leaders of the academy are more involved with the activities of the Underworld than they are allowed to admit. Zephyr, Blaze and Frost had special training in demon hunting, but Grove is different. He sees demons differently, as friends and comrades instead of enemies, and has more knowledge about them than anyone in existence today. Aside from Shadow on the magic counsel of course. I want you to go to Grove and speak to him before you leave. He’ll be able to explain things more clearly to you and he’ll find you somewhere safe to reside.” Her eyes flickered down to the bag beside Sanhas chair. “It’s the middle of the night and you’ve come here with luggage which means you’re running away. I will assume you haven’t told anyone, and I can make the educated guess that you have nowhere else to go. So, speak to Grove. He’ll find you a place where there are others like you. Where you’ll blend right in, even with your wings on display. Then hopefully, as you meet others like yourself, you’ll be able to find a way to come back home someday.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOCKY NOOOO  
> Their first serious kiss and then Sanha runs away before he can hear Rockys confession ;-; 
> 
> But now we know Sanha was actually born non-magical like Leo or Ravi :o


	246. Sanhas Story-Part 3.

Sanha had been drifting aimlessly from town to town for weeks, drowning in anger and grief. He’d been to the address Mrs Ko had given him, the address she had tracked his parents down to, and had been met with the worst possible news.

Sanha didn’t remember his first ever carriage ride to the academy guesthouse being a long one, but the address Mrs Ko had given him was for a small cottage far away. The house he remembered being confined to had been bigger too. Which meant his parents had moved sometime after abandoning him. Probably fearing that he’d one day find his way back home.

Their new home was far down to the south of Aredrinnor. A cottage situated atop a sweeping cliff overlooking the sea. Sanha wondered if they’d been happy here, and what had happened to the other children he had been confined with.

He’d once asked his mother if those children who he could hear screaming through the walls were his brothers and sisters, but she had vehemently denied it saying that they were just ‘stepping stones’ on the hunt for Sanhas perfect medicine. Now that he was older and wiser, he knew what that meant. She’d been experimenting on other kids, injecting them all with whatever magic she could get her hands on. The thought made him physically sick.

How many innocent young children had she killed or changed beyond repair? And all for him? Was his mother really that much of a vile, delusional woman?

These were the questions he wanted answers to, alongside the main one; _Did you intentionally inject me with demon blood?_

But unfortunately, he never received the chance to ask.

He’d been hovering nervously at the cottage’s front door for over five minutes trying to build the courage to knock. The idea that his parents were on the other side of that door made him so nervous he thought he was going to die.

Then the door had opened, and he’d come face to face with a man who was definitely not his father. For one, he was much too young. Sanha had asked for his parents only to be told they’d already been hunted down and killed on King Leopold’s orders.

Sanha became mindless with grief. Not grief for the loss of his parents, but grief for the loss of his answers. He was never going to find out why they did what they did, or if they ever meant to turn him into a monster, or if any of the other children who had suffered with him were still alive and if they were monsters as well.

He was going to spend the rest of his life with a head full of questions he’d never receive the answers to. That thought sent him spiralling downwards. He couldn’t see the point of anything anymore. Why bother carrying on when he was a monster with no-where else to go? With no-one to turn to? He wouldn’t fit in anywhere. He wouldn’t be accepted anywhere. 

He was alone once again.

*

Sanha was sitting under a tree in the middle of a forest when the ground trembled underneath him. He wiped the tears off his face and looked down to see the bundle of vines that delivered the note he’d been waiting for for a long time.

Life had become difficult recently. His friends had been putting up missing persons signs all over the place with his face sketched on them, clear for everyone to see. Sanha travelled from town to town and was constantly being recognised. Sanha had to deal time and time again with the immense guilt he felt upon hearing from strangers how worried Myungjun and Jinwoo had looked when they’d asked the people on the streets to get into contact with them if they ever caught sight of him.

Sanha always made the people promise that they wouldn’t, but he could see the greed in their eyes, the greed for the ten-million-coin reward. Sanha thought the reward was absurd. He wasn’t worth ten million. He wasn’t worth a single coin. Sanha was also sure that Myungjun and Jinwoo didn’t have that type of money to begin with, which meant his other friends had probably put their own hard-earned coin into it too…maybe even Minhyuk.

Sanha tried not to think about Minhyuk. He tried not to think about the last time they had seen each other, how Minhyuk thought he was having a strange dream when he looked upon Sanhas wings, how Minhyuks lips had brushed against his own, soft and sweet.

Sanha had truly hesitated after that kiss, wondering if he was making the right decision by leaving. Minhyuks lips on his had felt so _right_ , so _natural_. It made Sanhas heart flutter every time he thought about it. 

But he had left anyway. Because he needed to keep Minhyuk safe. Safe from the demon inside of his head.

Sanha scrubbed more of the tears away as he reached down to pick up the note from the forest floor. 

For the longest time he’d been avoiding visiting any towns so that he didn’t have to worry about being recognised and he’d ended up spending one too many nights out in any forest or mountain range that he could find that had any food or water he could scavenge. His coin had run out a couple of weeks ago and gnawing hunger had become his constant companion. He could see he was losing weight, but he didn’t care. 

He might have been worried about wasting away if he had to fight off any monsters he came across when he trekked through the forests and valleys. But even they could sense that he was the bigger monster. They stayed away from him and let him be. So Sanha just curled up wherever he fell and let the days pass him by.

With a sigh he opened up the note.

**Sanha, the guild leader of Enhex has answered my request. She has invited you to the SnakeShire nightclub in Northbrook to have an audience with her about your possible placement. I strongly advise that you go. Enhex is a guild full of people like you. This could be your fresh start. Do not waste it. I have attached a map showing you how to find Northbrook and the nightclub, and I have also attached your invitation. Present it to the guards at the front doors to be let in. All the best. Grove.**

Sanha closed his eyes and clutched the bundle of parchment to his chest. A fresh start. A guild full of people like him. For the first time in a long time, Sanha felt hope bloom in his heart.

*

Sanha approached the nightclub doors feeling nervous. He couldn’t hear any noise coming from inside and the doors were guarded by two muscular men in fresh pressed suits.

“ _We’ve come to the right place Sanha. I can feel other demonic entities inside. This is the best place for us to be._ ”

Sanha walked over to the guards and held out his invitation with a shaking hand. It was given a quick scan before being deemed acceptable and they stepped aside and opened the doors to let him in.

Before Sanha set foot over the threshold he made the split-second decision to toss the bracelet on his wrist into the nearby bush. Walking through these doors meant a new beginning. He couldn’t have that if he was constantly being reminded of Minhyuk every time he looked down at his wrist. His heart hurt terribly to see it go but he told himself to be strong. He needed to do this.

Sanha stepped inside into the silence and the door shut noiselessly behind him. To say he was unnerved was an understatement. Surely nightclubs were supposed to be, well, _loud_. Full of music and dancing and alcohol. He might only be sixteen, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew how these sorts of places worked.

It was dark inside. The only light coming from a singular lamp that illuminated a smartly dressed woman sitting at what Sanha assumed was the front desk. It contrasted strangely with what Sanha had been expecting. 

He walked over to her and cleared his throat. “Hello, I’m here to see the guild leader of Enhex. Do you know where I can find her?”

The woman looked up with a smile. All of her teeth were sharply pointed. “Of course dear. I’ll escort you myself. She’s been waiting a long time for you so we shouldn’t keep her waiting any longer. I’m sure you don’t wish to end up like the last young man who kept her waiting.”

Sanhas heart picked up speed in his chest. “What happened to him?”

The woman stood from her chair with an eyebrow raised. “You didn’t hear?”

Sanha shook his head. She walked around the desk and led him over to a door that opened up to reveal a long, luxuriously carpeted hallway lined on either side with polished mahogany doors. Yet again, it was barely lit. Sanha hoped he wouldn’t trip.

“I don’t know anything about her at all.” Sanha added quietly. “I know nothing about Enhex either.”

It was too dark to see properly, but Sanha was sure he saw concern pass across the women’s face. “Enhex is one of the five royal dark guilds on Aredrinnor. A few years ago, there were only four but the Red Reaper, Enhexes leader, established some sort of agreement with the other four royal guilds and became the fifth leader to reside in the Fire Palace. The Fire Palace is the heart of the royal guilds activities and where they all live. It’s a glorious structure, the biggest on Aredrinnor, and the pride of us all. The woman herself is only young. Early twenties I think, but she’s already made quite a name for herself despite being the only female leader in the palace.”

Sanha was finding it hard to process all of the information he was being given. Royal dark guilds? A palace of fire? He would have never expected there to be royalty amongst the dark guilds.

“You say it’s the biggest structure on Aredrinnor, but I thought that was the Crucible?” Sanha asked with a frown.

The woman laughed almost condescendingly. “The crucible looks positively small compared to the palace. The palace is so tall it disappears into the clouds and so wide it stretches for miles in every direction. It’s also more beautiful than the castle in Voredan. King Leopold lives like a peasant compared to our royals.”

Mention of Aredrinnors King made Sanha tense. Leo was the reason his answers had been taken away from him. He was the reason that Sanha would have to suffer being plagued by the unknown for the rest of his life. Leo had only ever been kind to him, and Myungjun adored the man, but he had done something unforgivable in killing Sanhas parents. Sanha didn’t necessarily have any love for his parents anymore, not after fully coming to the realisation of what they had done to him, but they were still his parents regardless. His only true family. And Leo had them wiped out. Sanha hoped he never had to see the man again. It would only end badly for them both if he did.

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you anymore.” The woman spoke up, pulling Sanha out of his thoughts. She had stopped in front of one of the polished doors. “The Red Reaper is just through here.”

“Thank you for all of your help.” Sanha said feeling truly grateful. This woman was rather creepy but had been able to calm his nerves slightly. Knowing a bit about what he was walking into made him feel somewhat better. “Oh, you never told me what happened to the last person who made the Red Reaper wait.”

The woman’s smile was unsettling. “You don’t want to know. Good luck Yoon Sanha.”

Sanha watched her turn away and leave. He swallowed loudly when he looked back at the door before hesitantly reaching out to knock. It was now or never. His new beginning was just on the other side.

“Come in.” The woman’s voice was clear and rang with authority.

Sanha pushed open the door and stepped inside. His eyes landed on the woman immediately. She was hard to miss.

Sanhas mouth fell open in a mixture of shock and horror. Her face. Her face was so similar. More feminine but definitely the same.

“Donghan.” Sanha whispered.

Her eyebrows raised slightly. “You know my brother?”

Sanha needed to sit down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The twins sister is the guild leader of Enhex ahhh
> 
> I left some clues in Chapter 242. Cain telling Donghan his sister was an 'important woman' and the fact the triplets were born on 'Xehne' island which is Enhex spelt backwards xd


	247. Sanhas Story-Part 4.

Sanha knew he should stop staring but he couldn’t help it. He was stunned by the sight of the woman in front of him. She was definitely related to the twins. Her features were softer, more feminine but they were definitely those shared by the older men Sanha equal parts feared and respected. Her height was enough to fully convince him anyway. She had towered over him as she shook his hand before they both took their seats on either side of the low-rise coffee table.

One of her long, tan legs was crossed over the other to cover whatever little modesty she had left. She was clad in bright red leather, suitable for her pseudo name, that revealed more than it covered. The entirety of her legs were on show and the skimpy red bralette she wore plunged low to reveal the deep cleavage and voluptuous swell of her chest. Wavy, thick black hair spilled out around her head and fell down to her waist. It was shiny and well cared for. Her makeup was also perfectly done, giving her long black lashes and bright red lips.

Good looks seemed to run in their family. Sanha wasn’t blind, he’d seen how handsome Donghan was when he’d first laid eyes on him. Gikwang too. So, it seemed almost natural that their sister would be probably the most attractive woman Sanha had ever seen in his life. And the confidence she exuded told Sanha that she knew she was drop dead gorgeous too.

“It’s nice to finally meet you Sanha. Grove told me all about you in his letter.” Her voice was on the deeper, stronger side and every word she spoke sounded seductive and well spoken. Sanha could only mumble an apology about being late. She dismissed his apology with a wave of her hand. “I have no time for such trivial words. You’re here and that’s all that matters.” She was blunt. Sanha liked that. “Please show me your demon form.”

Sanha blinked. “What?”

“Show me your demon form.” She repeated. “I’d like to know which demon resides inside of you, so I know where to house you.”

Sanhas lips parted slightly in shock. “Where to house me? I’m part of the guild already?”

“Of course.” She replied, a hint of impatience in her voice now. “There is only one requirement for joining my guild. You need to be part demon. Not only because our race is stronger than the rest, but because I have a soft spot for those damaged. You are damaged Sanha and I’d like to help minimise that damage by teaching you how to harness and control that part of you. So, show me your demon form.”

Sanha nodded, still feeling stunned at being accepted so easily and stood up from his chair. He let the demon take over until his wings were spread wide and his eyesight was tinted red. His claws brushed against the outsides of his thighs.

Her eyes were critical as she scanned his appearance and Sanha shuffled uncomfortably under the intensity of her gaze.

“Interesting…” She muttered standing up. The heels of her thigh-high boots made her even taller. She walked around the table towards him and held out her hand. “May I?”

Sanha didn’t know what she was asking but he nodded up at her anyway. Her large hand was soft as it travelled down his temple and over his eyebrows. She was muttering incoherently under her breath. Long, slim fingers found their way down to Sanhas lips and she parted them to feel along his teeth. She sighed quietly sounding disappointed and turned Sanha around until he was facing away from her. He felt her gaze on his back like sharp knives as she inspected his wings, trailing her hands over them at a slower pace than before.

“I’d like to see your hands.” She said, turning Sanha back around. Sanha held them out and she poked and prodded at his claws before letting his hands go looking satisfied. “One more test. This will only hurt a bit.” Her own claws broke through the tips of her fingers and she used one of the sharp claws to tear the skin open on the back of Sanhas hand. The blood oozed out a dark red and she sighed again before sealing the skin and telling him to take a seat.

“The demon inside of you hasn’t taken full effect yet. Therefore, at this time, it is impossible to decipher which demonic entity shares your body.” 

Sanha felt strangely annoyed at that. 

She saw the expression and smiled. “But do not worry. I know how to help you. As I’m unsure of your demon type, I will be housing you on the ground floor with my most trusted guild members. They will be able to keep an eye on you and help keep you under control and contained if you were to snap. You’ll be safe with them I promise. Now before we leave, I must ask you a question. You said my brother’s name when you entered the room after no doubt recognising me. How do you know him?”

“Didn’t Grove tell you which guild I belong to?”

She made a noise of understanding. “He didn’t. But that explains it. However, you no longer belong to Dragon Blades, you belong to Enhex, and you cannot step foot inside the Fire Palace unless you’re marked with our guild mark.” She twisted her body to show Sanha the guild mark on the back of her thigh, just below the plump flesh spilling out of her barely-there shorts.

The guilds symbol contained three identical figures. None of them had any distinguishing features but the figure in the middle had a pair of wings that reached down to its feet.

“This guild symbol represents me and my brothers. I’m the one in the middle with the wings and Donghan and Gikwang stand beside me.”

“Do they know about this?” Sanha asked surprised as she turned back to face him properly.

“No. They have no idea that I exist. I was separated from them at birth. We were triplets but they believe that they are twins. I’ve been watching them for a long time and when they finally decided to settle down at Dragon Blades, I decided to build a guild of my own that one day the three of us could rule together. I know that their subconscious recognises my absence. They tried to fill the hole I had left behind with another little girl named Yuqi but unfortunately, something terrible happened to her and she is no longer with us.” Something in the woman’s voice made Sanha uneasy. He had a feeling that she wasn’t being entirely truthful, or at least hiding something important. 

“You say that you want to rule Enhex with them, but I don’t think that will be possible.”

She frowned. “Why not?”

“Because they love Dragon Blades. Donghan especially. My Hyung, Myungjun, is Donghans best friend and I don’t think he’d want to leave Myungjun behind.” Sanha answered truthfully.

“Myungjun? Kim Myungjun the Dragon Knights son?”

Sanha nodded and tried to ignore the way his heart squeezed painfully in his chest. “How do you know who he is?”

“I’ll admit that I’m rather surprised he has befriended my brother. I haven’t been able to see Donghan much since I started up this guild so I’m not aware of any new relationships he has formed. But I know Myungjun because his face is all over the Fire Palaces request boards.”

“What? Why?” Sanha asked feeling confused. Why would they have Myungjuns picture?

“Because there is a bounty on his head.”

Sanhas head spun. He was glad he was sitting down. “A bounty? Someone wants him dead?”

“No. Someone wants him _alive_ if possible. Captured and detained. Although some will probably try to kill him anyway because of his status.”

“Why? What’s going to happen to him if he’s caught?” Sanha asked feeling the panic rising in his chest.

She shrugged. “Not even those of us in the Palace know. Only one thing is for sure; he’s someone special. The reward for his detainment is immortality. That’s how important he is.”

Sanha couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t believe that someone would really put a bounty on Myungjuns head. His Hyung had never done anything wrong in his life, so what other reason could they possibly have for rewarding _immortality_ for his capture?

“This is wrong.” Sanha muttered. “You can’t…he’s innocent, whatever they think he’s done they’re wrong. I _know_ him. He’s a good person. He’s kind and caring and is always trying to make us laugh.”

She sighed impatiently. “It matters not. The request is out there now. Some guilds have already rejected it and others are already making plans to attack. His fate will be decided for him in due time and that’s something that doesn’t concern you. He’s not your Hyung anymore. You are one of us. Well, you will be when you have received your mark. Tell me, do you still have your Dragon Blades mark?”

Sanha swallowed down the sickness in his throat as her words about Myungjuns fate rolled around in his head. He nodded absentmindedly and pulled up the sleeve of his top to show her. She didn’t look pleased.

“Only your guild leader can remove this but I’m guessing you wouldn’t go back to ask him to?”

Sanha only hesitated for a second before shaking his head.

She smiled. “That’s the right answer. There’s only one way to get rid of it now.” She produced a dagger out of the air in a puff of purple smoke and held it out. “You or me?”

*

Sanha found out a lot about his new guild leader on their flight to his new home. Her name was Aera, she had plant magic and she had studied overseas in the foreign lands and knew a lot of spells because of it.

She demonstrated some for him and Sanha nearly fell out of the sky in shock when she transformed into a bird before his very eyes, screaming in pain as she did but still somehow managing to stay airborne. Sanha asked her worriedly if she was okay and she just laughed it off when she was back in her demon form, telling him that it hurt but the pain didn’t bother her.

She then went on to telling him the story of how she had first formed the guild, and how small it still was and how she’d faced prejudice at first for being the only female guild leader in the palace.

In return for more details on the palace, Sanha told her about the twins. About what they had been up to since Sanha had joined the guild and what they were like. Her eyes were shining with wonder and excitement as he spoke and Sanha could see how much she loved them. He felt sad remembering that they didn’t know she existed and wondered how she was managing to cope with that. 

Eventually the time came for them to descend below the clouds. They had been flying for nearly two hours since leaving the nightclub and Sanha was growing tired. Sanha was surprised to see it snowing beneath the clouds. He didn’t feel cold at all.

“ _A perk of having me inside of you._ ” The demon in Sanhas head explained helpfully.

For the first time ever, Sanha was grateful for its connection to him. He knew he’d be frozen otherwise. The snowstorm raged fiercely around them, sharp and cold and unforgiving, blowing Sanha slightly off course. A strong, warm, clawed hand wrapped around his wrist and guided him the rest of the way through the snowy mountains.

Then they passed around the last mountain and Sanhas eyes widened at the sight in front of him. He knew now how the Fire Palace had gotten its name. From their vantage point he could see the sheer size of the structure. Aera was right, the crucible would look tiny next to the palace. Even from this height, Sanha could barely make out where it ended left and right. 

The palace itself was made from a black metal that shone like ice and was surrounded by a gigantic lake of lava with no visible way to cross it. Massive stone pillars rose a thousand feet high around the palace, with bright red flames bigger than houses burning atop them.

Aera turned back to look at him, her hand tightening around his wrist in her excitement. “Beautiful isn’t it?” She called out over the howl of the storm.

Sanha could only nod. He was completely awed. It was, without a doubt, the most beautiful building he had ever seen, and he felt the first flickers of excitement at the thought of this becoming his new home.

_Maybe my new life won’t be so bad after all._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aera really built the whole guild for her brothers, the name Enhex and the guild mark design are a direct tribute to them. I think its sad they don't know she exists when she clearly loves them so much, and its worse finding out Yuqi was a replacement of sorts as they sensed her absence :[
> 
> But the first meeting between Cain and Sanha happens next chap ahhh


	248. Sanhas Story-Part 5.

The inside of the Fire Palace was just as grand as the outside. The black walls shone brightly with magic and formed large sweeping corridors that were filled with people. They stared curiously at Sanha as he walked past with the Red Reaper at his side, but he tried to ignore them by focusing on the palace’s exquisite décor instead. The craftsmanship of the curling sconces and the lavish bannisters rising up with the stairs to the higher floors were enough to blow him away. 

Despite everything being made of dark metals and dark woods there was so much light. Everywhere he looked there was fire, fire and more fire. Fires of thousands of different colours and shades burned brightly along the walls and in the large metal pots dotting the corridors. It filled Sanha with warmth.

“Enhex has the wing of the castle at the far back I’m afraid.” Aera sighed. “It’s quite a walk. I think they put us there on purpose. Assholes.” She grumbled more profanities as she picked up speed. The heels of her thigh-high boots clicked noisily against the dark wood flooring and people turned to stare as her wide hips swayed with her steps and her long, black, glossy hair bounced and shone in the light.

Clear desire burned in the eyes of those who stared, man and woman alike, but she paid them no attention. 

Until one man boldly called out to her, making a suggestive comment about her scandalous, red leather attire. 

She was in front of him in half a second, slamming him against the wall with a clawed hand squeezed around his throat. She lifted him high off the floor until his legs were dangling and kicking out in his desperation to get away.

“That’s no way to treat a lady now is it?” Her voice dropped to a deeper timbre in her anger. “Speak one more word to me and I’ll snap your scrawny neck. I don’t care which royal family you belong to scumbag. Now leave.”

She let him go and he fell to the floor gasping and clutching his throat. He gave her one more frightened look before he was hurrying off down the corridor. She tutted and shifted back to her human form, inspecting her nails with a frown.

Sanha was utterly stunned at her display of power and strength. He was trembling when she turned to face him, despite the threat not even being aimed his way.

She saw his expression and smiled. “Sorry about that. You can’t allow the leeches here to treat you the way they wish, or they start to take advantage. Show no weakness here Sanha. You won’t last long if you do. And if you can’t fight back…find someone who will fight for you. No matter the cost. That’s the most important piece of advice I can give you about living your life here and I hope you take it onboard.”

Sanha hastily promised that he would, already sensing the lustful stares he was getting himself, and he hurried to follow her when she started to walk again. 

It took another ten minutes and three more violent confrontations on Aera’s part before they reached the giant set of double doors labelled with the Enhex guild logo. The same mark Sanha now wore on his bicep. He looked down at the damaged skin that had once displayed his Dragon Blades guild mark and swallowed past the lump in his throat. The skin was red and angry looking, a giant chunk of it carved away. 

Aera had asked if he wanted to remove it himself but he wasn’t able to. Not only was he scared of the pain, but it was also heart-breaking to watch it go. So, he’d squeezed his eyes shut tight instead and tried to hold back the scream of agony when she removed it for him. He hadn’t been successful. She’d sealed the wound quickly afterwards to stop the bleeding and apologised for not being able to heal it all properly.

Sanha tore his eyes away from the scarred skin when she opened up the doors. They led to a giant circular room with more dark doorways leading off in every direction along the walls and a wrought iron spiral staircase leading upwards in the very centre of the space. The room itself was decorated cosily with thick rugs over polished mahogany boards, beautiful plant life and a scattering of plush chairs, some of which were already occupied. 

One man in particular caught Sanhas attention. His silver hair shined in the light of the nearby fire, reminding Sanha all too much of Grey. However, when the man turned his eyes to Sanha, he saw that they were bright purple instead of blue. He was as beautiful as the plants surrounding him, ethereal but in a darker way that made Sanha involuntarily shiver.   
To Sanhas horror, Aera walked straight over to where the pretty man was sitting and gestured for Sanha to follow her.

“Cain.” She greeted him politely as she sat down in the chair opposite. “I would like for you to meet our newest member. Yoon Sanha. Take a seat Sanha.” She added, turning to Sanha and pointing to the chair beside the man she called Cain.

Sanha sat down, albeit reluctantly, and mumbled a quick greeting. For some reason that he couldn’t quite pinpoint, the silver haired man made him nervous.

But then Cain laughed. It was a pretty sound. Like the tinkling of bells or the light shift of a breeze on a warm summer’s day. It made Sanha look up at him in surprise. He hadn’t expected to hear that sound from him at all. Cain’s purple eyes bore into his.

“It’s lovely to meet you Sanha.” His voice was soft and pretty and made Sanhas stomach flip.

“Cain stop it.” Aera warned.

Cain sighed and broke eye contact with him. Sanhas head was suddenly clear, like he’d been underwater and had finally come to the surface to breathe again.

He gasped. “What was that? What did you do to me?”

“Cain is one of the five demon generals of the Underworld that currently resides on Aredrinnor. He specialises in the art of seduction. Everything about him will appeal to you. His looks, his voice, his scent. It can attract even the strongest of beings but sometimes he can go a bit overboard.” She fixed Cain with a stern glare.

Cain laughed again and flashed her all of his teeth. “Still upset with me about the last time?”

“Not another word.” She warned before tilting her head in Sanhas direction. “He’s going to be housed on the ground floor with you and the others. And I expect you all to behave yourselves. He’s coming from a light guild, so he has no idea how all of this works.”

Cain’s face was suddenly a mask of seriousness. “Are you sure about this? You know how…loyal they can be.”

Purple eyes flickered to Sanha and Sanha quickly looked away feeling terribly uncomfortable. He was still trying to process what he’d just heard. This man was a _demon general_ of the _Underworld?_. Sanha had always believed in the existence of Eden and the Underworld and had attended church often. But to have an actual embodiment of that sitting close enough to touch…it was insanity.

“I’m sure.” Aera replied, utterly oblivious to the turmoil going on inside of Sanhas head. “He will not betray our trust. Will you?”

Sanha looked up to see the danger flash in her eyes. “No.” He squeaked in response. 

She smiled. “Good. If you do, it will not end well for you. Dragon Blades is your past now. Enhex is your present and future. You belong here as a child of darkness. You may not have wanted this life, but it is the one you must live. We can help you to become the best version of yourself here if you let us.”

Sanha was trying to listen, he really was, but Cain was staring at him completely unashamed of being caught. His eyes were critical as he scanned Sanha up and down. It reminded him of how Aera had inspected him back at SnakeShire. 

“He’s still forming his connection.” Cain muttered as he stood up from his seat to crouch down in front of Sanhas. Sanha shied away, sitting back in his chair as far as he could. Cain’s smile was crooked. “Do not be afraid. I will not hurt you. I just wish to see how far along you are.”

“His blood is still red, and his teeth and wings aren’t fully developed. However, his eyes are exceptionally dark, and his claws are a lot sharper than most. I’ll be interested to see how he turns out.” Aera hummed thoughtfully before getting up and towering over them both. “Sanha, I am leaving you in Cain’s care. He’ll show you to your room and answer any questions you may have. Listen to him well. He’s our general for a reason.” With that being said, she turned away and left them alone.

Sanha shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Cain hadn’t moved. He was still crouched in front of him with the crooked smile that Sanha was starting to see was actually rather cute.

“Are you okay?” Cain asked after a full minute of silence.

Sanhas eyes suddenly filled up against his will. Whenever he was feeling bad that question always got to him. ‘Are you okay?’ How was he even supposed to respond to that?

“I’m…fine.” Sanha answered, turning his head away. “I’m a demon that had to leave his family behind to come to a beautiful place full of beautiful people that I’ve grown up to believe are terrible because they belong to a dark guild. And now I’m one of those terrible people. I’m surrounded by other terrible people who look at me like I’m their lunch and I have no idea what I’m doing. So yes. I’m perfectly fine. More than fine. I’m ecstatic.” Sanha mumbled sarcastically.

The bright, loud laugh startled Sanha so much he jolted in his chair before looking back round in surprise. Cain’s face was lit up with amusement. It increased his beauty tenfold and stole Sanhas breath.

Cain stood up, shaking with laughter, and held out his hand. “I like you Yoon Sanha. Now take the hand of the most terrible person here so I can show you to your room.”

Sanha only hesitated for a second before he took his hand and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. He was a head taller than Cain but something about the man’s aura made him feel small. Cain reached up with a smile and wiped the wetness from Sanhas cheeks.

“Do not cry. I hate it. You’ll be fine as long as you stay by my side. Can you do that for me?” Sanha felt the full effect of Cain’s eyes as they locked onto his. The purple colouring of his irises seemed to swirl and sucked Sanha in.

“Yes.” Sanha answered without thinking. “I’ll stay by your side.”

The smile he received in response was radiant. “Such a sweet boy. I’ll turn you into a man worthy of my love soon enough. Now let’s go. I hate to say this, but you really do need to shower. You have leaves in your hair.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aera is savage like her brothers. Its nice to have an empowered female character, I'm going to enjoy writing about her I think.
> 
> We've now also seen how Cain has been able to manipulate Sanha so thoroughly. Sanha stood no chance :(
> 
> But I have to warn you early about tomorrows chapter. Its not nice, probably the worst chapter I've ever written in terms of dark topics. The chapter warning for it is going to be 'Attempted Sexual Assault'. I can understand that some of you may not want to read that, so I'm going to be summarising tomorrows chapter in the ending notes. I just have to say again that its not my intention to trigger anyone unnecessarily so please take care whenever you're reading my fic.


	249. Sanhas Story-Part 6.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER WARNING:  
> Attempted sexual assault.
> 
> (Chapter is summarised in the notes for anyone who wants to skip this one💜)

Sanha quickly fell into a regular routine of life at the Fire Palace. He woke up every morning between the red silk sheets on his grand four poster bed before rushing to get washed and dressed. He didn’t want to be late for breakfast. Cain was always in a bad mood for the meal if he was and Sanha didn’t like to see the scowl on his face or hear the clipped, disappointed tone in his voice.

After breakfast Cain would show him around his new home and helped him get familiar with the building’s layout. They started in Enhexes wing of the palace and visited the library and the hot springs and the luxurious mini bar that put the Dragon Blades tavern to shame. There was so much to explore in their wing alone. Like the balconies that overlooked the magma lake, or the garden full of fearsome plants that snapped and spat and growled if Sanha got too close, or the ballroom they celebrated special occasions in. Everything he saw, he loved.

It took a full week to properly explore every inch of Enhexes stunning guild and Sanha quickly found his favourite place to relax. He liked to sit atop the tallest spire to touch the clouds. They felt cool against his skin that was always feverishly hot in his demonic form and he found a tranquil peace up so high out of reach. 

Cain joined him up there sometimes and they spent hours just gazing upon the breath-taking view of the snowy mountains around them. Even the giant magma lake that burned a bright red and enclosed the palace couldn’t take away from its beauty. If anything, it only added to it. Great plumes of lava would shoot up into the sky at random intervals and fall down as deadly, bright raindrops that sparkled in the light of the sun.

At the end of Sanhas first week at the guild, he was introduced to the two other residents of the ground floor. A teenage girl named Lex and a young man named Kai. Sanha liked Lex in particular. She was cute and bubbly and revived that part of Sanha that had been lying dormant inside of him for months. He hadn’t felt happy enough recently to be bubbly but that changed when the scantily dressed, doll-like girl walked into the room wielding a wooden staff as tall as herself with a pitch-black raven seated on top.

“Hello!” She gushed excitedly as she hurried over to squeeze onto the red, plush chair beside him. It was only meant for one person, but she didn’t seem to care about personal space. “My name is Lex! It’s nice to meet you. You’re really cute. Do you have a girlfriend?”

Sanha laughed nervously. “My name is Sanha and no I umm…I don’t have a girlfriend. I don’t actually like girls.” He blushed.

She didn’t look at all upset. In fact, she looked impossibly _happier_.

“Oh good! That means you won’t mind if we cuddle and have sleepovers right? It’s not like you’ll pop a boner seeing me naked or anything. This is perfect!”

Sanha wanted to point out that even though he was gay he didn’t think it was appropriate to see her naked, but he was cut off by an introduction from Kai. Kai seemed nice and he bickered a lot with Lex like an older brother. They were childish together and in turn that made Sanha want to be childish too.

He was beginning to feel more comfortable than he ever expected he would as a member of a dark guild. 

_Maybe people are wrong about dark guilds. They’re not so bad after all._

*

Sanhas first confrontation with the unpleasant side of dark guild life happened exactly nine days after he joined. He’d been bored as the others were all busy and decided to venture outside of Enhexes domain.

Five dark guilds resided in the palace, each with their own wings in the castle, but Sanha had also been informed by Lex during their first sleepover, that had happened the very night they met no less, that there were also communal areas within the castle that all of the guilds could socialise in.

Not only was he curious to see what those social areas were like, but he also wanted to take a look at the request boards to see how the job system worked here and how it differed from a light guilds and what sort of jobs were currently on offer. He had already been told that there wasn’t a proper ranking system in the palace, so he was no longer classed as a C Rank which he was secretly glad about. He’d always felt inadequate at Dragon Blades because of his low rank.

The adult part of himself told him that he needed to look for a request to take on anyway. He wanted to earn some coin and start saving up for not only the items he needed, such as new clothes as he’d hardly packed any of his old ones to take with him, but he also needed to save up to one day repay Myungjun and Jinwoo for the coin he had stolen from their savings. Even though he was trying to forget his old life, he still felt incredibly guilty about that and decided the only way he could properly move on was to subside that guilt.  
He also just wanted to do a request to give him a reason to leave the palace. He’d spent weeks travelling from place to place before joining the guild and he was beginning to miss the splendour of the outside world. 

So that’s how he found himself travelling the unfamiliar corridors of the palace that he hadn’t seen since being led through them by Aera at the beginning. And that’s also how he found himself, twenty minutes into his boredom induced journey, pressed up against the nearest wall in fear as a group of lecherous looking men surrounded him.

“Haven’t seen you around here before sweetheart.” One of them purred. “What’s your name? Who do you belong to?”

“M…my name is Sanha.” Sanha answered with a squeak. Aera had warned him not to let anyone take advantage of him but he felt powerless with fear. This had never happened to him before and he didn’t know what to do. “I’m from Enhex.”

Another man with brown teeth laughed, displaying the gross sight of his mouth for them all to see. “We’re not asking about your guild. That much is obvious from your mark.” He stared pointedly at Sanhas exposed bicep. “We’re asking _who_ you belong to.”

Sanha swallowed loudly feeling confused. “What do you mean? I don’t belong to anybody.”

That was apparently the wrong answer. Excitement flashed in their eyes as they leered towards him. Sanha tried to press himself further back against the wall to get away.

“That’s good news. No-one will mind if we play with you then.”

Sanhas body went rigid and cold as they reached out towards him. “Don’t touch me!” He shrieked. “Somebody help me!”

There were other people walking through the corridor who didn’t pay them any attention. One person even had the audacity to tell him to be quiet. He felt completely and utterly alone.

“ _Fight back._ ” The demon in his head urged as the hands pulled him off the wall and down the corridor, their grimy nails digging into his skin. “ _Fight back Sanha or they’ll hurt you. They want to touch you._ ” Images flashed through his mind, courtesy of the other soul inside of him, of what they were going to do to him and Sanha gasped in horror at what he saw.

Sanha wanted to fight back but he knew it was too late. They were too strong, too numerous and too unforgiving. Their nails turned to claws and broke through the skin on his arms, his shoulders, his waist, as he struggled against them. He cried out at the pain but that just seemed to excite them even more. Cold and warm hands alike slipped up his top as he was pulled through a door that lead to a sparsely furnished, empty room.

Sanha tried to shift to his demon form. He knew he’d be stronger, and faster and have more chance of getting way. But for some reason he couldn’t change.

“What have you done to me?” He cried as they shoved him towards one of the tables. “Why can’t I shift?”

The man with the brown teeth held up one of his hands in Sanhas line of sight. His claws were just as brown as his teeth and dripping with a green liquid.

“I’ve paralysed your demon. Don’t try to fight its useless…actually please do. I love it when they struggle.”

Sanha was sure he was going to pass out when he heard the muttered agreements. Just who were these people? What guild did they belong to? Why were they trying to assault him and why had no-one even _attempted_ to help him?

A loud ringing began in Sanhas ears, signifying his impending faint, when the man in front of him dropped his trousers. Sanha had never seen another naked man before and the sight made Sanha sick. He was covered in hair and fully erect.

Sanha started to cry as his face was pressed down against the tabletop. “Please don’t! Please I’ll do anything!”

Nothing but cruel laughter met his ears as a pair of hands fumbled with the waistband of his trousers.

“Someone help me!” Sanha screamed. “Cain! Kai! Lex! Myungjun! Hyukkie! Someone PLEASE!”

An ear-splitting crash sounded from behind him and a growl so feral it terrified him even more ripped through the air. The room was suddenly filled with noise as the pairs of hands disappeared from his body one by one. Bones breaking, skin tearing and dying screams.

Then silence.

Sanha burst into tears again and struggled weakly as another pair of hands pulled him off the table. However, these hands were gentle. Sanha was turned around to see Cain’s beautiful face etched with worry. 

Sanha cried even harder. 

He was saved.

“Don’t look down.” Cain warned softly. “Look at me love. Only me.” Sanha trembled as Cain’s arms wrapped around him and he buried his face in the older man’s shoulder as their feet left the ground.

All too soon Sanha felt the chill of the icy mountain air and he shivered and clung more desperately to Cain for warmth as they landed on top of Sanhas favourite spire. Cain tried to pull away but Sanha cried out desperately for him not to go.

“Shhh love. I’m not going anywhere. I just want to make sure you’re okay. Can you look at me?” It took a few seconds before Sanha felt able and Cain cooed sadly as he looked him over. “You’re bleeding. Let me fix you. Be good and sit still for me.” Sanha sniffled and tried not to move as Cain waved his hands over the skin torn by the men’s claws. It felt different to when he was healed by Myungjun, but he didn’t have the energy to ask and understand why that was.

“They were going to hurt me.” He choked out instead. “He was _naked_. They were trying to make me naked too.”

Cain sighed. “It was going to happen eventually. You’re too irresistible. You’re young and cute and your eyes are too trusting, too innocent. It was inevitable my sweet boy. It was lucky I just happened to be passing by. Your screams alone tore at my heart. I had to kill them. You understand that right? You’re not scared of me now are you?”

Sanha bit his lip and shook his head. “I’m not scared of _you_. But I’m scared of the people here. Not the people of our guild but the others. I don’t want to be here anymore. I want to go home.”

“This is your home now.” Cain reminded him. “You can’t leave. You have to live here.”

“But they’re going to hurt me!” Sanha cried, wrapping his arms around himself as the fear threatened to break through his ribcage. “Not the ones who hurt me today because they’re dead but the others! I know they will. I’m not safe here.” Sanhas voice broke as the realisation of just how bad this situation was hit him with full force.

Cain shushed him softly and pulled him onto his lap. Sanha was taller than him but seemed to fit right into his arms. “They won’t hurt you. I’ll never let anyone hurt you ever again. But for me to protect you, something must happen. Did they ask you any questions before they attacked you?”

Sanha tried hard to think back. A full minute passed before he could answer. “Yes. They asked me if I belong to anyone. I asked them what that meant but they didn’t tell me.”

“In the Fire Palace there are specific rules. The people who join dark guilds are usually those shunned by society for either their wrongdoings or their perverse or abnormal nature. So, it is understood that the people who reside here are all going to have some terrible part of themselves that they cannot ignore. That is why the rules are needed. And one of those rules, aimed to keep men or women, such as the ones who assaulted you today, under some form of control, is that you cannot touch someone within these walls who belongs to another.”

“I don’t understand.” Sanha mumbled into Cain’s neck. “What do you mean ‘belong’?”

Cain hummed thoughtfully and rubbed Sanhas back. It was a comforting gesture that was increased by the heady floral scent of his skin. Sanha found himself relaxing faster than he would have thought possible.

“To belong to someone means to be in a relationship and under their significant others protection. For example, if Lex and Kai were in a romantic relationship, they would belong to each other and therefore be protected. However, there is another requirement. It would be too easy to lie and say you belong to another when you don’t, so to avoid any confusion a mark is placed on all parties of the relationship.”

“So, if you’re not in a relationship you have to accept the fact that you’re going to be assaulted as you walk the halls?” Sanha asked incredulous. “That’s sick!”

Cain made a noise of amusement. “Most people fight back you know. Successful assaults are not common. Unfortunately, you’re not strong enough to fight back.”

Sanha pouted. “I am strong enough. I was just scared.”

“You’re always going to be scared when faced with a rapist.” Cain replied quietly. “And the ones here travel in packs. You cannot possibly fight them all off alone sweet Sanha and I cannot possibly be there to protect you every second of the day.”

“Well then what can I do?” Sanha cried desperately.

“There is one way…” Cain trailed off.

Sanha pulled back to look at him eagerly. “There is? What is it? I’ll do anything.”

“Anything?” Cain asked with a quirked eyebrow. 

Sanha nodded quickly. The memories of the hands on his skin made him shudder. He’d do anything not to feel that again.

Cain suddenly leaned forwards. His breath fanned over Sanhas face making his head spin. It smelt sweet and inviting. “Be mine.” Cain whispered, his purple eyes mesmerizing. “Be mine my love. I’ll mark you and keep you safe.”

Sanhas voice of reason was screaming at the back of his mind, telling him to say no, reminding him of what Cain was. He was a demon general of the Underworld. He specialised in seduction. Everything about him was designed to draw people in and that was what he was doing now. He was luring Sanha in.

But the pull was too strong. His mind was clouded with want. He wanted Cain. He wanted his protection. He wanted to be safe.

“I’m yours.” Sanha breathed.

Triumph flashed in Cain’s eyes and his lips parted to reveal a row of sharp teeth. He pulled the collar of Sanhas top down. “I’ll look after you.” Cain promised in his pretty voice before he sunk his teeth deep into Sanhas collarbone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something terrible had to happen to Sanha to make him accept such a terrible proposition from Cain. We're over halfway through Sanhas story now though~
> 
> Chapter Summary:  
> Sanha has settled into a routine in the palace. Cain showed him around Enhexes wing of the castle and Sanha found his favourite place to relax (the top of the tallest spire). At the end of his first week he meets Lex and Kai. He makes friends with Lex quickly and she revives the bubbly part of him that he'd forgotten about. He starts to think the people in dark guilds aren't as bad as they're made out to be.  
> That all changes when he decides to explore the palace outside of the guilds domain alone (the others are busy). He thinks about looking for a request to earn enough money to buy new clothes and to pay Myungjin back for the savings he stole. Twenty minutes into his journey and he's cornered by a group of men. They ask who he belongs too. He tells them he doesn't belong to anyone and that makes them happy and they drag him to an empty room. Before anything serious can happen, Cain comes to his rescue and kills all of the men who tried to assault Sanha. He takes Sanha to his favourite place (the spire) and heals him with his dark magic. Cain tells him they assaulted him because he didn't 'belong' to anyone (he wasn't in a romantic relationship) and then he uses Sanhas fear against him and lures him into becoming his boyfriend. He marks Sanha with his teeth in Sanhas collarbone to prove he belongs to him now.


	250. Sanhas Story-Part 7.

Sanha woke to the feel of warm, wet lips against his own. He was momentarily confused before the comforting scent of vanilla mixed with something cooler washed over him. Then he kissed back lazily without a second’s hesitation and grinned into it at the giggle he received in return when the lips left his own.

“Good morning sleepy head.” Lex cooed as she cuddled up to his chest. Sanha wound his arms around her and pulled her closer. “Sleep well?”

Sanha hummed in response. “Was a good sleep. Your bed is much nicer than mine. Can I just move in here with you?”

Lex squealed excitedly and pulled away to look at him properly. “Seriously? You really want to?”

“Well I have enough sleepovers in here as it is, and you ARE my best friend after all.” Sanha answered with a fond smile. “It’s not like I have a lot of stuff either so we’ll both fit in here.”

“Oh Sanny you’re the best!” Lex cried happily, her cute face lit up with joy. She sat up and let the covers fall away to reveal her white, silk pyjamas. “Let’s go and get your stuff right now!”

Sanha laughed at her eagerness and pulled her back down to cuddle some more. Moving rooms could wait. First, he needed comforting and Lex was the best person for it. Their friendship was easy and natural, but also the most intimate he’d ever had.

He knew from the very first day when Lex squeezed onto his chair to introduce herself that she didn’t care for personal space and after their first sleepover he could see she didn’t even _believe_ in personal space either. She’d kissed him lightly on the lips the first night they’d shared a bed before cuddling up to him and falling asleep and to say Sanha had been shocked was a bit of an understatement. They’d only just met that day after all.

At first, he’d been worried about it. One of the first things she had asked him was whether he had a girlfriend or not, so he’d thought she was interested in him. He’d gone straight to Kai the next day to ask if her kissing him was normal and Kai just laughed and said she kissed him often too. It was just how she showed affection.

So, when the next sleepover happened, and she kissed him goodnight again, Sanha felt nothing but the warmth of their new friendship and kissed her back much to her obvious delight. They quickly became best friends after that, and he always sought her out for comfort. Nothing ever felt forced or strained with her and he adored their friendship more than anything.

“We’ll move my stuff later.” Sanha mumbled, burying his face into her white, soft hair. “You know I need cuddles in the morning.”

“You’re such a baby.” Lex giggled. And then she went as stiff as a board against him. “Sanny…”

“Yeah?”

“Please tell me that’s not what I think it is.”

Sanha pulled back to see what she was looking at. The collar of his top was pulled down past his collarbones to reveal the black mark Cain had left behind the previous day. The reminder of its existence explained to Sanha why he was feeling so desperate for comfort now. 

“Was it Cain?” Lex asked quietly. “Already?” She said it like she’d been expecting it to happen and was disappointed that it had.

“He saved me.”

“I bet he did.” Something dark flashed in her eyes. “Let me guess, someone tried to rape you and he swooped in to save the day?”

Sanha was utterly perplexed by how she could have guessed it so easily. “Yeah actually. How-”

“He told you about the rule, about needing to belong to someone else to gain immunity from any attacks in the palace.” She continued to guess correctly. “And then you felt so scared that when he offered to be the one to protect you, you couldn’t say no.” Sanha just nodded, stunned. Lex chewed nervously on her lip for a few seconds before sitting up and pulling Sanha up beside her. “Sanny I need you to listen to me. Cain isn’t who you think he is. He’s been nice to you, and sweet and chivalrous and heroic but he isn’t like that usually.”

“He’s not?” Sanha asked with a frown as images of Cain’s pretty smile and sparkly purple eyes flashed through his mind.

Lex shook her head, reaching out to clutch his hands tight in her own. “I wish I’d told you this sooner Sanny, I really do, because you’re my best friend and I don’t ever want to see you hurt but…Cain’s a monster. He’s the most terrible person I’ve ever met, and I’m terrified of him.” Her eyes filled up with tears. 

Sanha was reminded of something Cain had said to him the first day they’d met.

_“I like you Yoon Sanha. Now take the hand of the most terrible person here so I can show you to your room.”_

Cain had actually _told_ him how terrible he was but Sanha had been so swept away by him that he hadn’t registered the words properly or noticed the plain truth behind them. But still, it was hard to imagine him being such a bad person.

“ _Is it really?_ ” The voice in Sanhas head asked. “ _You heard the way he growled before killing those men who attacked you. He killed them all in seconds. Listen to the girl Sanha._ ”

Lex was talking again so Sanha tried to concentrate as he felt the first brushes of fear lick up his spine.

“…hurts people and enjoys it. There’s been others like you. I’ve lived here in the Fire Palace my whole life and at one point me and Cain belonged to a different royal family. I’ve seen his…‘toys’ come and go. Because that’s what you are now Sanny. A toy. A toy for him to play with when he gets bored. It usually takes longer for him to claim someone, to mark them, to _own_ them. This is the quickest he’s ever marked another though. I hoped that I had more time. I was going to offer to mark you myself just to keep you safe from him, but I know that eventually he would have killed me to take you for himself anyway. So, I guess the sick, twisted part of me is glad he got to you first.” She laughed self-deprecatingly as she watched the horror settle on Sanhas face. “I’m sorry Sanny. I’m sorry this is happening to you, but you need to promise me something.”

“What?” Sanha asked weakly as his head spun with everything he’d just been told. 

“Promise me you’ll do everything he says, no matter what, so that he has no reason to get angry and hurt you. Because he will. He’s going to hurt you Sanha, probably more then you’ve ever been hurt in your life. He’s a pure sadist. He derives pleasure from other people’s pain, physical pain or mental and I’d hate to see you suffer.” She cried out sadly when the sob slipped from Sanhas lips. “Sanny no. Don’t cry. Especially not in front of him.” She reached out to wipe the tears away. “Don’t cry in front of him, never say no to him and never lie to him. If you avoid doing those things, he’ll find it more difficult to hurt you. Although even if you gave him everything he wanted he’d still have the desire to hurt you and he’d find a way to make you believe that it’s your own fault. That’s how he gets away with it. He manipulates minds, it’s his specialty. But you need to try to remember that it’s never your fault. You’re so _good_ Sanny. You’d never deserve to be hurt and I’m going to try my hardest to remind you of that every single day.”

*

It wasn’t long before Lex’s predictions came true. She warned him that Cain would start to visit him during the night and because of that, Sanha could no longer move into her room. Sanha tried to remember all of the advice she had given him, but it was easy to forget everyone and everything else when he was around Cain and his pretty eyes and heady scent.

The first night Cain came to his room, Sanha opened the door feeling sick with dread and shaking with nerves. But all Cain did was sit at the end of his bed and talk to him all night with his mesmerizing smile until Sanha fell asleep.

The second night, Cain lay next to him, never touching just talking, the sweet scent of his skin lulling Sanha into a false sense of security.

The third night Cain kissed him. He kissed him softly, keeping his hands to himself and pushing Sanha away with a giggle when Sanha melted into it, trying to kiss him back eagerly despite the voice in his head screaming at him not to. Cain told him to be patient. Then he left.

By the fourth night Sanha was starting to doubt Lex’s words. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe Cain wasn’t as bad as she thought. It was easy to convince himself of that with Cain’s body on top of his own as they kissed passionately while time slipped away from them.

On night five Cain’s hands began to wander. First to Sanhas face as he stroked it softly between kisses, then down his neck, shoulders, arms. Sanha shuddered as the hands slipped under his top to glide delicately over his stomach. Cain stopped when Sanha moaned quietly.

Cain stopped all progress after that, content to just touch Sanhas torso with dizzying delicacy. Sanha began to look forward to his nightly visits as the prospect of Cain’s hands on his skin became more appealing. He was always so gentle and soon Sanha wanted more.

“Cain.” Sanha whined one night. “I want to touch you too.”

Cain chuckled and ran his tongue over Sanhas lips, stealing Sanhas breath. “Go ahead love. Waist and up only.”

Five minutes later and Sanhas hands dropped below his waist of their own accord, clutching tightly at Cain’s hips as the older man sucked on his tongue. 

Then Sanha was suddenly screaming in pain as fingers twisted his nipple roughly with enough force to make him believe it was going to be twisted right off of his chest. They had discovered a few nights before that Sanhas nipples were abnormally sensitive so to have such abuse applied to one of them was torture.

“I said, waist and above only.” Cain growled low in his ear.

“I’m sorry!” Sanha cried out, trying and failing to pull Cain’s hand away. “Please stop! It hurts!”

The pain ceased and Cain shushed him softly when he started to cry. “Stop crying love I hate it.”

Sanha immediately tried to rein his tears in at the warning edge to Cain’s voice. He gulped and looked up into Cain’s eyes. His irises swirled, pulling Sanha in.

“You didn’t listen to me Sanha. You were bad. Bad behaviour deserves to get punished isn’t that right?” Sanha nodded. Cain smiled. “Good boy. You’ve learnt a lesson here today. Now tell me why I’m doing this to you. Tell me why so I can reward you.”

The answer was suddenly as clear as day in Sanhas mind. “You’re hurting me because you love me. You’re hurting me to make me better.” The ghost of his mother’s words slipped from his lips.

“Exactly my sweet boy. It’s just like how parents who love their children and want them to do well and make good choices punish their naughty behaviour. I just want you to be good. It’s more important that you’re good because of the evil magic inside of you. I know you don’t want to be bad. I’m doing this to protect you from yourself my love. Aren’t I generous?”

“Yes.” Sanha agreed, not doubting it for a second. “You’re going to make me good. You’re the only one I can trust.”

Cain’s smile was angelic. “So smart my love. You understand me so well. Such good behaviour deserves a reward.” Cain leaned down to kiss him again.

Sanhas rewards and punishments became a regular thing from then on. Every little thing that displeased Cain was met with some sort of backlash and Sanha often went down to breakfast covered in new bruises or scars that had Lex and Kai gazing at him with a mixture of pity and concern. 

Lex tried to keep her promise. She tried to remind Sanha every day that it wasn’t his fault and that Cain was the real monster, but Sanha was beginning to find it harder and harder to believe her. It was only when Cain was out of the nearby vicinity that Sanha was able to clearly see why that was. Cain was brainwashing him, and he was powerless against it. He would convince himself to talk to Cain about it, to ask him to stop, but the second he laid eyes on the silver-haired man again he was completely gone, swept away by his beauty and charm. 

Cain started visiting him more regularly at night and progressed their relationship more quickly. One night Sanha found himself without his shirt and the next Cain had removed his trousers. Sanha was kissed and touched until he was sweaty and breathless and desperate for more.

“Cain please I want more.” Sanha choked out as another love bite was sucked onto the inside of his thigh. 

“I don’t think you’re ready for more yet love.” Cain teased, trailing his tongue further up Sanhas skin.

“I am!” Sanha cried as the ache in between his legs throbbed painfully. “Please Cain please. I’ve been good today. The request went well because of me and we made loads of money. Can’t I have a reward now?”

Cain chuckled and moved back up the bed to kiss him and silence his pleas. “So very needy today aren’t you?”

Sanha pouted at him and tried to appeal with a cute whine. “It’s only because it’s you. You’re all I want. And I’m all you want too aren’t I? You love me, don’t you?” 

As expected, Cain softened. Sanha had recently discovered that he had more power over the older man then he would have originally thought possible. Cain seemed as hard as ice but Sanha was beginning to learn how to make him melt. 

“I do my sweet boy.” Cain purred. “You made me proud today. Even though you didn’t want to hurt those people you still did because I asked you to. And for that, I’ll give you what you want.” Cain pressed their bodies together and grinded down against him. 

Sanha gasped at the new feeling that flooded through his body. He’d never felt anything so incredible and was soon mindless with desire. He wrapped his legs around Cain’s waist to pull him closer. 

If this was going to be his reward for being good from now on, he was going to try harder than ever to keep Cain happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lex guessed what had happened to Sanha awfully fast...plus the mention of Cains other 'toys'...history repeating itself perhaps?
> 
> Cain sure knows what he's doing though. Only taking things one step at a time and then stopping to make Sanha want more. Yet another form of manipulation.
> 
> 4 chapters of Sanhas story left and we see Junnie in the next one!~


	251. Sanhas Story-Part 8.

Cain slumped down, breathing heavily, against Sanhas bare chest. Sanha grimaced at the feeling of their sweat mixed with Cain’s release smearing over his stomach. But he quickly fixed his expression into a serene smile as the head of silver hair moved to look up at him.

Cain’s eyes sparkled in the light coming from the lamp on Sanhas bedside table. “You did well my love. You made me feel so good.”

“I did nothing. You did all of the work.” Sanha pointed out as he stroked a finger down Cain’s soft cheek.

Cain twisted his head to take Sanhas finger into his mouth, sucking gently. He pulled off with a giggle when Sanha groaned. “Don’t get hard again love. Its only your first time and you’ve already finished twice. I don’t want to push you too far.”

Sanha huffed and wrapped his arms around his boyfriends’ slim shoulders. “Stop being a tease then.”

“It’s what I’m good at.”

“TOO good. I thought we were supposed to be going to bed early.”

Cain grinned. “Are you saying you would have preferred to be sleeping right now instead of being buried inside of me? Don’t I feel good?” Cain clenched around him and Sanha groaned loudly again. Cain muffled his laughter into the skin of Sanhas neck. “You’re so sensitive Sanha. I can feel you getting hard again but you’re right; We have an early start.” Cain sat up, pulling out of Sanhas hold with ease and climbed off of him.

Sanha shivered as the cold night air hit his exposed skin. “Where are you going?” He asked, watching Cain cross the room. He flushed when he saw his release dripping down Cain’s thighs.

“I’m going to get something to clean us up.”

“Shouldn’t I be doing that?” Sanha asked with a frown.

“You can do it next time. But for now, sit back and wait for me.”

Sanha did as he was told and stared up at the ceiling trying to process what had just happened. They’d just had sex. He’d just been inside of Cain. Sanha had never imagined losing his innocence this way. Ever since reading those books long ago in the academy’s library with Myungjun and Minhyuk, he’d always imagined that he would do this with someone he loved.

_Do I love Cain?_ Sanha asked his heart. It clenched painfully in his chest in response. A clear yes. Sanha sighed, feeling a bit better knowing that he did, and he looked up when the mattress dipped.

“What are you thinking so hard about?” Cain asked with Sanhas favourite crookedly cute smile. Sanhas heart clenched again.

“I was thinking about how much I love you. And about how glad I am to have had my first time with you.” Sanha answered, watching the way Cain softened at his words.

“You really mean that don’t you?” Cain asked quietly. He almost sounded sad.

“I do.” Sanha admitted truthfully as Cain began to clean him. “Why are you sad about that?”

“I’m not sad. I’m just feeling thoughtful.” Cain answered after a few seconds. The cloth moved to Sanhas stomach and he tried not to laugh at the ticklish sensation. “I never expected you to fall in love with me so quickly. You’re very innocent Sanha. Very irresistible. You’ve awakened something inside of me that I’d thought was long gone. I want to look after you. I want to protect you from all of the bad things in this world.”

Sanha swallowed loudly. “Are you one of those bad things? Are you one of the bad things you want to protect me from?”

An ancient sadness crossed Cain’s face. “I am. You’re safe with me though Sanha. As long as you’re good. You need to be good for me so that I don’t have to punish you.”

“I’ll be good.” Sanha promised, hating to see what he was doing to his beautiful boyfriend. 

Cain didn’t like hurting him. He told him that all the time. Even when Cain’s eyes sparkled with excitement at Sanhas screams of pain he never enjoyed it. That’s what Cain repeated time and time again. His eyes and his mouth said different things to Sanha but Sanha knew he had to trust in Cain’s words. He didn’t like hurting Sanha so Sanha had to be good. It was simple.

Cain smiled as he wiped the last of Sanhas body down. “All better. You know I like to see you neat and clean.” Cain’s eyes travelled down to inspect the hair in between Sanhas legs. “Time for another trim I think.”

Sanha pouted. “Tomorrow. Let’s do it tomorrow. I’m tired now and just want to cuddle.”

“Did you release your manners inside of me too?” Cain asked sharply. Sanha heard the grind of Cain’s teeth and flinched.

“Sorry. I mean can we do it tomorrow please? And can we cuddle now…please?”

Cain didn’t look any happier. “Manners cost nothing Sanha. You may have grown used to forgetting them around your old companions but with me it’s different. I’m not just your boyfriend. I’m the man whose mark you bear, the mark that keeps you protected, the mark that keeps the nasty people away. You owe me a lot for saving you and for keeping you safe every day since. So the least you could do is say please and thank you don’t you think?”

“I’m sorry.” Sanha whispered, his voice thick with emotion. He didn’t like being scolded. He’d never liked it before, and he certainly didn’t like it from Cain. “You’re right. It was rude of me. If you…if you don’t want to cuddle then I understand.”

Cain sighed and pulled Sanha into his embrace. “You beautiful silly boy. I cannot leave you alone the night of our first lovemaking. I just wish you hadn’t ruined it. Because you did ruin it didn’t you?” Sanha felt nothing but burning hot shame roiling around in his gut as he nodded. “I’m glad you can see that Sanha. I hope you don’t do that again. Next time I won’t be so forgiving.”

*

Lex grinned widely at Sanhas squeal of joy. They’d just stepped onto the ship that would be taking them across the sea for their first overseas request. Sanha had never been on a ship before and the way the deck rocked gently beneath his feet was so _exciting_. 

“Oh Sanny you’re so cute!” Lex gushed, grabbing his hand and yanking him towards the door that led down to their cabins. “Our luggage is already down there.” Lex threw a look over her shoulder before lowering her voice and looking up at Sanha worriedly. “Did you pack everything he asked you to pack?”

Sanha nodded. Cain had been adamant about Sanha getting rid of all traces of his old life. Including all of his clothes. Cain had replaced them with what he deemed appropriate and had left Sanha a list of things he needed to pack. Sanha had followed it diligently and had even checked three times over to make sure he wasn’t missing anything. He didn’t want to ruin their first trip overseas by upsetting Cain any further after last night’s forgotten manners disaster.

Lex looked relieved and smiled again. “Good. Then we can relax and have some fun! Let’s go and look at our cabins first and then go and see if we can spot any animals in the water!”

Sanha didn’t want to spoil her good mood by telling her that they probably wouldn’t see anything considering they were still in the port, so he just followed her down the steps, chattering excitedly about their day ahead.

*

Sanha groaned. There was a dull aching throb in his temples, and he found it hard to lift his head. His whole body was aching, and he could taste blood. He didn’t remember doing anything to upset Cain so he knew he shouldn’t be feeling this way.

It was only when he opened his eyes that he realised something was terribly wrong. He was sitting at the head of a long, black table in a dingy room that was empty and smelled damp. There was a heat at his back, and he heard the crackle of firewood. He tried to turn to see what it was but found that he couldn’t move at all.

He stared down in disbelief at the ropes binding him to the chair.

Then to confuse him even more, the door burst open to reveal Myungjun looking frantic with worry. 

_What the hell is going on?_ Sanha tried to speak but couldn’t get the words out properly past his gag. 

Myungjun rushed towards him to ungag him followed by three people Sanha had never seen in his life. A young boy came first, with white hair and white eyes like those of the giant white snake that slithered after him at his feet. Next came a woman who looked like a cheaper, pinker version of Lex. She was clearly aiming to look doll-like too, but it didn’t quite work on her. Last came a bored looking man with bright purple hair and black lips. He was wearing a cropped top that showed off his hard-abdominal muscles.

It was only when Sanha saw them all that the memories came back to him. He’d been on the ship, waiting for Lex above deck when these people had shown up and kidnapped him without warning. Then they had taken him here and beat him until he’d passed out for seemingly no reason at all, mentioning only their King and how happy he was going to be.

But Sanha wasn’t stupid. Seeing Myungjun here, in a guild that was clearly dark, with a bounty on his head, meant one thing and one thing only. Sanha had been used as bait to lure Myungjun in. And the _King_ to these dark people was coming here. They were going to capture Myungjun and Sanha was now part of it. That revelation made him angry. So angry the demon writhed beneath his skin.

Then Myungjun was reaching out to stroke his cheek and images flashed through his mind of the fortune teller in the dark tent at the circus. She’d touched him and he’d burnt her. He didn’t want to hurt Myungjun too.

“Don’t touch me!”

Sanha saw the way Myungjun flinched back looking hurt. Sanhas own heart hurt terribly seeing that expression on his favourite Hyungs face.

“ _He’s not your Hyung anymore._ ” The voice in Sanhas head reminded him. Sanha scowled.

He didn’t know what to do other than to warn Myungjun to run. He wouldn’t be able to help because he was tied to a chair. A solution to that would be to shift, to use his claws to get out, but to reveal his true self to Myungjun was a fate worse than death. He couldn’t let Myungjun see that he was a monster.

Unfortunately, Myungjun didn’t get to leave and these people had the audacity to call them both _guests_.

“Guests?” Sanha scoffed, tugging at the ropes binding his wrists to the arms of the chair. “Funny way of showing hospitality don’t you think? You kidnapped me, tortured me and beat me until I passed out. And for what? To get Myungjun here? You’re not going to let us go. You’re going to kill us. This is just a set up. I know how dark guilds work.”

“What could you possibly know about dark guilds kid?” The purple man spoke up sounding bored as he picked at the black polish on his fingernails. “You’re from _Dragon Blades_.” He spat the name like filth.

“I’m not from Dragon Blades. I haven’t been a member of Dragon Blades for a long time. If you idiots had even bothered to check you would have seen I don’t have the guild mark anymore.”

“You don’t have the guild mark? That’s not possible. Father never removed it from you.” Myungjun asked, looking at him with wide eyes.

Sanha ignored him. A part of him was too ashamed to answer. Aera had carved his mark off and replaced it with a new one. A new one that symbolised how bad he was.

The purple man got out of his chair and walked over to Sanha expressionless. “Where?”

“Left bicep.” Sanha answered bluntly. 

The man yanked his sleeve up and Sanha heard Myungjun gasp at the sight of his scar. 

Sanha didn’t meet Myungjuns eyes and just glared up at the man. “Now lift the other sleeve.” He growled. 

He was satisfied to see the colour drain from the man’s face when he lifted it. Now the man knew that they’d messed with dark guild royalty. He’d never been so relieved to be a part of Enhex then in that very moment.

The man cursed, dropping Sanhas sleeve down, luckily before Myungjun could get a proper look. Not that it mattered anyway as the man declared aloud what he had seen.

“He’s with Enhex.”

The pink woman’s reaction made Sanha smirk as she rushed over to look herself. Now that they knew who he was, Sanha had a good chance of getting him and Myungjun out of there. 

“How are you going to explain this to your King hmm?” Sanha asked sweetly. “You better untie me before he gets here.” Sanha knew that whoever this ‘King’ was would be of a lower status then himself, so he was able to relax.

He was able to relax further when they untied him and fussed over his broken nose and handed him a glass of water. The icy liquid hurt on the way down his throat, a clear sign he’d screamed too much. Part of him didn’t care, he was used to the pain, and another part of him felt sickeningly happy. They’d hurt him and he was wearing Cain’s mark of protection. Sanha wasn’t sure if it meant anything outside of the Fire Palace but it definitely meant something to Cain. Cain had promised to protect him from all the evil things in the _world_ after all.

Then Sanhas happiness disappeared as he remembered one crucial fact. Myungjun was here. Myungjun was a part of his old life. The old life Cain had told him to get rid of. He had no doubt in his mind that if Cain shifted into a demon to kill their three captors, he’d kill Myungjun too.

Sanha couldn’t let that happen.

Before he could think of a plan the door swung open to reveal a regally dressed man whose powerful dark magic shone around him. Sanha knew it was just an intimidation tactic. The man was letting his power shine to scare them and apparently it was working on Myungjun. Myungjuns face was pale as he looked the man over. Sanha wanted to comfort him but first he needed to plan their escape. 

He nodded politely to their King from his seat, ignoring the incredulous look Myungjun was giving him and answered the man’s questions of who he was and why he was there. Myungjun butted in at one point, trying, even now, to defend Sanha. Sanha didn’t feel like he deserved Myungjuns concern at all.

One thing that truly surprised Sanha was the mention of SnakeShire that came from Myungjuns lips. How had he known about the nightclub? Did he know what had happened inside of it too? About Aera and the demons? Panic built in his chest but was immediately cut short when Myungjun started talking about them kidnapping him from the club. He’d got it all wrong which meant he really knew nothing. That was a relief.

Myungjun didn’t believe that they’d kidnapped Sanha only the day before off the ship and Sanha had to reveal that his bruising and scarring had come from somewhere else. It felt terrible to admit that out loud.

But when Myungjun pressed for answers, asking who had hurt him, Sanha closed down. He couldn’t tell him the truth. He couldn’t tell him that he was being manipulated by a demon general of the Underworld who he’d unwilling fallen in love with and lost his innocence to just two days prior to this reunion.

Now that he’d been out of Cain’s vicinity for nearly two days it was easier to see what Cain was doing, how he was manipulating him and how terrible it actually was.

He was glad to have a distraction from that thought when the King asked who had invited him to SnakeShire.

“The Red Reaper.” He answered, expecting the exact reaction he received.

Gasps filled the room and the King sat up straight. “Why would the guild leader of Enhex invite you there?”

Sanha leaned back in his chair with a smirk. “To recruit me. She offered me a place and I accepted.”

“Why would a member of a light guild accept a place at a dark guild?”

The way Myungjun was looking at him now made Sanha cringe. He looked utterly stunned to hear that Sanha was part of a dark guild now and Sanha knew he had every right to be shocked. But Myungjun would clearly be thinking of all the bad people associated with them. The murderers, thugs and rapists. 

Myungjun didn’t know the good side. The beautiful Palace and his best friend Lex and Aera who ruled the guild well and made sure everyone always had what they needed.   
Myungjun didn’t understand the sense of _belonging_ Sanha felt there. It was where he was meant to be, it was his new home.

“I don’t belong in a light guild.” Sanha answered stiffly. “I belong at Enhex with the rest of my kind. She knew what I was which is why she recruited me and now you all know what I am too, so I suggest you let us go. I bet my team is already on the way here now to wipe your guild out for taking me. You know how easy it would be.”

Everyone turned to look at the King who just sat back in his seat with a sigh. “Mr Yoon you are free to leave when you wish. I apologise for the behaviour of my subjects. It was not on my orders that they took you. I only ordered them to bring me the Dragon Knights son, nothing more.”

“Let Myungjun leave first.”

“We will be letting him go after we have spoken to him.” The King finally turned his purple eyes on Myungjun and scanned his appearance. “The Dragon Knights son. It’s a pleasure to meet you at last.”

“Sorry but I can’t return the sentiment.” Myungjun spoke through gritted teeth. “You tried to have me killed.”

Sanhas eyes widened. Myungjun had already been attacked? Aera had told him that some of the dark guilds had accepted the request, but he didn’t think they would have moved this quickly. Myungjun was heavily protected by his friends and family after all.

The King shrugged seemingly unbothered. “A mistake on my part. I was just following orders.”

“Following orders? You’re the King aren’t you?”

Sanha almost wanted to laugh. This man was nowhere near royalty. The fact that Myungjun thought so was sad. He was so clueless, and he must be so scared in the presence of these frauds. Sanha fought harder against the wings that were trying to burst out of his back.

“I am a King to the subjects in my alliance that is all.” He answered.

Myungjun just looked confused. “So, someone higher up than you, _the King_ , wants me killed? Why?”

The King sighed and leaned forwards to rest his elbows on the table. “Even I myself am not certain as to why. But the reward on your head was irresistible so I spread the request to my guilds. However, it was a mistake to try and kill you. I have since been informed of your abilities Mr Kim, and because of that I took the request down. No-one in my alliance will harm you. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same about the other dark guilds. They are no doubt still waiting for the opportunity to strike but I’m sure you are more than capable of handling them yourself.” Myungjun didn’t speak. “Only the people in this room know about your power Mr Kim, minus your friend of course. After your fight at the temple, I was told of your power and decided to keep it a secret.”

“What power?” Sanha asked confused. Suddenly he wasn’t in control of the situation anymore. He didn’t understand what they were talking about and he didn’t like that at all. It made him uncomfortable. 

Especially the mention of power. A power the King had deemed important enough to keep secret. A power that made him withdraw the request for Myungjuns capture from all of the guilds in his alliance.

_What is Myungjun hiding?_

Myungjun never answered his question and carried on talking to the King. “Why? Why would you keep it a secret? Why wouldn’t you spread it around?”

“Because in return for our silence you’re going to do us a favour.”

Sanha didn’t like the sound of that. Not at all.

“What favour?” Myungjun asked sounding infuriatingly innocent.

“You interrupted my necromancers’ ritual in the temple. She was the last necromancer we had. Rather irritatingly, the twin dragons of your guild keep killing them. You are a resurrector are you not?”

Sanha had a bad feeling in his stomach. 

“You want me to resurrect someone?”

“An important someone.” The King confirmed his suspicions. “With your amount of power, you won’t need the energy of other sacrifices. You could do it alone.”

_Amount of power?_ Sanha stared at Myungjun with a frown, trying to work out what that could possibly mean. He couldn’t sense any extraordinary power coming from his Hyung. Maybe this man had it all wrong.

“You’re crazy.” Myungjun spat. “I’m not resurrecting anyone you deem important!”

“If you refuse to help us, we’ll tell everyone of your secret, and you will no doubt lose your life. However, I’m not an idiot, I’ve done my research about you Mr Kim. I know you’d gladly lay down your own life to prevent this resurrection, so I’m here to tell you that we wouldn’t stop there. We’ll kill everyone you love. Starting with your mother.”

The King waved his hand and his guards opened the door. Another two guards came in, dragging a woman between them who was fighting and screaming behind her gag. 

“MOTHER!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was strange but fulfilling writing Sanhas perspective of things at the Gravecrawlers.  
> Sanha was the biggest threat in that room at the time yet Myungjun had thought it was the King /.\


	252. Sanhas Story-Part 9.

The cry of ‘mother’ involuntarily slipped from Sanhas lips. He hadn’t been able to stop it after seeing her haggard appearance. She was supposed to be clean and happy and healthy but there she stood, dirty and unkempt and looking ten years older than the last time Sanha had seen her. It wasn’t right. He wanted to do everything in his power to help her.

But then she was walking towards him and trying to touch him like Myungjun had done and Sanha had no choice but to ask her not to. The demon inside of him was fighting harder than before to be released and he couldn’t risk hurting her.

“Please don’t touch me.” Sanha muttered, looking away from her hurt expression. “Go and sit-down Ms Kim.” 

“Ms Kim? Sanha baby it’s me. Your mother.”

“You’re not my mother.” Sanha stood up and walked away to stand in front of the fireplace with his back to them all. He hated what he was about to say. But he needed to say it. It was better for them to hate him then to look at him with such tender love and care. He didn’t deserve that. “My mother’s dead. Murdered on King Leos orders. You were just a replacement.”

Sanha squeezed his eyes shut when he heard the angry growl tear out of Myungjuns throat. 

“Don’t you dare call my mother a replacement! She took you in and looked after you for years. She _is_ your mother. She might not be your birth mother but she’s the closest thing you’ve had to parents in-”

The mention of Sanhas birth mother pushed him even closer to snapping. 

“And whose fault is that?” Sanha spun around to glare at him. “Your wonderful _Hyung_. Brave King Leo.” Sanha spat his name with venom. Leo had taken away his answers. He’d never forgive him for that. “I went looking for them you know. When I left. I tried to track my parents down to ask them why. Why they did this to me. Why they turned me into a monster. And can you imagine my disappointment when I get told ‘Oh sorry kid, you’re too late. The couple that lived here before were hunted down and killed on the Kings orders.’” Sanha laughed. “My parents are dead. They turned me into a freak and then got themselves killed. How fucking great is that? Now I’ll never know why they did this to me.” Tears welled up in his eyes and he turned back to the fire. “I’m done talking. My team is here, I can sense them.”

The relief he felt upon suddenly feeling them so close was indescribable. They’d come just in time. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold the demon back and he’d also been so dangerously close to admitting what he was. 

The second Sanha finished his sentence a high-pitched scream sounded from somewhere in the guild. 

Then all hell broke loose.

The King sprung up looking tense. “Go and bring them here.” He ordered his guards. “Try to stop them from killing my people. If they do, don’t get in their way. We can’t aggravate them any further.”

The guards nodded before rushing from the room as more screams and shouts and crashes echoed through the air.

“Sanha what the hell is going on?” Myungjuns mother asked.

Sanha turned to her, expression stony. “I’m going home. Don’t stand in my way. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

The doors burst open to reveal Sanhas team members. Lex was standing at the front. She looked even more like a doll today with her big glossy eyes and pouty lips. Her long hair was tied up in bunches and fell down her sides, all the way down to her thighs, in thick white ringlets. She was wearing very little as usual and carried the staff with her pet raven sitting on the top, its beady eyes scanning the room.

“Sanny!” She whined clearly upset. She rushed towards him and hugged him tight around the middle, burying her face in his chest. “Sanny you worried us! You just disappeared off the ship and never came back! We knew something was wrong and I had to make Kai do a tracking spell to find you.” She pulled back and looked up at him. Her eyes widened and she reached up to cup his face in her hand. Sanha let her and leaned into her touch. He didn’t have to fear hurting her and it was an immensely comforting thought. “Look at you. Who did this to your handsome face? Tell me. I’ll kill them Sanny. I’ll kill them all.” The raven on her staff screeched angrily.

Sanha smiled down at her. He knew she’d do anything to protect him. “Thank you for coming back for me. I’m happy to hear Kai actually listened to you for once. You should exercise your power as our leader more often. It’s definitely effective. But you don’t need to kill anyone else. I’m fine, honestly.”

The first time Sanha had heard that Lex was the leader when taking on requests with Kai and Cain he’d been shocked. If anything, he would have thought Cain would be the one in charge. He was a demon general after all so surely, he would have made the better leader. That’s what Sanha had thought. But then he realised why Lex suited the role better. Cain was too hot-headed, too temperamental and Sanha had learnt that the hard way when watching Cain murder one of their employers on the spot because he had annoyed him. They’d gone home without any coin that day and Sanha had suffered terribly from Cain’s bad mood.

“Well that sucks.” Kai sighed, pulling Sanha out of his thoughts. He walked over with a grin, his daggers glinting in their sheathes on his thighs and raised his fist. Sanha bumped it with a grin of his own. It was Kais way of showing affection. “Good to see you’re still in one-piece San. Lex has been crying the whole time thinking you’d been killed.”

“I haven’t!” Lex huffed with a pout. Sanha knew she had. Lex was an emotional person and he could already see how she’d tried, and failed, to cover up the redness of her eyes with her chalky white make-up. “I knew Sanny was still alive anyway. Shut your mouth Kai before I shut it for you.”

Sanhas attention was immediately stolen by his beautiful boyfriend who walked over with a yawn. Locking eyes with him again was like the world suddenly coming back into focus. He realised how devastatingly _lost_ he’d been without Cain by his side and he nearly broke down when Cain’s warm body cuddled up against his own. It was as familiar as breathing now.

Cain closed his eyes and hummed happily. “I cried. I cried a lot.” He admitted. “I had no-one else to cuddle and keep me company. It was boring without you my love.”

Hearing that Cain had cried and hearing the words ‘my love’ again made Sanhas heart squeeze.

Sanha couldn’t help but glare when the fake King interrupted them by clearing his throat.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your reunion,” the King began. “but I think we should talk and clear the air. Please, take a seat.”

“We’re leaving.” Sanha said bluntly. He didn’t want to be here a second longer. “We don’t need to clear the air. Your people kidnapped me thinking I was a member of Dragon Blades but let me go the second they realised I was with Enhex. I was harmed but not killed and I’m sure your guild has suffered more than enough bloodshed today.” Sanha looked down at Lex. “How many people did you kill here?”

She hummed thoughtfully as she twirled a strand of hair around her finger. “Twelve?”

Kai barked out a laugh. “It was fifteen. Can you not count?”

Lex banged the butt of her staff against the floor and Kai yelped as he was lifted into the air and hung upside down. Sanha just rolled his eyes. They really did fight like annoying siblings sometimes.

“Don’t piss me off. I can count. I’m just being modest.” She spat.

“Okay okay I’m sorry! Let me go you fucking psycho!”

Even Sanha knew that was the wrong thing for Kai to ask.

Lex smiled sweetly. “As you wish.”

Kais eyes widened. “No wait I-” He shouted as he fell, and he landed on his head with a yelp. “Bloody hell you’re one crazy bitch you know that right?” He climbed to his feet scowling her way and rubbing his head.

She blew him a kiss and looked over at the King. The friendliness was wiped from her face and even Sanha shivered at the look she gave the man. “You’re lucky I’m in a forgiving mood today. And you’re lucky that our Sanny is soft. If I had it my way, I’d skin you and all of your men alive for touching his cute face.” The King kept quiet and she seemed satisfied. “Nothing to say? Good. We’ll be on our way then.”

She breezed across the room and Sanha followed close behind. 

“Wait!” Myungjuns voice was desperate. “Sanha please wait!”

Sanha groaned inside. Why couldn’t Myungjun just let it go? He didn’t even realise the amount of danger he was putting them both in with Cain in the room.

As expected, Cain turned towards Myungjun with a scowl. “Who are you?” He asked, burrowing closer to Sanhas side.

“He’s no-one important.” Sanha muttered pulling him along towards the door. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was that Cain didn’t seem to recognise Myungjun despite his face being all over the request boards in the Fire Palace. The sketches of Myungjuns face hadn’t been very accurate on them but he was still surprised that Cain was completely oblivious. “Let’s go. We have a request to do remember.” Sanha tried again to distract him.

Myungjun infuriatingly rushed towards them. “Sanha please. Can we talk? I haven’t seen you in months. Everyone misses you.” Sanha ignored him, walking quicker. He didn’t want to hear this. “Sanha! You can’t just leave like this. You don’t belong there. You belong at Dragon Blades with me.” Sanha heard Myungjun take a deep breath. “Rocky misses you.” Sanha froze. _Oh no. Not Minhyuk. Please don’t mention Minhyuk._ “Rocky went back home to Zepheholde because he missed you so much. He can’t animate Rocky Jr anymore either. He’s too upset. Please come back to us. Please come back and help us bring Rocky Jr back. Rocky Jr loves you. He’s your son too.”

Sanhas heart shattered into a million pieces. Rocky Jr was gone. Sanha had damaged Minhyuk beyond repair by leaving. He thought he was keeping him safe. He thought he was keeping them all safe by taking his demonic self away from them. But instead he’d gotten rid of Rocky Jr too. The grief and the pain he felt were suffocating.

“ _Cain is watching you Sanha. Say something. Anything. The harsher the better. If not, Cain will punish us. Think of the pain Sanha._ ”

Fear clouded Sanhas mind and forced the most terrible words possible out of his mouth. He just hoped one day he’d be able to stop hurting over them.

“Minhyuk will get over it. He’s just a rock.”

Sanha left leaving his shattered heart behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sanha only said that about Rocky Jr because he was scared of being hurt? oof my heart just broke help


	253. Sanhas Story-Part 10.

_Minhyuk will get over it. He’s just a rock._

Sanha lay in bed that night, tossing and turning, unable to get the words out of his mind. How could he have said something so cruel? He’d let his fear of Cain make him say something nasty about his own little one. Sanha was disgusted with himself.

“ _Stop torturing yourself. Cain is coming._ ” The voice in Sanhas head warned him.

A few seconds later and the door opened. Cain never knocked anymore. He didn’t need permission to enter Sanhas room. Just like he didn’t need permission to do anything he wanted to Sanha either. That thought also made Sanha feel disgusted with himself. How had he let things get this far?

Spending the two days away from Cain had allowed him to see how toxic their relationship was. Cain was manipulative and cruel, using his powers of mind manipulation and seduction to get everything he wanted from Sanha, whenever he wanted it. 

Now he knew what was really happening, Cain’s powers were easier to resist. He no longer felt breathless when his eyes met his boyfriends. He still felt the ache in his heart though. He really did love him, but even then, he was starting to doubt how strong that love truly was.

Cain sat down on the edge of his bed. “How are you feeling love? I was worried about you. Did they hurt you?”

“I’m fine.” Sanha mumbled, turning away from him. “Just tired. I’d like to go to sleep now…please.”

It was quiet for a few seconds before a firm hand on Sanhas shoulder pulled him back around. 

“Sanha what’s wrong? I dislike the way you’re treating me. I saved you today and-”

Sanha snapped. He was sick of it. Sick of being made to feel guilty and indebted. He smacked Cain’s hand off of his shoulder and in half a second had shifted into his demonic form and pinned Cain down against the mattress with a snarl ripping out of his throat. Cain’s eyes widened.

“You dislike the way I’m treating _you_? Are you fucking serious?” Sanha spat, digging his claws into Cain’s wrists. It was too late to back out now. Cain was sure to kill him for this so he may as well get everything off his chest. “What about the way _you’ve_ been treating _me_ huh? I’m supposed to be your boyfriend, but you treat me like shit! I understand that being good deserves rewards and being bad deserves punishments but the way you punish me is too much! You’re not hurting me because you love me. That’s rubbish. You’re hurting me because you enjoy it! Well guess what, I DON’T. I HATE it. I HATE you. I hate how much I love you.” Sanha choked on a sob, his red tinted vision becoming blurred, blocking Cain’s mesmerizing eyes from view. “You don’t need to manipulate me, you don’t have to use your eyes on me, you don’t have to do anything like that because I still love you. I would have loved you either way because you _can_ be good. You _can_ be the man I love. So why? Why are you making me suffer this way? Why isn’t my love enough?”

Sanhas back hit the mattress as Cain flipped them over.

_This is it. This is where I die. I’ve pushed him too far. At least I can go knowing I’ve said everything I wanted._

To Sanhas utter shock, he felt something warm and wet hit his face. Cain made a strangled noise above him as his tears mingled with Sanhas own.

“I’m a monster Sanha. Isn’t it obvious? I hurt you because it’s what I was designed to do! I-”

“No!” Sanha interrupted, trying to blink his tears away to see his boyfriend properly. “You’re a demon general, you were built for war. Not for hurting those you love. Because I know you love me. I can feel it in the way you look at me, the way you touch me, the way you care for me. You’re supposed to hurt your enemies. Not me. You use your seductive powers to lure in your enemies, so they become vulnerable. But with me, with the people you love, we’re lured in anyway because of _who_ you are. You’re the one who isn’t seeing the obvious! I don’t care that you’re from the Underworld, I don’t care how old you are, or how many lives you’ve lived, or how many people you’ve killed. I only care about you and the way you treat me. I just want to stop hurting, to stop being scared of you, to stop hating you for the way you treat me. Please Cain _please_ listen to me.” Sanha begged, pulling his hands out of Cain’s grip and reaching up to cup his beautiful face. “Please Cain. I don’t want you to hurt me anymore. I just want to love you. That’s all.”

Pure pain flashed in Cain’s eyes, his face tortured. “I don’t want to hurt you either Sanha…but the urge is too strong. I try to fight it, believe me I do! I just can’t win. I said to you once that you’ve awakened something inside of me that I had thought was long gone. You’ve lured me in too. I love you. I truly love you. I haven’t loved anyone in a long time. But the love I feel for you is so strong it makes the urge impossible to resist. I don’t know why the two are linked, why I associate love with pain…I’ve spent years trying to remember why. Maybe I was pained by a love so great it altered me completely. Maybe I was hurt beyond repair by my very own soulmate. These are the sorts of thoughts that have crossed my mind during sleepless nights. I’ve lived so many different lives, in so many different bodies, that everything is becoming tangled. My life before I came here is almost eroded completely from my memory. I’m disappearing Sanha and that frightens me.” Cain whispered. Sanhas heart thudded painfully against his ribs. “Which is why I can’t promise you what you’re asking of me.” Cain’s face was suddenly hard, his jaw set. “My behaviours are set in stone, I’m too old to change now. You’re going to stay with me and I’m going to continue to hurt you because I love you.”

Sanha started to cry again. “Please Cain no! I can’t handle it anymore. I’d rather you just killed me!”

Cain growled angrily and grabbed Sanhas hands, pulling them from his face. “Don’t ever say that! I could never kill you!”

“But you’ll hurt me? How does that make any sense? Kill me Cain. Do it now. Do it whilst I still want it!” Sanha growled back. “What will it take for you to kill me? What can anger you enough? Maybe the fact that the man at the Gravecrawlers guild was the Dragon Knights son, Kim Myungjun, whom you failed to recognise. I told you he was no one important to protect him because he’s like a brother to me. He’s my _Hyung_. You hate me lying don’t you? And I did it so boldly too, right to your face, and I _don’t regret it_.” Sanha hissed.

Cain looked livid with rage, his dark magic spilling out of him in a thick black cloud. Sanha screamed as his wrist snapped. The pain of a broken bone he could deal with. Cain had broken many before. But the pain in his heart was too strong.

_Minhyuk will get over it. He’s just a rock._

“I have a son.” Sanha choked out, trying to push Cain further. “A little rock golem. I call him my little one. He belongs to my best friend Min- Rocky.” For some reason Sanha couldn’t say his name, maybe because he didn’t deserve to be that close to him anymore after what he had said about his sweet, innocent companion. “I love Rocky Jr. More than I love you. More than I love anyone. He used to chase the demon inside of me away. He used to make me _good_. More good than your punishments ever did. If you don’t kill me, I’m going to go back to them. To my friends. To my little one. I won’t stay with you a second longer. I don’t care that I belong here with you. I can hide who I am now. Aera has taught me enough. I don’t need her anymore. I don’t need this guild anymore. I don’t need _you_ anymore. I love you, more than you could ever understand, but I don’t _need_ you.” Sanhas other wrist snapped but he didn’t scream this time. He just gritted his teeth and glared at the monster above him.

Cain had fully shifted in his anger, his giant wings spread out behind him and his lips pulled back over his teeth in a snarl to reveal their sharpness.

“You may not need me. But I need you. You’ll never leave my side do you understand?” Cain’s voice was deep and hoarse. “I’m going to make sure you forget. You’re going to forget we ever had this conversation. You’re going to forget what you’re feeling now. I won’t let you remember a single second of it. You’ll never remember the feeling of being away from me.” Cain saw the horrified expression on Sanhas face and grinned with an excited glint in his eyes. “Punishments do not have to be physical Sanha. You’ve crossed a line today. And you’re going to suffer for it. Starting with my removal of your mark. Let’s see how long you can last out there without me. Without my protection. Then when you can’t take it anymore, you’re going to come running back to beg me to take your memories away. The memories of this conversation and the memories of how many men and women will take advantage of you. Then you’ll see. Then you’ll see that you _do_ need me after all.” Cain leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Sanhas lips. A second later his teeth were in Sanhas collarbone, taking the mark back. When he was finished, he pulled away and stroked Sanhas face lovingly. “Now get some sleep love. I’ll heal your bones tomorrow. A bit of pain throughout the night will do you some good. I expect you down for breakfast at seven.”

*

Sanha lasted two weeks. Two weeks before he couldn’t take it anymore. He’d tried to run, to get out of the palace and to get home but was always found and brought back before he got too far. He’d also tried to fight. To fight against the people who tried to assault him. But he lost. Time and time again.

When Cain saw him approach, he smiled. “Had enough now my love?”

Sanha nodded, bottom lip trembling as he made his way over to curl up in Cain’s lap. “Take them. Take them all. I don’t want to remember.”

Cain tilted Sanhas face up to kiss him. “Good boy. I’ll erase them, bless you with my mark again and then we can live happily ever after. I love you Sanha.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sanha finally standing up for himself? I'm so proud.
> 
> One more chapter of Sanhas story left!~


	254. Sanhas Story-Part 11.

“Please.” The man tied to the chair in front of Sanha begged. “Please. I don’t know anything! I’m telling you the truth! I have children. Their mother passed away last year. They can’t lose me too. Please!”

Sanha sighed and turned to the others. Lex looked bored from her seat atop the table. She was watching her raven peck out the eyes of the last person they had interrogated. Kai was standing beside Cain and they seemed to be arguing under their breathes. Sanhas stomach flipped at the scowl on Cain’s face.

“Can we let him go?” Sanha asked, gesturing to the man tied up. “He doesn’t know anything, and he has kids. They’ll be orphaned with him gone.”

“What and have him run to the authorities to get us into trouble? No. Kill him.” Cain said, dismissing Sanhas request with a wave of his hand.

“Me?” Sanha asked, the colour draining from his face. “You know I don’t kill people.”

Kai shot him a sympathetic look over Cain’s shoulder and his voice entered Sanhas mind. 

*I tried to stop him San.*

Sanha mouthed a thank you to Kai for trying as Cain walked over holding out his own dagger.

“Here. You need to get over your fear love. It’s kill or be killed in this world. You don’t want to disappoint me do you?” 

Fear shot through Sanhas veins. He couldn’t be bad. He had to do as Cain said. Cain was always right after all. Getting over his fear of killing would surely keep him safe. He trusted Cain’s judgement completely.

Sanha took the dagger with a trembling hand as the man behind him began to cry. It was a pathetic sound. 

“Please don’t do this!” He begged, fighting against his bindings. “My babies! Please! I can’t leave them!”

Sanha felt sick to the pit of his stomach for what he was going to do. He walked towards him and leaned down to press the dagger to his throat. A quick look over Sanhas shoulder showed him that Cain was walking back over to Kai. Out of earshot.

Sanha dropped his voice to a whisper and looked back at the crying man. “Where do you live? I’ll make sure your children are safe. I have to do this. I’m sorry.”

The man told him the address and Sanha promised to take them to the nearest orphanage. The worst part was when the man thanked him. He thanked Sanha who was going to end his life.

Tears filled Sanhas eyes. “I’m sorry.” He whispered before slicing his throat.

Sanha dropped the knife a few seconds later, numb with shock as he watched the man choke up blood.

_What have I done?_

Sanha turned and fled from the room, ignoring the shouts that followed him.

*

A week later and Sanha was celebrating the arrival of their reward money with his team in the guilds luxurious mini bar. Cain was sitting on his lap, laughing at a joke Kai had told and Sanha wrapped his arm further around Cain’s waist, feeling overwhelmed with love at the sight of his happy face and the sound of his pretty laughter.

Cain looked around at him and his smile widened. “Are you okay love?”

Sanha nodded and leaned over to kiss him. He’d drunk over his limit, so his head spun more than usual when Cain’s tongue slipped into his mouth. He tasted like the fruity wine he was drinking and Sanha lapped at it eagerly.

“Ew get a room you two.” Lex gagged.

Cain giggled into Sanhas mouth and got to his feet, putting his drink down and holding out his hand. “Me and my love are going to the hot springs so no-one interrupt us.”

“Wait!” Lex called out after them when they made their way from the room. “Can Sanny sleep over tonight? I haven’t had a sleepover with him in ages.”

Cain turned to Sanha. “Would you like too?”

Sanha only had to look at Lex’s desperate eyes before he was nodding. 

“Yay!” She squealed excitedly. “See you later Sanny!”

Sanha said goodbye before he was being dragged to the door leading out to the steaming pools of water surrounded by rocks. He knew the magma surrounding the castle heated these springs and he loved relaxing in them.

However, Cain seemed to have something else in mind. He started to strip Sanha right there and then without bothering to check if anyone else was bathing. Sanha couldn’t see anyone through the steam the water was emitting but even if he did, he knew he wouldn’t be caring much. His mind was on his beautiful boyfriend and his beautiful boyfriend only.

Sanha stripped Cain with enthusiasm until they were both naked and falling into the water. They broke through the surface gasping and giggling as their hands wandered. Sanha couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this _happy_.

Then suddenly the overwhelming happiness was being replaced by overwhelming pleasure as Cain’s hand wrapped around him under the water. Cain’s soft lips crashed into his hungrily, swallowing the sounds that slipped from Sanhas mouth as he started to move his hand.

Cain pulled away completely after a time and swum over to the rocks. He knelt on one of the rocks just below the water’s surface and braced himself on the rock in front of him, bent over and exposing himself completely.

Sanhas eyes widened at the sight in front of him. “What the-”

“It’s a plug.” Cain answered his unspoken question as he looked back at Sanha with a devilish smile. “I knew this would happen, so I prepared myself earlier. Hurry love I need you.”

Sanha didn’t need to be told twice. He swum over and wrapped an arm around Cain’s slim waist, trailing his lips and his tongue from the plug up to Cain’s neck, enjoying the way Cain mewled and whimpered under his touch.

“Stop teasing.” Cain growled as Sanha nipped at his ear.

Sanha giggled and reached down to pull the plug out. “I learnt from the best remember. I have to put these skills to good use.”

“Less complimenting me, more fucking me.” Cain whined. “If you make me wait one more second-” He was cut off with a choked moan as Sanha pushed inside of him.

“Less whining, more moaning.” Sanha replied cheekily as he pulled Cain’s face around to kiss him.

*

Lex opened her bedroom door the second Sanha knocked, as if she’d been waiting right on the other side. Knowing Lex, she probably had been doing just that. She pulled Sanha inside with a happy shriek and slammed the door behind him before jumping into his arms. 

“Sanny!” She buried her face in his neck. “I missed you!”

“I haven’t been gone that long!” Sanha laughed, carrying her over to her bed and saying hello to her Raven on the way past. It cawed in return and flew off out of the open window. Sanha fell down onto the bed and laughed again when Lex complained that she was being crushed. “It’s not my fault you’re so _tiny_.” Sanha teased as he lifted some of his weight off of her to look at her face properly. Big mistake. She was pouting. It was too cute.

“I’m not tiny! You’re a meanie.”

Sanha leaned down to press a soft kiss to her pouty lips hoping to cheer her up. It worked. He felt her smile as she returned the kiss with one of her own. Sanha sighed happily and rolled off of her to bury himself in her black silk sheets.

Everything in Lex’s room was black, Gothic was the word she used to describe it. Sanha didn’t know what that meant, some weird slang from overseas no doubt, but all he knew was that it was the complete opposite of what he’d been expecting. Lex was a little doll, pretty and cute. He’d expected something a lot girlier.

Ten minutes later, with Lex halfway through painting Sanhas nails black, she paused looking nervous.

“What’s up?” Sanha asked as he watched her put the nail polish down. “Are you okay?”

Lex didn’t answer straight away. She climbed off the bed and went to a set of drawers on the other side of her room instead. She rummaged through the top drawer until she pulled out a piece of parchment that was folded neatly and carried it back to the bed. She handed it over when she was seated again.

Sanha took it feeling curious and looked down to see that it had something written on the front.

**To future Sanha. From past Sanha.**

“What the hell?” Sanha asked, looking at it with a frown. That was definitely his handwriting, but he didn’t remember ever writing it.

“You asked me to give it to you if you ever started to get swept away by Cain again.” She replied quietly. “Read it Sanny.”

Sanha opened up the parchment with a frown.

**Future me. I don’t have long to write this. You might not believe that you wrote this so I’ll add some proof.**

Sanhas eyes widened when he saw the date he’d written. Minhyuks birthday. He’d definitely written this. No-one else here would know that date. Feeling more confused than ever he carried on reading.

Sanhas stomach sank at the words he read. “Cain took my memories? Cain’s manipulating me? I was…” Sanha felt the blood drain from his face when he read the words ‘sexual assault’. “I was assaulted?”

“I’m sorry Sanny.” Lex sniffled. “He wouldn’t let me and Kai get involved. He threatened to kill us if we helped you. You were so strong though. You held out for so long. But in the end, you couldn’t handle it and asked him to take the memories away. And then I saw you today at the bar. You were being swept away by him again and I knew I had to stop it…You also told me to tell you something else.”

“What?” Sanha asked, looking up at her and reaching out to wipe her tears away. He hated seeing her cry.

Her lower lip trembled. “It’s about Aera. You went to see her and told her about Cain…”

The longer Lex spoke, the more Sanhas heart filled up with hope. Maybe he’d be okay after all.

*

Sanha sat inside of the luxurious, sleek, black carriage feeling more nervous than he’d ever felt in his life. At some point, hopefully soon, he would be free. Today, tomorrow, a week from now, or maybe even when they got back to the guild in a months’ time. Sanha didn’t know when it would happen and that was by far the hardest part. 

Lex placed a firm hand on his jiggling leg and shot him a warning look.

*Calm down Sanny. You’ll make him suspicious.*

Sanha gave her a small nod in return and tried to distract himself by listening to the conversation happening between Cain and their employer.

“…ten million as promised. Intimidation should be enough. I don’t think you’ll need to do any actual killing.” 

“But we will if we have to.” Cain replied to the portly man sounding almost bored as he played with the black choker sitting prettily against his throat. Cain felt Sanhas stare and looked up with a smile. “Are you okay love?”

Sanha nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Cain’s eyes narrowed infinitesimally but he didn’t say anything, he just went back to his conversation. 

“What do you need all of those herbs for anyway?” Cain asked.

“That’s none of your business.” The man replied curtly. 

The atmosphere immediately thickened with tension and Sanha quickly looked away. The man was an idiot for speaking to Cain in such a way. 

Luckily, at that moment, the carriage pulled to a stop. Sanha followed quickly after Lex and Kai, hoping to get away from his wound-up boyfriend but it was no use. Cain was by his side in an instant.

Sanha busied himself with looking down at his outfit as they walked across the field towards their oblivious victims so he wouldn’t have to look at Cain. He couldn’t help the terrible guilt that welled up inside of him at the thought of what would be happening to his beautiful boyfriend because of him.

When Sanha could no longer find a reason to look down at his outfit, after fiddling with it and pretending that he was making himself look more presentable, he looked up to see who they would most likely be killing today.

Sanhas stomach dropped. Then his eyes widened. Then he felt the overwhelming urge to scream, run and be sick, all at the same time.

 _Myungjun_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What are Aera and Sanha planning I wonder...
> 
> Sanha was smart to write himself that letter and it was good of Lex to hide it for him despite how dangerous that was for her. If Cain were to ever find out he would have killed her no doubt.
> 
> But this is the end of Sanhas story. We all know how the herb delivery went down. Poor baby has truly suffered a lot through his short life and there will be plenty of mental scars left behind. But like usual, I never put them through hell for no reason.
> 
> I've been uploading daily for his story, but my sched will be going back to one upload every few days now.
> 
> (P.S Hope you can all forgive me for what Ddana went through ;-;)


	255. Taungars Conclusion.

“…and that’s the end of my story. You know the rest.” Sanha finished quietly as he stared at the drink in his hand.

He was at the Bluebird, the only pub in Taungar. It was dusty and dimly lit as the sun set outside of the windows. Seated across from him, as silent as a grave, were three of the last people he would have ever expected to see here. Myungjun, Jinwoo and Donghan. 

They’d been silent the whole time Sanha had spoken, no doubt in shock, with the occasional breakage of the silence being Myungjuns sniffles. Sanha hated that. He didn’t want Myungjun to cry. Especially not for him.

“Oh Sanha…” Myungjun was the first to break the silence. His voice was full of sadness, pity and a boatload of concern. 

“Don’t.” Sanha muttered after taking a sip of his drink. The black liquid tasted just as disgusting as it looked. “Don’t feel sorry for me. Lex and Kai are unbearable enough to deal with as it is. I don’t need your pity too. Especially after what I’ve done.” Sanha choked on his emotions and pushed his glass away in favour of burying his face in his hands.

Sanha felt a pair of arms wrap around him and he cried harder as the comforting scent of Myungjuns skin washed over him. He hadn’t smelt it in a long time. Too long. He’d forgotten how nice it was. And he also didn’t deserve the comfort.

“It’s not your fault.” Myungjun whispered into his hair. “Sanha you had to do it. He’s a monster.”

“But I love him. I love him so much Hyung I feel like I’m drowning without him. I can’t breathe without him. It _hurts_.” Sanha shook in his arms. Guilt crashed over him as the last words Cain spoke to him rang through his mind.

_My sweet boy. Always so good for me. I love you._

Sanha wasn’t sweet. He wasn’t good. He couldn’t ever be good again after what he’d done. Cain had told Sanha he was leaving as he had something to do but Sanha knew now that as soon as Cain walked into their room at the inn, he was going to be out of Sanhas life for good. The thought tore Sanhas heart to pieces.

Aera had followed them all the way across the sea to help Sanha. Sanha hadn’t known that but he’d received a note from her, which had arrived just before they’d walked into the tavern, saying that she was here and ready to deal with Cain. 

He’d let Cain walk into a trap without even knowing about it himself.

“I know you love him.” Myungjun said quietly as he pulled away to wipe Sanhas wet cheeks and snotty nose. “I can’t begin to imagine the pain you’re feeling right now. But it’s for the best isn’t it? He’s not going to die Sanha. He’s just going to be trapped and then when you’ve lived the long, full life you deserve, he’ll be released again.”

“I’m never going to see him again though.” Sanha choked out. “I’m never going to kiss him again or cuddle with him again or tell him that I love him. I didn’t even tell him that I loved him before he left. I _should_ have. What have I done?” Sanha started to cry again, hopeless, pained sobs.

He knew it was the right thing to do for himself but for Cain? Cain loved him, he was the first person Cain had loved in a long time and Sanha was taking that away from him. He’d never done anything so selfish in his life. 

Sanha didn’t know how long he cried. He stayed curled up in Myungjuns arms as the older man rocked him gently back and forth. He’d felt grief before, at the loss of his parents’ answers, but he’d never felt grief this terrible. It felt like Cain had ripped out his heart and taken it with him, leaving a giant hole in his chest that throbbed painfully around the edges. 

Eventually Jinwoo spoke, breaking the silence.

“Sanha you have a note.”

Sanha swallowed down the hysteria threatening to take over upon hearing those words and he pulled out of Myungjuns hold to accept and open it.

**It’s done. Cain’s gone.**

Sanha made a strangled noise in the back of his throat as the pain doubled in his chest and he stood up from his chair. He didn’t miss the stunned look everyone gave him when he shifted, his wings tearing through his shirt. He couldn’t hold it back anymore. He was a monster for what he had just done, and everyone deserved to see what he was.

His voice came out deep and hoarse. The voice of the demon inside of him. “I need some fresh air. Sorry.”

Sanha ran from the tavern and rocketed up into the sky.

*

**~Myungjun POV~**

Myungjun watched Sanha flit away in his demon form feeling nothing but the terrible ache in his heart. Myungjun had thought that all demons were evil, that they were created for the sole purpose of destruction, but Sanha was a demon. And Sanha wasn’t evil.

Hearing Sanhas story had been one of the hardest things Myungjun had ever had to endure. Sanha had been experimented on as a child and then abandoned, had struggled with a dark secret all alone and feared the reactions they would all give if they had found out, had left his friends and family and his little one behind to keep them safe from himself, had joined a dark guild and suffered not only at the hands of rapists but his own manipulative boyfriend, and had finally sent the man he loved to be trapped away, never to see each other again.

Myungjun felt like a terrible Hyung. He’d missed all of the signs of Sanhas secret. He hadn’t been there when Sanha needed him the most.

When he verbalised those thoughts, Donghan growled angrily beside him.

“Stop it little dragon. We don’t need anyone else feeling like shit. You saw the state he’s in. He’s a fucking mess. You need to be strong for him. Now more than ever.”

The tavern door opened again and Myungjun looked up quickly, hoping to see Sanha but saw Lex and Kai instead. They walked straight over to their table with matching frowns and without an invitation, sat in the remaining chairs.

“Here’s the thing.” Lex began immediately, ignoring their obvious confusion. “Sannys in pain, which means we’re all in pain because we all love him. And because we all love him, we want to help him, isn’t that right?” She seemed satisfied at the agreements she received. “The best thing for my Sanny right now is to be away from everything associated with Cain, otherwise, knowing him, he’s going to surround himself with Cain’s stuff and make himself suffer because he’s an idiot and thinks he deserves it.”

Myungjun swallowed down the argument he wanted to give about Sanha not being an idiot and focused on the more important part of what she had said. “So, what you’re saying is, Sanha should be away from Enhex for a while?”

Lex nodded, frown deepening. “We’re not happy about that, and Aera isn’t either, but it’s what we’ve all agreed would be best. This doesn’t mean Sanny is going to stay away from Enhex forever. He belongs with us. But I also know he’s been suffering away from you all. And I love Sanny enough to let him go…for now.”

“Why did she do it?” Donghan spoke up with his arms crossed over his chest and his own frown tugging the corners of his lips down. “Why did my sister help him? Cain is her strongest guild member. It doesn’t make sense to get rid of him, even if it was to make Sanha happy. Now her guild is weaker, more vulnerable.”

“She told Sanha she was doing this for his sake but it’s mainly for her own. I don’t know if Sanha explained, but there are currently five demon generals on Aredrinnor, if we’re still counting Cain, and each royal family in the Fire Palace has one of those generals in their ranks. Before Enhex was given a place in the Palace, Cain was in one of the other royal families with me. There were two generals in that guild at that point. They clashed horribly. Then when Aera came along, she offered to take Cain off their hands. I looked up to Aera. She’s strong, gorgeous and cares a lot about others. So, I asked to join her guild too. Luckily, she said yes. But it soon became obvious that she was beginning to regret taking on Cain. Cain respects her and listens to her orders, but he has his own way of doing things and it always caused Enhex lots of trouble. Aera was told that if she couldn’t get Cain under control, then she was going to lose her place in the Palace. Then Sanha came along and Cain changed. He still caused problems, but it was nowhere near as bad as before. Aera was ecstatic. She’d built the guild for you Donghan, you and your brother. She wanted a guild the three of you could rule together and Cain was on the verge of ruining everything. Aera thought everything was finally under control with Sanha there to distract him, but then Sanha went to her one night, scared and talking about Cain manipulating and hurting him. I’m sure it wasn’t a surprise to her. Everyone knew of their relationship, of how violent it was, but no-one stepped in to stop it. I tried on multiple occasions but even I couldn’t get through to Cain. Sanha told her about how he wanted to leave and how he couldn’t handle it anymore. She must have realised that the one person that kept Cain under control was about to disappear and what that would mean for her guild. There’s no doubt in my mind that Cain would have been a hundred times worse than he was before if Sanha got away from him and Aera would have been kicked out of the Palace for good and everything she’s worked so hard to build would be gone. So, it was either let Cain destroy the guild or get rid of him.”

“But trapping him isn’t getting rid of him. Why isn’t she just killing him?” Jinwoo asked confused.

Lex laughed. It held no humour. “Nothing can kill Cain. You can kill the body he inhabits, but he’d just find a new one. He’s used three different bodies since I’ve known him. I once asked why he doesn’t just go back to the Underworld and he told me he’s tried but for some reason he can’t, and I know for a fact his memories of back then, when he was actually there, are nearly all gone. For some reason he’s trapped here. So, killing him would solve nothing. In fact, it would just make it worse because he’d just come back as someone else and kill us all for trying.” Lex finished her explanation with a sigh. “Sanny is on his way back here I can feel his approach. Let’s all tell him that he’s going back home with you. He might protest but I’ll force him on your ship myself if I have to.”

Myungjun looked at the girl in front of him, really looked at her. She really seemed to love and care for Sanha. She’d looked after him whilst he’d been there and tried her best to keep him out of harm’s way. And now she was giving him back to them.

“Thank you.” Myungjun said softly. She looked at him in surprise. “Thank you, both of you. You have no idea how much this mean to me, to us, and how grateful I feel to you both for being Sanhas best friends. I never thought I’d be saying this but I’m glad he has you both. I’ve always been taught to fear and hate members of a dark guild, and even though that belief still stands for most, I think I can make an exception with you two. You took Sanha in when he was alone and scared, even though he came from our light guild, and you gave him the chance to be himself, and to grow to accept that part of him. That’s something we wouldn’t have been able to do. So…thank you.”

Lex flushed and Kai looked away clearly uncomfortable.

“Umm...you’re welcome I guess.” She muttered.

“Yeah. It was our pleasure…he’s a good kid.” Kai added. “We’re just sorry we couldn’t do more to protect him.”

*

Sanha _did_ protest about going back with them to Dragon Blades, but after the threats he received from Lex and Kai and after Myungjun assured him that he wasn’t going to be re-joining the guild if he didn’t want to, Sanha finally gave in.

Their departure from Taungar was a lot livelier than their arrival. They were heroes here now. They’d freed the Taungarian residents from the grip of a tyrant and Myungjun had donated all three crates of his herbs to the people there, to soothe the damage that had been dealt to them at the hands of the dead man’s thugs and to soothe any damage they may receive in the future down in their mines.

Dee also came to see them off, his bright yellow hair glowing in the light of the moon. He tried to give them another bottle of his specially made coal drink and after Myungjun refused politely for the third time, Dee finally gave up and gave it to the captain of the ship instead who took a swig there and then and spat it straight back out. Dee didn’t look offended.

Myungjun could see the colour coming back to the people and the air seemed clearer somehow. A lot had changed for them in one day and Myungjun had no doubt they’d be celebrating well into the night.

Myungjun liked how much they’d helped them. And hoped to help bring the colour back to more people’s lives. Starting with their little brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DDANAS GOING HOME *SCREAMS*  
> God bless Aera, Lex and Kai for letting him go, even temporarily. He needs his other family now.
> 
> Is this the last we see of Cain though? Doubt it.


	256. Socky Reunion.

**Sanha**

Sanha looked around the room, from his seat against the headboard of his temporary bed, feeling more than a little overwhelmed. Everything looked the same, felt the same, even _smelt_ the same despite how long he’d been gone.

He was staying in one of the temporary accommodation rooms at Dragon Blades. Everyone had welcomed him back with open arms and more than a few tears were shed, especially from Myungjuns mother who he had spent the longest time apologising profusely to for his unforgivable behaviour towards her when they had last met at the Gravecrawlers guild. She reassured him that he was forgiven, that she was just happy to have him back, just like every other person he had spoken to had said.

Their kindness just made things worse. He didn’t deserve it at all. 

The three-week journey back to Aredrinnor had felt like a lifetime and he had spent the majority of it in bed, grieving and crying and wishing he could just be sent straight to the Underworld for his sins. There was certainly no place in Eden for him now. The sick, twisted part inside of him even wished the Underworld wouldn’t accept him either, so that he’d be trapped on Aredrinnor too. Then when Cain was re-awakened, he could spend all of eternity watching over him.

Things weren’t any easier for him mentally being on dry land. He still cried himself to sleep every night, still woke up screaming with the same terrible nightmares of Cain leaving him, still tried to be alone as much as possible. Because that’s what he deserved. To be alone. Just like Cain was right now. He was alone too.

Sanha scrubbed angrily at his eyes as he looked at the clock on the wall. It was gone midnight. There had been a noticeable absence when he had returned to the guild. Minhyuk. Sanha knew he lived in Zepheholde now, but Sanha had sent him a note, telling him of his return over an hour ago now and Minhyuk still wasn’t here. It would only take him a few minutes at most to terraport to the guild.

“ _What do you expect Sanha? You insulted Rocky Jr. Minhyuk probably hates you._ ”

The voice in Sanhas head made everything ten times worse. He snuggled down under the covers, pulling them over his head and let himself cry. Not only had he lost Cain, but now he’d lost Minhyuk and Rocky Jr too. But he knew that it was what he deserved. This was his punishment for being bad.

The mattress suddenly dipped and Sanha shrieked as a hand landed on top of the cover.

“Shit sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I did knock.”

Sanha ripped the covers off of his head to stare wide eyed at the man in front of him. Because that’s what he was now. A man. 

Minhyuk looked so different. He’d grown his hair out and had it pulled back into a miniature ponytail that bounced as he moved his head. The light from the lamp beside the bed threw shadows across his facial features which were stronger and more mature than Sanha remembered them being and when he looked down, he realised Minhyuk was just stronger overall. The muscles of his chest and arms strained against the material of his white top and Sanha quickly looked back up at his face feeling embarrassed for staring.

“Hyukkie?” Sanha choked out, the tears still streaming. “You’re here.”

“Of course I am.” Minhyuk replied softly as he took in Sanhas appearance. “You look different. You’re blonde. It’s nice.”

Sanha flushed and looked away. “Thanks. You look different too.”

A silence enveloped them and for once, Sanha didn’t want to fill it. He just sat, staring down at his hands and watched as they became more blurred.

“Why are you crying? I thought you’d be happy to see me.”

Sanha laughed wetly. “I am happy to see you I’m just…what took you so long? I sent you that note ages ago.”

Minhyuk cleared his throat awkwardly and Sanha looked up to see a hint of red in his cheeks. “I was busy…with my boyfriend.”

Hearing that Minhyuk had a boyfriend was a surprise to Sanha and for some reason it made him feel just as awkward as Minhyuk had sounded.

“Oh sorry…you have a boyfriend? Since when?” Sanha asked, trying to sound as casual as he possibly could. He was sure he failed.

“A while.” Minhyuk answered vaguely. “You have one too right? A boyfriend I mean.”

Sanhas throat closed up. He’d forgotten that Minhyuk didn’t know a thing about what had happened. Minhyuk was sitting so close, not knowing he was looking at a demon, not knowing that this demon had sentenced his own boyfriend to a lifetime of solitude because he was so terribly selfish.

“Sanha?” Minhyuk moved closer when Sanha made a strangled noise in the back of his throat. Minhyuk looked so _concerned_ as he reached out for Sanhas hand.

Sanha pulled it away. “Please don’t.” He gasped as the hysteria inside of him started to bubble over. “Don’t touch me. I don’t want to hurt you too.” His vision flashed red and he quickly covered his eyes with his hands and fought against the wings trying to burst free. “I don’t want to hurt you too. I don’t want to hurt you too. I don’t want to hurt you too. I can’t, I just can’t.” Sanhas voice fluctuated between his own and the demons inside of him. “Please leave. You can’t be here right now. I shouldn’t have asked you to come. You’re not safe.”

Despite Sanhas words, he didn’t fight it when the warm, firm hands wrapped around his wrists, pulling the hands from his eyes and revealing the fact that Minhyuk had moved even closer to him.

“It’s okay.” Minhyuk reassured him quietly. “I know. I know what you are. You don’t have to be scared. I won’t hurt you and you won’t hurt me. Just look at me, focus on my voice. You’ll be okay. Everything will be okay.” 

“How do you know what I am?” Sanha asked in disbelief, the panic still barely contained.

“I was your best friend. I noticed things.” Minhyuk replied with a small sigh. “Then when you left, and Myungjun told me that you’d called yourself a monster, I went looking for answers. I’ve seen your eyes like this before, heard your voice change before and even the night you left I saw your wings. I thought it was a dream at the time but then when I properly researched about it, what all of these signs meant, I started to doubt that I’d been asleep after all…Sanha I know you’re a demon, or at least part demon. You don’t have to try and hide from me anymore. I’m here for you. Let it all out Sanha. Your emotions _and_ your wings. You’ll feel better when you do, I promise.” Minhyuk urged almost desperately.

Sanha wanted to feel better. Even if just for a little while. Even if he didn’t deserve it and even if it would just make him even more of a selfish person. To hear those words coming out of Minhyuks mouth… 

It was too much. Minhyuk had told _Sanha_ that he didn’t need to be scared. That _Sanha_ was the one who wouldn’t be hurt. As if Sanha wasn’t the monster here. Even with his wings and his claws and his dark eyes.

The wings burst out of Sanhas back, pushing him away from the headboard and into Minhyuks arms as he gave up trying to hide it. It was too late anyway. And instead of pushing him away or being terrified and calling him a monster like Sanha had been expecting, Minhyuk just pulled him closer, burying his face in Sanhas hair and sighing in what sounded like relief. 

Sanha broke down, muffling his loud cries and screams of pain and heartache into the metallic scented skin of Minhyuks neck. Minhyuk squeezed him tight as if he were trying to hold all of Sanhas broken pieces together and let him cry it all out.

Sanha was only able to calm down when he heard Minhyuk sniffle and he pulled out of Minhyuks hold, startled to see his tears.

“Hyukkie why are _you_ crying?”

“Because _you’re_ crying. You’re so _sad_ Sanha and I don’t know how to help you. I’m so sorry for being such a shitty best friend.”

Sanha was stunned. What the hell was happening? This was so bizarre, so confusing, he was sure it had to be a dream. Not only was Minhyuk being so accepting, but he was _apologising_ too. It made no sense. It made no sense at all.

“I…stop crying Hyukkie.”

“Only if you stop crying.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

Minhyuk grinned. Sanha hadn’t seen that expression in a long time and he nearly started crying all over again at the sight of it. 

“I’m only ever ridiculous when I’m around you.” Minhyuk teased lightly as he stroked a delicate hand across Sanhas cheek. “I think I age backwards around you. It’s terribly confusing. I feel like we’re back in that field during the picnic I took you on to cheer you up when Hyung left for the castle, when I tickled you so much you threatened to be sick. You called me ridiculous back then too and your eyes…they were just like this for a second.”

It was only when he mentioned them that Sanha realised he still hadn’t shifted back. So he did so quickly and watched as the red tint to his vision disappeared.

“You’re not scared of me?” Sanha asked in the voice that was now his own. “Don’t my eyes scare you?”

Minhyuk shook his head, hand still resting on Sanhas cheek. “They’re beautiful Sanha. I’m not scared of you at all. If I were, I wouldn’t be sitting here with you right now would I?”

Sanha blushed but didn’t look away. Minhyuks eyes were too mesmerising. But not in the way Cain’s had been. Minhyuks eyes held nothing but warmth and honesty. There was no trick needed to pull Sanha in.

But he fought against the pull. “I could kill you. You should be scared of me.”

“You could. But you won’t. You’re not dangerous. You’ve never been dangerous. You’re just Ddana. My best friend.”

Sanhas heart did something funny in his chest at the sound of his old nickname. “You’re wrong. I _am_ dangerous. I’ve hurt people. I’ve…killed someone.” Sanha whispered his terrible confession. 

Minhyuks expression didn’t change at all. “I don’t care.”

“Why the hell don’t you care about that?” Sanha asked, his anger suddenly flaring. He smacked Minhyuks hand away from his cheek with a scowl. “I’ve _killed_ someone Minhyuk. Took his life away from him. He had children you know. They’re orphans now. I slit his throat and watched as he choked to death on his own blood. I’m a _monster_.”

“Did you want to do it?”

“What?”

“Did you want to kill him? Did you feel satisfied when you slit his throat? When you watched him die? Did you enjoy taking his life?”

“No!” Sanha choked out, appalled that Minhyuk would even think such a thing. “Why would I have enjoyed it? I cried for hours after I killed him! And I felt so guilty that I went to help his children even though I knew the others wouldn’t have wanted me to!”

Infuriatingly, Minhyuk smiled. “Exactly. I know you Sanha. You wouldn’t kill anyone unless you absolutely had to. I’m sure he was a bad person and-”

“He wasn’t.” Sanha interrupted firmly. “He wasn’t bad at all. Its _me_ who’s bad. I didn’t kill him because he deserved it. I killed him because I was scared of what would happen to _me_ if I didn’t. I took someone else’s life to save myself. I’m evil and selfish Minhyuk. The quicker you realise it, and the quicker you get away from me, the better.”

Minhyuks smile turned into a frown. “What do you mean you were scared of what would happen to you if you didn’t? Someone forced you to kill him? Who?”

Sanha chewed on his bottom lip, trying to hold back the next wave of tears. He was sick of crying. “My boyfriend.” Minhyuk opened his mouth to speak looking both horrified and furious but Sanha held up his hand to stop him. “Tell me something quickly. Is your boyfriend expecting you back tonight?”

“No. Why?”

Sanha breathed out in relief. If he didn’t tell Minhyuk now, he’d probably never tell him. “I have a story to tell you. About me. Would you like to hear it?”

*

Sanha could see the first hints of daybreak outside of the window by the time he finished telling Minhyuk his story. The exact one he’d told Myungjun. It hadn’t taken this long telling Myungjun and the others because they didn’t interrupt. But Minhyuk did. He made noises of disbelief, anger, horror, paced the room, punched the wall on various occasions and cried whenever Sanha cried and sometimes when Sanha didn’t.

And somehow, as the story came to an end, Sanha found himself snug under the covers with Minhyuks strong arms wrapped around him, holding the broken pieces of his shattered heart and soul together.

“I hate this.” Minhyuk whispered, voice thick with emotion. “I hate that this happened to you. All of it. I hate that you were abused and manipulated and led to believe that you were in the wrong. I hate that you lived all of those months in pain and fear. And most of all I hate that you didn’t hear me that night. That there was a chance all of this might never have happened.”

Sanha pulled his face out of Minhyuks chest to look up at him confused. “What do you mean? What night? What didn’t I hear?”

“The night you left.” Minhyuk answered quietly as he reached up to brush the hair from Sanhas forehead with a delicate hand. “I kissed you. And then I told you that I loved you.”

Sanha froze, not sure if he’d heard that right or not. “You…what?”

“I told you that I loved you. And I really did mean it. I thought I was dreaming of course, but that didn’t affect the way I felt. I was in love with you, had been for the longest time. I guess part of me knew I was awake, which is why I said it. And then when I woke the next day and you were gone…I was so upset. I thought I’d scared you away. But after reading your letter I realised that that wasn’t true and that just made me sadder. Because it became clear to me that even my love for you wasn’t enough to make you stay.”

Sanhas breathing was uneven as he tried to process Minhyuks words. Minhyuk had been in love with him. Minhyuk had _confessed_ to him and he’d completely missed it. 

Eventually Sanha found his voice again. His words came out hushed. “Even if I had heard what you said, it wouldn’t have changed my mind. If anything, it would have made me more determined to leave. Not because I would have wanted to get away from you, but because I would have been given more reason to keep you safe.”

Before Sanha knew what was happening, Minhyuks lips were on his and despite his better judgement, he kissed him back. Minhyuks lips weren’t soft like Cain’s. They were chapped and rough and Sanha found he didn’t mind at all. His head spun as Minhyuks fingers caressed his hair and his back with an unfamiliar tenderness. He wasn’t used to such gentle care. Minhyuks arms held so much strength, but unlike Cain, he didn’t use it against him, he didn’t use his strength to hurt him. Instead, Minhyuk held him like he would hold one of his precious gemstones.

And suddenly Sanha realised he wasn’t feeling so broken anymore.

Just like how their first kiss had felt so right and natural, _this_ felt much the same. Minhyuks arms were made to hold him, his fingers were made to tangle in Sanhas hair, his lips were made to create heat with Sanhas own. Minhyuk was made for him. Why hadn’t he seen that before?

“ _He has a boyfriend. Are you really sick enough to ruin someone else’s life too?_ ”

The realisation of what Sanha was doing hit him hard and he broke the kiss with a gasp, shattering the illusion he’d been creating in his mind and pushing Minhyuk away. Because that’s all it was. An illusion. It wasn’t true. Minhyuk wasn’t made for him.

“Stop. We can’t. You have a boyfriend. I won’t hurt him too. Go home Minhyuk.”

“No.” Minhyuk replied stubbornly, pulling Sanha close again. “You have no idea how many years I’ve waited for this Sanha. For you. I don’t love him. Not the way I love you. Because I’m still in love with you. Even when I tried to move on I couldn’t. It’s not you who’s hurting him, it’s me, I’ll only hurt him further if I continue to lead him on. Because that’s what I’ll do now that you’re back. So, I’ll do the right thing and let him go. You’re the only one I want, the only one I’ve ever truly wanted.”

Sanha was conflicted. Terribly conflicted and he didn’t like it. He couldn’t deal with this right now. Not after the loss of Cain that was still too fresh in his mind. He shouldn’t have kissed Minhyuk back to begin with. 

“Hyukkie I can’t do this.” Sanha whispered as the giant hole in his chest ripped open again, throbbing more painfully around the edges than before. “I don’t love you. I love Cain.”

“You won’t love Cain forever.”

“Maybe, maybe not. But the hole he left behind is too big to be filled.”

“Well it would need to be big to fit me and our son.”

Sanhas heart clenched painfully at the mention of his little one. “I don’t deserve his love. Not after what I said about him.”

“But you didn’t mean it. You said it because you were scared. So, I know for a fact that Rocky Jr will forgive you.”

“You say that like he’s coming back.”

Minhyuk grinned. “He will. I can feel it. His original rock isn’t on me right now, and I never summon him without it, so I’ll bring it back with me tomorrow. We’ll see him again.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow. I’m going to come back tomorrow and every day after that. Whether its during my lunch breaks or when I finish work. I’ll be here. I’ll be your best friend again and I’ll help you to heal. Then when you’re ready, because you will be one day, I’ll help you to open your heart up again. It won’t be easy to make you fall in love with me, but I’m willing to put in the effort.”

Sanha scowled when the little voice in his head told him that maybe it wouldn’t be as hard as Minhyuk thought after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOCKY KISS. SOCKY KISS. SOCKY KISS.  
> Yes Rocky you go get your man. I don't think Hyukkie is going to let Ddana get away this time >.<


	257. Hyungie.

**Myungjun**

Myungjun spent Sanhas first night back at the guild, sleeping in the room just across from Sanhas own. He didn’t want to leave him alone and had been planning to sneak in sometime during the night to cuddle him if Sanha would allow it. But when he’d reached Sanhas door, he’d heard voices inside and had been pleasantly surprised to recognise Rockys. Myungjun was more than happy to allow Rocky to do the looking after and went back to bed.

Morning came and Myungjun was up bright and early and eating breakfast alone down in the tavern. Jinwoo hadn’t stayed the night with him. He’d gone back to the farmhouse to relieve Youngjae of his housesitting duties and Myungjun wasn’t expecting Jinwoo back at the guild until the afternoon.

The sun was rising when Sanha and Rocky came down to the tavern, looking like they’d spent the entire night awake. Myungjun had been expecting that anyway. They had a lot to catch up on after all.

But what Myungjun _wasn’t_ expecting, was for Sanha to come straight over to him and sit straight down on his lap. But he did. Sanha curled up, trying to make himself as small as possible, and buried his face in Myungjuns neck.

“Morning Hyungie.”

_Hyungie?_ It was so cute Myungjun couldn’t hold back the coo he let out as he wrapped his arms around their cute maknae. Sanha seemed to be in a much better mood today and Myungjun felt even more grateful towards Rocky in that moment. Whatever they had spoken about had clearly worked.

“Morning Ddana. Did you get any sleep?”

Sanha shook his head and whined cutely. “I told Hyukkie the story I told you, but he kept _interrupting._ It took me _hours_ to tell him everything. I forgot how irritating he could be.”

Myungjun giggled and cuddled Sanha closer, pressing kisses into his fluffy blonde hair. He supposed he had Lex to thank for this new snuggly Sanha. Sanhas relationship with her had been touchy and intimate and it seemed that Sanha wanted to carry that on, with Myungjun at the very least, which Myungjun was _not_ complaining about. 

Rocky came back over, looking at Sanha with a smile and barely contained adoration in his eyes and sat down in a chair of his own. Myungjun hadn’t seen him looking this happy in a long time either and it made him want to scream when he looked between their two youngest. They really did make each other better.

“I asked Hani to cook us some breakfast Ddana. Do you think you can eat today?” Rocky asked, leaning towards him.

Myungjun held his breath as he waited for the answer. Sanha hadn’t eaten well at all on the journey back across the sea. It had been hard enough trying to get him out of bed, so getting him to actually _eat_ had been near enough impossible. Myungjun could feel now just how much that had affected Sanha.

“I can eat.” Sanha whispered. He sounded surprised himself as he pulled out of Myungjuns neck. “I’m really hungry actually.”

Myungjuns smile matched Rockys own. “Do you want to stay with me until your food gets here?” Myungjun asked hopefully. Sanha nodded eagerly and cuddled back up to him. Myungjun was sure his heart was going to burst with how happy he was to see Sanha this way after seeing him so grief stricken and depressed. “I like this new side of you Ddana. I think I want to cuddle you all the time.”

“Hey!” Rocky scowled. “You have to share. He’s _my_ best friend you know.”

Myungjun and Sanha both giggled and hugged each other tighter. 

_Maybe Sanha will be okay after all._

*

Myungjuns good mood, caused by Sanhas improved mood, faltered when he entered the guild greenhouse after lunch to find Donghan sitting amongst his plants, elbows on his knees and face buried in his giant hands.

Myungjun rushed over feeling concerned and crouched down in front of him. “Dongie? Are you okay?”

Donghan pulled his hands away to reveal, to Myungjuns great relief, that he wasn’t crying at least. But there was definitely something conflicted in his eyes.

“Yeah I’m good. Just thinking.” Donghan answered with a sigh.

“Do you want me to leave you alone? I could always come back later.” Myungjun offered.

Donghan just shook his head. “No, its fine. Just do what you need to do…can I stay though?”

“Of course. If you want to talk…”

“Yeah. Thanks little dragon.”

Myungjun smiled at him before getting up and making his rounds of the greenhouse, weeding where needed, moving a couple of plants who were complaining to him about not having enough room to grow their roots, and watering the plants that were feeling dry.

Ten minutes later and Donghan finally spoke again. “Little dragon?”

Myungjun looked up from the plant he was watering to see Donghan looking down at the floor. “Yes?”

“I have a sister.”

“You do.”

“I don’t know how to feel about it.”

“I’m not surprised. If I randomly found out that I had a sister I’d be pretty stunned. Maybe even a bit angry.”

Donghan looked up at him in surprise. “Angry? Why?”

Myungjun hummed thoughtfully as he put his watering can down and made his way over to sit beside his friend. “Well if I was in the exact situation you were in, I’d be angry that she knew all about me and didn’t come to see me any sooner. But on the other hand, I’d be happy that she existed, and maybe a bit overwhelmed to find out she’s been building an entire guild for me. It would mean she really cared about me and just wanted me to be happy.”

Donghan swallowed loudly and looked back down at his hands. “I haven’t told Gikwang yet. I saw him last night when I went back home. He was so happy to see me again because we’ve been apart for so long and I couldn’t ruin that. I don’t know how he’s going to react and honestly…I’m a bit scared.”

Myungjun tried not to let the surprise show on his face, just in case Donghan chose to look up to see his reaction. Donghan didn’t admit that he was scared often. “You might be scared, but he has every right to know about her too. The longer you put it off, the harder it will be to tell him.”

Donghan groaned quietly and stood up, picking up his greatsword and sliding it into the harness on his back with practised ease. “You’re right. I need to stop being a little bitch and just do it. If Gikwang gets pissed and doesn’t want to meet her then he doesn’t have to. But I do. I want to meet her. At least to find out why the fuck we weren’t put in that damn orphanage together.” Donghan looked down at Myungjun with a lopsided smile. “You give good advice. I’m glad you’re my friend sometimes.”

“Sometimes?” Myungjun gasped with mock offence. “You should be glad to be my friend _all_ the time. I’m amazing.”

Donghan laughed and yanked Myungjun up and into a hug. Myungjun grinned and hugged him back tight. He was enjoying all of the attention he was getting today. Now he just needed a hug from his handsome fiancé and the day would be perfect. 

*

When Jinwoo arrived at the guild after lunch, Myungjun was surprised to see someone else with him. Ravi. He wasn’t even aware that Jinwoo knew the older man. 

Jinwoo led him over to their table and Myungjun stood up to hug him and press a soft kiss to his lips. Being without Jinwoo, no matter how short the time apart, was always hard and all Myungjun ever wanted to do when he saw him again was cuddle and kiss him until his heart was settled. But he couldn’t this time. 

Myungjun pulled away from Jinwoo and looked over at Ravi with a smile. “Hello. Do you two know each other?”

“Yeah I used to visit Mei’s fathers club when we were at the academy remember? I saw Ravi there a lot. I also saw him hovering outside the guild just now and when I asked if he needed help, he told me he needed to speak to you.” Jinwoo answered as they all took a seat.

“It’s lucky I bumped into your fiancé.” Ravi laughed easily. “I didn’t think I was allowed to step foot inside the guild, but I can’t send you any of those fancy magic notes either. I heard you were back, news travels fast here, and I thought you’d like to hear about my progress with our King.”

Myungjun gasped excitedly when the memories of the day the throne room opened came back to him. “How did it go? Did he manage to sneak out to see you?”

“He did.” Ravi grinned. “He tried to act annoyed about it, but I had him laughing soon enough. I’ve never heard him laugh before it was very…different. He seems different without his guards.”

Myungjun could only agree. “Leo is a lovely person when he’s allowed to be himself. He’s excitable, innocent and pretty childish. But he’s also down to earth and kind and always puts everyone else before himself…That’s why he’s getting married. He’s putting what he thinks are his parents’ wishes above his own.”

“Leo told me about that.”

“He did?” Myungjun asked feeling surprised. He would have never expected Leo to open up to Ravi so quickly. “What did you say?”

“I told him that he was an idiot.” Ravi said with a shrug. He laughed at the shocked look on Myungjuns face. “Someone needs to be blunt with him. I told him he was an idiot because if his parents really loved him as much as he claimed, they’d hate to see him forcing himself into a loveless marriage for their sake. He tried to back track, saying he still needed an heir and I told him he didn’t need a Queen to make a baby. He just needed a woman willing enough to donate her womb for nine months before handing the child over. Like a surrogate of sorts. He didn’t like that very much.”

Myungjun grimaced. “I can’t imagine he would have. Leo is very honourable. He wouldn’t like the idea of using someone like that.”

“It wouldn’t be using if the woman offered.” Ravi shrugged. “But I do understand that a child out of wedlock wouldn’t do anything good for Leo OR his heir. So, I tried a different strategy and told him that he was still young. He isn’t going to die of old age anytime soon and he’s going to be King for a long, long time. So why does he need to think of creating an heir now? Why not wait for ten, even twenty years and live the life he _really_ wants until then? He didn’t have a reply to that so maybe I got through to him but I’m not hopeful.”

Myungjun sighed unhappily. He couldn’t help but feel a small hint of disappointment that Ravi hadn’t been able to do more.

“What about Hakyeon? Your date was at the teashop, right? Did he speak to Leo too?”

Ravi smiled as if something amused him. “Hakyeon was startled to see him when he walked through the door. The air between them was very awkward. Hakyeon was still upset about Leo getting engaged and Leo just looked terribly guilty. But I eventually managed to convince Hakyeon to come and sit with us and after a few minutes of hard work I had them laughing again. You’re right; Leo does seem rather childish but then so does Hakyeon. It was like trying to get two toddlers who’ve been in a fight to talk to one another again. I just wish I could have come back to you with better news.”

“You tried, that’s all that matters. Thank you for getting them to talk again. I know it must have put you in an awkward position.”

“I’m just glad I got to see them both happy.”

“Did you ever make plans to see each other again?” Myungjun asked curiously.

“Well here’s the best bit, the only proper good news I can actually give you; Leo has stopped avoiding the teashop. He doesn’t visit every week like before, but he’s been in a couple of times whilst you’ve been gone.”

The relief Myungjun felt upon hearing that made him slump back in his chair with a happy whine. “Thank the Deity. Visiting the teashop always made Leo happy and that’s all I want for him. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed and hope that he takes your advice on board.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ddana is feeling better, Dongie is facing his triplet problem and Leo is seeing Ravi and Hakyeon again :]
> 
> For those of you who don't know, I'm currently suffering with the flu. Its taken me literal hours just to sort this short chapter out ;-; So I won't upload again until I'm feeling better because its too hard, my brain is mush.  
> I hope you're all okay though, make sure to wrap up warm if its cold xo


	258. Socky Jr Reunion.

**Sanha**

Sanha couldn’t stop fidgeting. He was sitting in the tavern surrounded by all of his friends and waiting for Minhyuk to get off work. Today was the day Minhyuk was bringing Rocky Jr back and every minute that ticked past felt like a lifetime. The thought of seeing his little one again was so overwhelming he was struggling to keep still.

Rocky Jr wasn’t the only reason he was feeling this way. Sanha felt on edge being away from Minhyuk himself. When Minhyuk wasn’t there, talking to him or making him laugh and distracting him, Sanha had time to think about Cain. And he didn’t like that at all. He tried to spend as much time as he could with his other friends, but not only were they busy with their own lives, but when he was with them, they didn’t seem to have the same effect on him that Minhyuk did.

Sanha sighed for the hundredth time as he looked up at the clock again. It hadn’t even been thirty seconds since he’d last looked but he felt like he’d aged ten years. If he wasn’t checking the clock, he was looking at the tavern doors, waiting for any sign of Minhyuks arrival.

“Ddana if you drum your fingers any harder, you’ll break through the table.” Myungjun warned him gently as he took Sanhas hand away and gave it a squeeze. “I know you’re nervous but it’s going to be okay. Rocky Jr will be so happy to see you, I know he will.”

Sanha smiled at his yellow haired Hyung and felt a small amount of comfort from his words.

“He’s here!” Hoseok shrieked excitedly. “Rocky Jrs back!”

Sanhas head snapped around to the tavern doors and his breath caught in his throat at the sight of the little rock, cuddled up in Minhyuks arms and looking around eagerly. Everyone else got up from their seats and rushed over to greet them but Sanha couldn’t move. In his mind he was screaming at himself to go over there too, but his body just wasn’t complying.

Myungjun appeared in front of him with his hand outstretched. “Come on. Rocky said Rocky Jr is asking for you. He’s not interested in the rest of us. He just wants you. Rocky Jr has waited long enough for you don’t you think?”

Sanha slowly nodded and let Myungjun pull him to his feet. When Sanha gathered up the courage to look over at the doors again, he saw that all of his friends had moved aside to let Minhyuk through. 

Rocky Jr was staring at Sanha with wide eyes and garbling high and fast as he struggled desperately against Minhyuks hold. Minhyuk was garbling back at him with a smile full of love on his face and put him down.

Rocky Jr wasted no time and charged across the tavern towards Sanha with his little arms outstretched and finally Sanha found he could move again. Myungjun let his hand go and Sanha stumbled forwards a few steps feeling completely overwhelmed before dropping to his knees. 

The second his little one jumped into his arms Sanha burst into noisy, choked sobs. All of the emotions that he’d felt after leaving and abandoning the little rock and after saying such an awful thing about him washed over him in suffocating waves. Rocky Jrs own garbled sobs made the pain in his heart increase and he clutched his stony body closer to his chest.

He couldn’t believe this. His baby was really back in his arms for the first time in over a year. The feeling was indescribable.

Sanha didn’t know how long they stayed on the floor, crying and hugging each other tight, but by the time he’d composed himself enough to breathe properly again, he looked up to see that all of his friends had disappeared and only Minhyuk was left behind, waiting patiently for them to finish.

Sanha smiled at him and Minhyuk came over with a smile of his own and crouched down in front of them.

“You have no idea how happy I am to see you both again. Especially together.” Minhyuk whispered, his voice thick with emotion. “I missed you both so much.” Minhyuk leaned in and wrapped his strong arms around them, squashing Rocky Jr between them. Right where he belonged. Sanha buried his face in Minhyuks neck, feeling overwhelmed all over again. 

This was his family. This was his home. Right here.

After a while, Rocky Jr started garbling and Minhyuk pulled back to translate.

“He said he missed you Ddana.”

Sanha looked down at the little rock in his arms to see his big owlish eyes blinking up at him and his bottom lip trembling. The expression was too cute. Sanha leaned down to press soft kisses to his stony cheeks.

“I missed you too little one…you are still my little one, aren’t you?” Sanha asked feeling worried. Maybe he’d hurt Rocky Jr too much.

Rocky Jr nodded his head so fast in response Sanha was worried he’d nod it right off his body. The relief of the response hit Sanha hard.

“Thank you little one. I know I hurt you. I know me running away made it hard for you to animate and I’ll never forgive myself for that. I can also never forgive myself for what I said about you, saying you were just a rock. Even though I was scared I should never have said that. Ever. I didn’t mean a word of it. Because you’re not just a rock. You’re my baby, you’re our son.” Sanha looked up to see that Minhyuks eyes were suspiciously wet and he quickly looked back down at Rocky Jr feeling embarrassed. “So, I need to apologize. I’m so _sorry_ , so so sorry for what I’ve done to you.”

Rocky Jr clung to him and Minhyuk translated his words again.

“He says he knows you didn’t mean it and he doesn’t want you to be sad about it. But he’ll only forgive you on one condition.”

“On one condition? What is it?” Sanha asked desperately. “I’ll do anything.”

Minhyuks voice was soft, quiet. “Never leave like that again. Promise it…to us both. We don’t want to lose you again Ddana.”

Sanhas eyes filled up. “I promise. I’ll never run away again. And when I do leave, because I will one day to go back to Enhex, I’ll make sure to come back regularly. My body may belong there, but my heart belongs here with my favourite little one and my bestest friend.”

*

Sanha was sitting on the bed in his temporary room at the guild with Rocky Jr curled up in his lap snoring lightly as his father showered off the sweat and soot from his shift at the blacksmiths. 

Sanha stroked his fingers down Rocky Jrs face, tracing all the lines and memorizing them all over again. The little rock had worn himself out and needed the nap so Sanha made sure to be gentle. He just couldn’t believe this day had finally come. He’d been reunited with his favourite being on Aredrinnor and his heart felt full to burst whenever he looked at him.

A quiet knock on the door stole Sanhas attention and he moved Rocky Jr aside, trying not to wake him, and after tucking him in under the covers, rushed to open the door. 

He looked up in surprise. “Donghan?”

Donghan stood there looking awkward and scratching the back of his neck almost nervously. “Hey umm…I know we haven’t ever really talked but can I have five minutes? I’ll make it quick.”

Sanha nodded feeling utterly stunned at his arrival and closed the door quietly behind himself. He’d always feared but respected the twins, but after the things Sanha had endured, he found he didn’t fear Donghan at all anymore, so he was able to make steady eye contact when Donghan started to speak again.

“I know this probably isn’t the best time to be bringing this shit up but…I want to meet my sister. Like soon. And Cain told me that I could get you to contact her. So…”

Sanha tried not to flinch at the sound of Cain’s name and forced a smile. “Sure. I’ll send her a note soon. Do you have a specific time and place?”

“The dragon pit should be fine. If she’s my sister, a few dragons won’t scare her. Its private property too so she won’t have to worry about drawing attention to herself, if that shit bothers her that is. See if she can do this weekend. Saturday at five in the afternoon preferably.” Donghan hesitated briefly before seemingly forcing the rest of his words out. “What’s she like? Really? She’s a demon too isn’t she?”

“Yeah she’s part demon. Part summoner demon. That type of demon can summon more from the Underworld to fight for them. I’ve seen her in action once or twice and she’s honestly incredible. When I first heard of the Red Reaper, I thought she’d be terrible and bloodthirsty with a name like that, but I feel like the name is more of a shield for her. If people are intimidated by her then they’re less likely to approach or confront her. In truth, she’s actually really nice. She always looks after us all, making sure we have everything we need and giving us someone to vent too. Maybe that’s just her way of keeping tabs on us all to spot any brewing problems early, but she still goes out of her way to make time for us regardless. I mean, she’s not ALL nice. I’ve seen her get angry, especially at the men who try to approach her, and she can be really brutal. I guess she’s kind of like you in that way.”

Donghan barked out a laugh. “Maybe she is my sister after all. Anyway, I have to go. But…thanks. For telling me about her and for sending the note. I know it’s probably the last thing you want to do but I think I’m going to go nuts if I wait any longer to see her.” Sanha was stunned all over again at being thanked. Donghan saw his expression and scowled. “Why the fuck are you so surprised?”

Sanha quickly rearranged his face and smiled. “I didn’t expect a thank you, that’s all.”

Donghan looked away exuding embarrassment. “Yeah well, I’m trying to be less of a dick these days.” His eyes found Sanhas again. “And I know you’re in a shitty place right now so it would make me even more of a dick to ask this of you and then leave without saying anything.”

Sanha swallowed down the lump in his throat. “You’re welcome.”

Donghan grumbled something unintelligible and walked away. Sanha went to turn, to go back into the room, but Donghan suddenly called out to him.

“Sanha? I’m sorry about what happened to you. You didn’t deserve it. It’s not your fault either so cheer the fuck up.”

Donghan walked away faster than before. Sanha was grateful. The words dug deep and Sanha breathed out shakily before sliding down the door to sit on the floor.

 _You didn’t deserve it. It’s not your fault_.

Sanha wished he could believe him.

Sanha stayed on the floor, fighting against the tears he was sick of shedding until a noise from inside the room made him shoot up and burst through the door. 

Rocky Jr was sitting up, making high pitched noises of distress and looking frantically around the room. The door to the bathroom burst open next and Minhyuk came out wrapped only in a towel around his waist and looking just as worried as Sanha felt. Sanha tried not to stare at the droplets of water rolling down Minhyuks toned chest and instead rushed over to sit beside the little rock.

The relief was clear on Rocky Jrs face and he flung himself into Sanhas arms, the noises of distress never ceasing.

“What’s wrong?” Sanha cried desperately.

Minhyuk sighed as he crossed the room to sit beside them. “He’s saying you weren’t there when he woke up and he thought you’d run away again.” 

The guilt Sanha felt was almost enough to distract him completely from Minhyuks close proximity. Almost. 

“I’m sorry little one.” Sanha whispered. “I just went outside to talk to Donghan that’s all.”

“Donghan? What did he want?” Minhyuk asked curiously, holding out his hands. 

Sanha passed Rocky Jr over, keeping his eyes firmly away from Minhyuks exposed skin. “He just needed me to relay a message to his sister. I’ll go and do that now and leave you to get dressed.”

Minhyuk made a quiet sound of amusement and Sanha turned to look at him to see why. Big mistake. Minhyuk looked a different kind of handsome freshly showered, with his hair slicked back and his skin glistening. 

“Why…why are you laughing?” Sanha stuttered, feeling terribly embarrassed that he’d failed to get his words out as firmly as he intended.

“You’re blushing.” Minhyuk replied, an irritating smirk on his face. “Flustered?” He purposefully leaned forwards into Sanhas personal space, filling it with the scent of his skin and his musky body wash. 

Sanhas breath quickened. He involuntarily looked down at Minhyuks lips. “I’m not flustered.”

“Are you sure about that?” Sanha watched Minhyuks lips form the words as he moved close enough for Sanha to feel his warm breath.

Then Rocky Jr garbled something on Minhyuks lap breaking the spell.

Sanha jumped up blushing furiously. “I need to…I’m going to…bye.” He ran as fast as he could from the room hearing Rocky Jrs gravelly laughter behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The real baby boy is back ;-;
> 
> Sanha not feeling completely okay unless he's around Minhyuk is ultimate uwu  
> Dongie saying he was sorry about what happened to Sanha and telling him it wasn't his fault is also uwu
> 
> A chapter full of soft boys~~


	259. The Triplets-Part 1.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special POV today uwu~

**Donghan**

Donghan paced back and forth across the pit, unable to be still despite Gikwangs obvious annoyance at his restless behaviour. The light in the pit was dimming as the sun set and Donghan could hear the sound of the river that flowed just outside the open doors. The same doors their sister should have walked through exactly one minute and twenty-nine seconds ago. Not that Donghan was counting or anything.

“Brother stop it. You’re doing my head in.” Gikwang growled. 

Arvioth rumbled from the nest above them but Donghan paid neither his brother, nor the dragon, any mind. He was pumped full of nervous energy and would probably explode if he tried to stand still.

 _Maybe this was all some elaborate hoax. Maybe we don’t have a sister after all, and they were just lying to us. Maybe everyone will jump through those doors any second now and tell us we’ve been pranked and laugh at how gullible we were_.

Donghans insecurities reared their ugly heads inside of him, making him feel sick to his stomach. He jumped when a firm hand wrapped around his wrist, yanking him to a stop.

“I can see you panicking. Calm down. She’ll be here.” Gikwang reassured him, letting go of his wrist in favour of reaching up to cup Donghans face in his hands. “This isn’t a trick. We don’t let people do that to us anymore do we?” Donghan shook his head and clenched his jaw. “Exactly. She’ll be here and then we can get some fucking answers. Just relax little brother. You’re making _me_ anxious and you know that’s not good for either of us.”

Donghan sighed and, with difficulty, reined his emotions in.

“Well isn’t this sweet?”

They both turned at the sound of a woman’s voice and Donghans breath was knocked out of him completely when his eyes found her. It was like looking in a mirror. If he knew how to switch genders like Myungjun did, he was sure he would have looked exactly like her. 

Even her smile was exactly the same. “Hello. My name is Aera. I’ve waited a long time to meet you both.” She said sounding slightly breathless. Her voice alone made Donghans heart clench.

Donghan pulled his face out of Gikwangs tight grip and strode straight over to her. He needed to touch her, to make sure she was real. She didn’t seem at all taken aback by his strong approach and just stood patiently, waiting for him to reach her.

When he did, Donghan was startled to see that she was taller than him. No-one was taller than him. But a quick look down at her feet made him realise why. The platforms on her thigh high boots were incredibly thick and that confused him greatly. Wasn’t she already tall enough? Why did she want to make herself stand out even more?

Donghan looked back up at her with a frown and reached out with a shaking hand to touch her thick, black, waist length hair. It felt silky and soft to the touch and he was hit with the overwhelming scent of roses. He moved his hand to her face, feeling the warmth of her skin under his fingertips.

Her hands reached out for him, her eyes full of wonder and awe now that they were standing so close. Donghan shivered as her fingertips glided over his face, down his neck, before dropping down to the hem of his top and slipping underneath it. His skin tingled under her hands as they traced the planes of his stomach muscles and chest. 

Then she leaned down to press a soft kiss to his lips. 

It wasn’t the kiss that made him stumble back. That had felt natural, _right_ , like it did when Gikwang sometimes kissed him. There wasn’t anything weird about it, they’d all shared their mother’s womb after all. 

He stumbled back cursing loudly because he finally believed. “You’re real.”

She barked out a laugh and flipped her hair back over her shoulder. “Of course I’m real dumbass.”

“Well where the fuck have you been?” Gikwang asked, slipping himself into the conversation and making his home at Donghans side. “Why are we only just meeting now?”

Her eyes travelled over Gikwang next but she didn’t reach out to touch him. “I did try once, when we were just about to turn seventeen. I was going to reveal myself to you both in the hopes that you would accept me. But then you went and got yourself cursed.” 

Gikwangs eyes narrowed. “And why did that stop you from approaching us? Were you _scared_? Was I too damaged for you after that? Hate to break it to you _sis_ but I’m still carrying around that monster inside of me.”

Donghan elbowed his brother in the ribs. Gikwang was getting unnecessarily riled up and Donghan didn’t need him ruining this.

Luckily, Aera didn’t seem annoyed at his shitty attitude, Instead, she appeared almost sad. “I was only scared _for_ you. Not _of_ you. You were newly cursed and from what I’d witnessed at the beginning, every little fluctuation in your emotions set you off and the monster was able to break free. How could I approach you knowing that the sight of me alone would be enough to send you on a rampage?”

Donghans stomach flipped. “You stayed away so he wouldn’t snap? Well what about after he started taking his medicine? Why didn’t you come then?”

“Because I’d already left by then. I’d already started making plans to form a dark guild.”

Donghan scowled, feeling his anger spike. “Why the fuck did you make a dark guild anyway? And what’s this about you making it for the three of us? Me and Gikwang _eradicate_ dark guilds for a living. We don’t want to be a part of it.”

A brief look of pain and disappointment flashed in her eyes. “I made the dark guild in the hopes of learning more about dark magic. And before you start bitching, I did it for Gikwang.”

Gikwang just looked confused, and a little disgusted. “For me? Why?”

She rolled her eyes. “Use your brain. I left after you were cursed to learn dark magic…”

Donghan caught on to the implications of her words first and gasped. “You were looking for a cure too?”

Her smile was proud when she nodded. “Exactly. I wanted to help, no matter the personal cost, because not only would it alleviate the mental suffering Gikwang goes through every day but also yours too Donghan. I know you blame yourself for what happened, so I’d hoped that finding a cure would make you both feel better.”

Donghan bit down hard on his tongue in an attempt to distract himself from the overwhelming desire to cry. He didn’t want to cry. That would be too fucking embarrassing. But the thought of Gikwangs curse, and the memories of that fateful day, and the fact it was supposed to be him with the cursed body, always upset him. Gikwang shouldn’t have sacrificed himself like that by pushing Donghan out of the way. He should have let Donghan take the hit instead. Aera was right though. They were both suffering because of it and the thought of her possibly finding a cure was too much.

“Well?” Gikwang asked sharply. “Did you find a cure? Donghan killed the last one.”

Donghan scowled at his brother who just ignored him.

“I did.” She looked at their shocked faces and sighed. That wasn’t a good sign. “I did find a cure, but I don’t think it’s possible. I have half of the cure, but I’m missing the other half.”

“What do you mean?” Donghan pressed desperately. “What half are you missing? What is the cure anyway? What can I do to help?” He paid no attention to Gikwangs scoff beside him. He knew Gikwang wanted to give up on finding a cure but Donghan couldn’t. 

“The cure requires two people. Two _special_ people with a lot of power. One dark magic user of SS Rank, and one light magic user of SS Rank.”

Donghan didn’t dare to hope. He just asked, as casually as he could, “Which half do you have?”

She grinned, her already large chest puffing out further with pride. “I’m the SS dark magic user.”

Donghan crumpled, falling down to his knees and covering his mouth to contain the scream he wanted to let out. He didn’t bother holding back the tears this time and didn’t shy away when Gikwang and Aera both crouched down to look at him worriedly.

“Brother what’s wrong? Why are you crying?” Gikwang asked, voice full of concern.

Donghan pulled his hands away from his face to reveal the biggest smile he’d given in a long time. “Because you’re going to be okay Gikky. I have the other half of your cure.”

Just saying that out loud felt incredibly relieving. He watched as both of their eyes widened.

“You do?” Aera asked quickly, hands darting out to clutch at his shoulders. “Who is it? Is it you?”

Donghan shook his head. “It’s not me…and I can’t tell you who it is right now either. I have to ask first. Their life depends on their anonymity and I wouldn’t risk that for anything. Not even this. Sorry.”

Gikwang looked pissed and more than a little hurt that Donghan wouldn’t risk his cures identity for him, but Aera was beaming.

“That’s fine. Fuck…I can’t believe this is happening. I was sure I’d never find an SS light magic user in this lifetime.” She whispered.

“Well how the fuck are you SS Rank anyway? And why don’t the magic counsel know about you?” Donghan asked as he wiped at his face.

“I have a natural affinity for dark magic, and I’m sure you both do too, which is why Gikwangs body is such a good vessel for the demon inside of him. Because that’s what it is. A demon. And a nasty one at that. I studied hard to get to where I am, and I’ve kept it all under the radar, doing the majority of my studies in the Fire Palace, which is why the magic counsel haven’t caught wind of it yet. Even if they did, they’d be powerless against me. I’m a summoner. I can summon an army strong enough to eradicate every living person on Aredrinnor, and then take my army across the sea and eradicate everyone there too until I’m the only one left standing…but I won’t.” She added when she saw the frown on Donghans face. “Don’t worry big brother, despite what the rumours say about me, I don’t enjoy killing. Not _that_ much at least.”

Donghan brushed aside the last remark in favour of focusing on the more confusing part. “Big brother?”

“I was born last.” She sighed. “Which makes you both my big brothers.”

Donghan felt a strange rush of excitement at the thought of being a big brother. He was so used to being the little brother that it was a nice change.

“Okay so we’ve established the fact that you created a dark guild to find a cure, found it alongside training to become an SS Rank, and now you’re here to finally reunite with us, but that doesn’t explain why the fuck you weren’t shoved into that shitty orphanage with us.” Gikwang grumbled.

An expression of guilt settled on her face and she sat back on the floor and looked away from them both. “I never came with you to the orphanage because our parents didn’t give me away.”

A pure hot bolt of betrayal shot through Donghans emotions and he could feel the anger radiating from his brother beside him. He knew it wasn’t _her_ fault that they chose to keep her, but it still didn’t dampen the pain he felt in his chest, or quell the immense hatred he’d already been feeling towards his birth parents.

“I know how you must be feeling-” She began.

“No you fucking don’t.” Gikwang spat, standing up in one swift, fluid motion to tower over them both. “You have no fucking _idea_ what it was like being stuck in that hell hole, or what we had to endure when we left. Even when we found new parents, they were taken away from us. We didn’t have _anybody_ to look after us, to teach us how to grow, to feed us and clothe us and tell us that everything was going to be okay. We had to do that all our fucking selves. But you? You got to live a comfortable fucking life with good old ma and pa.”

Aera stood up angrily too so Donghan quickly followed, getting ready to get in between them if a fight kicked off. The dragons stirred restlessly overhead at the growing tension, but his siblings didn’t seem to notice.

“There was no comfortable fucking life for me either!” She raged, her eyes flashing black. “You don’t even know what our parents _were_!”

“I wonder why!” Gikwang yelled back. “We didn’t even get a chance to find out!”

“Well if you let me fucking speak I’d be able to tell you!”

Donghan groaned loudly. “Can you two stop bickering like children? We don’t have all night you know.”

“I have all the time in the world.” Gikwang unhelpfully interjected.

“Me too.” Aera replied back sweetly.

Donghan rolled his eyes at their childish behaviour. “Look, just hurry up and spit it all out.”

Triumph flashed in Aera’s eyes at being chosen to speak. “Haven’t you both ever wondered why we’re so much _bigger_ than everyone else? Why we tower over them all and why an inhuman strength resides in our very muscles?”

Donghan could only nod. Of course he’d wondered. He’d wondered it often as a child when the orphanages bullies would corner him, calling him a freak and telling him he was ‘too big’. As he grew up, he started to see the advantages of being so large, the main one being how intimidating he was to others. It kept them away from him and he liked that. He didn’t want anyone to get close to him, because those who did got hurt. Like the only parents he’d ever had and his little angel Yuqi. 

However, even now, he didn’t like the way he was completely. He didn’t like the way he stood out in a crowd, preferring to be invisible, and he didn’t always enjoy his strength. Aera was right. It _was_ inhuman. It was inhuman when he could tear a person limb from limb like he was tearing paper. It was inhuman when he could bend even the strongest of metals with his bare hands. It was inhuman when he tore chunks out of the headboard of the bed when he was having sex with Grey and how he left him covered in terrible bruises, even when he was trying his hardest to hold back his strength. It was inhuman and it proved even more just how much of a freak he was.

“We’re bigger because of the blood that runs through our veins.” Aera revealed quietly. “We’re bigger because our mother was a giant.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhhh
> 
> Okay. Breakdown time:  
> 1\. Aera formed her guild, Enhex, as a cover up to research dark magic and found out that she has a 'natural affinity' to it. So we can assume Dongie and Gikky would make badass dark magic users too if they were to learn it.  
> 2\. The main thing Aera wanted to research was the cure for Gikwangs curse. She found it and trained hard to become an SS Rank user.  
> 3\. Dongie knows that Myungjun is the other half to Gikwangs cure but because of Myungjuns contract with the magic counsel Dongie couldn't exactly blurt out his name. He wouldn't risk Myungjuns life just to cure his brother. That says a lot about Dongjuns friendship oof.  
> 4\. Gikwang is the oldest, Aera is the youngest, Dongie is the middle child. (Just like meeeeee ahhh)  
> 5\. Aera wasn't given up to the orphanage like the 'twins' were.  
> 6\. Their mother was a giant? Ummm that explains a lot.  
> 7\. Dongie is secretly really insecure about the way he looks and that insecurity stems from him being bullied. Poor Bubba.


	260. The Triplets-Part 2.

“We’re bigger because of the blood that runs through our veins. We’re bigger because our mother was a giant.” Aera revealed quietly.

It took three tense seconds before Gikwang was howling with laughter. Aera scowled at him but Donghan couldn’t even _breathe_ , let alone turn a scowl to his laughing brother.

A giant. Their mother was a giant. A monster. The type of monster Donghan had happily slaughtered before because of their clearly unnatural existence and their terrorizing and dangerous behaviour. And half of his blood came from those very monsters. Donghan wanted to be sick.

“Are you fucking serious?” Gikwang choked out, wiping the tears of amusement from his eyes. “A giant? I’m guessing our father was human considering we’re nowhere near as tall as a regular giant. So, it gives rise to the question of how they managed to _conceive_ us. How did our pa manage to stick his dick in a giant’s hole? Bet she didn’t even feel it.”

“Don’t be so fucking vulgar.” Aera spat. “We weren’t conceived like regular humans. And I’m not joking around either so stop laughing. Our mother was a giant. She was the head of her tribe, a tribe full of females. She only wanted daughters, which is why she made father take you both away. You had no place in the tribe.”

“And you did?” Donghan asked stiffly, finally finding his voice again. “Were their others like you? Half human, half giant?”

She shook her head with a clenched jaw. “You weren’t the only ones bullied as you grew up. Our mother loved our father which is why she wanted to have children with him. But she didn’t think about the consequences I would face in return. I was classed as the runt of the tribe, kicked around, mocked and on more than one occasion ended up on the brink of death. Your bullies may have been other boys, but mine were female giants. I’m not trying to play the victim game, but I’d say I had a tougher time than you did in that aspect.” She ignored Gikwangs scoff of disbelief and carried on like she hadn’t heard him. “Eventually, I had enough. It was around the time I’d stopped growing at fourteen. I decided to set out on my own and try to find you both after hearing father speak of you whilst he lay dying from a mysterious illness. He was the only reason I’d stayed around that long anyway. He was the only one kind to me. The night he passed, I left immediately, not even waiting for the burial because I knew I wouldn’t survive the night either. Our mother was stricken with grief and the others would have seen that weakness. I left at the right time. Our mother was dead by the time the sun rose. The others didn’t like her being their leader anyway after she mated with a human. She was seen as a traitor and they slaughtered her and dumped her body out to sea alongside our fathers. I didn’t find you both until I was fifteen, and by then, I could see you were both stricken with grief too, although I didn’t know why at the time.” She looked between them with nothing but sadness in her eyes. “I’m sorry that that happened to you. Not our birth parents, but your other ones. I’m sorry that they were taken so brutally from you. I know you weren’t in their care long, but I know how much that still would have hurt you.”

Donghan wiped quickly at the tears that had spilled over. He wasn’t crying for his giant mother and foolish father. He was crying for the parents who had taken him and Gikwang in when they were on the brink of starvation, who fed and clothed them when no-one else would, who accepted Donghan for who he was when he came out for the first time, telling them that he was gay and knowing it to be true even though he was still young.

“I was going to go home this year. For the anniversary of their deaths.” Donghan admitted quietly. “But then all that shit happened with Sanha and I could see he needed his home more than I needed mine, so I withdrew my request with the captain to stop his ship at the port there. I told him to take us straight back to Aredrinnor instead…but I do want to go back.”

“Why?” Gikwang raged beside him. “Why would you bother? It’s only going to hurt you more which in turn hurts _me_ more. Why would you do that to me?”

Donghans heart broke at the sight of his brother tears. “Because they did so much for us, and we’ve done nothing for them in return. We haven’t even been to visit their graves Gikky. It’s not right. I at least want to leave them some flowers. They didn’t even get a proper gravestone for fucks sake. They deserve more than that.”

Gikwang scrubbed angrily at his eyes and turned away. “Do whatever the fuck you want. I’ve had enough. I’m going home.” Gikwang whistled high and sharp and Arvioth flew down from the nest to land heavily on the floor beside him. He mounted the dragon with ease and looked down at them both. “I would say that it was nice to meet you sis, but I’m actually kind of pissed. Although, I wouldn’t say no to that cure. It would be nice to get this piece of shit out of me once and for all.” Arvioth spread its wings with a screech and set off out of the giant open doors, leaving Donghan and Aera behind.

Donghan sighed and turned back to look at her. As expected, she hadn’t even flinched at the sight of the dragon.

“Just give him time. He’s a right grumpy cunt when he wants to be.”

“That’s understandable.” Aera replied quietly as she played with her red manicured nails. “I didn’t expect to be welcomed with open arms you know.”

“What did you expect?”

“Part of me expected to be kicked straight to the curb. But the more sensible part of me knew you’d hear me out at least because of our triplet bond. I came here to introduce myself and to get to know you and speak to you about the things I can do for you now that I’ve learnt the art of dark magic. The cure wasn’t the only thing I’d been researching.”

Donghan quirked an eyebrow. “What else did you research?”

Aera looked up from her nails, a small smile teasing the corners of her lips. “I learnt how to remove demon burns.”

Donghans jaw dropped. “You know how to remove demon burns?” He asked in disbelief.

Images of his own demon burns flashed through his mind. His body was littered with them and he hated them all. He’d always tried to cover them up but then Myungjun came along, revealing his own and reassuring him that he didn’t have to be scared of showing them off. Myungjun had changed him in a lot of ways but that was probably one of the bigger changes. Donghan went without his coat on occasion and had once or twice revealed his whole torso completely when training out on the training fields back at the guild. It had been freeing.

And then Grey had waltzed into his life with his pretty silver hair and mischievous blue eyes and reassured Donghan even further that his burns weren’t anything to be ashamed of, even going as far as declaring that he found them _sexy_ because it showed off how strong Donghan was for fighting demons and coming out victorious. When he really thought about it, it was obvious that Grey had changed him in a lot of ways too.

But despite their reassurances, he still hated the burns with a passion. He couldn’t fully believe that they made him strong. In his mind, they were a sign of weakness, recklessness, stupidity. He’d allowed himself to be coated in their blood and it disgusted him whenever he took his clothes off. So, he didn’t take them off often. 

Yet here Aera was, offering yet another solution to one of Donghans biggest problems. The burns destroyed his confidence alongside his giant, freakish size and the thought of the burns being gone for good seemed almost too good to be true.

Aera must have seen the overwhelmed look on his face because she smiled softly at him and gestured to his top. “Lift it up.”

Donghan did so quickly, eager to have her get rid of the ones there at least and nearly choked on the shock when he saw his torso already completely burn free.

 _Her hands under my top earlier. She removed them already_.

Donghan was speechless as he looked down at his bare skin. He hadn’t seen it clear in _years_. He hadn’t been able to see how his body developed as he grew older. So, to see that clearly now, to see how toned his body had become under the burns, made him weak at the knees.

Aera whistled low between her teeth. “Your burns were hiding _that_? If you weren’t my brother, I’d totally jump you right now.”

Donghan snorted weakly in amusement before shrugging his coat off to reveal the burns on his arms. “Can you get rid of them all? Right now? On my thighs too. And my back. Please.”

“Of course. I learnt this spell for you after all.”

*

Donghan jumped out of the carriage, vibrating with excitement as he approached the castle gates. The guards nodded politely to him before opening them up to let him through and Donghan congratulated himself on still being clear headed enough to have thought of sending a note to Leo to ask for access to the castle grounds beforehand.

A woman came rushing down the front steps to greet him and led him to where he needed to go. They reached the door he wanted after a few minutes and the woman left him alone as he knocked loudly, feeling so happy he was sure he’d be sick.

The door opened to reveal a sleepy, disgruntled looking man whose expression immediately changed to one of pure happiness.

“Donghan? What are you doing here? And why are you smiling like that?”

Donghan didn’t bother to answer. He just bent down to wrap his arms around Greys slim waist and picked him up to kiss him fiercely as he stepped inside the room and kicked the door shut behind them. He walked blindly forwards, hoping the bed was in front of them and felt relieved when his legs hit the mattress. He fell down onto it, making sure Grey wouldn’t be crushed by his weight and broke the kiss with a gasp for air.

Grey was blushing furiously, eyes wide and lips trembling. Donghan liked that expression on him. 

“You kissed me.” Grey whispered. “You actually kissed me. You never kiss me. What’s going on? Is this a dream?”

“It feels like it.” Donghan agreed with a grin, leaning down to capture his soft lips once again. Grey was more eager to kiss back this time now that he was expecting it and Donghan melted into the kiss, cursing himself for not doing this sooner. Greys lips were sweet. Addicting.

Before they could get too carried away though, Donghan pulled away, stood back up and shrugged his coat off and unlaced his boots.

“I’m definitely dreaming.” Grey groaned quietly. “A booty call from the god himself?”

Donghan laughed, loud and bright, feeling more carefree than he ever had in Greys presence. “This isn’t a booty call. Just shut up and watch.”

“Gladly. Although I kinda do need your dick after this though. You can’t just strip in front of me and expect me not to jump you.”

Donghan ignored him and yanked his top off over his head before popping open the button on his trousers and letting them fall down to pool at his feet.

Greys eyes widened comically large and he sat up so fast he almost blurred. “Donghan what the FUCK. Where did they go? Oh fuck fuck FUCK you look so good. Get that sexy ass of yours over here right now so I can worship your body like it deserves.”

Donghan grinned and jumped on him, laughing loudly at Greys shriek of surprise. The bed groaned under his sudden weight but for once he didn’t feel self-conscious. He just moved Grey up the bed, making sure Grey was comfortable before he sat back on his knees, giving Grey a proper close-up look at his burn free body.

Greys eyes were full of wonder and poorly contained lust as he ran his hands up Donghans clear thighs and further up to his bare stomach. Donghan held back a shiver.

“Donghan how…this is incredible. I think I actually might cry. How do you always manage to look even _better_ every time I see you?”

“I thought you liked my burns? You said they made me look sexy.” Donghan teased with a smirk, enjoying the way Grey shuddered at his cocky behaviour.

“I’ll definitely miss them but without them…you look a different kind of sexy. Oh fuck please get this offending object off your body.” Grey groaned, tugging at the waistband of Donghans underwear.

“Offending object?” Donghan spluttered out a laugh. Grey could be so _ridiculous_ sometimes. It was almost endearing.

“Yes. It’s covering up too much, therefore, it offends me. So, get naked before I change my mind and decide I don’t want you to fuck me after all.”

Donghan growled angrily. He didn’t like being told what to do. Greys arms were pinned above his head in an instant, with Donghan being careful to control how much pressure he applied to them. One wrong move and he could snap them quicker than he could blink.

Greys eyes sparkled with excitement.

“It’s so hard to fucking threaten you when you’re such a kinky little shit. You’re a nightmare.” Donghan groaned.

Grey giggled. The sound made Donghans heart squeeze.

“And you’re a wet dream. Do I have to ask nicely? What about if I called you Sir? Would that turn you on? Please fuck me Sir.” Grey waggled his eyebrows suggestively and giggled again when Donghans face crumpled in disgust.

“Do I look like a fucking _Sir_ to you?” Donghan asked with a scoff.

“It doesn’t matter whether you look like a ‘fucking Sir’ or not, because there’s no fucking going on whatsoever, which is basically against my religion. So please for the love of all things unholy, rip our underwear off and take me. You can have me however you want, as long as you’re naked within the next ten seconds. The math behind it isn’t hard. Your giant dick plus my sexy ass equals mind-blowing sex, always. So, get to it _Sir._ ”

The sound of tearing fabric filled the room alongside Donghans snarl of annoyance. “Tell me what to do one more fucking time and I’ll-”

“Fuck me till I can’t walk?” Grey asked hopefully, eyes full of fake innocence.

Donghan just shook his head in disbelief. Grey really was a handful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dongreyyyyy. Cuties.
> 
> The 'twins' were given up because they were males. Their birth parents are dead. They had other parents when they were younger but they were taken from them too. Their birth mother was the head of a giant tribe and their sister was classed as the 'runt of the tribe'. I think that's everything?
> 
> Also, Aera removed all of Donghans demon burns so now baby boy is going to be more confident with his body yayyy.  
> The fact Donghan went straight to see Grey being all excited and happy is so uwu. Dongie used to be so cold hearted its crazy how much he's changed after meeting Myungjun.  
> ~~~  
> I wasn't planning on uploading today but I needed the distraction after the heartbreaking news of Wonhos departure from Monsta X. He wasn't my Monsta X bias but I still included him, alongside Hyungwon, in my fic because I love them both dearly. Its a shame this happened so unexpectedly, especially right after Woojins departure from Stray Kids and Hwalls departure from The Boyz but I hope they all succeed in their future careers.  
> I hope this chapter helped distract those of you who are upset by the news too. xo


	261. Did Baby Just...Gender?

Myungjun wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, grimacing when he remembered that it was covered in soil. He sighed as he thought about how dirty he must look.

That morning he’d dressed for a different kind of day. Jinwoo was busy in the library, writing notes to all of the apothecaries in Voredan on behalf of Myungjun, to set up some kind of business deal with Myungjuns herbs. Jinwoo had told him that he would take care of the note sending as long as Myungjun went to meet his potential business partners himself. Myungjun had gladly accepted and spent the morning making himself look presentable.

But then Jinwoo, damn Jinwoo, had reminded Myungjun of the exotic plant seeds that Myungjun had purchased from the vine covered tent in Zepheholde. And naturally, Myungjun had been unable to resist the call of his greenhouse. He’d rushed straight outside to plant them.

And now he was covered in soil and dripping with sweat. Brilliant.

_I complain to Dongie all the time about how impulsive he is, but I’m no better._

Myungjun sighed again, in exasperation with himself more than anything else and struggled to his feet with a pained groan. He’d been kneeling on the hard ground for much too long and his legs were protesting.

_Just one more seed and then I’m done._

The end was so close and Myungjun was vibrating with excitement. The quicker he was done, the quicker his plants would start to grow. That’s what he told himself for motivational purposes at least.

Then a sound reached Myungjuns ears that made him pause. He’d left the door to his greenhouse propped open to allow in the weak breeze of the hot day in an attempt to keep cool. It hadn’t helped much.

Myungjun hurried over to the door and stuck his head outside trying to hear it better. The sound was coming from out in the fields beyond the hedgerow that surrounded their back garden. It sounded like Baby was…choking?

Myungjun rushed over to the six-foot metal gate at the bottom of their garden and yanked it open. The sight he was met with made his heart seize up with fear. Just beyond the paddocks, in one of the lush green fields, a giant shape writhed on the floor.

“JINJIN!” Myungjun screamed at the top of his lungs, hoping his fiancé would hear him from inside the house.

Myungjun took off sprinting towards the dragon, and even at a distance, could see its bright red eyes flashing in distress. The noises coming out of Baby’s throat pushed Myungjun faster. He didn’t know what was happening, but he knew he had to do everything in his power to help.

Myungjun barely registered Jinwoo calling his name behind him. He was focused only on the sprint, his legs burning with the effort.

Then the dragon went limp.

“WHAT’S HAPPENING TO MY BABY?” Myungjun screamed, finally reaching the unmoving beast and dropping down beside its head. 

Tears streamed down his face in warm, salty rivers as he reached out a shaky hand to touch it. The dragon didn’t appear to be breathing and the worst possible scenario bounced around in Myungjuns head.

_My Baby is dead._

“Junnie? What’s going on?” Jinwoo asked worriedly as he dropped down to his knees beside him. “Is Baby okay? Why isn’t it…” Jinwoo trailed off, the horror evident on his face as he looked it over. “No.” He said weakly. “This can’t be-”

Myungjuns shout of surprise cut Jinwoo off as the dragon’s eyes snapped open again. Baby lifted its head off the floor and tilted it in confusion as it looked between them. It leaned in and blew smoke in Myungjuns face, a sign of comfort, obviously noticing his tears. The smoke was hotter than Myungjun ever remembered it being. 

Jinwoo quickly pulled Myungjun to his feet. “Move Junnie. I think Baby wants to blow its first flame. I can sense fire.” 

Myungjun moved quickly out of the way and watched in anticipation as Baby struggled back to its feet before choking again. A total of three clouds of smoke escaped its mouth before a tiny flame burst free. It was bright red and Myungjun squealed in excitement, his previous fear long forgotten. 

“JinJin look! Baby finally did it!” He cried happily.

Baby had been a slow developer. Wrath and Arvioth could already breathe fire and had been doing it for months, and now Baby had finally caught up too. 

However, the next thing out of the dragon’s mouth made both him and Jinwoo freeze. The roar was deeper in tone than it had ever been before. 

“No way.” Jinwoo whispered in disbelief. “Did Baby just…gender?” 

“I think so.” Myungjun choked out feeling completely stunned. “JinJin we have a baby boy.” 

*

Myungjun stood in the pit later that day, watching the most bizarre exchange between the twins that he had ever witnessed. They were both standing facing each other thirty feet apart with their dragons close behind them. Donghan had his arms spread wide in a protective gesture in front of Wrath and was glaring at Arvioth with a scowl. 

“You keep away from my daughter!” Donghan raged. “She’s too young to have children!” 

“ _She_ was the one who came onto _him_!” Gikwang raged back. “Showing off her chest like that! She obviously hasn’t been raised properly! What next? Is she going to show Baby her _tail_?” 

Donghan made a noise of pure disbelief. “How dare you! She’s better than that! The only reason she was showing Arvioth her chest was to warn him off! He tried to creep into her nest! Now take back what you said and apologise to my daughter!” 

Myungjun exchanged a perplexed look with Baby. What the hell had they just walked into? 

Wrath huffed out a plume of smoke at Donghans back and stomped past him, ruffling her wings as she approached Arvioth. 

“Get back here at once young lady!” Donghan bellowed, running after her and grabbing onto her leg, pulling her to a stop. She kicked him away and carried on. “Touch him and you’re grounded! I mean it!” Donghan continued to shout as he struggled to his feet. 

If dragons could roll their eyes, Myungjun was sure Wrath would have done so right there and then. He could just sense it. Also, did Donghan really just threaten to ground his dragon? Myungjun could barely contain the laugh he wanted to let out at how ridiculous it was.

“I _told_ you it was her fault!” Gikwang huffed as he watched the two dragons fly off to the nests, curling up together in one like they always did. 

Myungjun just sighed as the twins continued to bicker and sent Baby off to join its siblings. 

“NO!” Donghan shouted when he saw the smaller dragon approach the nest. “I’m not having two boys near her! They’ll take advantage of her!” 

Now it was Myungjuns turn to get angry. “My Baby wouldn’t do anything of the sort! He’s an _angel_. You leave him out of this! He just wants to cuddle with them like they always do Donghan! Now both of you stop being so ridiculous. Just because they’ve gendered doesn’t mean they’re going to go off having threesomes and making babies.” 

Donghan turned to look at him in surprise. “How the fuck do you know what a threesome is?” 

Myungjun grimaced. “Grey.” He didn’t need to say anymore. 

Donghan just sighed and shook his head. “I should have known.” 

*

Out of the five apothecaries in Voredan, four wrote back to Myungjun that very day and offered to meet with him to discuss the purchase of his herbs. Myungjun was so excited about the prospect of a steady income. He and Jinwoo had to rely on the appearance of good requests at the guild to make coin and sometimes they went weeks without finding anything worth taking.

But even then, it wasn’t like they went without. They had a good amount of savings to fall back on when needed and had finally finished furnishing their farmhouse to their desired tastes. They had clothes on their backs, food in their cupboards and a bed to sleep on. Myungjun knew there were other people out there who were a lot worse off than he was, but he still longed for a steadier income that would continue to slowly increase their savings for their inevitable retirement. 

As Jinwoo predicted, all four of the apothecary owners that Myungjun met with wanted to work with him. Jinwoo told him they would, he was the Dragons Knights son after all, and people would no doubt love to get their hands on anything he produced. 

Myungjun was grateful that his father’s name had yet again helped him out, but a part of him was now starting to get tired of it. He was his own person. He was more than just the ‘Dragon Knights son’.

Myungjun said as much to Jinwoo when they were both cuddled up in bed that night and Jinwoo just smiled at him softly as he stroked Myungjuns cheek.

“You ARE more than your father’s son. If it’s really starting to bother you, why don’t you make a new name for yourself?”

Myungjuns face lit up at the thought. “A new name? Like what?”

Jinwoo was quiet for a few minutes, looking deep in thought before he shouted in excitement. He was apologising soon after when he realised just how much that shout had startled Myungjun who had been getting lulled to sleep by the comforting warmth of Jinwoos skin that was radiating through his pyjamas.

“I’ve got it Junnie! This name would suit you well AND keep you connected to your father.”

Myungjun eyes widened and he clutched Jinwoo tight. “What? Tell me Jinwoo. I can’t wait another second.”

Jinwoo grinned at his impatient attitude. “Okay I won’t make you wait any longer…Kim Myungjun, the Flower Knight.”

“The…Flower Knight?” Myungjun let the name roll over his tongue and was awed by how much he liked it. “Wow JinJin it really is perfect!” Jinwoo hummed happily and pulled Myungjun back up to his chest. “But JinJin…how will I get other people to start calling me that? What if people are too used to calling me the Dragon Knights son? It will be embarrassing if it doesn’t catch on.”

“People will like it I’m sure. We can start by telling our friends and your father. Then we can announce it at the guild and get everyone to call you that if they discuss you outside of the guild. Maybe even get your father to make an official announcement, and if that _still_ doesn’t get people’s attention, you could always ask Leo to send out an announcement too. I’m sure he’ll do it. If he’s regularly meeting with Ravi and Hakyeon again, I’m sure he’s in a good mood.”

Myungjun smiled at the thought of his Hyung being happy again. In his mind, he was already making plans to see Leo, but his mouth focused on the main conversation. 

“I could always use that name out on requests too, to inform people further out. I really want to be known as my own person JinJin. I love being known as my father’s son, but I want people to like me for who I am and the ‘Flower Knight’ is definitely me. Thank you for being the smartest Fiancé ever.”

Jinwoo laughed and tilted Myungjuns face up to look at him properly. “I like it when you…” Jinwoo froze, his mouth hanging open. A strangled noise slipped out of it and Myungjun sat up startled.

“Jinwoo? Jinwoo?” He asked frantically. First Baby this morning, and now Jinwoo. Myungjun was sure he’d go bald with stress at this rate. “Jinwoo what’s wrong? You’re not going to breathe fire too are you?”

Jinwoo sat up so fast their heads nearly collided and Myungjun was taken by surprise upon seeing how wet Jinwoos eyes were. Jinwoo was smiling bright and wide.

“Junnie.” Jinwoo choked out. “Sanha and Rocky Jr are back.”

“I know…” Myungjun replied confused. Was the fact that they were really back just hitting Jinwoo now?

“No, you don’t understand! They’re _back_. They’re really back!”

“I _do_ understand Jinwoo and-”

“Let me finish.” Jinwoo interrupted, cupping Myungjuns face in his hands and smiling impossibly wider. “Why didn’t we get married?”

Myungjun frowned as he thought about it. “Because Sanha and Ro…” The realisation hit Myungjun hard and he faltered to a stop. “They’re back.”

“Exactly!” Jinwoo cried happily. “Sunshine we can get married! Everyone is here!”

They both made noises of pure joy before Jinwoo yanked Myungjuns face forwards to kiss him, flooding Myungjun with the love he felt for him. It was overwhelming and Myungjuns petals were soon raining down above them.

He couldn’t believe it. He could finally marry the love of his life. All of the people he cared about would finally be able to attend. It was a dream come true.

Myungjun broke the kiss with a squeal of excitement. “Oh JinJin I can’t wait! I want to get married right now!”

Jinwoo laughed and pushed Myungjun down against the mattress to climb on top of him. “We can’t get married _right_ now silly. We need to plan it first, and get the coin together, and order our ceremonial robes, and-”

“Stop talking and kiss me again.” Myungjun interrupted breathlessly. The pure euphoria he was feeling, plus Jinwoo pushing him down and climbing on top of him, plus Jinwoos perfect lips forming words inches from Myungjuns face, was a combination that had distracted him completely. “I need you JinJin. Right now.”

Jinwoos lips were on his without hesitation, with a ferocity that told Myungjun they wouldn’t be getting much sleep tonight. Not that he minded at all of course.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MYUNGJIN WEDDING.
> 
> DRAGONS GENDERING.  
> (Baby=Male. Wrath=Female. Arvioth=Male)
> 
> THE FLOWER KNIGHT. UWWWWWWU
> 
> Donghan being a protective father and going completely overboard calling Wrath a young lady and threatening to ground her if she goes near other boys has me DYING.
> 
> “Showing off her chest like that! She obviously hasn’t been raised properly! What next? Is she going to show Baby her /tail/?” GIKWANGGGGG wtfsskdj xd


	262. Hallow's Eve (Myungjun POV).

After Sanha had run away from home, the time had seemed to slow down considerably. Seconds turned into minutes, minutes turned into hours and each day had felt like an entire week had passed.

But now that Sanha was back, the months flew by for Myungjun. Time rushed past like water in a stream. Sanha moved back in with their mother, looked happier every day, and spent all of Rockys free time glued to his side. Myungjun was ecstatic to see them together. With Rocky Jr in the picture they really did look like a family and it was easy to discern that they were a family that was always meant to be together. Rocky Jr made them both happier, Rocky helped Sanha to heal and forget about Cain and Sanhas presence alone was enough for Rocky and their little one. 

However, despite how much progress they were making with Sanha, Myungjun could see that Sanha was beginning to struggle. He was beginning to struggle with the other half of himself. Myungjun could understand fully how hard it must be for him to keep his demonic side under wraps. Myungjun himself had to hide his own power continuously and he knew how much of a suffocating pain it could be. The need to just let it all out sometimes drove him to the brink of insanity. So, to see the same strained look in Sanhas eyes every so often was hard.

At least at Enhex, Sanha had been able to shift whenever he wished. At Dragon Blades he couldn’t do that. Only their closest friends and Myungjuns parents knew about Sanhas demon form. Myungjuns father had advised against letting anyone else know, not because he didn’t trust the other members of their guild, because they were like one big family after all, but because it was already risky enough having Sanha there. One slip up could alert the magic counsel who would no doubt bear down on Sanha harshly. Having dark magic was one thing but carrying an actual demonic entity inside was another thing entirely.

Myungjun knew that Sanha had already made plans to return to Enhex after Christmas, but he still wanted to do _more_ for their maknae, to remind him that Dragon Blades truly was his home still too.

Which is why, when Hallows Eve arrived, Myungjun found himself up on the fifth floor of the guild, attaching a pair of demon wings to his back and blinking against the irritating feeling of the solid black contact lenses he was wearing. 

He’d had a brilliant idea the month before. If all of his friends dressed up as demons, then Sanha would be able to spend the whole night in his other form without raising any unnecessary suspicions. He would blend in better in a group of demons than he would by himself.

When Myungjun had told Sanha of the plan, Sanha had cried and thanked him for the thoughtful idea. Their cute youngest had been so excited the entire week leading up to the Hallows Eve party and Myungjun was relieved to see that the strained look in his eyes had lessened in intensity.

Sanha had also spent time helping Myungjun make everyone’s costumes. Myungjun had been happy to make them for all of their friends as he hadn’t needed to make any new costumes in what felt like forever. He’d been shocked to realise that the last Hallows Eve party he had attended had been at the academy around five years ago. He missed the creativity and excitement of the entire process.

This would be his first Hallows Eve party at the guild too and he was feeling extra excited at the thought of being able to drink freely without having to sneak off to any storage rooms to hide from the authority figures.

Myungjun sighed happily when he looked at his appearance in the mirror. He really looked like a demon and even though he would have never imagined himself to have thought such a thing; he was immensely comforted by the sight in front of him. The reflection staring back in the mirror would allow Sanha to walk freely, to be himself, to let off some much-needed steam. Myungjun was more than happy to be a demon for the night.

He was even happier at the thought of Jinwoo seeing his outfit. Myungjun had finally decided to brave it, to show off more skin than usual. His outfit was inspired by the attire he had first seen Lex in at the Gravecrawlers guild, mixed with the devilish outfit Seokjin had worn to one of the Hallows Eve parties at the academy. Both Lex and Seokjin hadn’t been wearing much and at first Myungjun had been slightly nauseated with nerves at the thought of the outfit he was going to create, but once it was on his body, he knew it had been worth it. 

Jinwoo had mentioned once or twice how much he had liked seeing Myungjun with his stomach exposed and Myungjun had taken that into consideration with this outfit. He wanted to surprise Jinwoo, to catch him off guard, much like he had done with the silk robe Grey had purchased for him for his birthday. He wanted for Jinwoo to look upon him with that level of desire again. It had been intoxicating.

Myungjuns outfit was simple, in the hopes of drawing more of Jinwoos attention to his exposed skin. The silky, black, cropped top was sleeveless and brushed against the bottom of his ribcage with a fluidity that felt like water. Myungjun had replaced each sleeve with three dark purple ribbons, the exact colour of his wings, that he wrapped around each arm creating a pretty pattern against his skin. The ribbons tied off at his wrists and were covered by black spiked bracelets that Rocky had helped to make from metal. 

By far the most daring part of Myungjuns outfit were his shorts. They were the shortest shorts he owned and exposed the entirety of his soft thighs, a sight he knew would drive Jinwoo mad. But what would no doubt drive Jinwoo madder, were the fishnet tights Grey had insisted Myungjun borrow to wear. Myungjun _adored_ them and touched them gently with a grin before looking up to deal with his hair.

His hair was always the easiest part of any outfit, so he’d left it until last. Luckily, he already had the perfect style in mind. He hadn’t done buns in a long time so the desire to tie his hair up in such a way again was too much to resist. The colouring of his hair was easy to choose too. Pitch black with dark purple highlights. The two colours mixed well.

“Sunshine can I come in yet? I’m dying to see.” Jinwoo called impatiently from outside the door. “You didn’t even let me see you make your outfit! What’s taking so long?”

Myungjun couldn’t blame Jinwoo for being impatient. He’d banned Jinwoo from seeing the creation process and banned Sanha from giving him any hints either. He knew it was unfair to Jinwoo. Myungjun had made Jinwoos outfit too so he already knew how amazing Jinwoo would look with his perfect arms on display and his muscular legs clad in his tight leather trousers. But even knowing how he would look, Jinwoo was sure to leave him breathless.

Myungjun giggled happily at the thought and gave his make-up a quick once over. Dark eyeliner to match his pitch-black eyes and for the first time ever, coal black lips. Myungjun was sure he’d never looked more sinister and the thought alone sent a shiver of anticipation up his spine.

“Go down and get us some drinks. I’ll meet you there.” Myungjun called back. He knew that was the safest option. If Jinwoo came in now, then Myungjun was sure they wouldn’t be able to leave the room. They’d miss the party all together and the outfits he’d spent so long creating and perfecting wouldn’t be seen by anyone else. It would be too much of a waste. 

“Fine. Just hurry sunshine. I need to see you.”

Myungjun waited until he heard Jinwoos retreating footsteps before approaching the door and sticking his head out. Jinwoos mop of freshly dyed black hair disappeared from view and Myungjun sighed in relief before rushing over to the room opposite and barging in.

Moonbin had Dongmin pressed up against the wall and was kissing him so passionately Myungjun couldn’t help the squeal of embarrassment he let out before slamming the door shut again.

“Sorry!” He called through the wood, hearing nothing but muffled laughter from the married pair in return. He shook his head, trying to clear the image of Moonbins wandering hands from his mind and went to find someone else to go downstairs with. And this time, he knocked before entering. “JaeJae? Seokkie? ‘wonnie? Are you guys ready?”

A loud crash and a pained shout sounded from inside the room, followed by an invitation to enter. Myungjun opened the door quickly, worried about what he’d heard, only to be met with the sight of a red faced Youngjae with a bent wing being helped to his feet by Hoseok.

“I _told_ you not to pre-drink!” Hyungwon sighed exasperatedly as he put his last contact lens in. He turned away from the mirror to look at Myungjun and his pitch-black eyes widened slightly. “Wow Junnie you look…”

“ _Hot_.” Youngjae interjected with a wonky grin. He stumbled over to Myungjun and flung himself into his arms. “ _Junnie_ I’m _injured_.” Youngjae whined. “Look. My wing. I can’t fly anymore!”

Myungjun could smell the strong scent of alcohol on his breath and grimaced. “I’ll fix it JaeJae but first you need to let me go before you damage _my_ wings. And you also need to tell me how much you’ve drunk. A lot by the looks of it.”

Youngjae let go and turned around so Myungjun could assess the damage to his costume. “I had…five? No. Six glasses of moonshine.”

Myungjun shot a horrified look at Hyungwon and Hoseok who were shaking their heads looking disappointed. “JaeJae that’s insane! No more alcohol for you.”

“That’s fine.” Youngjae muttered weakly. “I feel kind of…”

“Oh no. He’s gunna puke. Get him to the bathroom!” Hyungwon commanded as Hoseok rushed forwards to drag their drunk friend away.

“Go down without me. I’ll get him to bed and come down.” Hoseok called over his shoulder before they disappeared.

“That kid is a nightmare.” Hyungwon sighed before walking over and offering Myungjun his arm. “Let’s go Junnie. Time to wow your fiancé.”

Myungjun squealed excitedly as they left the room and near enough yanked Hyungwons arm out of its socket in his impatience to see his handsome man’s reaction to his outfit. They were down in the tavern in less than a minute and Myungjun scanned the crowd of dancing bodies that were already getting sweaty on the dancefloor.

The party had been in full swing for a while now. Myungjun had heard the music from all the way up on the fifth floor when he’d first started getting dressed, so he wasn’t at all surprised to see that some of his guild members were already as drunk as Youngjae appeared to be.

He received a lot of compliments for his outfit as he walked past but he only had one goal in mind. He spotted said goal leaning against the bar and sipping on a gruesome looking drink, perfect for the night’s celebrations. Jinwoo was talking to Myungjuns fellow healer Grace, who was soaked in fake blood.

“I’ll distract her and send Jinwoo your way.” Hyungwon leaned down to shout in his ear, only just audible over the music.

Myungjun mouthed a thank you, feeling grateful towards his helpful Hyung and watched him walk over to his fiancé. They exchanged a few words and Jinwoo looked over in the direction Hyungwon was pointing. His eyes met Myungjuns and Myungjun couldn’t help but giggle at the look on Jinwoos face. It was exactly how he’d pictured it.

Hyungwon winked Myungjuns way and pushed Jinwoo towards him. Jinwoo walked slowly, almost in a trance and when Myungjun saw the entirety of Jinwoos outfit, he was left breathless like he’d expected. Jinwoo looked _incredible_ , his beautiful body showcased in the best way possible. He suited the darker, demonic look a lot more then Myungjun was expecting.

When Jinwoo reached him he just stared. Jinwoo stared and stared and stared. Even when Myungjun waved a hand in front of his face he didn’t move anything other than his eyes. Up and down, up and down, up and down. Myungjuns skin was tingling.

Myungjun jolted in surprise when Jinwoos voice cut through his mind.

*It’s too loud in here to talk. You look…* Jinwoo trailed off, biting his lip.

Myungjun smiled up at him shyly. *Do you like it?* Myungjun gave him a twirl, hyperaware of how good he looked from behind too.

Jinwoos lips were parted and he had a dazed look in his eyes when Myungjun turned back around. Myungjun was glad Jinwoo had refused to wear the black lenses like the rest of them because he wouldn’t have wanted to miss that look.

Myungjun could see that Jinwoo wasn’t going to be moving anytime soon without help so he took the initiative and closed the distance between them, wrapping his arms around Jinwoos neck and standing up on his tiptoes to kiss him gently.

Myungjun counted the seconds it took for Jinwoo to respond. Seven. Seven whole seconds before his arms clamped down around Myungjuns waist, pulling him closer and crushing their bodies together. The leather of Jinwoos trousers rubbed against Myungjuns thighs making him shiver and he could feel the vibrations against his lips as Jinwoo groaned.

*Upstairs. Now*

Myungjun grinned into the kiss. *Control yourself JinJin. We have the entire night to-*

*Even the entire night wouldn’t be long enough for all of the things I want to do to you* Jinwoo pulled away to look down at him with a frown, eyes dark and intense. He seemed almost annoyed. *How do you expect me to control myself? You did all of this on purpose. Your stomach, your thighs, those damn fishnets, your _lips_ * Jinwoo closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. Myungjun could feel the heat rolling off of Jinwoos skin. *I’ve never been teased so much in my entire life Kim Myungjun. And I’m wearing the tightest trousers known to man. Do you even understand how painfully turned on I am right now?*

Myungjun tried his hardest to contain his laughter. He liked being a tease. He liked being a tease a lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of Sanhas friends dressing up as demons for him, to allow him to let go and be himself for the night, is heart-warming. But that also means Socky are matching ;-; AND Rocky Jr even got his own tiny pair of demon wings to wear. I can imagine him flapping them and getting excited to match with his Ddana uwu
> 
> Myungjun with his body confidence though? Yes King you flaunt it for your fiancé.
> 
> As the title of this chap stated, this was Junnies POV for part of Hallows Eve. The next chap is a POV from Rocky and the last in this mini Hallows Eve instalment will be a POV from Grey! Ahhh I don't think I've ever done a POV for Rocky or Grey before?? I can't remember as per usual ~.~


	263. Hallow's Eve (Minhyuk POV).

**Minhyuk**

Minhyuk sighed into his drink. The fake eyeball floating in the putrid green coloured liquid turned to look up at him. That was the most attention he’d gotten all night. Rocky Jr was currently dozing off on his lap, already tired out by the night’s events and Sanha was no-where to be seen. 

Sanha was supposed to be his date to this stupid party yet he’d disappeared hours ago, pulled away by other people who wanted to speak with him and compliment him on his ‘outfit’. Minhyuk had tried his best to find him, asking people if they had seen him, searching the guild high and low but Sanha always managed to somehow evade him. Whether it was on purpose or not Minhyuk didn’t know. He hoped not.

He turned away from his drink to look through the crowd again. Dragon Blades wasn’t a big guild, but the members had invited other guests of their own, so the place was packed. Minhyuk spotted Grey and Donghan sneaking off upstairs and rolled his eyes. They were so obvious.

Minhyuk continued to people watch and was momentarily distracted a while later by Myungjun and Gikwang rushing up the stairs with matching looks of worry. Minhyuk frowned, getting ready to follow them to see what was wrong, but then he saw him.

Sanha danced his way out of the crowd, his demonic abilities making his movements more fluid and graceful. The song currently playing was fast, up tempo, but Sanha was dancing slowly, hips swaying. Minhyuk swallowed. _Seductive_ was the word that came to mind. He knew that Sanhas monstrous ex had taught him a lot about the art of seduction and Sanha was clearly putting those skills to good use now. 

However, there was one clear difference between them. When Sanhas eyes moved in Minhyuks direction, there was no trick needed to pull Minhyuk in. Sanha himself was enough. Minhyuk felt his heart pick up speed in his chest as Sanha swung his hips around, a small smirk flashed Minhyuks way.

“Papa?” Rocky Jrs voice cut through the spell and Minhyuk looked down at his son, instantly feeling his heart swell with love. His heart reacted that way every time he saw his little rock or heard his cute voice. 

That was one thing Minhyuk had always found strange. Everyone told him that when Rocky Jr spoke, his voice was gravelly with deep undertones. But what Minhyuk heard was completely different. Rocky Jrs voice was soft, sweet, like how Minhyuk would imagine he sounded when he himself was a young boy. He had missed his sons cute voice a lot. Minhyuk had spent the longest time away from Rocky Jr when he couldn’t animate him, and it had torn his heart to pieces.

Even when Minhyuk had started to feel a bit better when he’d gotten himself a boyfriend who loved him and cared for him, even then he hadn’t been able to animate his son. Not because he couldn’t concentrate on it anymore, but because Rocky Jr hadn’t _wanted_ to be animated. 

Minhyuk had only been successful once, on a night he was curled up in bed with the man he was using to get over Sanha. Minhyuk was warm, content, and felt ready to bring his son back for the first time in months. He’d pulled out of the arms encircling him and crossed the room to get the original rock. A few seconds later and he was watching it animate, a cry of joy slipping from his lips.

Rocky Jr had stood in front of him, lips pulled down. “Where’s Ddana?” He’d asked. “Who’s that man?”

“Ddanas not here he-”

Rocky Jr had disappeared with a sob, not to reanimate again not matter how hard Minhyuk tried. It had been heart-breaking.

But now he was back thanks to Sanha and Minhyuk couldn’t be happier.

He looked upon his son now with adoration in his eyes. He looked so cute in the tiny dark purple demon wings Myungjun had made for him. “Yes?”

“Are you okay?” Rocky Jr asked, the concern evident in his voice. A stony fist reached up to pat Minhyuks chest. “Your heart papa, its beating really fast. Is Ddana here now?”

Minhyuk smiled and nodded. “He is but he’s in no condition to see you right now. Will you go and sit with your grandmother for me? She’s over there.” Minhyuk pointed to the table Myungjuns mother was sitting at.

Rocky Jr pouted but nodded and jumped off Minhyuks lap. He rushed over to the woman who looked overjoyed at his arrival. Minhyuk knew Rocky Jr was in safe hands now and turned back to Sanha. Except Sanha had disappeared again.

Minhyuk growled feeling irritated and downed the rest of his drink before setting the empty glass on the bar and getting up to look for him. He weaved through the sweaty bodies and searched every inch of the tavern, the tavern toilets, and even stuck his head outside to look for him. Nothing.

Then suddenly his feet left the ground and the world around him blurred. Minhyuks back hit something soft and he looked around, stunned and disoriented, to see that they were in one of the rooms upstairs. It hadn’t been more than a few seconds since he’d felt the cool night air on his face. He knew he’d never really get used to Sanhas speed whilst he was in demon form.

Sanha was sitting on top of him with the same smirk he had worn on the dancefloor. He oozed seduction as he shifted back to human, his eyes sparkling with mischief when they were clear.

“I missed you.” Sanha sighed as his hands slipped up Minhyuks top.

Minhyuk scowled, trying to ignore how good Sanhas hands felt against his skin, and trying to remember that he was supposed to be feeling annoyed. “Yeah because you’ve been avoiding me all night!”

“Don’t sulk.” Sanha giggled. His fingertips danced along Minhyuks ribs. “I’m here now aren’t I?”

“Well where have you been?”

“Around.” Sanha answered vaguely. “But then I saw you sulking by the bar and decided to cheer you up. Did you like my dancing?” Images of Sanhas swaying hips filled Minhyuks mind and he felt his heart rate pick up speed again. Sanhas hand settled atop Minhyuks chest and he grinned. “You did enjoy it. Good. I could see it in your eyes anyway.” Sanha lowered his voice as he leaned down to trail the tip of his tongue up Minhyuks neck, finishing at his ear and setting Minhyuks nerves on fire. “You want me.” Sanha continued breathily. “I know you do. I can feel your lust every time you look at me. Especially when we lay together at night.” Sanha pulled back to look at him, licking his lips. Minhyuk couldn’t form a single coherent thought, let alone an actual response. He could do nothing more than stare at the young man above him. “Why haven’t you taken what’s yours yet?” Sanha asked, his lips brushing over Minhyuks own. “Why haven’t you taken me?”

“You’re not mine.” Minhyuk managed to get out through the fogginess in his mind. “I can’t just ‘take’ you. It doesn’t work like that.”

“Yes it does. If you want me, you take me. I want whatever you want. It’s always been like that.” 

The tone of Sanhas voice helped clear Minhyuks mind. It didn’t sound right somehow. And when Minhyuks mind was finally clear, he could smell the alcohol on Sanhas breath.

_Is he drunk?_

“Sanha it doesn’t work like that either. Just because I want something, doesn’t mean you have to want it too. I know you don’t want me in the way I want you and I’m okay with that right now.”

“You’re lying.” Sanha suddenly hissed, his hands appearing around Minhyuks wrists to pin them down against the mattress. “Even when I didn’t want it you made me do it anyway. You told me that I wanted it. And I do. I do want you. I always want you Cain. Because you’re the only one I can trust right? You’re the only one who can love a monster like me.”

Minhyuks heart clenched painfully in his chest when the tears spilled out of Sanhas eyes. He could see it now, how dazed Sanha looked. He wasn’t seeing Minhyuk who was right in front of him. He was seeing Cain. Minhyuk didn’t have a clue how to handle this situation. 

“You’re not a monster.” He replied softly.

“I am.” Sanha insisted, his eyes turning black. “You told me I’m a monster. You told me no-one else will love me. That whoever claims to love me will only be lying to me because only YOU can love me. Everyone else just wants to take advantage of me. They just want to rape me. Don’t let them Cain. Not again. I can’t…” Sanha choked on a sob, his claws suddenly appearing and slicing through Minhyuks wrists. Minhyuk involuntarily cried out at the pain and in half a second Sanhas weight disappeared off of him and landed at the end of the bed. “I’m sorry!” Sanha cried, sounding utterly terrified. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to hurt you! Please I promise. It was a mistake. You have to believe me. Please don’t hurt me!”

Minhyuk sat up to see Sanha curled up in a fetal position, trembling at the end of the bed with his hands over his head, trying to protect himself. Minhyuk felt sick looking at him. What had Cain done to him to make him this way? Sanha never spoke in depth about the abuse he received but it had clearly been terrible to make him react in such a manner.

Sanha was speaking again before Minhyuk could reply. “I’m sorry. I was bad. You need to punish me.” Sanha was sitting up in the blink of an eye, eyes desperate. “The evil demon inside of me did it. Punish me to make me good again. I don’t want to be bad. Please Cain. You love me don’t you? You only hurt me because you love me. The more you hurt me, the more you love me. Do it. I want it. You told me I wanted it. That I needed it. I need it. I need you.” Sanha started crying, loud broken sobs that tore at the pieces of Minhyuks already shattered heart. “I need you, but I sent you away. You’re trapped because of me. I’m so _sorry_. You didn’t deserve that. _I_ deserved it. You’re alone because of me. But you’re strong. Stronger than they know. You’ll get out. Fight it Cain. Fight for me. Fight for _us_. Fight…fight…don’t…” Sanha started to trail off, a frown forming on his face. “Don’t fight me. Don’t…don’t hurt me. Why did you hurt me? Why did you do that? Why did you do this to me and then _leave_ me? WHY?” Sanhas anger flared and he lunged at Minhyuk with a growl, pinning him back down against the mattress with a clawed hand around his throat. “You don’t love me. If you loved me, you wouldn’t hurt me. Because you hurt others. Does that mean you love them too? Did I mean _nothing_ to you? ANSWER ME!” 

Minhyuk choked against the hand crushing his airway. “Ddana…Ddana it’s me. Hyukkie. Stop. Please.” The hand immediately relaxed and Minhyuk sucked in the air he needed. “Ddana it’s me. You’re safe. I won’t hurt you.” Minhyuk wheezed. “Look at me Ddana. Focus on my voice.”

Sanha blinked a few times, his normal eyes returning as he shifted back. “Hyukkie?” He sounded confused. “Hyukkie what’s going on? Why am I…why are you…” Realisation dawned on his face. It quickly settled into an expression of horror. “Oh no. What have I done? You’re _bleeding_! Your neck! Oh Hyukkie I’m so _sorry_.”

Sanha started to cry again but Minhyuk felt nothing but relief. He wrapped his arms around the younger boy and pulled him back down for a cuddle. “Shhh. Don’t be upset. You had too much to drink that’s all. It’s not a crime. I’m fine Ddana truly. I’m not hurt.”

“You are!” Sanha cried, trying to pull away. “I’m a monster Hyukkie. I told you! I can’t stay here. I have to go back. Back to Enhex. It’s where I belong!”

Minhyuk didn’t let him go, he just held him tighter and shushed him softly until Sanha slowly started to calm down. “You’re not a monster but…I think you need help Sanha.” Minhyuk swallowed down the lump in his throat and blinked back the tears that burned in his eyes. “You’re not well. You thought I was him. Cain. That’s why you hurt me. You’re not a monster. You’re just hurt. Hurt by him. You said some terrible things and...”

“I need help?” Sanha asked quietly, his voice muffled against Minhyuks chest. Minhyuk loosened his hold to let Sanha look up at him. Sanha looked confused again. “I need help? Like…like the help Myungjun-hyung and Jinwoo-hyung had?”

Minhyuk nodded, wiping the wetness from Sanhas cheeks. “I think you need to see a therapist Ddana. I didn’t know what to say to you at all. I didn’t know how to help you. And I doubt anyone here can. The things that you believe…they’re wrong. Twisted. He’s messed with your mind Sanha.”

“I know.” Sanha replied quietly, looking away from Minhyuk and exuding sadness. “He’s ruined me. I know he has. I try to tell myself that everything he said was wrong but it’s so _hard_. You don’t understand. I…I trust him. I trust what he said to me even if I don’t want to. It makes no sense I know. But I can’t help it. It’s like he’s rewired my brain or something. I trust him and I miss him and it’s getting harder every day.” Sanha buried his face in Minhyuks chest again. “Make it stop Hyukkie. Turn the voices off.”

Minhyuk froze. _Voices?_ He knew Sanha heard the voice of the demon inside of him but he’d said voices. Plural.

“Ddana what voices?”

“I hear him Hyukkie. Cain. He wants me to save him. He’s begging me to.”

A cold shiver ripped up Minhyuks spine. Sanha could hear Cain? How? Was it just a voice made up in his subconscious or was it really the demon general himself? If so, how was that possible? Cain was trapped across the sea…wasn’t he?

*

Minhyuk woke up the next morning with a groan. His throat hurt like hell but when he flexed his wrists, he was surprised that he didn’t feel any pain in them. A quick look told him that they were completely healed.

“I had Myungjun-hyung come in and fix them last night after he helped Grey.” Sanhas voice cut through his sleep-addled brain.

Minhyuk looked over to see Sanha sitting on the edge of the bed as far away from him as possible. “After he helped Grey?”

“Yeah Grey was attacked last night. By Gikwang. It got messy apparently.” Sanha explained quietly, still not looking Minhyuks way. “Before you ask, we didn’t hear it because we weren’t up here at that point.”

Minhyuk frowned trying to make sense of what he was hearing. Grey was attacked by Gikwang? And it was before they came up here? The last Minhyuk had seen of them was Grey sneaking off with Donghan and being pursued a while later by a worried looking Gikwang and Myungjun. Why had they looked so worried? What led to Gikwang attacking him?

“Did Grey hurt Donghan or something?”

Sanha shrugged. “Dunno. Apparently, Hani saw Donghan storm out crying with Gikwang close behind. Gikwangs nose and wrist was broken.”

Minhyuk sighed. “This is too confusing to think about at this time of the morning. Let’s talk about something simpler, like why you’re sitting all the way over there and not cuddling with me? Do I stink or something?”

Sanhas lips quirked at the corners as he fought a smile. “You do a bit yeah. But I’m sitting here because I’m scared.” He admitted quietly. “I don’t want to hurt you again. I was going to leave last night, whilst you slept, but then I remembered the promise I made to you and Rocky Jr. I told you that I wouldn’t run away again. So, I didn’t. I stayed.”

Minhyuk sat up, feeling overwhelmed with emotion at the thought of Sanha keeping his promise to them despite being scared. He moved over the bed until he was sitting in front of Sanha properly.

“Thank you Ddana. Really. That means a lot.” Minhyuk reached out to take Sanhas hands. Sanha flinched but didn’t pull away. “You won’t hurt me. You were just in a bad state. But you feel better now right?”

Sanha finally looked up at him and gave him a small smile. “Yeah. I do. Because…because you’re here. I’m always better when I’m with you.”

Minhyuks heart skipped a beat. “Ddana I-”

Sanha leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Minhyuks cheek. When he pulled back, Minhyuk could see the pink colouring in his cheeks. “Thank you Hyukkie. Thank you for looking after me. I owe you a lot. Starting with getting some help. I’m going to take your advice and see a therapist. I might need your help too, but I’ll get better I promise. And then when I’m better, you need to keep the promise you made me. You’re going to help me open up my heart again and then…” Sanha swallowed, looking up at him from underneath his eyelashes. Young. Vulnerable. “Then maybe I can love you the way you love me.”

An indescribable feeling filled Minhyuks chest. Sanha wanted to get better. Sanha wanted his help. Sanha wanted to love him back. All he’d ever wanted was for Sanha to love him in return.

He smiled, reaching out to stroke Sanhas soft blonde hair. “Okay. Let’s start with therapy.” Sanha nodded eagerly in response, hope shining in his eyes. “Oh. Do you know where Rocky Jr is? I can sense him but he’s obviously not here with us.” Minhyuk asked.

“He’s downstairs in the tavern with Myungjun-hyung and Jinwoo-hyung. Apparently, mother was frantic with panic last night when he disappeared from her sight and she found him a while later squashed between the Hyungs in their bed.”

Minhyuk grinned. His son was so cute. “I’m glad he got cuddled last night. But speaking of cuddles…”

Sanha shrieked out a laugh as Minhyuk grabbed him around the waist and hauled him back onto the bed properly. The sound filled Minhyuk with joy. He loved hearing Sanha laugh. It was one of his favourite sounds.

“Hyukkie we can’t cuddle for too long. I want to look for a therapist today.”

Minhyuk was impressed with his enthusiasm but just cuddled closer, breathing in the crisp, light scent of Sanhas skin. “Cuddles are very therapeutic in case you weren’t aware. This can be your morning therapy from now on. Actually, this can be your morning AND nightly therapy from now on.”

Sanha giggled. “Sounds good to me…but let’s invite our son next time.”

_Our son. Sounds good too Ddana._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOCKYYYYYYYY *Hysterical screaming*
> 
> Rocky Jr calling Rocky 'papa' just killed me. FML WHY IS THAT LITTLE ROCK SO ADORABLE??????
> 
> I won't lie, trying to write 'Sanha' and 'Seductive' in the same sentence is so damn hard for me. He babie. But he also needs to be respected as a man so...
> 
> Drama brewing between Donghan, Gikwang and Grey?...hmmmm


	264. Hallow's Eve (Grey POV).

**Grey**

Grey rushed up the steps leading to the Dragon Blades tavern feeling giddy with excitement. It was Hallows Eve, he’d been given the night off as a surprise from Leo and he was about to pass on that surprise to the others. They weren’t expecting him at all, and he was desperate to see Donghans handsome face. And his gorgeous body of course.

The music was loud and vibrated through Greys bones as he entered the tavern and looked around. It was packed with people, many Grey didn’t recognise. But he recognised two of them immediately and grinned at what he was seeing.

Myungjun looked incredible in his skimpy outfit and cute buns, Greys favourite hair style on him. So it was no surprise that Jinwoo wasn’t able to keep his hands to himself. He had Myungjun pressed up against a wall, with one of Myungjuns legs hitched up around Jinwoos waist as he kneaded the soft, plush skin of Myungjuns thigh through his fishnets. The fishnets Grey had insisted Myungjun wear to finish off his outfit. Grey could see it had been worth it. If Myungjun wasn’t already engaged and head over heels with the love of his life, Grey probably would have made a move on him tonight himself.

Jinwoo too. Jinwoos own thighs looked sinful in his tight leather trousers. And the sight of his strong arms pinning Myungjun against the wall made Grey all the more eager to find Donghan. He needed some of the same treatment himself. 

He walked over to them, his grin widening when he realised just how drunk they were. Myungjun was shockingly innocent and always embarrassed about partaking in heavy physical contact with Jinwoo in front of their friends. So the fact that Myungjun was allowing Jinwoo to grind up against him and devour his lips like a starved man, out in the open for everyone to see, meant they were both hammered. Grey was never going to stop teasing Myungjun about this now.

Jinwoos lips moved down to Myungjuns neck as Grey approached and Myungjuns eyes fluttered open, free of the black contact lenses, to look at him. Myungjun had a dazed look in his eyes but he still focused on Grey more quickly than Grey had been expecting and all Myungjun did was smile, not looking embarrassed at all. Grey could feel the pure lust rolling off of the pair and it made his jaw clench. He needed Donghan. Right now.

“Grey. You’re here.” Myungjun sounded breathless. 

Jinwoos hips stilled immediately and he pulled away, clearly more sober than Myungjun was as he had the grace to blush and look embarrassed at being caught trying to grind his fiancé into the wall.

Grey laughed when Myungjun crashed into him a second later and Grey hugged him tight, smelling the alcohol on his breath. 

“Hey Junebug. You look like you’re having fun.”

Myungjun looked up with a blinding smile. “I am. Thank you for the fishnets. Jinwoo likes them.”

“I bet he does. I like them too. Your legs look incredible. I want to take a bite out of your thighs myself.” Grey winked down at him and laughed again when Myungjun was pulled out of his arms by his jealous looking fiancé.

“Back off Grey. I’m still sober enough to kick your ass.” Jinwoo growled, pulling Myungjun closer. Myungjun looked perfectly content in his arms. They could be so endearing sometimes.

Grey held his hands up in surrender. “Just kidding. Well, sort of. I mean I wouldn’t mind taking a bite out of _your_ thighs either Jinwoo.” Jinwoo blushed and shot him a scowl. Grey liked winding him up. “Anyway, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I just want to know if any of you have seen a tall, sexy, utterly delicious man walking around here? I need his attention.”

Jinwoo rolled his eyes when Myungjun giggled and said yes.

“Dongie is over by the bar. He’s not wearing a costume. He seems moody. Go cheer him up.”

“Oh I will.” Grey reassured him feeling confident that he’d have Donghan smiling by the end of the night. 

Grey turned to look through the crowd. He spotted Donghan immediately, talking to the man who could be no-one other than his twin. This was the first time Grey was seeing Gikwang and he wasn’t left disappointed. Gikwang looked soft and stylish and his glasses definitely screamed hot teacher. Grey wanted to die as he watched Gikwang leave his brothers side to shoulder his way through the door to the toilets. His ass looked just as good as his brothers from behind and, strangely, Grey found himself more drawn towards the blonde twin.

Grey quickly said goodbye to the lovebirds behind him before setting off through the crowd, aiming for the toilets. Myungjun had told him to stay away from Gikwang, that Gikwang was cruel and dangerous. But Grey liked dangerous. Especially when dangerous looked that good. All he wanted to do was introduce himself anyway. He didn’t want anything else. No. Of course not.

Grey hadn’t even made it halfway across the room before a giant, strong hand wrapped around his arm, pulling him to a stop. 

“Hey. I called your name, but you ignored me.” 

Grey looked up to see Donghans scowl. Something about it didn’t seem right. 

“Sorry.” Grey apologised quickly, pushing the thoughts of Donghans incredibly attractive twin out of his mind to cuddle up to the brother he was allowed instead. “Surprised to see me? Leo gave me the night off.”

“And you came here to see me? How sweet.” Donghans voice was mocking.

Usually Grey liked it when Donghan spoke to him that way, but something about it tonight didn’t sit well with him. He frowned pulling away.

“So what if I did?”

Donghan rolled his eyes. “I didn’t mean anything by it. Are we going upstairs or what?”

If Grey wasn’t feeling as desperate as he was for some good sex, he would have said no. It would have been a first to say no to _Donghan_ of all people but he knew he wouldn’t have felt much regret.

However, he _was_ desperate. The sex he’d had earlier that day had been unsatisfying at best. As it always was now. Grey had once said to Myungjun that Donghan had ruined his sex life and that was the truth. No one was as attractive as Donghan, no one had a body more perfect than Donghan, no one felt as good inside of him as Donghan did. Donghan had cursed him. All he could think about now was the gorgeous man in front of him. The only way he could finish during sex with anyone else anymore was if he pictured that it was Donghan above him. It was ridiculous. He was well and truly infatuated with him.

One of the reasons that Grey had been so excited to turn up to the party today was that he planned to take things one step further with Donghan. He was going to ask him out on a date.

Sure, they’d been outside of the bedroom together before. Like Christmas shopping, or going out for a coffee when they needed a pick me up. But they’d never done anything _official_. Grey was ready for that now. He was ready to give up sleeping around. He was ready to commit himself.

Also, he’d come to the conclusion that Donghan owed him anyway. He needed to pay for the consequences of ruining Greys sex life. And Donghan would have to pay him back by becoming his boyfriend.

However, Grey needed the confidence to ask the muscled god out on a date and he knew he was the most confident in bed.

So, he answered Donghans question with a nod and let Donghan lead him upstairs. Despite Donghans strange behaviour, Grey couldn’t help the undeniable excitement he felt at the prospect of finally getting the sex he needed.

When they found an empty room Donghan ordered him to strip down to his underwear and he did so without hesitation before climbing onto the bed. Donghan toed his boots off and hung his long leather coat up on one of the hooks on the back of the door.

Greys eyes scanned Donghans body. _Has he lost weight?_ He looked different. Slimmer.

“Can I tie you up?” Donghan asked, turning to look at him with a quirked eyebrow.

Greys eyes widened slightly. Donghan never initiated anything kinky. That was Greys job. But he was definitely going to seize this opportunity with both hands in the hopes of it encouraging Donghan to initiate things more often.

“Fuck yes. Use my clothes.”

A couple of minutes later and Greys hands were tied up against the headboard above his head. Donghan was sitting on his legs, still fully clothed. Grey didn’t like that. Stupid clothes.

“Get naked. I want to see you.” Grey whined impatiently. If he didn’t get to see any of Donghans beautiful exposed skin in the next ten seconds he was sure he was going to combust.

Donghan sighed and produced a pair of glasses, seemingly out of nowhere, before putting them on. “Thank fuck for that. I couldn’t see shit.” Donghan looked down at him properly. “Wow I can see why my brother likes you. You have a nice face.”

Grey frowned. “Gikwang likes me? And since when do you wear glasses? Have you been wearing contacts this whole time or something?”

Donghan laughed. It wasn’t a friendly sound. “You’re not my type sorry. I can see you’re a bit slow on the uptake so let me spell it out simply for you. I’m Donghans brother, Gikwang. I would say it’s nice to meet you but I’m no liar.”

Greys blood ran cold. This man wasn’t Donghan? “What the fuck? Are you being serious? Why the hell are you dressed like him? Am I being pranked?”

“You’re not being pranked. We just didn’t want to dress up in anything fancy and I wanted to get you alone, so I suggested we swap identities. Easy enough when you’re twins, or triplets or whatever the fuck we are now. Some black hair dye for me and some bleach for my baby brother and we were good to go. I’ll admit, I didn’t expect you to fall for it so easily, I was sure you would have realised sooner and put up more of a fight, but I can’t say I’m upset about it. This just makes it easier for me.”

Grey didn’t understand what was going on, but his gut was telling him it was nothing good. He tugged against the restraints around his wrists. The tugging became more insistent when he noticed the slim, sharp blade in Gikwangs hand.

“Let me go.” Grey growled, trying and failing to shift Gikwangs heavy weight off his legs. It was pointless. It was like trying to move a human boulder.

“You’re mistaken if you think you’re ever leaving this room. Not alive at least.” Gikwang trailed the tip of the blade down Gikwangs stomach. It was cold. “However, I won’t kill you just yet. I have to at least tell you _why_ first. It would be terribly ungentlemanly of me if I didn’t, don’t you agree?”

Gikwangs predatory smirk chilled Grey to the bone. Myungjun was right. Gikwang really was dangerous and he really would kill him.

“Tell me then.” Grey urged, stalling for time in the hopes of someone noticing their absence. With a sinking feeling he realised that no-one except Myungjun even knew he was at the guild. And Myungjun was no doubt preoccupied in his own sexual endeavours with his fiancé. Grey tried to calm his nerves that were threatening to overtake him. “What the fuck did I ever do to you anyway?”

Gikwang hummed thoughtfully, pressing the sharp blade further into the skin just below Greys ribs and tearing through the first layer. Grey gritted his teeth through the stinging pain.

“You haven’t done anything to _me_. I’m going to kill you for my brother.”

“Donghan asked you to kill me?” Grey asked incredulous. “Why?”

“He didn’t ask me to.” Gikwang answered, carving Greys skin slowly, dragging out the pain. “But I will. I’m doing this for his sake. You’re a disease Grey. You’ve infected him, taken everything from him with clear disregard for his feelings, and then you throw him away time and time again to go spread your legs for someone else. And before you ask, no, he hasn’t said any of this to me but I’m his brother, his _twin_. I know him better than anyone else. I see the way he smiles, always the same fucking stupid smile, whenever he comes back home after fucking you. It infuriates me. It infuriates me because it wasn’t always like that. At first, after you first forced yourself upon him, he was angry, disgusted, hurt. And what pissed me off most of all was how every single one of those emotions was aimed towards himself. He was angry with himself for giving into you, disgusted with himself for hurting you, and hurt because of what he had lost. He was in a terrible state that night. My own baby brother. I was sickened seeing him that way. And then it only got worse. He couldn’t get you out of his head, he kept going back for more, giving you what you wanted time and time again without knowing what you’ve been doing behind his back. Tell me Grey, how many people have you let fuck you since you started sleeping with my brother?”

Grey couldn’t breathe. Had Donghan really felt that bad after the first time they’d slept together? Had he really been angry, disgusted and hurt? Or was Gikwang just making it up?

He cried out in pain as the blade dug deeper.

“Answer me.” Gikwang hissed, his warm breath fanning over Greys face. “How many people have you let fuck you since you started sleeping with my brother? Ten? Twenty? More?”

The pain and the way he was left completely to Gikwangs mercy made Grey angry.

“I don’t know. I lost count.” Grey spat back. “The other Kingsguards, the butlers, stable hands, cooks, I even slept with one of the gardeners. Not to mention the people I’ve seen outside of the castle. I only see Donghan one weekend of every month and I have _needs_. Is that a fucking crime now?”

Grey screamed as the blade tore even further. He looked down to see what Gikwang was doing to him. He seemed to be carving letters into his skin.

“I’m so glad you said that Grey. Now I’m even more excited to end your life. My brother deserves so much better than you. Even _I’d_ be better for him. I’m not an advocate for incestuous behaviour but if I had to offer my ass for my brother to fill, to keep him away from you, I’d do it in a heartbeat. Luckily, it won’t come to that. Sure, my brother will mourn your death and hate me for a little while. But he’ll come around. He’ll see that what I did was for the best. That he’s better off without you.”

“How is this for the best?” Grey raged, pulling harder against his restraints and scolding himself for letting Gikwang see his tears. “You said it yourself. I make Donghan happy now.”

“But you’re also going to break his heart. It’s better for him if I just kill you.” Gikwang answered sounding sad. He looked down at Greys stomach and hummed in approval at his handiwork. “That’s perfect for you. Don’t you think?”

Grey looked down to see five letters carved clearly into his skin. _Whore_. He bit down hard on his tongue to stop himself from crying even more.

“You’ve made a bit of a mess on the sheets. Although the sight of blood doesn’t bother _me_. In fact, I think I’d like to create even more of a mess. Maybe soak the sheets beyond repair with your blood. It would be terribly boring to end your life right now. We’re just getting started right?”

The blade came down, digging into the sensitive skin on the inside of Greys arms, his shoulders, his chest, his thighs. He screamed and screamed and screamed at the overwhelming pain until he was sure he was going to pass out. He couldn’t believe he was going to die like this. Tied to a bed in nothing but his underwear, at the hands of his lovers’ brother. He almost wanted to laugh.

The sound of breaking wood cut through Greys screams and he forced his eyes open to see Gikwang, no, blonde-haired _Donghan_ standing in the doorway looking murderous with Myungjun close behind. The door lay in pieces on the floor.

No wonder Grey had found himself more attracted to the blonde twin tonight. He’d tried to follow him into the toilets and everything. Completely allured by him. Now he knew why. It had been Donghan all along.

“What the fuck have you done?” Donghan bellowed, storming over to the bed and disarming Gikwang by twisting his slimmer wrist until it snapped. Gikwang dropped the blade with a hiss of pain but didn’t fight back at all as Donghan yanked him off the bed, off of Greys legs, and slammed him up against the wall with a tight hand around his neck. “You _bastard_.” Donghan snarled as he punched him in the face.

“Grey? Grey can you hear me? I’m going to help you now. You’ve lost a lot of blood, but you’ll be fine.” Myungjuns voice was steady, his words no longer slurred like they had been not even ten minutes before. The sight of blood sobered him up apparently.

Grey didn’t know who to focus on. Myungjun who was muttering under his breath as his hands healed him, or Donghan who was beating his brother black and blue against the wall. Gikwang took every hit, not bothering to return any of his own.

Donghan eventually stopped, slamming his fist through the wall beside Gikwangs head. He stood there, breathing heavily for a few seconds before releasing the hold he had around Gikwangs neck and letting him drop to the floor. 

Donghan turned away from him, flexing his bloodied fist and walked over to the bed, crouching down beside it to look Grey over. His eyes were troubled. Grey felt his heart twist uncomfortably in his chest. Donghans hands were gentle as they untied Greys own from the headboard and Grey whimpered quietly in relief when the blood rushed back into his fingers.

Donghan helped him lower his newly healed arms before reaching out to cup Greys face.

“Hey. Still with me?”

“Yeah.” Grey replied weakly. “Not dead yet. Thanks for coming. Sorry I couldn’t have looked better for you. Not my sexiest look ever I’ll admit.”

Donghans lips quirked at the corners but the smile quickly disappeared when Grey winced.

“What’s wrong?” Donghan asked worriedly. “Where does it hurt?”

“It’s his thighs.” Myungjun answered for him. “The wounds here are really deep.”

Donghan looked down Greys body, pausing at the letters carved onto his stomach and he growled angrily before standing back up and walking over to his brother, grabbing the collar of his top and yanking him back up to his feet.

“Why?” Donghan raged. “Why did you do this? You know what he means to me!”

“That’s why I did it.” Gikwang growled back. His voice was thickened by his broken nose. “He’s been playing you Donghan. He doesn’t care about you at all. He’s been sleeping with other people behind your back. Lots of people.”

Donghan tensed. “You’re lying. He wouldn’t.”

“I wish I were brother. I truly do. He said it all himself. Do I need to show you my memories?”

Grey felt sick when he saw Donghans hesitant nod. He’d always assumed Donghan knew of his other sexual relations beyond their own but apparently Donghan thought otherwise.

“Grey?” Myungjun called softly, moving back up the bed. “I’ve fixed everything I could see. Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere else?” Myungjun asked, his pretty face contorted with worry. Grey smiled weakly and shook his head. Myungjun looked relieved. “Good. Let’s get you dressed and get you back to the castle.”

“He’s not going anywhere.”

They both looked up to see Donghan standing beside the bed, fists clenched and eyes tortured. Gikwang was slumped against the wall, grinning in Greys direction looking smug. Grey had never hated a person more in his life.

“Dongie now’s not the time. Look at him. He-”

Donghan turned to Grey, ignoring Myungjun completely. “Is it true? Have you been sleeping with other people?”

Grey struggled to sit up and Myungjun rushed to help him. When he was comfortable against the headboard, he looked back up at Donghans scowl, returning it with one of his own. 

“Are you fucking serious right now? _That’s_ what you’re worried about? Your psycho brother just carved me up and nearly stabbed me to death and all you care about is if I’ve had other dicks up my ass?” Grey tried to ignore the shock and embarrassment rolling off of Myungjun beside him. Jinwoo was going to finish him off now for tainting his fiancé even further.

“Of course I’m fucking worried about you! But it’s hard to ignore the fact you’ve been fucking playing me this whole time! Just answer the damn question.”

Grey finally snapped under the stress. He pushed himself off the bed, wobbling slightly on his feet from the blood loss he’d just endured and stared up at Donghan defiantly. “Yeah I have. I’ve slept with other people. More than I can count. I don’t know why you’re getting so pissed with me about it. It’s not like YOU haven’t been sleeping around too.”

Utter devastation crossed Donghans face. The hurt tone in his voice made Greys heart ache. “I told you when we first met that I didn’t sleep around.” Donghan whispered, his bottom lip trembling as the first of his tears spilled over. Grey was horrified. He’d never seen Donghan cry before. He hadn’t thought Donghan was even _capable_ of crying. “I _told_ you Grey. I fucking _told_ you that I didn’t. I thought…I thought that we…” Donghan made a strangled noise in the back of his throat and turned away from him, shoulders shaking. “Nevermind. Just sit down before you fall down. You’re a fucking mess.” Donghan walked to the door and paused when Gikwang moved. “Brother find somewhere else to sleep tonight. In fact, don’t come back at all for a while. This is just as much your fault as it is his.”

Donghan left and despite his warning, Gikwang grabbed his things and rushed after him looking triumphant.

Grey sat back down on the bed, hard. He didn’t know what to do. How had the night turned out like this? He was the one who’d been stabbed, so why had Donghan looked the most hurt?

Grey had been planning on asking Donghan out on a date, planning on giving up the rest of the sex he was having, willing to finally settle down, maybe even quit the Kingsguard to be with him.

But now everything was ruined. He knew he’d never get another chance with Donghan again. Donghan was too good for him and maybe Gikwang was right. Maybe Grey _was_ a disease. Maybe Donghan was better off without him. It was easy to convince himself of that when he thought about the face Donghan had made as he cried. It was gut wrenching.

Why did he have to ruin everything that was good for him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this, my lovelies, is why communication is important in any type of relationship. Grey never told Donghan of his other sexual partners and Donghan never told Grey what he wanted. *sigh*  
> This is also reason #38292474 of why Gikwang needs to be cured of his curse. I can say with confidence that normal uncursed Gikwang would have never done something so violent, especially something that would undoubtedly hurt his brother.
> 
> Myungjin acting like horny teenagers at the beginning of this chapter had me dying though. Junnie, sweetie, your PARENTS are at that party, literally in the same room xd We already know how mortified Myungjun is going to be when he sobers up pffttt


	265. Heartache.

It was the first of december and Myungjun was in a foul mood. He’d been so excited for the Christmas month to come around again. Sanha and Rocky Jr were back now so Myungjun would be surrounded by all his friends and family for the festive season. Or so he thought.

Hallows Eve had been a disaster and the aftermath was still affecting those involved, even now, one month later. 

The night of Hallows Eve had started off well enough. Myungjun had successfully wowed his fiancé with his risky outfit and had enjoyed Jinwoos resulting behaviour immensely.  
However, he was still suffering from the mortifying embarrassment of being caught by Grey. 

Myungjun and Jinwoo had had too much to drink and apparently, according to their drunken brains, it was perfectly acceptable to grind against each other up against the wall of a crowded room with a ferocity that had left bruises behind on Myungjuns thighs. Myungjun was so ashamed of himself. His _parents_ were at that party and there he was, mindless with desire and begging Jinwoo for more.

Then Grey had appeared out of nowhere and Myungjun had flung himself at his silver haired friend, still painfully turned on in his shorts, and hugged Grey tight, bodies pressed together. Myungjun wanted to die whenever he thought about it. There was no way Grey hadn’t felt it.

And just when he thought it couldn’t get any worse, it did. Grey had left them to go find Donghan at the bar and Myungjun decided, after a quick feel-up from Jinwoo, that he definitely still wanted more and dragged Jinwoo towards the toilets. Was there a perfectly good bed upstairs? Yes. Should he have taken Jinwoo up there instead? Yes. Was he really planning on getting on his knees for his fiancé in a toilet stall, exactly like Grey had admitted to doing for Donghan the morning after the monster brawl? Yes. Why? Because Myungjuns drunk brain told him too. 

And although looking back on it now made him cringe, Myungjun was glad he’d taken Jinwoo that way, because before they had reached the toilet door, they had bumped into Gikwang who turned out to be Donghan and Donghan had asked where his brother was. And after telling Donghan that Grey had gone upstairs with him, they’d been able to save Grey from getting stabbed to death just in time.

Myungjun had thought it was all over then but no, there was still more. After getting Grey dressed and back to the castle, Myungjun had returned to find Sanha crying his heart out and telling him that he’d hurt Rocky badly too. So Myungjun had fixed Rockys wrists as he slept and taken the bruising from his throat. Sanha hadn’t wanted to talk about what happened and the selfish part of Myungjun was glad. He was so _tired_ and still terribly tipsy and needed his handsome fiancé. 

But he still never got to finish what he started with Jinwoo because the second they started to get handsy with one another in their own room, Rocky Jr had crept in and interrupted them. The little rock had been too cute to deny. So, they’d forced themselves to behave and cuddled with Rocky Jr all night long instead.

So Hallows Eve had been a disaster overall and in turn, was threatening to ruin Christmas. It was threatening to ruin Christmas because two of Myungjuns closest friends had disappeared. He hadn’t seen Grey or Donghan at all over the past month. 

Myungjun had briefly seen Gikwang, but the older male had gone straight to the S Rank request boards and taken on a request by himself across the sea that would take him out of the equation for the foreseeable future. A move that Myungjun was more than happy with. Gikwang had literally tried to murder his friend. Myungjun would have gone straight to his father to get him kicked out of the guild all together had it not been for Grey telling him to just drop it. Myungjun hadn’t been pleased to hear that but he respected Greys wishes and kept the terrible ordeal he had witnessed to himself.

Donghan still hadn’t returned to the guild and all of Myungjuns notes to him returned unanswered. The same went for the situation with Grey. For the first time since Grey had become a Kingsguard, he didn’t come to see Myungjun for his weekend off. Myungjun had gone to the castle feeling concerned, only to be told that Grey didn’t want visitors. 

Leo had explained to him how Grey had been acting since that night and it wasn’t good. First, Grey had tried to carry on as normal in his guard duties but had eventually ended up scolded by the head of the guard for being sloppy and distracted. Next, Grey had resorted to channelling his feelings through anger. Unfortunately, Leo had to scold him himself after Grey snapped at innocent civilians four times in the same day for so much as looking Leos way when they went beyond the castle walls. Eventually Grey had stopped trying all together and locked himself in his room, only opening it to accept food and to let Leo in on occasion. Soon after, Leo announced that Grey would be going on temporary leave and reassured Myungjun that he just needed some space and would be out of his room in no time if he was given it.

So, Myungjun was sitting at the bar in the guild’s tavern at three in the afternoon, drowning his sorrows in a glass of moonshine. Donghan was gone, Grey was gone, Sanha would be leaving after Christmas and Jinwoo had already left with Moonbin and Dongmin on a request a few days away, claiming he needed the coin for Myungjuns Christmas present. Myungjun had been miserable for days and he was growing tired of it.

“Why don’t you just go and visit Donghan?” Hani suggested after Myungjun sighed into his glass for the fifth time. “Rocky has been to the twin’s cottage before, right? So, he can terraport you there and you can go and see what’s happening with Donghan once and for all.”

Myungjun had already thought of doing that. But he wasn’t even sure if Donghan was at home at all, and he didn’t want to waste Rockys precious time with Sanha. Rocky only had a month left with him before Sanha went back to Enhex. Sanha had promised that he would come back as regularly as he could but if his team went across the sea on requests then they wouldn’t see Sanha again for months. So Myungjun felt guilty asking Rocky for some of his time.

Fortunately, Myungjun had the bestest friends in the entire world because right before he could open his mouth to reply to Hani, Rocky spoke up from behind him. Myungjun hadn’t realised he was there.

“You want to go to Donghans? I can take you Hyung. I’ll take Ddana and Rocky Jr too and we’ll go play on the beach whilst you speak to him.”

Myungjun turned to him with a cry of gratitude. Rocky just laughed it off and told him to be ready within the hour.

*

Myungjun hammered on the front door of the cottage. He knew Donghan was home because Wrath was curled up asleep nearby. There had once been a time when Wrath and Arvioth had fit into the same bed as the twins. Now they had to sleep outside. Myungjun felt bad for them.

“DONGIE I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE! OPEN THE DOOR!”

Silence.

Myungjun sighed and looked for a different way in, spotting one almost immediately. He was so glad Donghan liked to keep the windows open to let the sea air in. One of the windows near the front door was slightly ajar and Myungjun pulled it open fully before climbing through and landing softly on the floor of the living room.

He’d never ventured upstairs in the twin’s cottage before, but a quick scan downstairs told him that he needed to now. He felt like a criminal creeping up the stairs, listening for any sign of movement.

There was only one door closed in the white, empty hallway upstairs so Myungjun knew that that would be where Donghan was.

He approached the door and knocked. “Dongie?”

“Go away.” Donghans voice was hoarse.

“Dongie I’m coming in. If you’re naked, get covered.” Myungjun warned before pushing the door open.

The sight he was met with was similar to one he’d seen before. Rocky had looked exactly the same after Sanha disappeared.

Donghan was sitting on a giant bed, wrapped up in a bundle of white covers looking miserable. His eyes were ringed red, his nose was red, and tissues littered the bed and the floor. If Myungjun didn’t already know what heartbreak looked like, he would have believed that Donghan was sick. But he knew better now. He could see the pain in Donghans eyes.

Myungjun sighed unhappily and crossed the room as Donghan burst into tears.

“Let me in.” Myungjun urged as he approached the bed. “Let’s cuddle.”

“Can’t” Donghan choked out. “I’m not dressed.”

“Do you have underwear on at least?”

“Yeah.”

“Then let me in. I’ve seen you in your underwear before when we went swimming together remember.”

Donghan opened up the covers and Myungjun crawled onto his lap to cuddle him. Donghan pulled the covers back around them, cocooning them in and started to cry again as he hugged Myungjun tight.

Myungjun let him cry and waited for him to tire himself out. He hummed the song he and Sanha had composed under his breath in an attempt to calm Donghan down quicker, just like how Jinwoo hummed, albeit tunelessly, for Myungjun when he was upset.

It seemed to work. A few minutes later and Donghans sobs turned to sniffles and Myungjun was able to squeeze his head out of the covers to look up at him.

“Dongie talk to me. Tell me why you’re upset. Vent at me. You’ll feel better if you do, I promise.”

Donghans lip trembled as he looked down at Myungjun. “I…I’m…it _hurts_.” He made a noise of pure pain and clutched Myungjun tighter. “My heart. It hurts. I can’t stop it. This is all his fault. I can’t eat or sleep anymore. Why did I let him in? I promised myself after Yuqi that I’d never get close to anyone ever again and this is why. I feel like I’m dying. I just want it to stop. I NEED it to stop or I’m going to go insane. It’s been a whole _month_ and it’s just as bad as the first day. It’s not getting any better. Help me little dragon. _Do_ something.”

Myungjuns own heart ached upon hearing about and seeing how much pain Donghan was in. He moved his hands around to Donghans chest and settled them over his heart. He didn’t know if this would work but he wanted to try anyway.

Myungjun focused on siphoning the pain away and realised it was working when the pain in his own heart began to increase. 

Donghan made a noise of surprise above him. “What are you doing?”

“Taking it away for a little while.” Myungjun whimpered, curling in on himself.

“Stop.” Donghan pulled Myungjuns hands away and Myungjun gasped in relief as the pain immediately lessened. “I don’t want you to have to feel what I’m feeling. Don’t do that again. Don’t hurt yourself because of me. I’ll only feel worse if you do.”

“Sorry.” Myungjun muttered “I was just trying to help.”

“I know. You did help. For now. Thank you little dragon.” Donghans voice was soft as he fell back against the pillows, pulling Myungjun down with him. “Let’s lay down for a bit. ‘m tired.”

Myungjun didn’t protest and just got comfortable on his new mattress. Donghans body was just as hard as Jinwoos was so Myungjun quickly got used to it and relaxed. His cheek was resting against Donghans chest and he could hear Donghans heart beating. It was strangely comforting.

“Dongie?”

“Yes?”

“Why are you in so much pain?” Myungjun asked quietly. “I know you’re upset about Grey having sex with other people, but you weren’t in a relationship with him, and you didn’t ever say anything about liking him at all.”

Donghan was quiet for a while and Myungjun waited as patiently as possible whilst he gathered his thoughts.

“I’m upset because he used me. He used me for sex and I obviously wasn’t good enough for him because he had to go get it elsewhere too. Multiple elsewheres apparently.” Donghan began stiffly. “I get that I have no right to be upset. Like you said, we weren’t in a serious relationship, but I still thought we were something more than just friends who had casual sex. I never wanted a shitty friends with benefits relationship anyway.”

“Well why did you let it evolve into that then? Why did you even sleep with Grey in the first place? I never understood that. You didn’t even really know each other.”

Donghan sighed. “He backed me into a corner the first time. I had no choice. If I didn’t sleep with him then everyone sitting at that table would have thought I had something to hide. Especially after he came up with those stupid ‘ _conclusions_ ’ of his.”

“And do you?” Myungjun asked, looking up at him properly. “Do you have something to hide?”

Embarrassment shot through Donghans emotions and he blushed, looking away. “I did…I did have something to hide at the time.”

“Which was…?”

Donghan scowled. “I don’t want to tell you.”

“I’m your best friend aren’t I? Best friends tell each other their secrets, no matter how embarrassing they are.” Myungjun pointed out.

“Why the hell would people do that?” Donghan asked sounding genuinely perplexed. “And I never agreed to being your best friend by the way.”

Myungjun ignored the last part. “People tell their best friends everything because they know they wouldn’t judge them. They’re best friends for a reason. I’d trust you with my embarrassing secrets.” 

Donghan looked back down at him, with interest evident in his eyes. “Do you actually have any embarrassing secrets?”

“It’s not really embarrassing but…” Myungjun trailed off, wondering if he should actually tell him or not. Donghan urged him to carry on so Myungjun just blurted it out. “I still sleep with all of my stuffed toys.”

After a second, Donghan snorted in amusement. “I always knew you were a child.”

“I’m not!” Myungjun huffed. “I just love them. They sleep above my head on my pillow but sometimes I pick one to cuddle.”

“And Jinwoo doesn’t mind that?”

“Of course not. He says it’s cute.” Myungjun replied happily.

“Of course he does. You could shit on the floor right in front of him and he’d tell you it was the cutest thing he’d ever seen.” Donghan laughed at Myungjuns squawk of disgust.

A silence enveloped them soon after and Myungjun knew not to fill it. He knew Donghan had something to say and waited, tracing patterns onto the warm skin of Donghans chest with the tips of his fingers. When Donghans voice entered Myungjuns mind, Myungjun tried not to react. It was obvious his thoughts weren’t meant to be heard. But Myungjun was also grateful that Donghan was projecting his thoughts by accident because it gave him time to prepare a response. What he was hearing was surprising to say the least.

“Little dragon.” Donghan finally spoke up quietly after a few minutes. “If I tell you something…do you promise not to laugh? Or tell anyone else?”

“I promise.”

Donghan took a deep breath. “You asked if I had something to hide back then, when I first slept with Grey…” Myungjun waited a few more seconds, his reply already waiting on the tip of his tongue. “Grey was the first person I’d ever slept with.” Donghan finally revealed with a mumble that oozed embarrassment. “The _only_ person I’ve ever slept with.”

Myungjun looked away from the patterns he was drawing onto Donghans skin and looked up at his face properly instead. Donghan was bright red, staring pointedly at the ceiling, jaw set.

“Why does that embarrass you?” Myungjun asked calmly.

Donghan frowned. “Why wouldn’t it? I lost my virginity at twenty-two years old…I mean, that part doesn’t bother me that much, because I wasn’t exactly planning on ever losing it, _especially_ with some random guy I’d only just met, but its more embarrassing because I know everyone _expected_ that of me. They expected me to sleep with him because everyone thinks I sleep around. And it’s not like I’ve done anything to discourage those rumours. If anything, I’ve only ever encouraged them by speaking about sex as if I’d done it a thousand times before.” Donghan groaned loudly and covered his burning face with his hands. “I’m such a fucking idiot. I lost my virginity to a guy who used me for sex.”

Myungjun sighed and cuddled closer. “You don’t need to be embarrassed and you’re not an idiot.”

“You don’t understand. He took _everything_ from me. Not only my first time, but my first fucking kiss too and I told him things that I haven’t even told you yet little dragon. That’s what hurts the most. I gave him my trust and he threw it back in my face.”

“So that’s why you wouldn’t let Grey kiss you before.” Myungjun spoke up quietly. He rolled off of Donghans chest and landed on the mattress beside him with a huff of air. “Was your first kiss a good memory at least?”

Donghan pulled his hands away from his face and turned onto his side to look at Myungjun properly. “You saw my first kiss, the day after the monster brawl.”

Myungjun tried hard to think back and gasped. “When you came out of the toilets? Grey kissed you but…”

“But I didn’t kiss him back because I was in complete fucking shock and panicking my ass off not knowing what to do. So no, my first kiss wasn’t all that great. But even then, I was willing to forgive him. I was willing to get over the fact he stole my kiss because I thought he liked me…Fucking hell how dumb does that sound?”

“It’s not dumb. It just means you like him too.”

Donghan scowled. “But he doesn’t like me though. If he did, he wouldn’t have slept with other people behind my back.”

Myungjun sighed. He couldn’t believe he was about to defend Grey like this. “Dongie, Greys part of the Kingsguard, he gets let out of the castle two days a month to see you and I’m sure it’s fair to say he’s addicted to sex. I’m not saying what he did was right, but I think it’s also fair to say that you’re not entirely in the right either.”

“How the fuck am I not in the right?” Donghan asked angrily, sitting up and letting the covers fall away to reveal his clear skin. Myungjun still couldn’t believe all of his demon burns were gone. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t jealous. “ _He’s_ the one who played _me_. Not the other way around.”

Myungjun sat up too and gave Donghan his best disapproving look. “You talk a lot about how he ‘played’ you, but as far as I’m aware you never spoke up about what you wanted either. He couldn’t have played you if he didn’t know the rules.”

Donghan opened his mouth and then closed it again looking uncomfortable. “I thought it would have been obvious.” He eventually mumbled.

“How can it be obvious? One of the things I’ve learnt in my relationship with Jinwoo is that communication is key. Your communication with Grey is clearly lacking, but that’s not your fault. You’ve never been in a relationship before and whatever you had going on with Grey started off abruptly and without warning. Grey should have spoken to you about his other sexual relationships and you should have told him that you wanted to be the only one for him. You’re both in the wrong.” Myungjun finished firmly.

Donghan stared at him for a few seconds before huffing and turning away, crossing his bulging arms over his chest and reminding Myungjun all too much of a sulky child. 

“Go away little dragon.”

“Why? Can’t handle the truth?” Myungjun challenged, holding back a smile.

“You’re so fucking irritating being right all the time. I’m older than you. _I_ should be giving _you_ advice, not the other way around.”

“You do give me good advice, just in other areas of my life…Like my anomaly training which I’m desperate to get back into. Do you even know how much weight I’ve gained over the last year? I need to get back out onto the training fields, and I need you to help me.”

All Myungjun wanted was to get Donghan out of his pit of misery and back to the guild. And if going through Donghans rigorous training again was the price he had to pay for that then he was willing to pay it.

Donghan sighed loudly. “Who cares how much weight you’ve gained? You still look good either way.”

Myungjun grinned and threw himself at Donghans back, wrapping his arms around his neck and giggling at Donghans shout of surprise.

“A compliment? You’re feeling better I see. You’re welcome by the way. Now pay me back by helping me get back into shape.”

“Get your fiancé to help you.” Donghan mumbled, pulling Myungjuns arms off with ease and climbing off the bed. He stretched with a groan, his back muscles flexing in a way that made Myungjun look away with a blush.

“But I want _your_ help.” Myungjun whined. “When Jinwoo tries to help me work out I always get distracted. He’s so sexy when he’s determined and sweaty.”

“Gross.”

Myungjun grinned and jumped off the bed, following Donghan from the room. “Please Dongie? Pleeeeeeease? Jinwoo isn’t even here. He’s on a request with Minnie and Binnie. I’m lonely by myself. Come back to the guild and be my trainer again. You can’t deny that it would be a good distraction from your Grey problem.”

Donghan stepped through a doorway down the hall and turned to Myungjun with a scowl. “Don’t mention his name again. I’m still angry at him. And stop begging me it’s annoying.”

“Say yes then.” Myungjun replied cheekily.

Donghan rolled his eyes. “Fine. Training starts tomorrow. Now fuck off I need a piss.”

Myungjun realised Donghan was in the bathroom and quickly stumbled back with a blush. Donghan grinned and slammed the door in his face.

“Thank you Dongie!”

“Get out of my house before I report you for breaking and entering!”

Myungjun giggled and rushed down the stairs, eager to find Rocky and Sanha on the beach to tell them the good news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When Donghan gets hurt emotionally, it really affects him. The fact he's spent an entire month hiding away in the cottage is sad :( But Junnie is there now to motivate him to get out of bed and to cheer him up so we know Bubba is in good hands uwu


	266. Grey's ultimatum.

Myungjun blocked a hit from Greys sword and swung his own, watching with a mixture of pride and relief as it sliced through the top layer of skin on Greys bicep. Myungjun was tired and sweaty and felt relieved that the final blow had finally been dealt.

“Three hits. I win.” Myungjun grinned as he lowered his sword. “Want me to heal it?”

Grey nodded and rolled up his sleeve to let Myungjun get a better look. “You’ve improved a lot over the last week Junebug. Have you been training again?”

“Yep.” Myungjun replied happily as he sealed the damaged skin. “Dongies been helping me. He-” Myungjun suddenly remembered the fight between Donghan and Grey and quickly shut his mouth. 

Unexpectedly, Grey pursued the subject. He’d been avoiding all mention of Donghan whenever Myungjun visited him in the castle but apparently, he was ready to talk about him now.

“How is he? Donghan I mean.” Grey asked, trying to sound as unbothered as possible. Myungjun could see the concern in his eyes though and the slight shake in his hands as he wiped Myungjuns blood from his sword.

“Better now. He was a mess honestly.”

“A mess?”

Myungjun sighed as the memories of Donghan crying his heart out came back to him. “He was really sad. And hurt. I’ve never seen him so upset.” Myungjun looked up at his silver haired friend. “I told him you were both in the wrong. You never said about your other relationships, but he never spoke up about what he wanted.”

Grey frowned. “And what does he want? I told you once that the people of the land I come from specialise in telepathy but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t ever read Donghans mind. He acted hurt that day when he found out I was sleeping with other people, but it makes no sense. How could that hurt him? It’s not like he likes me or anything.” Grey mumbled, scowling gently as he took their swords back to the racks.

“That’s something you need to talk about with him.” Myungjun replied, following him into the showers when the swords were securely in place. “Dongie has a hard time showing his emotions. I think he likes you more then he’s letting on and that’s why he was so hurt. Why don’t you send him a note, asking him to meet up for coffee or something?”

“Tried that already.” Grey answered resignedly as he started to strip. “I’ve sent him plenty of notes, but they’ve all returned unanswered.”

“Why not come to the guild then? Leo announced that you’re on temporary leave, so you have plenty of spare time. The next time I have a training session with him you should come.” Myungjun closed the door to his cubicle before stripping himself. He was still too self-conscious to shower out in the open like Grey did.

_Grey doesn’t have to worry at all because everyone who uses these showers has seen him naked already._

Myungjun grimaced at the unsavoury thought and quickly erased it from his memory, feeling guilty for thinking it in the first place.

“Maybe…” Grey replied, not sounding too sure. “What if he just leaves the second he sees me? Or if he tells _me_ to leave and doesn’t listen to what I have to say?”

“Oh he’ll listen.” Myungjun answered, turning on his shower. “I’ll make sure of it.”

*

Myungjun and Grey walked through the door beside the bar, and out onto the training field. Donghan wanted to help Myungjun improve his hand to hand combat today and wasn’t expecting Greys arrival at all.

Myungjun turned to Grey now to see that he was chewing nervously on his bottom lip and trembling slightly. It was unnerving to see Grey so uncollected but Myungjun hoped that this conversation today would help solve that unnatural behaviour. And the obvious sadness both of his friends were feeling of course. 

“Oh no.” Grey whispered weakly as his eyes focused on something across the field. A blush was building in his cheeks and when Myungjun turned to see what he was looking at, he instantly understood why.

Donghan was already sparring against his two golems and was doing so only dressed in a pair of shorts. It was still strange for Myungjun to see him wearing such little clothing, but he knew that the removal of Donghans demon burns had boosted his body confidence considerably. So instead of walking around covered from head to toe in his usual attire, Donghan had begun to wear less, putting more of his muscular body on show. Something that Myungjun knew Grey wouldn’t be able to handle right now.

“Grey focus.” Myungjun muttered sharply under his breath, noticing the dazed look in Greys eyes as they approached the taller man.

Grey whined quietly in response but otherwise stayed silent. There was an undeniable hunger in his eyes as they roamed Donghans body.

Donghan had clearly been fighting for some time as he had plenty of new bruises and a fresh cut on his lip that was beginning to dry over. He was glistening with sweat and breathing heavily as he turned to find Myungjun with a smile, no doubt sensing his approach.

“Little dragon I-” The smile slipped off of Donghans face when he noticed Grey and the eyes that found Myungjun next were accusatory. “Why the hell is he here?”

“I just want to talk.” Grey spoke up quietly, sounding almost shy. “You’ve not been replying to any of my notes.”

“I wonder why.” Donghan threw back icily as he dismissed his companions and turned to face them properly. He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled. “Well? Talk then. I haven’t got all day.”

Grey cleared his throat and stood up straight. Myungjun was happy to see that Greys eyes were completely diverted from Donghans body. He didn’t think Grey would have been able to concentrate otherwise.

“I’m sorry for not telling you I was sleeping with other people. I thought you knew.”

“Apology accepted.” Donghan replied. Grey looked up at Donghan in surprise, no doubt wondering how he’d been forgiven so easily, but Donghan wasn’t done. “Now fuck off. Stop sending me notes and stay the hell away from me. You can go back to fucking whoever you want, and I won’t stand in your way.”

“What? I…no.” Grey stumbled over his words looking confused with a hint of panic in his voice. “I don’t want anyone else.”

Donghan scoffed. “Well you clearly don’t want me, otherwise I would have been enough for you in the first place. But I wasn’t. I wasn’t good enough for you which is why you had to go and get it elsewhere.”

“That’s not true!” Grey cried, stepping forwards.

“Bullshit.” Donghan spat with so much venom it stopped Grey in his tracks. “It’s exactly like my brother said. You played me. You took everything from me. I’m sick of your fucking games Grey. First you played me to get me into bed, backing me into a corner with your stupid fucking ‘conclusions’, and then you took me for a fool for _months_ making me believe that we…you know what. It doesn’t even matter.”

“It does matter!” Grey growled, his anger suddenly flaring so badly it made Myungjun flinch. Grey stepped forwards again. “Tell me. Tell me what you thought we were. Tell me what you wanted from me.”

Donghan stepped forwards this time, closing the rest of the distance between them and looking down at Grey with a tense jaw. “I didn’t want anything from you.” His face suddenly softened, and his hand reached out hesitantly to stroke Greys cheek. “I just wanted to do this. To touch you. To be close to you. To be…to be more than just the guy you went to for sex. And I thought that I was.” Donghan let his hand fall away. Greys trembling was worse than before. “I thought it was okay to trust you.”

“It is.” Grey whispered. “It is okay to trust me. I know what I did, and I know how much it hurt you, but back then I didn’t know what I know now. If I knew how you felt I wouldn’t have done it. I wouldn’t have slept with other people.” Greys voice thickened as he teared up and he reached up to place his palm against Donghans chest, right over his heart. “I’m so sorry. I want you to feel how sorry I am. I can’t change what I did. But I can make it up to you if you’ll let me.”

“How? How can you possibly make it up to me? I don’t trust you anymore Grey.” Donghan choked out, pushing Greys hand away. “This is a waste of fucking time.”

“It’s not.” Grey replied stubbornly. “I _will_ make it up to you. I’ll stop sleeping with other people. I’ll-”

“You can’t.” Donghan interrupted with a growl. “You’re addicted to sex. Everyone knows it. You wouldn’t last between visits to see me. And even then, why should _I_ have to give you sex every time you come here anyway? Maybe I wouldn’t want to. Maybe I’d just want to go for dinner or something instead. Can you honestly say you’d be able to last for two months without getting fucked?” Grey hesitated and Donghan sighed. “Exactly. Just leave. We’re finished here.”

Donghan turned to walk away but Grey snapped out of it and reached out to grab his arm. “I’ll quit the Kingsguard.” He blurted out desperately.

“You’ll quit something you worked for years to achieve? Something you told me meant the world to you? Not likely.” Donghan scoffed. He suddenly gasped, his eyes glazing over. Myungjun knew that expression. It was the look everyone gave when they were receiving someone’s memories.

“See. I was going to quit before Halloween.” Grey urged quietly. “I was going to stop sleeping with other people. I was going to ask you out on a date and ask you to be my boyfriend.”

Donghans eyes came back into focus with barely contained anger brewing behind them. “Are you fucking serious? You were just going to quit? Because of me? Do you think that’s what I’d want for you? To take you away from something you love?”

“It would be worth it. Because I love-”

“Don’t you dare.” Donghan raged, pushing Grey backwards a step. “Don’t you dare fucking say you love me. If you loved me, you wouldn’t have slept with anyone else!”

“But I do!” Grey turned to Myungjun, eyes wild. “Tell him Junebug. I met you at Hakyeons remember? To tell you that I was in love with Donghan and that I wanted your help. Tell him!”

Myungjuns eyes flickered up to Donghans, who was staring at him with a frightful intensity. Myungjun didn’t want to get involved. He was only there to calm the situation down if it got too heated.

“It’s true.” Myungjun spoke up nervously after deciding it was best to help. “He said that no-one else made him feel the way you do.”

Grey gave a relieved smile, looking up at Donghan again. “See. I do love you. Please Donghan. Give me another chance. Let me make things right.”

Donghan looked conflicted. His emotions were clear on his face. “You’ll quit the Kingsguard?” Grey nodded. “You’ll stop sleeping with other people?” Grey nodded again. “You’ll be my boyfriend?”

“If that’s what you want too.”

“And what if it’s not? What if I don’t want you to quit the Kingsguard or be your boyfriend? What if I never want to see you again?”

Grey swallowed loudly and looked away. “Then I’ll leave.” He answered quietly. “I’ll go back home. My real home. I don’t want to be here without you.”

Myungjuns stomach dropped. “No. No Grey you can’t just leave!” Myungjun rushed forwards to cling to his arm. “Your home is here. I don’t want to lose you too. We’ve only just got Sanha and Rocky Jr back!”

Donghan suddenly laughed. It held no humour and was full of disbelief. But when Myungjun looked up, he saw that Donghan was looking at Grey, not at him like he’d been expecting.

“Seriously?” Donghan asked when he’d calmed down. “Yet again you’re backing me into a corner. Telling me I either become your boyfriend or you’ll leave.”

“That’s not what I-”

“That’s _exactly_ what you’re saying.” Donghan growled, the amusement being replaced with pure fury in the blink of an eye. “Look at Myungjun. Look at what your fucking ultimatums do to people!”

Myungjun tried to hide his tears and his trembling lip, not wanting Grey to feel bad, but Grey saw anyway and the pain was evident on his face.

“Junebug…”

“Get out of our fucking guild before I throw you out.” Donghan threatened, voice low and dangerous. “Go and fuck with someone else’s head. That seems to be a trait of all you silver haired bastards.”

“Dongie don’t-”

“Don’t what?” Donghan erupted, turning to Myungjun looking murderous. “It’s fucking true! First Cain and now him? I’m sick of it. I’m not Sanha. I’m not just going to roll over and fucking take it. I’m DONE.” Donghan turned back to Grey. “Whatever the fuck was going on between us is over. We’re finished. I never want to see you again. Wanna carry on mugging Myungjun off and pretending to be his friend? Fine. Just go and do it somewhere else. Just know that if you step one more foot in this fucking guild from now on, I’ll break your legs. Get him out of here Myungjun. Then get your ass back here. We have training to do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grey's not helping himself and Donghans letting his emotions get in the way of his judgement. *big sigh* Hopefully when Donghan calms down he'll start to understand what Grey showed/told him. And this should be a lesson to Grey too.
> 
> Completely unrelated to this chapter but I need your help!  
> I have a chapter idea but I want to know what you'd like to see more.  
> 1\. A fight between Jinwoo and Donghan.  
> 2\. or a fight between Jinwoo and Grey.  
> Both fights are with weapons and magic but aren't to the death. Please let me know! Thankyou lovelies xo


	267. Family.

“HAS ANYONE SEEN MY GORGEOUS BEST FRIEND?” Rockys voice rang though the tavern, clearly audible over the noise of chatter and laughter alike as he arrived after his shift at the blacksmiths.

Sanha groaned and buried his burning face in his hands from his seat at their usual table. “Does he have to do that every time he comes in here? He’s so embarrassing. He knows where we sit.”

“I think it’s cute.” Myungjun giggled, enjoying Sanhas embarrassment.

“Oh look. He’s upgraded this time.” Soonyoung spoke up, a barely contained laugh waiting to burst free. He was clearly enjoying Sanhas embarrassment too.

Myungjun looked up when Rocky stopped beside him, standing between Myungjuns and Sanhas chair, body tilted in Sanhas direction.

“Ddana? Look what I got you.” Rocky thrust the bunch of roses towards him.

Sanha uncovered his face to reveal a scowl but the stormy expression faltered when he saw the flowers. “You got me roses? Why?”

“Because I’m wooing you. Or courting you. Whichever word you like best.” Rocky replied happily. “Take them. There’s a surprise inside.”

Sanha took them blushing furiously but squealed when something popped out from amongst the petals. “Little one?” Rocky Jr was tiny again and Myungjun could physically see Sanha melt at the sight. He couldn’t blame him. There weren’t many things cuter than that. “What are you doing in my flowers hmm?” Sanha plucked Rocky Jr out with a wide grin and settled him down on the table. Rocky Jr garbled excitedly in response.

“He wanted to be a part of the surprise too.” Rocky helpfully interjected as he took the empty seat on Sanhas other side. “Do you like them?”

“Yes. They’re pretty.” Sanha touched the bright red petals with a small smile.

“Perfect for you then.” Rocky teased, making everyone laugh when Sanha whined in embarrassment again.

“So you’re ‘courting’ Sanha?” Hoseok asked, eyes sparkling. “That’s so cute. I didn’t think people did that anymore.”

“They don’t. He’s just being an idiot.” Sanha grumbled, his blush deepening. 

Rocky laughed not seeming insulted at all and leaned over to kiss Sanhas cheek making the younger boy squeal again. “I’m going for a shower. Look after our son for me. When I’m finished we’re going out.”

“But its late!” Sanha protested. “Its dark outside now.”

“It is but I’m still taking you out anyway.”

“Where are we going? Or is it a surprise?”

“No. It’s a date.” Rocky winked as Sanha spluttered and rushed away towards the stairs to get showered.

“I hate him.” Sanha grumbled as he watched him go, without a trace of hatred on his face.

*

**Hey sunshine. Me, Min and Bin will have finished this request by tonight. I’ll be home in around four days’ time. I’m glad to hear Sanha and Rocky are getting closer but it’s a shame about Donghan and Grey. They’ve told each other how they feel now so hopefully when the anger fades away they’ll see sense.**   
**Did you send those notes to the apothecaries like I asked you to? And did you put another order in for Baby’s food? He’s eating well out here, the forest nearby is overpopulated with owlbears so he’s doing the villagers a favour by gorging himself, but I know we’re running out of meat for him at home. He’s still growing so he needs it. I’m sorry if this note has turned into me nagging. Wow I feel like an adult now.**   
**Baby has been really well behaved for me though, but I can feel that he misses you. I do too. My beautiful fiancé. I can’t wait to see you again. I came on this request to earn the coin to buy you an amazing Christmas present and I know it will be worth the time apart. I can already imagine your face when you see it. It’s making my heart flutter.**   
**If you get lonely, go and stay with your mother. I’m sure she’ll be happy to have you stay for a night or two. But make sure to be home for when I get back. I have over a weeks’ worth of cuddles and kisses to catch up on!**

*

Myungjun knocked on the door and adjusted his overnight bag on his shoulder. He’d taken Jinwoos advice and had decided to stay with his mother for the night. Even though he saw her regularly enough at the guild, he didn’t often get to see her alone.

And today was no different apparently. It was Myungjuns father who, surprisingly, opened the door.

“Oh hello Myungjun. We weren’t expecting you.”

Myungjun looked him over, eyes narrowed. His father’s hair was damp, and he smelled like soap. Had he showered here?

“I didn’t expect to see you here either.” Myungjun replied, stepping inside. “Is mother home?”

His father led him into the living room and dumped himself back on the sofa looking comfortable. It was a stark difference to how Myungjun had seen him the last time they’d been here to cheer his mother up. His father had looked awkward and out of place but now he looked like he was feeling right at home. Myungjun tried not to get too hopeful.

“Yes she’s here. Just showering. Would you like some tea?” His father asked.

“Sure…but first, why are _you_ here? Not that I have a problem with it or anything.” Myungjun quickly added. “Are you and mother…” He let the unfinished question hang between them.

“Tea first.” His father answered hurriedly before springing up and rushing from the room.

Myungjun grinned and looked down at his hands as the hope expanded in his chest. He hoped his father came here often, it sure seemed that way at least, and he hoped that meant what he thought it meant.

“Junnie!” 

Myungjun looked up at the sound of his mother’s voice and was instantly engulfed in a hug that smelt of her floral shampoo. He hugged her back tight and giggled when she showered him in kisses.

“Hello mother. I came to stay the night if that’s okay.”

She pulled away with a big smile and nodded. “Of course. You’re always welcome here. Did you see your father?”

“He’s making some tea. Speaking of father…”

Her eyes darted to the door. Myungjun could just tell she was planning to escape from his questions as well, so he was hardly surprised when she mumbled an excuse about helping with the tea before fleeing the room.

Myungjun heard hushed voices coming from the kitchen and crept over to the door to listen properly.

“…tell him.”

“The truth would be a good start.” His father replied quietly. “He’s an adult now. He’ll understand.”

“What if he doesn’t like it? What if he doesn’t accept it?” His mother sounded worried.

Myungjun peeked into the kitchen with a wide grin to see his father gather her up in his arms. She leaned into his chest with a happy sigh. Myungjuns heart swelled at the sight.

“Regardless of the outcome we still need to tell him. If he doesn’t accept it…we’ll just have to hide it.”

His mother laughed and looked up at him, eyes shining. “You’ve always been mischievous. You make me feel like a teenager again.”

His father grinned and leaned down to kiss her.

Myungjun decided it was the perfect time to interrupt. He cleared his throat noisily as he stepped into the room and kept a straight face as his parents looked around with expressions of surprise and mild horror at being caught.

“Junnie we can explain.”

“Son we have something to tell you.”

The poorly contained giggle slipped out of Myungjuns lips and he rushed across the room to join in on their hug. He wriggled between them and sighed happily.

“You don’t have to explain. If you’re happy being together again them _I’m_ happy. I’ve always wanted this. I’ve always wanted to be a proper family.” Myungjun said suddenly feeling emotional. “This is how it was meant to be. The three of us together.”

“Oh Junnie.” His mother sniffled. “Are you sure it’s okay?”

“Of course it is. Which means you don’t have to hide it.” Myungjun replied cheekily.

His father had the grace to look guilty at least. He cleared his throat. “Sorry. I wouldn’t have wanted to hide it and lie to you but there’s no way I’m letting your mother go again. It was the biggest mistake of my life letting you both go before and not trying harder to fight for what I wanted. But I’m ready for that now. I’m ready to fight my hardest for you both. Honestly, I’ve been ready for a long time, but I wanted to make sure it was okay with you first son.”

Myungjun looked up at him with a bright smile. “Does this mean you’re going to live here now? And are you getting remarried?”

“About that…” They both pulled away and Myungjun turned to listen to his mother. “I’m selling this place.” She continued. “I want a change now. This house has too many rooms that are going unused now that all of you boys have moved out. I want to move into the city to be closer to the guild.”

“And I’ll be moving in with her.” His father added.

Myungjun looked up at him in surprise. “You’re moving out of the guild? But you’re the guild leader.”

“Guild leaders are not required to reside in their guilds. I only did so because my work became my life but now…now you two are my life.” His father replied smiling softly at them both. “I’m ready for a change too. A fresh start. We’ll move in together, but we’ve decided not to get remarried.”

Myungjun frowned. “Why not?”

“No specific reason. We just do not wish to, that’s all.” His mother replied simply. “Marriage isn’t important to us.”

Myungjun couldn’t understand that at all but the talk of marriage had reminded him of his own and he gasped excitedly making his parents jump.

“Me and JinJin are planning our wedding now! Sanha and Rocky Jr are back so we’re ready.”

Their reactions were exactly what he expected them to be and he laughed when his mother dragged him back to the living room to get involved in the planning herself. Myungjun was grateful for the help. Jinwoo wasn’t as creative as his mother was and didn’t care much for the finer details. So, it was a refreshing change to plan with someone of the same mindset as himself. His wedding was sure to be perfect now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Started with cute Socky, ended with Myungjuns family coming together at last :']
> 
> I want to thank all of you who voted on which fight you wanted to see, not only in the comments on the last chapter but the ones who privately messaged me too. You all really helped me out. I was so stuck >.<   
> The majority wanted to see Jinwoo vs Grey so that's what I'll be writing :3


	268. Leo's Love Life.

**Leo**

Leo ordered his guards to stay outside and took a deep breath before pushing open the door to Hakyeons teashop. The guards obeyed without question and stationed themselves outside the door with their backs to the windows giving him some privacy. He was grateful for that. It really was suffocating being babysat all the time.

Today was also an important day, a day he’d _need_ the privacy. Today he was going to tell Hakyeon and Ravi what he wanted. He’d made up his mind after the last time he had been here over two weeks ago now.

At the end of his previous visit, Hakyeon had hesitantly leaned in to kiss him softly on the lips and to say that Leo had been shocked was an understatement. He’d been a blushing mess and had turned away only to be pulled in for another firmer kiss from Ravi.

Leo had agonised over it for days after it had happened. They’d both kissed him. They both liked him. The time had come for him to choose. He’d been dreading this day. How could he choose between them? He liked them both. His heart was divided, and he’d never been more confused in his life.

Hakyeon was sweet and kind and fussed over him making him feel loved and cared for. He always greeted him with a bright smile and Leos favourite tea and cake, and he always smelled incredibly good when he hugged Leo goodbye at the end of the day. Leo still had his confession cake box and it made his heart flutter every time he opened it up to read it when he was alone. Hakyeon was his first love.

And Ravi was his second. Ravi was handsome and strong and never failed to make Leo laugh. He was cheeky and straight forward and always spoke his mind. Ravi often came to the teashop covered in new bruises, especially across his knuckles, from his fights in the boxing ring and Leo spent plenty of time helping Hakyeon to soothe them with ice and medicinal creams. Ravi would always try to thread their fingers together and hold Leos hands when he rubbed the cream into Ravi’s knuckles and laughed at Leos resulting blushes. Ravi was a tease. A sexy, flirty tease that always left Leo flustered.

The two men couldn’t have been more different, and Leo adored that about them. Which is also why he couldn’t choose between them.

He looked across the empty teashop now to see Ravi already seated at Leos favourite table in the corner. He was dressed smartly today in a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of black slacks. Leo rarely saw him dressed this way and the sight momentarily stole his breath.

“Leo!” Hakyeon called happily from his place behind the counter. 

Ravi looked up and smirked when he caught Leo staring. Leo wanted to die. It was so embarrassing.

He walked over to the counter first and smiled at the man across from him.

“Hello. I’m sorry I haven’t been here in a while. I had some things to think about.” Leo apologised quietly.

“We thought you might. Are you ready to talk now?” Hakyeon asked carefully as he made his way around the counter. His smile was encouraging, reassuring.

Leo nodded feeling almost shy and allowed Hakyeon to lead him to the table after changing the sign on the door from ‘Open’ to ‘Closed’. Ravi stood up from his seat and pulled out a chair for Leo. Very gentlemanly. Leo was used to such treatment from his staff at the castle but having the two men he adored treating him like royalty made butterflies erupt in his stomach.

“Hello handsome. How are you feeling?” Ravi asked with a teasing edge to his voice as he sat back in his own chair.

Leo flushed. “I’m very well Ravi. How are you?”

“Better now that you’re here.” Ravi replied smoothly.

Leo couldn’t look at him for more than a few seconds at a time. He wished Ravi had dressed in his usual more casual attire. It would have made this a whole lot easier. 

As he didn’t trust himself to not get distracted by Ravi’s and Hakyeons charms, he began the conversation he needed to have immediately.

“After our last meeting I needed time to think. You both…kissed me and I left with the impression that you both have feelings for me. Was it okay for me to assume that?” 

“You know how I feel about you.” Hakyeon replied with a light blush of his own. “My cake box told you everything you needed to know.”

Leo smiled and looked over, somewhat apprehensively, at the other man. Ravi was already watching him.

“I don’t kiss just anyone you know.” Ravi said with amusement dancing behind his eyes.

Hearing that they both definitely liked him didn’t make Leo feel any better about what he had to do. He took a deep breath and looked down at his hands to fiddle with the rings on his fingers.

“You both like me and I like you both. Which is why I will not choose. I’d rather have you both as my friends then let one of you down. I’m sorry if that disappoints you.”

A few seconds later and a hand found Leos under the table. It was soft and well-manicured, and Leo looked up at Hakyeon with a smile as he squeezed it back. Hakyeon always gave the best support.

“Thank you for letting us know how you feel.” Hakyeon replied softly, rubbing his thumb over the back of Leos hand. “I’m not disappointed you feel that way and I know that Ravi isn’t either. We also did some thinking and some talking whilst you were away, and we have our own thoughts on this matter if you’d like to hear them.”

Leo looked between them in surprise. What could they have possibly discussed?

Ravi suddenly sat up looking serious. More serious then Leo had ever seen him before.

“Leo, we don’t want you to choose.” Ravi said, leaning forwards with his elbows on the tabletop and his hands clasped together. The buttons at the top of his shirt were undone and Leo had to quickly look away. 

“I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying. Why wouldn’t you want me to choose if you both liked me?”

“Because we’re okay with you liking us both.” Hakyeon was the one to answer. 

Leo looked at him with a mixture of confusion and cautious hope. “Please elaborate.”

“We never told you this because the opportunity never arose to do so, but me and Ravi have a history together. We were once engaged.” Hakyeon revealed his shocking news with a small smile. Leo just stared wide eyed. “Our engagement came to an end when we realised that something was missing between us. We could never figure out what that missing thing was but now we know.”

“What was missing?” Leo asked in a voice that was hushed. He couldn’t believe that they were once engaged. Surely they should be acting more awkwardly around each other if that were the case?

A warm hand cupped Leos face. Ravi stroked his thumb across Leos cheek. The look Ravi gave him was so intense Leo was sure his very soul shivered.

“You. You were what was missing.” Ravi muttered. “We don’t expect you to fully understand right now and honestly, we’re still not entirely sure how to even explain it, or if we even understand it ourselves, but all we know is that we want to be with you, to make you happy above all else.”

Leo swallowed. Was this really happening?

“Leo? Leo breath honey.” Hakyeons soothing voice washed over him.

Leo tried to catch his breath. It was hard. “You both want to be with me? Like…at the same time? The three of us?” He choked.

“That’s what we want. But you have to want it too, we won’t force you.” Ravi let his hand fall away from Leos face. “If you need time to think-”

“No!” Leo blurted out. His eyes widened at his own interruption. He hadn’t meant to say it like that.

“You don’t want to?” Hakyeon asked sounding hurt. He wasn’t good at hiding his emotions.

“No what I meant to say was that I do not require time to think about it. I’ve already made up my mind.” Leo rushed to correct himself. Both of the men opposite him looked expectant as they waited for him to continue and Leo could see the hope shining clearly in Hakyeons eyes. Ravi’s own hope was there too but more reserved.

Leos heart was pounding against his ribcage. The two men he loved were telling him that he didn’t have to choose. That they could all be together. It would be a lie to say he hadn’t entertained that thought before. It was his wildest fantasy come true.

“Do you two still have feelings for each other?” Leo asked looking between them.

Ravi’s eyes flickered to Hakyeons beside him and he smiled. Hakyeon blushed and looked away. Leo took that as a yes. Instead of making him feel uncomfortable or jealous, Leo found the thought strangely comforting. It gave him more confidence to utter his next words.

“I’m the King. I cannot have a husband and I definitely cannot have two…but, with that being said, I am also a man who has spent too many years denying myself happiness. I really listened to what you said Ravi, about me still being young and not needing an heir any time soon, and I have already taken that advice on board. My engagement was cancelled last night. I’m a man with freedom and I would like to do something with that freedom that will make me truly happy.”

Hakyeons breath audibly caught in his throat. “Are you saying…”

“Yes.” Leo answered quietly with a smile. “I do not know how we are going to make this work and it could turn into a complete disaster but what I do know is that I would at least like to try. I’m truly happy when I am here with you both and-”

“Oh Leo I’m so happy!” Hakyeon cried unable to stay quiet any longer. He flung himself across the table to hug Leo tight and Leo hugged him back with a bright laugh full of happiness. “We’ll make it work I promise. We just want you to be happy Leo and now that you’ve given us this opportunity, we won’t waste it!” Hakyeon let him go and sat back in his chair sniffling and wiping his eyes. 

Ravi chuckled and ruffled Hakyeons hair. “So emotional. You’ve forgotten his tea too.”

Hakyeon gasped and quickly got up. “You’re right. I’ll be back in a second!”

Leo watched Hakyeon leave feeling fond. He knew Ravi sent him away so he could calm down. Nothing calmed Hakyeon down quicker than making tea.

“Your majesty?”

Leo looked at Ravi with a raised eyebrow. “Are you still going to call me that?”

Ravi grinned. “What else am I allowed to call you? My boyfriend?” 

Leos body warmed pleasantly. Ravi was his _boyfriend_. Hakyeon was his _boyfriend_. He’d never had a boyfriend before and now suddenly he had two.

“My handsome boyfriend you’re daydreaming.”

Leo snapped out of it and focused on Ravi properly with a blush. He liked hearing that from Ravi’s lips.

“Sorry. What were you saying?” Leo asked as he tried and failed to wipe the smile from his face.

“I was saying that you gave Hakyeon a hug but not me. Come here.” Ravi stood up and opened up his arms.

Leo didn’t need to be told twice. He was out of his chair and in Ravi’s arms in a matter of seconds. Ravi was warm and smelled different to Hakyeon. Hakyeon smelt sweet like the cakes he baked, and Ravi smelt of his aftershave, dark and manly. A combination that never failed to make Leo weak at the knees.

Ravi hummed happily as he wrapped his arms more tightly around Leos waist. “I’m happy you agreed to try this with us Leo.”

Leo pulled his face out of Ravi’s neck to smile at him. “I’m happy too. Truly. I have never felt this happy before. I fear my heart may burst.”

Ravi laughed and brushed a stray piece of hair off of Leos forehead. “That’s mildly concerning but I know how you feel.”

Leo moved a hand down to Ravi’s chest. He felt his heartbeat. It was beating as fast as Leos own. Ravi’s heart suddenly picked up speed and he leaned forwards, eyes only on Leos lips. Leo met him halfway and melted against him completely when their lips touched. Kissing Ravi made Leos head spin. Ravi kissed deeply and passionately with one hand at the back of Leos head holding him close and the other pressed against the small of Leos back, bringing their bodies together. Leo soon found himself wanting more.

“Should we forget the tea?” Hakyeon asked sounding breathless from behind them.

Ravi was the first to break the kiss and he grinned as Leo tried to chase his lips. “I think we should. But it’s up to Leo.”

Leo blinked a few times trying to clear his head. What was up to him? He was sure he had heard Hakyeon too. “Hakyeon?”

“I’m here.” Leo found himself being passed from one pair of arms to another. Hakyeon kissed him gently, his lips tasting just as sweet as he smelt. The kiss was only brief. Hakyeon pulled away too quickly for Leos liking. “Leo do you want your tea?”

Leo huffed impatiently and leaned in to kiss Hakyeon again. Why would he want tea when he could have Hakyeons lips instead? He heard Ravi chuckle beside them.

“Let’s take this upstairs where its more private.” Ravi suggested.

Leo didn’t protest this time when Hakyeon pulled away and let Ravi lead them to the door which would take them upstairs to Hakyeons room above the teashop. 

Leo suddenly remembered his guards. “Oh, I can’t. My guards will wonder where I’ve gone.”

“I’ll tell them. Go with Hakyeon.” Ravi replied, ushering them both towards the stairs and disappearing back into the shop.

Hakyeon led Leo to his room, stopping every few steps to kiss him. By the time they reached the top of the stairs they were both breathless and giggly. Hakyeon unlocked his door and grabbed Leos hand to drag him over to his bed. He pushed Leo down onto the mattress and climbed on top of him to kiss him.

Leo couldn’t believe this was actually happening. Just half an hour ago he’d been ready to give up on his feelings for them both to ensure that the three of them could remain friends. But now he was in Hakyeons bed, tugging Hakyeons shirt off and groaning as Hakyeons tongue and lips explored his neck. He’d never been with another man this way before and his heart was threatening to break free from his ribcage.

When both of their shirts were discarded, Hakyeon leaned back down, pressing their bare chests together. Leos skin was on fire. His arms wound around Hakyeons back pulling him closer and Hakyeons resulting moan made Leos stomach flip.

“Starting without me?”

The bed dipped as Ravi added his weight to it. Leo looked over to see Ravi already shirtless and felt his stomach tighten with desire. Ravi’s body reflected his boxing career. He was muscular and strong, and Leo was desperate to touch him too.

Hakyeon sat up on Leos thighs. “Just warming up.” He panted, sweeping his hair back.

Ravi made a noise of approval before wrapping one hand around the back of Hakyeons neck and pulling him in for a kiss. He used the other hand to caress Hakyeons stomach and chest, making Hakyeon moan into his mouth.

Leo watched them feeling like the luckiest man alive. This was Eden, he was sure of it. Nothing could be better than this. He knew in that moment that he’d definitely made the right choice. His true happiness was right here, in a bed too small for the three of them, above a pretty pink teashop, being lathered with love and attention from his boyfriends.

Leo was happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY. Leoooooo  
> Leo the poly King is the only King that matters in my heart :') I'm sorry if the decision to have the three of them together makes any of you uncomfortable but I couldn't make Leo choose one and honestly, he deserves all the love and happiness uwu


	269. Leo's Gossip.

Myungjun thanked the maid politely before bursting through the door to Leos bedroom. Leo was already waiting for him and jumped up with a big smile on his face.

“Little brother!”

Myungjun closed the door behind him before running at the King with an excited squeal and tackling him back down onto his bed. Leo laughed and hugged him tight, burying his face in Myungjuns pink hair.

“Hyung I’m so happy for you!” Myungjun cried. He sat back up and let Leo go, allowing the older man to collect himself again. “I could have run all the way here after receiving your note! How did the magic counsel take it?”

“They had no objections when I called off the engagement. It was almost as if they were expecting it.”

“You’re free now!”

Leo laughed. “You say that like I was some sort of prisoner.”

“Well you can’t tell me it wasn’t somewhat suffocating having to pretend to like a woman who would one day become your _wife_.” Myungjun made sure to put extra emphasise on the label ‘wife’.

Leo grimaced and Myungjun could feel his regret as clear as day. “I thought I was doing the right thing at the time. I’ll admit that I wasn’t quite myself…but that’s changed now.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” Myungjun replied with approval. “So, do Hakyeon and Ravi know yet?”

“About that…” Leos grin widened.

Myungjun gasped excitedly. “You have gossip? Oh _please_ tell me you have gossip. Actually wait.” Myungjun quickly scrambled up Leos bed and pulled the cover back, gesturing for him to get in. When they were both settled, Myungjun pulled the blankets over their heads and giggled. “Me and JaeJae always gossip like this. What is said under the covers, stays under the covers.”

“It feels more private this way.” Leo observed thoughtfully.

“It does. Now, no getting distracted. Tell me _everything_. I want all the details.” Myungjun prompted eagerly.

Ten minutes later and Myungjun was squealing and covering his face with his hands. It felt much too hot under the cover now.

“You have two boyfriends and you ended up in Hakyeons bed? All three of you?” Myungjun asked again for the third time, trying to make sure he heard correctly.

Leo pulled the cover down to let them breathe and Myungjun could see that Leo was blushing just as heavily as he was.

“Yes and yes. I could hardly believe it. I clearly wasn’t in my right mind then either. I’ve never done anything like that before.” Leo whined and buried his face in his pillows. “It makes me hot just thinking about it.”

Myungjun was still in shock, trying to process the fact that Leo had two boyfriends. _Two._ Not one. Two. 

“Leo how does that even work? How can you be in a relationship with Hakyeon AND Ravi? It makes no sense.”

“I know.” Leo laughed weakly into the pillows. “Part of me thought that they were joking when they first suggested it. But they admitted to me that this was new for them too and that they didn’t fully understand it either. They were engaged before and to be reunited through me…I was worried that maybe they were just using me to rekindle their previous love. But then Hakyeon did that thing that you can do, where you share your memories, and he showed me everything, including the conversation he had with Ravi about me and I could see that they both genuinely care for me.” Leos voice became quieter the longer he spoke. The last part had come out as a whisper.

Myungjun was stunned to hear that Ravi and Hakyeon had once been engaged but he was just happy in the knowledge that the two other men were genuine about their feelings for his Hyung. Leo definitely deserved all of the love that he could get.

“Hyung look at me.”

Leo pulled his face out of his pillows. The smile on his face radiated pure joy and the sight made Myungjuns heart happy. He didn’t want to ruin Leos good mood, but he needed to ask his next question.

“So, what now? Are you going to announce your relationships?”

As expected, Leos smile faltered. “I can’t. They both know that. Our relationship cannot become public knowledge, they will not be able to see me as often as they like either because I am still the King, and I still have to create an heir one day. They both know these things and have been extremely understanding… _too_ understanding perhaps.” Leo sighed. “I fear I may not deserve their love after all.”

That was the last thing Myungjun wanted to hear from Leo. No-one deserved love more than Leo did. Not after the life of solitude he had to live. Myungjun had to somehow salvage Leos good mood.

“Hyung you _do_ deserve their love. But I also deserve something too.”

“What?” Leo asked confused. Myungjun smiled. Leo had taken the bait easily enough.

“I deserve details. What happened when you all ended up in Hakyeons bed? Can you tell me or are you too embarrassed?” Myungjun teased. He knew that if the question were reversed on him, and Leo asked about his endeavours in the bedroom with Jinwoo, then he himself would be much too embarrassed to answer.

But surprisingly Leo didn’t seem at all bothered about sharing the details. In fact, he seemed all too eager to.

“It was _incredible_. I can’t remember who took off my shirt but then Hakyeons came off and Ravi was suddenly there with _his_ shirt off and I’m sure I nearly cried at the sight of them. They’re both so _handsome_.” Leo sighed dreamily.

“You took your shirts off?” Myungjun gasped feeling genuinely shocked. It had taken him the longest time to take his shirt off in front of Jinwoo, but Leo didn’t seem to have had the same reservations that he did. “Was that the only thing that came off?” Leos flustered silence was enough of an answer for Myungjun and he squealed out loud. “Hyung! I can’t believe this! Did you…did you…”

Leo flushed and quickly shook his head. “No. My underwear stayed firmly on my body. As did Ravis and Hakyeons. No matter how much I reassured them that I was ready for more they wouldn’t allow it.” Leo huffed sulkily.

“Why not?” Myungjun asked cautiously.

“Because apparently the time wasn’t right with my guards outside. But when will the time ever be right? My guards are always around me. Hakyeon said I deserved better, a more ‘romantic’ setting. A setting fit for a King.” Leo rolled his eyes. “I’m _always_ treated like a King. Its tiresome. What he doesn’t understand is that in my eyes there would be nothing more romantic then sharing his bed above the teashop where I first met him.”

“Did you say that to him?” 

“Of course.”

“And what did he say in return?”

“That I was cute.” Leo scowled. “I wasn’t trying to be cute. I can’t _be_ cute.”

Myungjun giggled and poked the crease in between Leos eyebrows. “I think you’re cute Hyung.”

Leo ignored him, the only indication that he had heard being the red tint to his cheeks. “Ravi just laughed and backed him up saying I was definitely cute and for the first time ever I wanted to smack him. But then he distracted me.”

Myungjun could sense gossip of the juiciest kind and grinned. “How?”

“He kissed Hakyeon right in front of me.” Leo groaned and threw an arm over his eyes. “He’s a demon in disguise I’m sure of it. There is no sight more seductive to me and he knows it. Hakyeon always blushes the prettiest pink when they kiss, and I don’t really blame him. The way Ravi kisses…” Leo made a strangled noise in the back of his throat. “I want to die. I like them both so much and I want nothing more than to be with them again. Right now.”

“Is my company really that boring?” Myungjun joked.

Leo laughed. “Not at all.” He removed his arm from his face revealing his eyes. They were full of warmth. “I’m glad you came to see me today little brother. I’m sorry for the way I’ve been acting recently. I promise to be a better Hyung from now on.”

Myungjun hummed happily and snuggled up against Leos chest. “You don’t have to apologise. You were just confused about things that’s all. But now you know what you want and I’m truly happy for you. If you ever need my help with anything, like an excuse to get you out of the castle so you can see your lovers, I’ll be happy to help.”

Leos chuckle vibrated through his chest and jostled Myungjun lightly. “I may have to take you up on that offer. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me little brother. I wouldn’t have the two men I adore the most by my side if it wasn’t for you. You brought them to the throne room that day and set all of this in motion.”

“Happy to be of service my King.”

“Speaking of being in service…I have something to tell you. Grey handed in his resignation this morning.” Leos sigh was sad. “This is about Donghan isn’t it?”

Myungjun was only mildly surprised to hear that Grey had quit the Kingsguard. Grey had already mentioned it before but Myungjun hadn’t thought he would do so so soon.

“I think so. Wait…” Myungjuns eyes widened when he realised what this news actually meant. He shot up off the bed feeling his rapidly rising panic manifest into petals around him. “He’s leaving. He’s leaving Aredrinnor isn’t he?”

Leo sat up and nodded with a frown. “He wants to go home to see his family.”

“Where is he? Is he in his room?” Myungjun asked, already making his way to the door.

He heard the sound of rustling sheets and another pair of feet hitting the floor as Leo got up from the bed. “No. He went out this morning. But he did say something about visiting the guild tonight.”

Myungjun turned back to look at him not feeling any better. “He’s coming to the guild to say goodbye. I know it. Donghan threatened him and told him to stay away from the guild. He wouldn’t come unless he was truly leaving afterwards. He can’t do this! Its Christmas eve. Is he really going to leave the day before Christmas? I won’t allow it.”

Myungjun strode determinedly from the room with one goal in mind. Convince Grey to stay, no matter what it takes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Junnie and his happy Hyung uwu
> 
>  **Important announcement. Please read:**  
>  My fic recently reached 10k hits and 500 kudos which is beyond mind-blowing to me.🎉🎉 I really can't thank you all enough for supporting me and encouraging me with your lovely comments and suggestions.  
> In an attempt to give something back to you all, I'd like to announce the arrival of my next fic!  
> I've been writing 2 new fics and have no idea which one to post first. So, I'd like you to choose for me :3  
> I don't want to spoil too much about them, so the only things you'll be told is the name of the fics and the races/species those new worlds contain🤭~~
> 
> Fic 1: 'Dynasturm' (Races: Human, Droid and Goliath [a human with mutated cells who can increase size/strength])
> 
> Fic 2: 'Sovaterra' (Races: Human, Elves, Wilders [Half human, half animal])
> 
> So, if you have a preference, based on that tiny bit of info, on what fic you want to read next, please comment it below. If you don't have a preference I'll just choose a fic at random x3
> 
> Thankyou lovelies!xo


	270. A Christmas Miracle.

**Donghan**

The tavern was empty. It was strange. Dragon Blades was always busy at this time of night, _especially_ on Christmas Eve. Donghan had never seen it so quiet. Even Hani was absent from behind the bar.

Myungjun was the only other person seated in the tavern with him and so far, he was keeping his mouth shut. No matter how many times Donghan asked why they were here alone, Myungjun wouldn’t answer. Donghan knew something was wrong. Myungjun looked tense and was radiating an immense sadness. But he also had a determined glint in his eyes and his hands were balled up into fists on the tabletop. It was as if he were waiting for some sort of fight to break out. It wasn’t making Donghan feel any less tense himself.

Donghan sighed irritably. “Little dragon we’ve been sitting here for ten minutes now. If you don’t tell me why we’re here, and why no one else is, then I’m going to leave. I have better things to do.”

“Like what?” Myungjun asked stiffly. His eyes never strayed from the tavern doors. “Gikwangs away on a request so you’ll only be going back to an empty house.”

Donghan didn’t have an answer for that. Myungjun was right. He really didn’t have anything better to do. This was going to be the first Christmas he was spending without Gikwang and the thought of going home alone was just too depressing. Part of him was grateful for Gikwangs absence though. He needed the break from him. Especially after what he had done to Grey.

When Donghan had seen Grey tied to the bed and bleeding all over the sheets on Hallows Eve he’d felt an anger like no other coursing through his veins. And it was in that moment that Donghan had realised just how much Grey actually meant to him. The thought of him dying had been terrifying and for a few seconds Donghan had forgotten how to breathe. Grey was his oxygen. And his own brother, his twin, his other half, had been a hairs width away from taking his oxygen away for good. It was unacceptable.

Then a devastating blow had been dealt to Donghans heart. Grey had been seeing other people. Grey had been letting other people touch him and kiss him. They’d fucked him and no doubt left their marks over his delicate body. Donghan had been nauseated at the thought.

He had truly believed that Grey had liked him. He had felt it in Greys very emotions on those nights when Grey lay there naked and vulnerable beneath him. Grey had always looked up at him with such reverence and awe and led Donghan to believe that he was the only one Grey needed. Donghan was always complimented and praised and looked upon with desire and somewhere along the line, he’d mixed up desire with love. He had thought Grey loved him. 

Then Gikwang had taken matters into his own hands. He’d seen what Donghan had failed to see. He knew Grey was sleeping around, and instead of telling Donghan and allowing him to confront Grey himself, he’d taken things a step too far with trying to get rid of Grey for good. Donghan knew that in his own twisted way his brother was only trying to help. He was trying to save Donghan the heart ache by removing Grey from the equation before Donghan could find out the truth. But what Gikwang failed to understand was that Donghan was already in too deep. If Grey had just disappeared, then Donghan would have been just as heartbroken anyway. He would have spent days, weeks, months, maybe even _years_ wondering where Grey had gone and wondering why he had left and if it was somehow his fault. At least this way Donghan knew the truth. He knew what Grey had been doing behind his back.

So Donghan had been heartbroken. He’d finally realised that his feelings for Grey were a lot deeper than originally thought, only to have them spat on by the man himself. When Gikwang had showed Donghan his memories of the conversation he had had with Grey, it had felt like the air had been knocked out of Donghans lungs. Grey had told Gikwang he’d slept with too many people to count, listing some of them off with a smirk on his face as if he were _proud_ he’d seduced so many people. It hurt.

It hurt more when Grey stated that he slept with so many people because he had ‘needs’. It made Donghan feel inadequate, as if he were not good enough to satisfy said needs. The feeling of inadequacy was fuelled by the reminder that Donghan had been a virgin before sleeping with Grey. He had no sexual experience. He’d never even _kissed_ anyone before. So, the insecurities of not being good enough had crept in easily enough.

But then Donghan had spent days after Hallows Eve thinking about that. Grey had never given Donghan any indication that he was bad in bed. Grey always praised him, telling him that he had never enjoyed sex this much, that Donghan was perfect and gave him everything he wanted. The more he thought about it, the more he convinced himself that Grey had lied to him. If not that, then Grey was just insatiable where sex was concerned. That much was confirmed when Myungjun pointed out that Grey appeared to be addicted to sex. It made sense.

Myungjun had also been bold enough to point out that this whole mess was Donghans fault too. Donghan should have told Grey how he felt. He should have told him that he wanted to be the only one for him. But that was easier said than done. Donghan had always been terrible at talking about his feelings. He could talk about his feelings with Myungjun easily enough now, but that’s because of the bond they shared. Myungjun was special to him in a way that no-one else was.

But then wasn’t Grey? Wasn’t Grey special to him too?

Of course Grey was special. With his silky silver hair that caught the light in a way that made the soft strands sparkle. Just like his eyes. His pretty bright blue eyes that sparkled mischievously whenever they found Donghans, promising excitement and endless pleasure. Or his soft plush lips, the perfect shade of pink, that Grey worked between his teeth as they had sex until they were swollen and glistening and awakening a hunger inside of Donghan that was so intense he had to pull away before he devoured him whole. 

Everything about Grey was special. His pretty hands with their slim fingers that seemed tiny against Donghans own. His gorgeous, lithe figure that screamed fragile despite the obvious strength in the smooth muscles beneath his skin. Or his soft, perky ass that Donghan had wanted to sink his teeth into on more than one occasion but always ended up holding back.

He always had to hold back around Grey. He’d learnt that the hard way after the first time they’d had sex. Donghan hadn’t exactly been in the best of moods at the time. He’d been angry about Grey backing him into a corner and forcing him to give up his virginity for the sake of his pride. But even then, it wasn’t as if Donghan _completely_ hated the idea of bedding Grey. Donghan had been drawn to Grey since the first time he had laid eyes on him in the tavern. He’d liked how bold he was. So, in a way, getting to sleep with Grey was something he actually wanted. 

And then they’d had sex. Donghan had spent half the time worrying about doing something wrong and the other half of it still feeling angry about being tricked. He hadn’t held back his strength as much as he should have and as a consequence, had left Grey damaged and bruised, barely clinging to consciousness. Donghan had been repulsed with himself when he’d caught his breath after his release and looked down at the mess he had left Grey in. He’d rushed to get him clean and tried to heal his aches and pains before dressing Grey in his shirt and running away like a coward. He’d gone to the one person he knew who would do a better job of looking after him. Myungjun. Myungjun was the best person to go to when you needed comforting or when you needed looking after. His presence alone was enough. So Donghan had sent Myungjun to look after Grey instead. He couldn’t face Grey. The guilt was too much.

He didn’t expect Grey to ever want to see him again after that. He was sure Grey would hate him for what he had done. But then Donghan had received a note telling him how amazing their sex had been and the question of whether he’d be interested in doing it again. Donghan had been stunned.

He’d found out soon enough that Grey actually _enjoyed_ the pain but even then, Donghan never allowed himself to get that careless again. He could inflict pain to increase Greys pleasure, but he made sure to do so in a safer, more careful manner. And when he realised that it was possible to do so, to hold back his strength without being worried about causing a little pain, he had managed to convince himself that Grey was perfect for him. Because he’d always inflict some sort of pain on the person he slept with, it was inevitable because of his size and strength, so to have someone who could handle it and who gained pleasure from it…it was fate.

Fate. Donghan wanted to laugh now. It wasn’t fate. Grey wasn’t fated to be his because Grey liked sleeping around. And when they finally spoke again in the training fields, when Myungjun had set them up without telling him, Grey had made it even harder to believe in fate. He’d shown yet again that it wasn’t fate that had brought them together, but Greys own manipulative ways. Like his new ultimatum. If Donghan didn’t agree to starting again with Grey, then Grey was going to leave. That had angered Donghan more than anything else. The majority of his anger stemming from the sight of Myungjun crying and begging Grey not to leave. It felt as if Grey were using Myungjuns emotions to get to Donghan and Donghan didn’t like that one bit. So, he’d told him that they were over, and that Grey needed to leave.

A part of Donghan regretted that now. Grey had shown him his memories, of how he had planned to give up everything for Donghan, and how he’d planned to ask Donghan out on a date. Donghan had also felt Greys emotions. He’d felt how sorry Grey was for the pain he had caused him, and he’d felt the warmth and light of Greys love for him. Grey loved him and he’d sent him away because he’d gotten too angry. Yes. Donghan definitely regretted it now.

“Dongie?” Myungjuns voice pulled Donghan out of his depressing thoughts and he looked over to see Myungjun standing behind the bar. Since when had Myungjun even left the table?

“Yeah?”

“I asked if you wanted a drink.” Myungjun shook a bottle of moonshine in his direction with an eyebrow raised in question.

“I’d like a drink and an explanation as to why the fuck we’re here.” Donghan replied, settling his expression into a scowl. Myungjun could distract him all he liked with alcohol but that wouldn’t quell Donghans desire to know what the hell was going on.

Three cups of moonshine later and the answer became clear. 

Myungjun was dangerously close to drinking over his limit so Donghan took the bottle away from him and returned it to the shelf behind the bar, not feeling the effects of his own drinks at all. Donghan had an annoyingly high tolerance for alcohol.

When Donghan turned back around his eyes landed on a familiar looking figure approaching the tavern doors. Snow was swirling chaotically around him but Donghan would recognise him anywhere.

Grey walked through the doors bundled up like a marshmallow against the cold and was carrying two bags, one in each hand. Greys eyes widened when he saw Donghan, but he quickly looked away and hurried over to where Myungjun was sitting. 

_Myungjun really set us up again? I’m going to kill him_.

Donghan strode towards the table getting ready to give Myungjun a piece of his mind.

“…Junebug. You know I have to go.”

Donghan froze. Grey was leaving?

“No. You don’t.” Myungjun replied stubbornly, his cheeks a rosy pink from the moonshine he’d drunk. His words weren’t slurred. He still sounded determined. “You can’t just leave. Not on Christmas Eve! You have to spend Christmas with us. It’s not Christmas without you.”

“But I’m not welcome here anymore.” Grey reminded him quietly. His piercing blue eyes flickered to Donghan briefly before he looked back at Myungjun with a blush, clearly not expecting Donghan to have been so close. “I’ve been away from home for too long anyway. It’s about time I went back.”

“But you told me you left because you had an argument with your parents. You’re not welcome there anymore.”

Grey opened his mouth before closing it again and looked down at his feet with a frown. Donghans stomach lurched. Grey was leaving to go back home to a place he wasn’t welcome because Donghan was too stubborn to let his true feelings be known. He felt sick.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine to go back now Junebug. I’m sure they’ve…missed me.” Grey replied awkwardly, sounding like he didn’t quite believe it himself and avoiding Myungjuns gaze. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry to be doing this now, for leaving right before Christmas but-”

“What about my wedding?” Myungjun asked on the verge of tears. “I can’t get married unless everyone is here. Sanha and Rocky Jr are back now so me and JinJin have already planned everything. But we can’t get married now if you’re gone.”

Grey made a noise of pain and looked up at Myungjun with watery eyes. “You _can_. It’s your day not mine. You should marry him Junebug. He’s your soulmate. Don’t let my absence stand in the way of that. I just want you to be happy.”

Myungjun burst into tears. The sight ripped Donghans heart in half.

“I can’t be happy without you there!” Myungjun cried, getting up from his seat. “I love you Grey please don’t go! Tell him Dongie. Tell him he can’t leave!” Myungjun turned to look at Donghan, eyes pleading. “Please Dongie do something!”

Donghan was frozen. He couldn’t move. He knew that if he spoke up then it was likely that Grey would stay. How eager could he be to leave anyway when he had nowhere else to go? His family didn’t want him apparently. 

But Grey was also under the impression that Donghan didn’t want him either and Donghans voice seemed to have disappeared. 

Grey swallowed loudly when ten seconds of silence had passed. He walked over to Myungjun and put his bags down on the table before pulling the younger man in for a hug.  
“I’m sorry little prince.” Grey whispered into his curly pink hair. His voice was choked with emotion. “I love you too. More than you could ever possibly know. You mean so much to me. Ever since we met at the academy in my kitchen. You let me look after you when you and Jinwoo had that big fight and you made me realise that I was dependable, that I was someone who could be relied on. I loved looking after you. Making you lemon tea and lemon cupcakes whenever you were sad and giving you hugs whenever you cried. You made me feel useful again. You gave me purpose. Even when I got into that fight with the boys who were bullying you, even when I got fired, even when I had to leave and had to pack my life away into these two bags, even then I didn’t regret it one bit. I didn’t regret meeting you and becoming your friend. You’re so special and you deserve to get everything you want. So please, _please_ , marry your handsome fiancé and adopt a hundred children and grow old and rich and eat all the tasty food. Okay?”

Myungjun choked out a laugh that quickly turned into a sob. “We’re never going to see each other again are we?”

“Probably not.” Grey whispered, hugging Myungjun tighter. “But just know that I’ll always think about you, about our friends, about this guild and the castle and our life in the academy. I’ll never forget it because you all gave me such good memories. You may not be of my blood, but you’re the family I chose and that’s more important.” Grey pulled away, his tears making tracks down his face. He attempted a smile. It trembled. “My little prince. My Junebug. Smile for me.”

Myungjuns smile wasn’t any better. Grey leaned down to kiss him on the forehead. Then he picked up his bags and turned to leave. After taking a few steps he paused briefly before turning back to look at Donghan, his shiny blue eyes reflecting Donghans own feelings.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me Donghan. Look after Myungjun for me. I lo-” Grey stopped and looked away. “Have a good Christmas.”

Grey turned away and left, closing the tavern doors behind him. The second the doors closed the panic settled in Donghans chest. Grey was leaving. He was really leaving. He was leaving and Donghan was never going to see him again.

“Dongie.” Myungjun sounded so crushed and when Donghan looked down at him he could see the pain on his face. “Please Dongie don’t let him go.”

Seeing Myungjun so upset gave Donghan the strength to do what needed to be done. He quickly reached out to wipe Myungjuns tears away.

“No tears. I’ll fix it.” Donghan promised.

Donghan rushed across the tavern and yanked open the doors. The biting cold of the snow hit him hard and he shivered, pulling his coat closer to his body. He couldn’t see very far in front of him, but he felt the vibrations in the ground of a carriage pulling away. The carriage Grey was in.

Donghan had never run so fast in his life. He fought against the cold and the snow, his boots crunching against the white blanket on the floor, until the carriage came into view.

“STOP! STOP THE FUCKING CARRIAGE!” 

The carriage didn’t stop. He doubted the man driving it could even hear him over the howl of the wind. Donghan growled angrily and focused on opening up the ground beneath his feet, focusing on the road ahead.

When he landed on the ground in front of the carriage the horses reared up in surprise and Donghan was forced to narrowly dodge their hooves. He yelled an apology to the driver before striding to the carriage door and yanking it open. 

Grey looked startled to see him. “Donghan what-”

Donghan didn’t give him a chance to ask his question. He just grabbed him by the front of his coat and yanked him out into the cold.

“You made him cry.” Donghan seethed. “You made my little dragon cry. No-one makes him cry and gets away with it.”

Greys lip trembled and he looked away. “I didn’t mean to. I-”

“You never mean to hurt anyone, but you still do.” Donghan interrupted again feeling the anger rise inside of him.

_Calm down you fucking idiot. You’re supposed to be getting him to stay, not scaring him away._

Donghan closed his eyes and drew in a deep steadying breath before recollecting his thoughts and looking back down at the man in front of him who was crying silent tears now.

“I’m sorry Donghan. I’m so _sorry_ for everything I’ve done. For hurting you and Myungjun and everyone else who’s ever had to suffer because of me. That’s why I’m leaving. To stop that suffering. All I ever do is hurt people and I’m tired of it. So, you don’t have to worry. I’m going far away, and you’ll never have to see me again.”

“You’re an idiot.” Donghans own eyes filled up. “A dumbass. A moron. A…fuck this is hard. I’m not good at this shit.” He clutched the front of Greys coat tighter.

 _Do it. Tell him_.

“You’re going to hurt me more if you leave.” Donghan blurted out.

_Real smooth…_

“I mean, I don’t want you to leave.” Donghan corrected himself.

Grey hesitantly reached up to grip Donghans arms. “Then tell me to stay.” The desperation was clear in his voice and his eyes were pleading. It was obvious that he didn’t want to leave. “Tell me you forgive me. Tell me you don’t hate me. I need to hear you say it.”

“Of course I don’t hate you.” Donghan replied softly.

He knew what he had to say next, but he still needed to overcome his habit of pushing people away to do so. He needed to break down the walls he’d built around himself and he needed to let Grey in. It felt like the hardest thing ever to do. But then he remembered Myungjuns face, his tears, and he looked at the tears spilling out of Greys eyes. He had to do this. He had to do this not just for himself, but for the both of them too. They were the family _he_ had chosen after all.

“Stay. Don’t leave. I forgive you.” The walls came down and suddenly Donghan couldn’t stop talking. “I need you Grey. I’m miserable without you. When I saw what Gikwang had done to you, when I thought you were going to die…I felt like I’d never breathe again. So please don’t do this.” Donghan begged him, pulling Grey as close as he could, not wanting to miss any of the emotions flashing across his face. “You mean everything to me. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you what I wanted and for pushing you away. But I’m telling you now. I want you and I want to be the only person you want too. So please stay. Please stay with me.” Donghan finished his panicked speech blushing furiously but feeling lighter than ever before.

Grey answered immediately with his lips. He pulled Donghan down and kissed him. The kiss was different from every other kiss they’d shared. They weren’t kissing with the desire for sex, they were kissing with the desire to be together. Donghan could feel it in the way Greys lips trembled against his own as they created a little haven of heat out in the bitterness of the snow. Grey was sobbing as he kissed him and all Donghan could do to comfort him was wrap his arms around him and hold him tighter.

This was all Donghan needed. It was truly a Christmas miracle.

*

Grey was using Donghans bicep as a pillow, his cheek squished cutely as he slept. Soft snores spilled from his pouty lips and Donghans heart clenched at every tiny noise, every tiny movement.

They were in Donghans bed at the cottage. Donghan knew Gikwang would freak out if he realised Grey had slept there, in the bed they shared, but, in that moment, he couldn’t care less. The only thing he cared about was the pretty silver haired man cuddled up to his side. Grey looked even more delicate like this. Vulnerable. Young. Utterly at peace.

Donghan couldn’t stop looking at him. He wanted to trace the sharp lines of his face with his fingertips, but he held back. He didn’t want to wake him. Grey had been hysterical after Donghans confession and had cried until he’d exhausted himself. Donghan had been worried at first but the smile that bloomed on Greys face and the words he spoke had reassured Donghan that everything was going to be okay.

“I love you Donghan.” Grey had said breathlessly before kissing him again.

Donghans heart had clenched so painfully in his chest he was sure he was going to die. But he needed to stay alive to get the exhausted Grey to a bed and there was no better bed then Donghans own. It was enormous, it had to be to hold two literal half-giants. Normal beds just weren’t comfortable enough for Donghan to sleep on. They were much too small, and his legs always hung off the end.

Terraporting all the way home had taken a lot of energy out of Donghan, but he couldn’t sleep. He didn’t want to miss anything. He wanted to be there fully when Grey woke. He wanted to see what Grey looked like fresh out of sleep. He wanted to see it all.

He didn’t have to wait long.

An hour after Grey had fallen asleep, he stirred, groaning quietly. His eyelashes fluttered open and Donghans breath caught in his throat. This is what he had wanted to see. Grey looked sleepy and soft and still partly dazed from his slumber. 

“Donghan?” Grey croaked out. His voice was deeper than usual, and it made Donghans skin tingle. “So that wasn’t a dream?”

Donghan let out a small laugh and reached out to stroke Greys cheek. “No. I’m really here. Why? Disappointed?”

“The only thing I’m disappointed about is the fact we’re still clothed. Why the hell are we clothed? Why are we not having amazing make up sex right now?” Grey asked sounding much too sleepy for what he was suggesting.

“Because we agreed that we needed to talk before anything like that happened again remember?” Donghan reminded him feeling amused.

Grey huffed half-heartedly. “Why did I ever agree to such a thing? I must be crazy.”

Donghan just rolled his eyes and pulled Grey up and onto his chest. Grey snuggled into him with a happy whine. Donghan was sure his heart skipped a beat at the noise.

“Let’s talk now.” He prompted quietly.

“Good. The quicker we talk, the quicker I can suck your dick.”

“Grey be serious.”

“I am being serious. I know your dick is literally gigantic but I’m sure I can fit it-”

“I will literally kill you.”

Grey giggled and looked up at him, resting his chin on his hands. “Okay sorry. Let’s talk.”

Donghan studied him for a few seconds to make sure he was being serious. When he could see no hint of mischief in his eyes he relaxed.

“We like each other.”

“We do.”

“So…you’re my boyfriend now?” Donghan asked trying not to sound too hopeful.

Grey grinned. “You’re my boyfriend _and_ my future husband.”

“Getting ahead of yourself don’t you think?” Donghan teased back. Inside, his stomach was full of butterflies. 

Grey shrugged. “I told you the second or third time we met that you needed to remember my name because you were my future husband. I’m just reminding you of that. Now that we have established our relationship-”

“Wait.” Donghan interrupted before Grey could start trying to seduce him. “You quit the Kingsguard. Are you going to re-join?”

“No.” Grey answered with a sigh. “I liked the job and I liked living in the castle, but I don’t think I could be away from you for a month at a time. I was thinking about getting a regular job instead.”

Donghan let that information sink in. “Well why don’t you apply to join Dragon Blades then?”

“Wow. Do you like me that much that you’d ask me to work with you?” Grey asked teasingly. He laughed at Donghans scowl. “I’m only joking. I did think about that, but I actually want to go back to being a chef. I love cooking and I’ve had enough of fighting now.”

“Will you cook for me? I liked the cupcake you made for Myungjun on his birthday.” Grey huffed angrily at the memory and smacked Donghans chest making Donghan laugh. “Now I know why you’ve had enough of fighting. You’re weak. I hardly felt that.” Donghan scoffed.

“You’re just asking for a beating.” Grey warned.

“You’re the one with the pain kink. Not me.”

“Ha ha. Very funny.” Grey replied sarcastically with a roll of his eyes. “To answer your question, yes I’ll cook for you. All the time. Every day if you’ll let me. But only if you do something for me in return…”

Donghan already knew where this was going. “Food for sex? Deal.”

Grey cheered happily and wriggled up Donghans chest to kiss him. Donghan chuckled into it and kissed him back eagerly. The kiss quickly heated up until Grey was grinding up against him whining desperately.

“Donghan _please_. I haven’t had sex since Hallows Eve I’m dying.”

Donghan was momentarily surprised to hear that. Grey had gone without sex for two whole months? How was that even possible? “Wait you haven’t-”

“No.” Grey answered with a pout. However, there was a hint of pride in his voice. “How could I after I upset you that much? I cut contact with everyone I used to sleep with. But there’s only so much masturbating I can do before my dick falls off. Help me. Save my dick. It won’t survive another session with my hand.”

Donghan spluttered out a laugh at his dramatics and flipped them over, enjoying the little gasp of surprise that slipped out of Greys mouth. His heart soared at the idea of being the only one to touch Grey from now on.

“It would be my pleasure. Literally. Now, let’s have that amazing make up sex you were talking about.”

Grey shrieked out a laugh as Donghan dived down to attack his neck hungrily with his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Donghan: *Finally admits his feelings*  
> Me: A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE FOLKS!!!!! A CHRISTMAS MIRACLEEEEEEEE
> 
> Does this mean I can write soft Dongrey content now?! *happy noises*
> 
> Anyway, in regards to the question at the end of my last chapter...Sovaterra won by 100% of votes which means I'll be posting that fic first! ahhh I'm so excited oof.  
> However, I won't be uploading any chapters for either fic (MiA/Sova) for a little while now. I'm in serious need of a mental health break. But when I return, It will be with a new chapter for MiA and my first chapter of Sova :P  
> Look after yourselves and get ready for Astros comeback!! If we survive this concept it will be a(nother christmas) miracle~~


	271. Myungjuns Perfect Christmas.

Christmas day was as perfect as Myungjun could have hoped for now that Grey had decided to stay. Myungjun had received a note from Donghan, after the older man had ran out into the snow to chase down the carriage, saying that he had taken Grey back to the cottage and that Myungjun needn’t worry about him and Grey anymore. They had apparently worked things out and Myungjun couldn’t be happier for them.

He didn’t see the new couple until the afternoon, and he could already take an educated guess as to why that was without needing to ask. They walked into the tavern hand in hand and they both looked beyond happy. The sight made Myungjuns chest warm. He was so proud of Donghan for opening up his heart and fixing things before it was too late. 

Donghan was really flourishing before his eyes. Myungjun could hardly believe how much Donghan had grown and changed since they’d first met all those years ago.

Myungjun greeted them both with a big smile of his own and squealed in surprise when he was pulled in for a hug and crushed between their bodies. He quickly relaxed into the three-way hug and hummed happily when someone’s hand found its way into his hair. The muttered thanks he received from them both made him grin.

Gifts were exchanged soon after and Myungjun added a new charm to his charm bracelet and a pair of silky pyjamas to his growing pile of gifts from his friends and family. Jinwoos gift for Myungjun was back at the farmhouse. He’d spent the money he had earned on the request with Moonbin and Dongmin on a beautiful black grand piano that was sitting in the corner of their sitting room. Myungjun had cried and thanked Jinwoo ten times over when he’d first seen it. He’d learnt to play the piano in the castle but had no way of practising it at home. Jinwoos gifts were always so thoughtful.

Myungjun had made the Socky Jr family matching Christmas jumpers for their gifts which were well received. Rocky Jr looked adorable in his and the little rock spent the entire morning patting the soft fabric on his chest and giggling to himself on Sanhas lap. Sanha had protested weakly with a blush when he’d realised he’d be matching with Rocky again but Rocky just stuffed the jumper onto his head and made him put it on. They looked so cute together and Myungjun vowed to draw a sketch of the picture they made when he next had some free time. 

After lunch, Myungjun kissed Jinwoo for an unnecessarily long time under the mistletoe whilst his friends made gagging sounds around them. Myungjun pushed Rocky and Sanha underneath it next and Sanha blushed a bright red when Rocky kissed him on the nose. Myungjun was also ecstatic to see his father pull his mother underneath it later that day. Everyone was happy and that’s all Myungjun had wanted for his perfect Christmas.

They all went outside after dinner, at Sanhas request, to have a snowball fight in the streets, that led to them running around screaming and laughing having the best of times until they were all soaked and cold and shivering. Jinwoo and Myungjuns father helped to dry everyone off with their fire magic whilst Myungjun helped his mother to make them all mugs of hot chocolate with Myungjuns favourite baby marshmallows. 

Myungjun finished Christmas day cuddled up to his warm, handsome, soon to be husband and counted himself lucky for having such an amazing family and such amazing friends. He was truly happy. 

*

On the first of January Lex and Kai showed up to take Sanha back to Enhex. Myungjun and Jinwoo went with Rocky and Rocky Jr to send Sanha off and they all met up in a small town just outside of Voredans walls. 

Rocky Jr had been crying and clinging onto Sanha the entire carriage journey there and wasn’t showing any signs of stopping any time soon. Myungjun couldn’t blame him, he was feeling emotional himself.

“Little one you need to let go now. I have to greet my friends.” Sanhas voice was soft as he climbed out of the carriage, trying to detach Rocky Jrs arms from around his neck. Rocky Jr just cried harder and shook his head. Sanha sighed. “I’ll give you another cuddle afterwards I promise. Please just do as I say.”

Rocky Jr finally let go and allowed Sanha to pass him over to Rocky who held his son close looking miserable himself. Rocky smiled whenever Sanha was looking at him but whenever Sanha looked away his true emotions became evident on his face. Myungjun could see just how much Rocky was going to miss Sanha and the thought made Myungjun sad himself.

“Sanny!” Lex cried happily when they came into view. She ran at him and jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist and planting a big kiss on his lips. Sanha laughed into it and hugged her tight. “Oh Sanny I missed you so much! Enhex has been so quiet without you!” 

“I missed you too. All the time.” Sanha replied, burying his face in her pure white hair. They stayed like that for another minute before Sanha put her down and turned to Kai.

“How you feeling San? Better?” Kai asked almost cautiously. He looked Sanha up and down. “You definitely look better.”

“I’m fine.” Sanha replied with a small smile as they bumped fists. “I’ve been seeing a therapist for the last two months and that’s really helped. Also, my family here have helped a lot too.”

Kais eyes flickered to Myungjun and Jinwoo, and then to Rocky and Rocky Jr, carefully assessing them before looking back at Sanha. “Glad to hear it. Are you ready to go now?”

“Almost.” Sanha broke away from them and turned to face Myungjun and Jinwoo first. Myungjun opened up his arms and Sanha rushed into them. “Thank you for looking after me Hyung. Tell mother that I’ll be back soon okay?” 

Myungjun promised he would and Sanha gave Jinwoo a hug next before walking over to stand in front of Rocky.

“Ddana…” Rockys voice was thick with emotion. He cleared his throat. “Have a safe journey and don’t forget about us okay?”

“How could I ever forget about you?” Sanha asked quietly as he stepped forwards. “I’ll be back before you know it. Look after our son.” Rocky Jr garbled sadly in Rockys arms and Sanha wrapped his own arms around them both. “Be good for your father little one.” Sanha let them go after hugging them tight and leaned down to press a kiss to Rocky Jrs forehead.

“You forgot about me.” Rocky blurted out when Sanha stepped away. 

Sanha blushed and quickly leaned forwards to kiss his forehead too. Then after a brief moment of hesitation he pressed a soft kiss to Rockys lips as well. 

“Bye Hyukkie.” Sanha squeaked with flushed cheeks before hurrying away, letting his wings burst free and taking off into the air with Lex and Kai close behind.

Rocky watched him go with a stunned look on his face. “He just kissed me, right?”

Myungjun grinned and walked over to pat him on the shoulder. “He did. I’m happy for you both.”

“We’re not together yet.” Rocky mumbled quietly as he turned away from the sky. “But I’ll never give up.”

*

The carriage pulled up outside of the guild, depositing Myungjun, Jinwoo, and a dejected looking Rocky and Rocky Jr onto the sidewalk. Myungjun paid their fare and led the way up the steps to the tavern.

“JUNEBUG!”

Myungjun looked over at the bar to see Grey waving to him. He didn’t look happy and neither did Donghan who was sitting beside him and scowling into his drink.

“What’s wrong?” Myungjun asked when he reached them.

Grey patted his lap and Myungjun sat down onto it and leaned against his chest. Grey wrapped his arms around him and huffed.

“Junebug tell Donghan that it’s too early on in our relationship for him to buy me a house.”

“I’m sorry what?” Myungjun asked, looking up at him. He wasn’t sure he’d heard that right. “Dongie wants to buy you a house?”

“He has no-where else to live. He can’t stay in the castle and he won’t join the guild so he can’t stay here.” Donghan pointed out. “I told him I’d buy him a house in the city because he keeps going on about how much he likes spending time with me and I spend most of my time in Voredan anyway. But he’s being a stubborn cunt and won’t accept it.”

Grey rolled his eyes. “You do realise what you’re offering me right? A _house_ Donghan. An actual house. And a house in Voredan no less. Do you know how expensive that’s going to be?”

“I have more than enough coin to buy you a house here.” Donghan scoffed. “Me and Gikwang always take on the highest paying requests. We’ve built a small fortune and-”

“And that’s also another reason why I’m saying _no_.” Greys tone was firm. “You and your brother earnt that money and need I remind you that your brother was the one who tried to kill me on Hallows Eve. How do you think he’d feel if he came back home and found out that you spent his hard-earned coin on me? I won’t come between you and Gikwang like that.”

“I don’t give a fuck what my brother thinks. He owes you more than a damn house for what he did to you. And even if he gets bitchy about it, it won’t last for long. He’s going to be feeling guilty about what he did anyway. Tell him little dragon.”

Myungjun sighed and stole a sip of moonshine from Greys glass. “Grey just let him do it. He isn’t going to shut up about it otherwise. Trust me.”

“Why the hell are you taking his side?” Grey asked sounding offended. “Off.” He pushed Myungjun off his lap. “Go and sit with him you traitor.”

Donghan was beaming. “I knew there was a reason why you were my best friend little dragon.”

“I’m not taking anybody’s side. I can just see why Dongie would offer. If Jinwoo was homeless, I’d spend every single last coin I had finding him a place to stay if I had too. If the roles were reversed, you’d do the same for Dongie wouldn’t you?”

Myungjun could see immediately that his words had struck a chord with Grey. Donghan could see it too and made a small noise of triumph.

“Of course I would.” Grey replied with a frown. “But there’s also a good reason as to why I want to buy the house myself. I’ve only lived in two places since moving to Aredrinnor. The academy and the castle. I’ve never had a house to call my own. This is a big step for me, and I want to do it myself, with my own money.”

Myungjun was instantly convinced and turned to Donghan. “Grey should buy the house himself.” Donghans scowl was back in an instant but before he could start arguing again, Myungjun held his hand up to silence him. “Listen, both of you. I’ve told you both before that one of the most important things in any relationship is communication. Another is _compromise_. You have to learn to compromise when you can’t agree to something. If me and JinJin don’t agree on something, then we have to find a middle ground. It doesn’t necessarily make either of us one hundred percent happy but it’s better than nothing and its _certainly_ better then arguing.” 

A few seconds of silence later and Donghan sighed. “Fine.” He replied grumpily. “Let’s compromise. You buy the house and I’ll furnish it. Deal?” 

“Deal.” Grey sounded reluctant but still gave in easily enough. “But you have to tell me something first. Why are you so intent on spending your money on me? Is it because you feel guilty for what your brother did or something? You think he owes me?” 

“I just have a lot of coin sitting around that’s going to waste.” Donghan answered evasively.

Myungjun could tell that wasn’t a truthful answer and nudged him in the ribs, telling Donghan under his breath to tell the truth. 

Donghan groaned. “Okay. I want to pay for it because you’re my boyfriend and I want to do things for you that will make you happy because I like it when you’re happy…happy now?” Donghan stared down into the depths of his glass, avoiding their gaze as his ears turned red. 

Grey looked taken aback but then a massive smile broke out across his face, lighting up his features. “Hearing you say that is enough to make me happy. Fine you can furnish it for me. But I need a bed like yours.”

Donghan scoffed, his usual, cocky façade slipping back into place. “Of course you do. Where else am I going to sleep?” 

“You sound like you’re moving in together.” Myungjun pointed out. 

“Well if I’m buying all his furniture, I need to get some use out of-” 

Myungjun nudged him again and Donghan growled angrily. 

“Stop doing that Dongie. Stop trying to look cool.” Myungjun scolded. 

“I’ve never met anyone as irritating as you…Okay, so it’s not about the furniture. I just want to be with him.” Donghan mumbled. 

Grey whined happily and reached over to clutch Donghans hand. Myungjun wanted to giggle when he saw how tiny Greys hand looked against Donghans own. 

“I just want to be with you too. Move in with me Donghan.” Grey urged. 

Donghan gave his hand a light squeeze and smiled. “I would, but I can’t leave my brother alone.” 

“You got my hopes up saying you wanted to be with me!” Grey huffed trying and failing to pull out of Donghans hold. 

“Don’t be upset with me. You know the situation with my brother is delicate right now. He left because he tried to kill you and I kicked him out. When he comes back, he’s not going to be magically okay with us being together. It’s going to take time to convince him, especially on your part, that we’re good together. You mean a lot to me, but so does he and I want him to be happy about us too. So, the last thing I should do is move in with you…no matter how badly I want to. And I do. I really do. So please don’t be upset.” 

Grey pouted up at him. “Fine.” He muttered sounding defeated a few seconds later. 

“You two are so cute.” Myungjun squealed, unable to stay quiet any longer. 

Donghan quickly pulled away from Grey with a scowl. “Shut up little dragon. You’ve pissed me off enough today, go away.” 

A low growl sounded behind Myungjun and a pair of warm, strong arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him up against a solid chest. Myungjun wondered how long Jinwoo had been standing there. When they’d first entered the tavern, Jinwoo had gone to sit at their usual table with Rocky and Rocky Jr.

“Talk to my fiancé like that again and I’ll break your jaw.” Jinwoo threatened. His protective aura was almost overwhelming.

Myungjun just giggled. He knew Donghan was just embarrassed because he was made to talk about his feelings. “It’s ok JinJin. Dongie doesn’t mean it. Let’s go now. I need to water my plants anyway. And you two,” Myungjun looked at his friends, giving them his best motherly glare. “Remember; communication and compromise.”

He received two last salutes in return before Grey was climbing into Donghans lap, talking excitedly about looking for houses. Donghan silenced him with a kiss that looked much too passionate to be witnessed by outsiders so Myungjun quickly turned away and dragged Jinwoo towards the safety of the guild’s greenhouse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rocky kissing Sanha under the mistletoe and then Sanha kissing Rocky goodbye? Cuties.
> 
> Donghan would be a sugar daddy in another life and you can't convince me otherwise.
> 
> ~~  
> I'm back, as promised, with a new chapter AND the first chapter of Sovaterra :D I hope you end up enjoying Sovaterra as much as you have enjoyed Aredrinnor uwu  
> Thank you for waiting for me to come back xo


	272. Is That...Is That What Sex Is?

Myungjun was warm and content, snug under the covers of their bed at home with Jinwoos sensual touch creeping over his body as he cuddled closer. Myungjun could tell that Jinwoo was in no mood to sleep tonight so he rolled over to look at him properly. 

Before he could open his mouth to speak however, Jinwoos lips found his, silencing his words before they could be spoken into existence and lighting Myungjuns nerves on fire. Myungjuns whole body quivered in delight as Jinwoos tongue deepened their kiss, creating heat and flooding Myungjun with the taste of him.

Jinwoos hands drifted delicately up Myungjuns back, across his shoulder blades and up his neck to cup his face. Myungjun rolled them over until Jinwoo was beneath him and he pulled his face away with a quiet gasp.

“I thought we were going to sleep?”

Jinwoos grin promised mischief. “That was the plan. But then I remembered how sexy you looked today, and I found myself incapable of relaxing. You should walk around the house in my clothes more often. In fact, don’t bother, just walk around naked, they both seem to have the same effect on me anyway.”

Myungjun giggled as a familiar heat built in his cheeks. “That can be arranged…” He leaned back down to kiss his handsome fiancé and whimpered quietly when Jinwoos hands brushed over the sensitive spot just below his ribs.

“I’ll never get tired of hearing that.” Jinwoo groaned as Myungjuns lips moved down to his neck. “Fuck I want you. Right now.”

Myungjun grinned into warm skin and pressed another soft kiss into the juncture between Jinwoos neck and shoulder before sitting up and lifting his shirt. Then he froze. He wanted Jinwoo badly too right now, but something was on his mind, pulling him to a halt. 

“What’s wrong?” Jinwoo asked, immediately noticing his inner turmoil. Myungjun couldn’t answer for a few seconds as he felt too embarrassed about what he needed to say. “Sunshine?”

Myungjun swallowed and slowly lowered his shirt until he was covered again. “I…I want to ask you something, but it’s too embarrassing to say out loud.”

*Then don’t say it out loud*

Myungjun jumped as Jinwoos voice cut clearly through his mind. He immediately felt stupid. He was always forgetting the simpler more useful spells in times when they were the most logical solution.

Myungjun took a deep steading breath and reciprocated the link between their minds before gingerly showing Jinwoo the memory that had been bothering him the most.

~

_Grey struggling to sit up and Myungjun rushing to help him. When Grey looks comfortable against the headboard, he looks back up at Donghans scowl, returning it with one of his own and beginning to talk._

_“Are you fucking serious right now?_ That’s _what you’re worried about? Your psycho brother just carved me up and nearly stabbed me to death and all you care about is if I’ve had other dicks up my ass?”_

~

Myungjun had felt shocked and embarrassed the first time he had heard that, but now he only felt embarrassed. He’d played the memory over in his mind too many times for it to be shocking now.

However, Jinwoo seemed to be in shock. He was frozen in place beneath Myungjun, looking as stiff as a board. Myungjun braced himself for the inevitable explosion of anger. There was no way Jinwoo would let this go.

The seconds ticked by and slowly, _slowly_ , Jinwoo began to relax, muscle by muscle. Myungjun could see how much effort it took him to do so by the look in his eyes. When Jinwoo was finally relaxed, the hardness in his eyes disappeared and he seemed calm enough. That was even more worrying to Myungjun. 

Myungjun tried to be careful about it, not wanting to be detected, and reached out with his mind to read Jinwoos thoughts. He knew Jinwoo too well by now. It was impossible for him to not get angry about this. So, he needed to hear what he was thinking.

Myungjuns eyebrows raised slightly a few seconds later when he realised that Jinwoos mind was impenetrable. He knew that Jinwoo had been practicing his psychic shield a lot in the hopes of learning Myungjuns biggest secret, but he hadn’t realised just how far along Jinwoo had come. Myungjun could sense that Jinwoos shield was still weak, but he knew that if he pushed hard to break through it, then Jinwoo would feel it, and he was trying to be sneaky so that wasn’t an option.

“So, what did you want to ask me?” Jinwoo asked, sounding just as creepily calm as he looked.

“Is that…is that what sex is?” Myungjun stammered out.

Anger flashed bright and hot in Jinwoos eyes before it disappeared. “I wouldn’t have said it the way Grey said it, but I guess that’s the basics.”

Myungjun felt relieved to finally understand but that still didn’t explain everything. “I don’t understand JinJin. How could that even be pleasurable? How does it even…how does it even _fit_?” He asked, blushing furiously at his own words.

The first hint of a smile pulled at the corners of Jinwoos lips. “I promise that I’ll tell you everything sunshine, but I’d like to speak to Grey first.”

Myungjun didn’t like the sound of that but he could do nought but accept Jinwoos decision.

*

Jinwoo was still acting calm in the morning so Myungjun started to properly relax. Perhaps he was just getting himself worked up over nothing. Jinwoo had surely slept off his anger. There was need for Myungjun to feel anxious at all. 

Unfortunately, when they reached the tavern, it became clear that Myungjun should have been worried after all. He should have trusted his instincts that Jinwoo wouldn’t just let this go.

As soon as Jinwoo spotted Grey exiting the toilets, his anger exploded. Jinwoo stormed straight across the tavern and slammed Grey up against the wall with a hand around his throat. 

“You _asshole_!” Jinwoo seethed as the entire tavern fell silent to watch the exchange.

Grey just looked perplexed. “Jinwoo? What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong?” Jinwoo scoffed in disbelief. He tightened his hold around Greys neck until Grey choked, eyes widening slightly and looking in Myungjuns direction with a hint of genuine fear in his eyes.

“JinJin stop!” Myungjun tried to get between them but Jinwoo moved him gently and firmly aside with his arm.

“He knows.” Jinwoo growled, eyes still fixed firmly on Greys. “Myungjun knows because of you!”

Recognition started to register on Greys face but the appearance of Donghan interrupted them all. Donghan grabbed Jinwoo by the back of the shirt, lifted him off the floor as easily as one would lift a doll and dumped him back down away from Grey, who was gasping in lungful’s of air as Myungjun fretted worriedly around him.

“If you think I’m going to let you lay a hand on my boyfriend, you’re sorely mistaken.” Donghan began. He had placed himself between them with his arms crossed. A formidable wall of muscle. “Back the fuck up, rein your anger in and then we’ll talk. You’re lucky I’m even giving you this chance, and I’m only doing this because your Myungjuns fiancé. If you were anyone else, you’d be six feet under right now. Lay one more hand on him though and I’ll rip it off clean off your arm. Understand?”

Jinwoo looked livid but seemed to understand the threat to his words and took a deep breath before talking. “You’re suddenly protective of Grey, I can understand that, but _I’m_ also protective over Myungjun and Greys crossed another fucking line! How many more times do I have to hear that he’s taught Myungjun something else that he didn’t need to know huh? _I’m_ supposed to be the one teaching Myungjun about sex, NOT your boyfriend!”

Grey pulled away from Myungjuns hold and stepped around Donghan to face Jinwoo himself. Myungjun didn’t like the image they made, two against one, and he quickly rushed to Jinwoos side to even the numbers.

“Who made it _your_ job to teach him?” Grey asked stiffly, his head held high in defiance. “As far as I’m aware, you’re still a virgin. You can’t teach him everything without having experience yourself.”

Jinwoos cheeks streaked pink as a fresh wave of anger washed over him. “I’m his _fiancé_. I have every right to be the one to teach him! And just because I’m a virgin, doesn’t mean I don’t understand how it works! I’ve always been the one to guide Myungjun through our relationship, and then you came along and ruined everything!”

“How the hell did I ruin everything?” Grey asked, sounding just as angry. “I hardly told him anything! Half of the time Junebug is just too damn curious and works it out for himself! And do you know _why_ he’s so curious? Because you keep everything a secret from him! He’s a twenty-year-old virgin who’s getting married to the love of his life and he doesn’t even know what sex is! It’s ridiculous!”

Jinwoo made a noise of pure rage and lunged at him. Donghan was quick to move Grey aside and he took Jinwoos hit himself. It must have been a hard hit as it made Donghan wince.

“Little dragon, get him under control before I rip his arm off.” Donghan warned angrily as he shoved Jinwoo backwards. 

Myungjun caught Jinwoo around the waist and held on tight. “JinJin please calm down!” He begged quietly. “People are watching. And Greys right. You know he is. You can’t keep everything a secret from me forever.”

Jinwoo froze in his arms and quickly turned around to face him properly. There was a hint of panic in his eyes and a new urgency in his voice. “I’m not keeping it a secret from you sunshine, please don’t think that! I just wanted to ease you into everything because I know how easily overwhelmed you get, that’s all. I was going to tell you soon anyway because you need to know now for when we get married. But can’t you see why I’m upset?” He asked almost desperately. “ _I_ wanted to tell you. I wanted you to hear from me what it was, just like how it’s always been. I’ve taught you everything about your body and the one final thing, the biggest, the most important, has been snatched from me. I can tell you’ve been worrying about what you heard from him too because you were so embarrassed when you had to ask me if it was true. And that’s what I wanted to avoid. I didn’t want you to worry or be embarrassed about it. I wanted to ease you into the idea so that when it came to our wedding night, you’d be completely relaxed with it all. But now…” Jinwoos face filled with rage again and he turned around to glare in Greys direction. “Now he’s taken that from me. And he has to pay.”

“What? You want me to get down on my knees and apologise?” Grey asked with a laugh of disbelief. “Hell no. I’m not apologising for something I don’t feel sorry for. In case Myungjuns memories didn’t make it clear; I never purposefully told him, it was said during an argument between me and Donghan. Myungjun just happened to be in the nearby vicinity when those words slipped out of my mouth. I knew immediately that you’d be pissed with me and-”

“Exactly! You knew I’d be angry which means you knew you’d done something wrong! But instead of coming to me and warning me about what you’d done, you kept quiet and let Junnie freak out about it by himself for days! You’re supposed to be his friend, you know how much of a worrier he is and yet you didn’t give it a second thought!”

Grey looked genuinely taken aback as he processed the words and Myungjun felt uncomfortable when his bright blue eyes found him.

“Junebug…I’m sorry for not checking on you. Jinwoos right, it was a big thing to drop on you and I should have known that you would worry about it. Especially as my choice of words weren’t very…you know.”

Myungjun was ready to accept his apology. Jinwoo wasn’t.

“You’ve apologised to him, now you can apologise to me.”

“If you want an apology from me, then you’ll have to apologise first.” Grey replied swiftly. “This could have been handled in a better way but no. You came in here and attacked me, causing a scene and blowing everything out of proportion. You’re acting like I went into great detail and performed the act as an example. I said a few poorly chosen words that’s all.”

“Apologise to you?” Jinwoo asked incredulous. “Are you missing the point or are you just plain stupid?”

“That’s enough.”

The firm voice that rang with command made them all freeze. Myungjun jumped lightly when his father’s hand landed on his shoulder and he turned around in time to see Hani rushing away. It was clear immediately what had happened. Hani had gone to find his father to placate the brewing brawl in her tavern. Myungjun couldn’t blame her. He could see how close Jinwoo was to snapping and it would only be a matter of time before that fight really did break out.

“What’s going on in here?”

“He’s asking for a broken nose and I’m willing to give it to him.” Jinwoo unhelpfully piped up, cracking his knuckles. Myungjun rolled his eyes.

“You all know the rules. No fighting in the guild. We have training grounds outside for that very reason. Now move it before I put you all on suspension.” Myungjuns father threatened in a voice that held no room for arguments.

“That sounds good.” Grey nodded stiffly. “Me versus you Jinwoo. Let’s settle this once and for all. If you win, I’ll apologise to you both for everything. But if I win, there will be no apologies and you’ll drop this whole thing completely. Deal?”

“Deal.” Jinwoo replied stubbornly.

Myungjun groaned in defeat. He couldn’t believe it had come to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh dear /.\


	273. Jinwoo Vs Grey.

Myungjun looked up into Jinwoos eyes and sighed. There was a chill in the air but the heat coming off of Jinwoos skin was making Myungjun sweat. Jinwoo was much too pumped up about his upcoming fight with Grey and he was struggling to control his magic. His anger and eagerness to win Greys promised apologies were fuelling the fire inside of him to an almost worrying level.

Myungjun still couldn’t believe they were fighting over what had been said to him. Sure, hearing how sex actually worked had been shocking, but he didn’t think that warranted the fight he was about to witness.

Grey was standing a few metres away, flirting with Donghan and looking perfectly calm. The differences between the two competitors couldn’t have been any more different.

“JinJin are you sure you have to do this?” Myungjun asked nervously for the third time. “This is ridiculous, and you know it.”

Jinwoo scowled at him. “It’s not ridiculous. He took something important away from me and made you worry for days about it. Tell me, how is that a ridiculous thing to fight for?”

Myungjun didn’t have a good answer for that so he just kept his mouth closed and looked over Jinwoos outfit instead. Luckily enough they’d come to the guild to practice out in the training fields anyway so Jinwoo already had on the appropriate clothing and was even equipped with the daggers Myungjun had had made for him after taking on the ring request with Donghan. He looked ready to fight.

Grey…not so much. He was in a tailored pair of trousers and a silk shirt and from what Myungjun could see, he didn’t have any weapons.

“Take it.” Donghan growled, pulling his greatsword off his back and trying to hand it over to his boyfriend.

Grey snorted in amusement and crossed his arms over his chest, refusing the offer. “Don’t be an idiot. That thing is bigger than me! How would I even _lift_ it?”

“It’s not that heavy.” Donghan frowned, demonstrating a practiced swing of the giant weapon.

“It’s not heavy for you because you’re not entirely human.” Grey reminded him smoothly but delicately. “I can’t lift it, I’ve already tried. I’m not used to greatswords anyway. Let me use your dagger instead.” Without waiting for Donghans permission, Grey reached towards him and unsheathed his dagger from its harnesses on Donghans right thigh, letting his hand linger. “Thank you handsome.” Grey purred, yanking Donghan down to kiss him. Donghan was blushing lightly when he stood back up straight. “I’ll end it quickly, and then we can go out for that lunch I promised.” Grey added with an innocent smile.

Myungjun quickly looked back up at Jinwoo who was too busy inspecting his own daggers to notice the exchange going on behind him.

“JinJin? I think Greys ready now.” Myungjun interrupted his inspection quietly. “Go easy on him okay? And try not to use your magic too much. I know I can heal his burns but I’d still rather not.”

For the first time since they’d entered the training field over ten minutes ago now, Jinwoos face softened into a small smile.

“I’ll try not to burn him sunshine. You know I hate using my magic against other people. Just stand back and give us plenty of space. I don’t want you to get hurt.” Jinwoo bent down and pressed an affectionate kiss onto Myungjuns nose before grinning, stretching, and turning around to face his opponent. “Let’s do this.”

Myungjun moved safely out of reach and smiled nervously up at Donghan as he came to stand beside him.

“There’s no need to look so worried little dragon. They’re not going to kill each other.” Donghan grinned and looked back over at his boyfriend. “OI YOU SEXY BASTARD. IF YOU WIN, I’LL TREAT YOU TO MORE THAN JUST DINNER.”

Greys eyes lit up at the suggestive proposition and he gave a determined nod. The new look on his face was somewhat scary. Myungjun knew he had to boost Jinwoos determination to win somehow but he didn’t know what to say to beat Donghans offer, so he just blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“JINJIN IF YOU WIN, I’LL GIVE YOU A KISS,” He squealed in embarrassment and hid his face behind his hands when he was finished. He was an idiot. How could a kiss possibly compare? He peeked through his fingers to see Jinwoo staring at him with raised eyebrows.

Then Jinwoo grinned, bright and wide and devilish. “A kiss from those perfect lips? Now that’s a reward worth fighting for.” Jinwoo turned away and got into position. There was a new strength to his aura that gave Myungjun hope.

“Ready? I’ll count down from three. Three…two…one…fight!”

Jinwoo and Grey both moved at the same time, but Grey clashed with Jinwoo first, the sound of metal on metal screeching through the air as their daggers glanced off of one another. It was clear from the beginning that Grey was faster and Jinwoo seemed to realise that too. He appeared startled at first as he narrowly dodged another attack from Greys dagger that was dealt not even a second after the first one.

But if there was one thing Jinwoo was good at, it was adapting to new situations. It was what made him such a good leader. He regained his composure a lot faster than Grey was expecting and countered his attack almost as quickly, the tip of his dagger slicing through the right bicep of Greys silk shirt and staining it red.

Grey hissed in pain and backed away. “You’re a lot better than I thought you would be.” He praised as Jinwoo launched another flurry of attacks.

“Less talking, more fighting.” Jinwoo growled in response. He ducked. The tips of his hair were severed by a violent swing of Greys weapon.

Myungjun breathed in sharply and turned his face into Donghans coat so that he didn’t have to watch. “Oh Dongie this is awful! I can’t look. I don’t want to see them hurt each other!”

Donghan made a noise of awe. “I’ve never seen Grey fight like this before. He’s fast and sure-footed. But,” Myungjun looked up at him. Donghan was frowning as he watched them fight. “Grey’s going to lose.”

Myungjun followed his gaze. “What do you mean Greys going to lose? It looks like he’s winning to me.” Myungjun observed miserably. 

Greys attacks were fast, so fast they were pushing Jinwoo backwards across the field. Jinwoo struggled to block them all. Greys dagger bit into the skin on his arms, chest and stomach, over and over again.

“Greys going to lose because Jinwoos planned everything perfectly. He’s letting Grey drive him away from us because he wants to put distance between us.”

Myungjun gasped when he finally caught on. “He’s going to use his fire? But he told me that he wouldn’t!”

“He won’t use it against him. I’ve seen Jinwoo spar with others before. He uses his fire as a shield. Or a distraction. Grey will get too cocky thinking that he’s winning and Jinwoo will find the perfect opening. Just watch.”

Myungjun watched with bated breath as Jinwoo moved further away before stopping. Jinwoos eyes flickered in his direction, judging the distance between them, and Myungjun immediately knew that what Donghan had said was true.

But then Grey did something unexpected. He jumped backwards, using his air magic to carry him and tossed the dagger he was holding aside. Jinwoo just watched him go looking confused. Then his eyes widened as Greys hands lifted in his direction.

The air started to move. It began as a slight rustling of Jinwoos hair before evolving into a vortex that pulled Jinwoo off balance. He stumbled into the wall of pure air and a burst of red covered him from view momentarily. Blood. Myungjun heard Jinwoos shout of pain and Myungjuns feet were moving before he could stop himself. Jinwoo was hurt, badly by the looks of it, and Myungjun needed to heal him.

A warm, strong hand grabbed him and pulled him back. “Don’t.” Donghan warned. “Just wait. I told you Jinwoo would win. And he will. This is his opening.”

“How could he possibly win now?” Myungjun cried. “He’s injured! He’s trapped in there! You saw what happened. It _shredded_ him when he touched it! Look at his shoulder Dongie. Let me go. I need to help him!”

Donghan didn’t loosen his grip and Myungjun wasn’t strong enough to break free so he just stood there and watched helplessly as Jinwoo tried to hold his mangled shoulder together. The pain was evident on his face but for the briefest of seconds Myungjun was sure he saw a flicker of a smile on his lips.

The flash of green light was so intense and blazed so suddenly Myungjun couldn’t help but close his eyes to protect them. One startled shout, a scream of pain and two loud thumps later and Donghan was shaking Myungjun gently.

“Open your eyes. It’s over.”

Myungjun opened them, worried about what he would see. There was only one thing that could create a green light that intense. Jinwoos fire. And Myungjun hadn’t been sure who that scream of pain had belonged to either. He was convinced he’d look up to see Grey burned and barely clinging to life.

Instead, what he actually saw, was Jinwoo laying sprawled out over Grey as both men panted heavily and stained the grass red. Myungjun yanked his arm out of Donghans loosened grip and rushed over to check on them both.

“…know I’m hot, but you have a fiancé. You might want to get off before he gets the wrong idea.” Grey was saying jokingly when Myungjun arrived.

Jinwoo groaned in pain as he sat up. “Hate to break it to you, but I don’t find you very attractive.” Though his words were quite harsh, he was grinning and allowed Grey to help him to his feet.

Myungjun cried out in dismay when he saw the extent of Jinwoos injuries. “Grey! Look at what you’ve done! You nearly ripped his arm off!”

Jinwoo shushed him gently. “He didn’t do anything. I fell into it on purpose, to make him think I was too injured to fight. The second the tornado weakened I used my fire to distract him and tackled him down. The dagger to his throat was enough to convince him I’d won after all.”

“Who shouted in pain?” Myungjun asked worriedly as he got to work on healing Jinwoos torn muscles. “Grey? Do I need to heal you next?”

“No, it was me.” Jinwoo answered instead. “I failed to realise just how much it would hurt tackling him with this shoulder.” He grinned sheepishly as Myungjun shot him his best scowl. “Sorry sunshine. I’ll be more careful in the future. I just had to win somehow.”

Jinwoo stood patiently for another couple of minutes whilst Myungjun worked on his injuries. When he was done, Myungjun turned to find Grey to see if he wanted his help. Donghan had already treated his wounds though and was standing behind Grey looking less than impressed as his boyfriend bowed in front of Jinwoo in defeat.

“You won. I’m sorry, both of you, for being careless with my words and causing Myungjun to worry. And I’m sorry Jinwoo for taking the chance away from you to ease him into the idea of sex. I truly never meant to.” Grey straightened up but he wasn’t finished. “I’m also sorry for every other time I’ve taught Myungjun something you didn’t want him to know…and for every other time it will probably happen in the future.”

Jinwoo opened his mouth to protest about the last part of Greys apology, so Myungjun quickly butted in before another fight broke out.

“That’s fine. We except your apology. _Don’t we Jinwoo_?” Myungjun asked firmly, using his eyes to threaten his fiancé into submission. 

Jinwoo immediately backed down. “Sure. We accept.” He mumbled quietly.

Myungjun grinned. “Good. Now that this ridiculous ordeal is over, let’s _all_ go out for lunch.”

“But my shirt is ruined.” Grey whined, looking down at the shredded, blood stained material.

“I’ll buy you a new one.” Donghan replied impatiently as he placed a hand on the back of Greys shoulder blades and steered him back towards the tavern. “Let’s just go. I’m starving.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Jinwoo won but he ended up getting the most hurt...*sigh*
> 
> Myungjun trying to cheer Jinwoo on by telling him he’d give him a kiss when Donghan offered something sexual to Grey is peak Junnie innocence uwu  
> (Don’t worry, Jinwoo did get the kiss he was owed when Myungjin were finally alone *wink wonk*)


	274. The Ghost In The Dungeon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER WARNING:  
> Mentions of rape.
> 
> I merged two chapters into one and there's 2 POVs to read so...enjoy this long ass ride.

**Sanha**

Settling back into dark guild life at Enhex was more difficult then Sanha could have possibly imagined. Cains disappearance hadn’t gone unnoticed by his fellow guild members and Aera had been forced to tell them all that he had died overseas. As his ex-boyfriend, Sanha was the one who had to deal with all of their condolences and soon enough the guilt crept back in. 

He tried to ignore it, to remind himself that it wasn’t his fault that Cain was trapped for the next century with no-one to talk to or gain comfort from. He tried to tell himself that Cain deserved it for everything he had put him through; the pain and the manipulation that had scarred Sanha almost beyond repair. 

But it was so hard to ignore the guilt when he saw the looks people were giving him. Looks of pity and sorrow and grief. Cain had charmed many people in and outside of the guild and they all turned to Sanha, not only to give him undeserved comfort, but to seek his comfort in return. 

Sanha quickly learnt to stay in the room he was now sharing with Lex as much as possible to avoid such situations. He and Lex had wanted to share a room when they’d first met but Cain had gotten in the way. 

Now that Cain was gone, Sanha had thought he would be happier here, sharing a room with his best friend, going on requests without having to worry about Cain’s volatile temper, not having to get up at a specified time every morning to make sure he was downstairs in time to have breakfast with Cain to avoid a punishment. He thought he would be happier, but he wasn’t. 

Enhex didn’t hold the same meaning it had held to him before. Enhex had been where he belonged because of his demonic side. It had been the home he had shared with his beautiful boyfriend. 

Now it felt empty. Empty and cold despite the fires constantly raging inside of the palace’s walls. His purpose in life here had been to make Cain happy, and now it felt as if he had lost his purpose. He was just drifting through the days here with no specific goals in mind. 

His mind was constantly elsewhere instead, back at Dragon Blades with his other friends, his other family, his other life. His thoughts were filled with images of his Hyungs laughing and eating in the tavern, of his mother greeting him at home with a smile, a big hug and a kiss on the cheek, of Minhyuks eyes that shone with love and his hands that made Sanha feel safe, of his little one and his one tiny tooth and endearing gravelly giggles. Sanha missed them all so much and he’d only been gone for a fortnight. It was torture. 

But what was worse were the dreams. Every single night that Sanha went to sleep he dreamt of him, of Cain, begging him to free him from his prison, promising to protect Sanha from all the bad things in the world, swearing that he had changed and seen the error of his ways. The dreams always came with additional memories. Memories of sitting atop his favourite spire of the palace, overlooking the white snowy mountains and the red-hot magma lake, with Cain sitting beside him, holding his hands and whispering sweet nothings into his ear. Memories of late nights chasing his pleasure inside of Cains beautiful body and the cuddles they would share afterwards when they were spent. Memories of Cains mesmerizing purple eyes and his soft plush lips that covered Sanhas face in kisses when he was upset until he was giggling and happy again. 

Those were the worst of all. Memories of being happy with Cain. Because he _had_ been happy a lot of the time. He’d been happy and in love and he had thrown that away because he couldn’t handle Cains darker side. 

Sanha scowled down into his drink. He had taken to drinking most nights down in Enhexes luxurious minibar. He liked the cocktails the bartender served and drank them one after the other like they were water and he were parched. Nobody tried to stop him. Why would they? He was grieving over his dead boyfriend wasn’t he? Sanha would let them think that. They didn’t need to know that he was drinking away the guilt in the hopes of getting so completely hammered that he wouldn’t have to dream again. 

Lex and Kai stayed by his side, the only other two people privy to the truth and they drunk alongside him and then helped him back to his new bed when he couldn’t drink anymore. But no matter how many cocktails he ingested, and how drunk he became, the dreams persisted, getting louder, more prominent and more realistic every night. 

Then the sleepwalking began. Sanha woke up at all hours of the night in different places in the guild that were _not_ the bed he had first fallen asleep in. After getting over the initial confusion of his surroundings, he would hear Cains voice, just a whisper, calling to him. Sanha would follow the whispers like a zombie until he was startled back to full consciousness by the demon in his head telling him to go back to bed. He always listened. 

But one particular night he didn’t. He’d woken up to find himself laying flat on his back in the middle of the guild’s ballroom. The ballroom was only ever used for special occasions like birthdays and important holidays and the doors to the gorgeously decorated room were usually locked. 

“How did I get in here?” Sanha muttered to himself as he climbed to his feet with a groan. His back was aching after laying on the cold, hard floor and he took a few seconds to stretch it out. 

_Sanha…_

Sanha froze mid-stretch. 

_Sanha help me…I need you…follow my voice…_

Sanhas feet were moving before he could stop them, towards a door he’d never seen before that was hidden behind a statue in the far corner of the ballroom. The demon in his head was telling him to stop, to go back to bed, that it wasn’t safe beyond the door, but Sanha ignored it and for once, was able to successfully block it out. Cain was calling to him, Cain needed his help, and the guilt drove Sanha to act. 

The door behind the statue was locked but he wrenched at the handle, using his demon’s strength, until the lock snapped. The noise was harsh and echoed loudly but Sanha wasn’t worried about getting caught. If someone came in here and saw him, all he would say is that he was saving Cain, that he was bringing him back from the dead. They definitely wouldn’t stop him then. 

The door opened up to reveal a dark stone tunnel that was dimly lit by a few torches along the walls. Sanha set off down it immediately, the sound of his footsteps bouncing off the walls and the smell of damp permeating his nostrils. 

Cains voice grew louder as the tunnels winded further downwards, taking him deeper and deeper beneath the fire palace. The further down he travelled, the warmer it became until he was sweating and pushing his damp blonde hair back from his forehead. 

Ten minutes of walking later, and feeling slightly out of breath, Sanha stopped in front of an old, battered, wooden door. The damp had eaten away at it over the years and it seemed to be crumbling before Sanhas very eyes. 

“Sanha?” The voice that called out to him now was no longer in his head. It was hoarse and damaged and thick with an immense sadness. 

Sanha didn’t hesitate. He pushed open the door and stepped inside. The room looked like the rest of the tunnel; dark, damp and dimly lit. There was a large glowing circle in the centre of the room and sitting inside the circle, chained to the floor, was a ghost. 

At least that’s what he looked like. 

Cain was deathly pale. His cheeks and eyes had sunken back into his skull and his wrists looked thin enough to slip straight out of their restraints. His clothes were filthy and his silver hair that had once looked soft and pretty, now hung limply around his face. 

“Sanha you’re here.” Cains smile was exactly how Sanha remembered it and the sight knocked the air out of him. 

He gasped and rushed forwards, only to bounce straight off an invisible barrier when he reached the edge of the circle. Sanha tried again to break through it, using all of his demonic strength, to no result. His claws glanced off the invisible barrier again and again. 

“It’s no good.” Cain interrupted him quietly. “You can’t break me out with brute force my love.” 

“Well how else can I get you out?” Sanha asked desperately, completely oblivious to the voices in his head screaming at him not too. 

“Only Aera can undo the circle. You must convince her that you want me to be set free, that you want to be with me again, that you still love me. Because you do, don’t you my sweet boy?” 

Sanha opened his mouth, ready to agree, but faltered. _Love_. That word triggered something inside of him. All he could think about was a young man holding a small rock golem in his arms. Rock…Rocky. Rocky Jr. Minhyuk. Rocky Jr and Minhyuk. 

Sanha frowned. His head was beginning to hurt, like he’d dived too far down underwater, and the pressure was threatening to suffocate him. He needed to breathe, and he only knew how when he thought of Minhyuk. 

“I…I don’t love you.” Sanha said slowly, getting closer to the surface. “I don’t love you.” He repeated, looking directly into Cains narrowed eyes. “I love Minhyuk.” Sanha gulped in a big breath of air as the pressure slowly disappeared. Sanha smiled. “I love Minhyuk. My best friend. I don’t love you Cain. Not anymore. Not after what you did to me. And speaking of what you did to me, you can stop now. My mind isn’t as weak as it used to be.” 

Cain swallowed and looked away. The hold he’d had over Sanha, since Sanha had first stepped foot inside of Enhex again, disappeared completely and suddenly Sanha could think with a clear mind. 

“Do you not feel guilty for what you’ve done to me?” Cain asked quietly. “You set me up and replaced me with someone else. Do you know how that makes me feel?” 

Sanha sighed and leaned forwards to rest his forehead against the invisible barrier suddenly feeling exhausted. He was tired of feeling guilty. 

“Of course I feel guilty. It’s eating me alive.” He began softly. “Part of me is going to regret this forever, especially after seeing how you look right now, but I know it’s for the best, and I also know that deep down you know it too.” 

“No. You convincing Aera to let me out of here would be for the best.” Cain glared up at him. “This body is dying Sanha. The only thing keeping me alive is this magic circle. I rarely get food or water and it _hurts_. I’m suffering.” 

“You made me suffer too.” Sanha reminded him gently. “You hit me, cut me open and broke my bones, all because you didn’t like the way I acted sometimes…yet you claimed to love me. You didn’t love me, not all of me at least, if you did then you wouldn’t have tried so hard to change me. The Sanha I became when I was your boyfriend wasn’t really me. I’m not weak, or scared or submissive. I’m strong and brave and I can make my own decisions. Yes, I can be bad sometimes, I do bad things and make mistakes but that’s what makes me human. I could understand receiving harsh punishments if I did something truly bad intentionally, but you hurt me over the smallest things. Like the time I was late meeting you on a request and you broke my legs. You told me that if I couldn’t use them properly to get to you on time then I didn’t need them at all. I screamed so loudly that day I lost my voice, yet all you did was watch. I know you enjoyed it. You enjoy causing pain because you’re a sadist. But you don’t do it for sexual pleasure do you? No. Because you were always gentle with me in bed. No. You do it because causing pain satisfies your soul. You’re a demon general of the underworld. You thrive on pain. But I don’t. I’m not from the underworld. I thrive on love and the love you gave me wasn’t enough to outweigh the pain.” 

“So, you replaced me.” Cain repeated stiffly. Sanha could see a genuine sadness in his eyes. 

“I didn’t replace you. If anything, you were the replacement.” Sanha replied quietly. Now that he’d said it out loud, he knew it to be true. “I think I loved Minhyuk even as far back as the academy. I just didn’t want to admit it to myself. I ended up pouring all of the love I felt for him into my little one and tried to ignore my feelings for his father. And then I had to leave them both.” The memories of how he’d felt when he ran away still made Sanha feel emotional and he blinked rapidly against the tears that were threatening to spill over. “They left such a huge hole in my heart, a hole that needed to be filled or surely I would have died. So, I let you in. I let myself love you to fill up that hole. But it backfired didn’t it?” Sanha gave a small, humourless laugh. “Instead you left plenty of holes of your own, not only physically with daggers and claws but mentally in my mind and soul. But do you want to hear some good news?” Sanha didn’t wait for an answer, he just carried on. The question had been rhetorical. “My friends and family have been helping me to fix those holes, alongside my therapist. The damage you caused is slowly being reversed, isn’t that great?” Sanha smiled. “I’m not stupid. I know I’ll never be completely hole free. There are surely some things that no amount of therapy or love will ever be able to undo, but I don’t mind. When I’m with Hyukkie I seem to forget ever being hurt. So, maybe one day, I’ll even forget about you.” Pain flashed in Cains eyes and Sanha sighed unhappily. “No, I guess I’ll never be able to forget you. Not unless I asked someone to alter my memories and honestly, I don’t want that. I want to remember everything I went through here, because it helped me to become strong. So, I’ll never forget you Cain, I’ll still think of you when I need courage or strength, but you’ll never have a hold over me ever again. I’m free now. And a hundred years from now you’ll be free too. I hope when that day comes, you’ll find someone you truly love, and you’ll never, ever hurt them the way you hurt me.” 

Feeling ready to leave now, after saying his piece, Sanha turned away. 

“Wait!” Cain called out desperately. The sound of clinking chains filled the small, depressing room. 

Suddenly, his voice was a lot closer than before. Sanha looked back at him to see he was standing at the edge of the circle now and if the barrier hadn’t been there, Sanha could have reached out to touch him. The sudden close proximity made Sanha take an involuntary step back. He knew Cain couldn’t hurt him now, but it was a reflex at this point. 

Cain looked even worse up close. “Please. Please Sanha don’t leave me here.” He begged. “This is a fate worse than death. I know now that I hurt you, and that what I did was wrong, and I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry. Just please _please_ speak to Aera. I promise you that if you get me out of here, I’ll never hurt you again. You can trust me.” 

“No.” Sanha replied sadly. “I can’t trust you. That’s one of those irreparable holes. I’ll never trust you again. I know you Cain. You’re incapable of forgiveness, of letting grudges go. You’ll never let me live in peace after I betrayed you. It’s selfish of me I know, but I don’t want to die. I want to live, and I can finally do that without you. Goodbye Cain.” 

Sanha turned from him and walked away, heading for the door. He could hear Cain struggling against his restraints and making noises of pure rage behind him. 

“Wait!” Cain called again as Sanha reached the door. Sanha didn’t want to hear him beg anymore. “It was me!” 

Sanha sighed and let his hand fall away from the rusty door handle. “What was you?” 

Cains smile was one of pure evil and the expression made Sanha nervous. He could sense that he was going to regret not taking this opportunity to leave.

“I was the one who sent those rapists after you when you first came to the guild. I sent them after you so that I could save you from them. I knew you’d let me mark you and keep you safe if you were scared.” 

Sanha swallowed back the nausea in his throat. He’d had his suspicions of course but he had never wanted to believe that Cain could be _that_ twisted. 

“I think I knew that all along.” Sanha replied as calmly as he could. 

Disappointment followed by determination twisted Cains features. “I have a gift for you.” 

Sanha definitely didn’t like the sound of that. “I don’t want it.” 

“Oh, you definitely won’t. But I’m giving it to you anyway.” Cain grinned as his mind reached out for Sanhas. Before Sanha could put his shield up to stop the invasion, Cain pulled something down in Sanhas mind. A memory block. “I also sent these rapists to you as well.” 

Sanha could suddenly remember what he had begged Cain to help him forget. He could remember the argument they’d had clearly. Sanha had told him that he was sick of being hurt and that he was going to leave. Then Cain had taken his mark away and told him he wouldn’t survive without his protection and that he would come running back soon enough. 

And that’s exactly what had happened. Sanha could remember every second of every single time he was assaulted. The pain his body had felt, the fear that had flooded every single cell of his being, the cruel laughs of the men and women who raped him. He could remember it all. He’d gone running back to Cain soon enough and had begged him to make him forget. And Cain had done so after re-marking him and promising him that they’d live happily ever after. 

Sanha wanted to cry and his knees weakened at the memories. 

But he also didn’t want to give Cain the satisfaction of seeing his tears. Cain was only lashing out because Sanha had hurt him with the truth. What had happened, had happened. It was all in the past now. Sanha knew all too well that dwelling on something he couldn’t change would only damage him further. He knew he’d have to deal with these new memories one day, but that day wasn’t today. 

So instead of screaming and accusing Cain of ruining his life like he wanted to, Sanha just swallowed thickly and smiled. “I see.” 

A crease began to form in between Cains eyebrows as he frowned at Sanhas disappointing reaction. “You’re not angry? Or upset? I sent them after you! You were assaulted because of me! Aren’t you scared?” 

“No.” Sanha answered still forcing a smile. “I know why you did it. You just wanted me to come back to you. Because in your own twisted way I know you loved me. I’m not angry or upset and I’m definitely not scared of you. If anything, I just feel pity towards you. It’s clear to me now that you don’t know how to be human. And it’s because of that pity that I can forgive you. I forgive you Cain. For everything you did to me.” 

Pure, hot anger was radiating from Cains aura when Sanha finished talking and the growl that slipped through Cains lips as he struck the invisible barrier was feral. “I don’t want your forgiveness! I’m glad I hurt you because in the end you hurt me anyway. And you’re right. I’m incapable of letting go of grudges. I will get my revenge one day my love. Aera cannot keep me locked up in here forever. Her magic will weaken and then I’ll break free. And when I get out of this hell, I’ll hunt you down, kill everyone you love, and then take you back. That’s a promise. You’re _mine_.” He spat, staring pointedly at the mark on Sanhas collarbone. “As long as you bear my mark, I’ll be able to find you. Remember that.” 

Sanha wrenched the door open and fled, his brave façade finally crumbling. 

* 

**Minhyuk**

“…kkie? Hyukkie? Wake up.” 

Minhyuk whined tiredly and rolled away across the mattress. 

“Hyukkie please wake up. It’s me, Ddana.” 

“You’re not Ddana.” Minhyuk groaned, still half asleep. “Ddana left me. He’s not coming back for ages. Go away.” 

A giggle. “Hyukkie it’s really me. I came back early.” The mattress dipped and a warm, firm hand shook him again. “Open your eyes. I didn’t fly all the way here for nothing.” 

Minhyuk huffed and forced them open, ready to scold whoever this imposter was. Except he came face to face with the one person he’d spent the last fortnight missing terribly.

He gasped and sat up as quickly as he could, which wasn’t very fast at all considering his body still felt much too sleepy after his sixteen-hour shift at the blacksmiths. He’d been cramming in the hours at work in an attempt to occupy his mind so that he didn’t have the time to miss Sanha. And now he didn’t need to miss him anymore because he was actually here! 

“Ddana!” Minhyuk cried happily. 

Sanha shushed him with another giggle and reached out to take one of Minhyuks hands. “Shh. You’ll wake your parents. Where’s Rocky Jr?” 

“He’s sleeping in their bed. He’s upset with me because I wouldn’t make him two portions of dessert today.” Minhyuk answered rolling his eyes. Rocky Jr had insisted that he needed two because he was missing Sanha too much and it would help cheer him up, but Minhyuk had been much too tired to stand around in the kitchen making more of his special companion food. 

Sanha scowled. “You meanie! If my baby wants two, you should make him two!” 

“I’ll make him two tomorrow.” Minhyuk quickly promised. He gave Sanhas hand a squeeze, still trying to process the fact that he was actually _here_. “Why are you back so early Ddana? I didn’t expect you back for another three weeks at least.” 

Something worrying flashed in Sanhas eyes and when he answered, his voice was barely above a whisper. “I saw Cain.” 

Minhyuk froze. His whole body seemed to have turned to stone. “You…what?” 

Sanha swallowed and looked down at their entwined hands. “I saw Cain. He’s not trapped overseas like I thought. And that’s why I could hear his voice. He’s being kept in a dungeon below the fire palace. He looks terrible honestly.” 

“Good!” Minhyuk raged, finally able to move again. He grabbed Sanhas other hand and held them both close. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” 

Sanha quickly shook his head. “No. He’s trapped inside a magic circle that had some kind of barrier around it. He can’t get out and no one can get in.” 

The way he said it made Minhyuk wonder if Sanha had tried to break through it to get to him, and Minhyuk was quick to decide he didn’t want to know the answer to that. 

“So…what happened?” Minhyuk asked quietly instead. 

“We spoke a lot. Well, it was mainly me. I got a lot of things off of my chest that hurt him a lot, but it needed to be said.” Sanha looked up at Minhyuk from underneath his eyelashes. “It also helped me to realise something.” 

Minhyuks heart started to pick up speed in his chest. He’d seen that look in Sanhas eyes and heard that tone in Sanhas voice before. “What did it help you realise?” He asked quietly, not daring to hope. 

“It helped me realise that I’ve been in love with you all along. I just wasn’t ready to admit it. But I’m ready now.” Sanha swallowed. “I love you Hyukkie.” 

Without warning, Sanha surged forwards to kiss him. 

They had kissed a few times before, but something had always stopped it from being perfect. The first time, when they had kissed the night Sanha ran away, Minhyuk hadn’t been fully conscious or even really aware that it had been real. The second time, Minhyuk had kissed Sanha when he had come back, but Sanha had been heartbroken over Cain and pushed him away. The third time, the goodbye kiss Sanha had given him a fortnight ago, Minhyuk hadn’t been able to return as it had happened too fast. But now… 

Minhyuks first reaction was to freeze up. The boy he’d been pining over for years had just told him that he loved him. And now he was kissing him. Minhyuk was stunned. 

Then the shock wore off and Minhyuk realised that he needed to grab this opportunity with both hands and kiss him back before something else interrupted them. 

Minhyuks lips started to move, moulding with Sanhas own like they were made specifically for him. His head was spinning, and all thoughts of Cain were immediately erased from his mind. Kissing Sanha was dizzying and it wasn’t helped by the fact Minhyuk was feeling a sense of pure euphoria that was making him lightheaded. 

_Sanha loves me. Sanha loves me. Sanha loves me._

Sanha moved closer and made a noise of surprise when Minhyuk pulled him onto his lap. The feeling of Sanha straddling his thighs quickly drove Minhyuk crazy. How many times had he dreamed of this moment? Too many. 

Minhyuk pulled Sanha even closer until their bodies were pressed firmly together and he tilted his face up to kiss him again. Sanhas arms wrapped around his neck as he parted his lips, allowing Minhyuk to kiss him more deeply. There was no space between them anymore and for the first time in Minhyuks life, he felt complete. 

He kissed Sanha until his lips were swollen and tingling, and then he kissed him some more. His hands travelled the expanse of Sanhas back, feeling the slight chill to his skin, caused by his late night flight here, slowly disappearing under his touch. Minhyuk was desperate to slip his hands under Sanhas top but he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to. 

Sanha answered that question for him when he broke the kiss with a small whimper. “I can hear your thoughts Hyukkie. You can touch me. I want you too…please.” Sanhas eyes were dark with desire as he pushed Minhyuk back down against the pillows. 

Minhyuk watched dumbly as Sanha removed his shirt, dropping it over the side of the bed. He’d only ever seen Sanha shirtless a couple of times before and even then, it had only been a few quick glances as he had gotten changed. 

But now he was _allowed_ to look and the sight of Sanhas surprisingly toned body made Minhyuk hot. 

Sanha grabbed Minhyuks limp hands and placed them on his chest. Minhyuk could feel Sanhas rapid heartbeat under his fingertips. “Please.” Sanha whispered almost desperately. 

How could Minhyuk say no? 

Minhyuk let his hands wander as Sanha leaned back down to kiss him and he shuddered when Sanhas own hands slipped under his top. Sanhas touch was electric and Minhyuk soon felt himself harden in his underwear. 

He groaned. “Sanha, I can’t…I think we should stop.” 

“It’s okay.” Sanha replied sounding breathless. “I want you too. No, I _need_ you. Please Hyukkie.” Sanhas fingers fumbled with the waistband of Minhyuks underwear. 

Minhyuk panicked and reached down to grab his wrists, pulling him to a stop. “Wait. Ddana I’ve never done this before.” He admitted feeling embarrassed. 

Sanha looked at him in surprise. “You’ve never let anyone touch you before? Or do you mean you’ve never had sex?” 

“Both.” Minhyuk mumbled, looking away. 

“But I thought…your boyfriend…” 

Minhyuk shook his head. “We only kissed and cuddled. I wasn’t ready to go any further than that.” 

“Are you ready now?” Sanha asked quietly. 

Minhyuk looked back up at him. He was silent for a few seconds. “I always thought I’d be ready to have sex with you when the time came. Now that the time is here though, I don’t think I am. But…but you can touch me if you want. I’m ready for that much at least.” Minhyuk sat up before he could change his mind and pulled his top off. 

“You’re so handsome Hyukkie.” Sanha blushed as he ran his fingertips down Minhyuks newly exposed chest. “You’re so strong now. When I first saw you again after running away, I almost didn’t recognise you. You’ve changed so much.” 

“I changed for you.” Minhyuk admitted unashamed. “The only person you ever had a crush on was Wonho and he’s really strong. I thought that if I became really strong, you’d develop a crush on me too whenever you came home.” 

Sanha stared at him for a few seconds before squealing and hiding his face behind his hands. “Hyukkie that’s ridiculous! I would have liked you either way! I can’t believe this.” 

Minhyuk grinned and wrapped an arm around Sanhas waist before using it to flip them over. A small display of strength that he knew Sanha wouldn’t be able to ignore. 

Sanhas hands fell away from his face to reveal an expression of surprise. “Why-” 

“Because you’re taking too long.” Minhyuk growled. Something almost primal had awakened inside of him at the sight of Sanha half-naked beneath him. 

Sanhas blonde hair was spread out haphazardly across the pillow and the colour contrasted nicely with the flush in his cheeks. Minhyuk could see the shine of his swollen lips in the moonlight and he couldn’t resist the urge to kiss them again. 

This was going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOCKY SOCKY SOCKY SOCKY SOCKY  
> IT HAS TAKEN 274 CHAPTERS WTDFFLFKDF
> 
> Me=Sobbing


	275. Socky-Part 1.

Sanha had had the the most amazing night with Minhyuk. It had been better then he could have ever possibly imagined and was definitely worth the cold and dark flight to Zepheholde. They hadn't had sex, as Minhyuk wasn't ready for that yet, but they had come close to it and Sanha had been warmed up from his flight in no time at all.

Sanha had never felt so comfortable in his own skin and he had been able to see that Minhyuk felt the same way when his clothes came off too. Minhyuk had the most gorgeous figure and seeing him naked for the first time didn't disappoint Sanha in the slightest. 

For every compliment Sanha whispered in Minhyuks ear, he received two in return. Minhyuk couldn't keep his hands off of him and it made Sanha feel desirable in a way he'd never felt before. Everything felt new with Minhyuk. 

Cain had treated Sanha gently in the bedroom but harshly outside of it. Minhyuk was the opposite. His hands were firmer and rougher than Cains had been when they travelled across Sanhas skin and Sanha loved every second of it. Minhyuk had a ferocity in his aura that Sanha had never felt from him before and it made his very soul shiver in delight and anticipation with every touch of Minhyuks hands and every hungry kiss from his lips.

Whenever Minhyuk wasn't touching him, he was holding Sanha close, looking at him with a mixture of love and disbelief. Sanha could only return the look. He couldn't believe that life had led him here, into the safety of Minhyuks arms, their naked bodies tangled together as Minhyuk whispered the same three words over and over again.

_I love you. I love you Sanha. I love you._

Sanhas heart ached as he said it back, the love so strong in his chest it was almost suffocating. He'd spent so long denying his feelings for Minhyuk, that now they were let free, they were overflowing. All he could do was say it back, pull Minhyuk closer, kiss him more fiercely, promise to stay by his side for the rest of his life and for what came after.

_I love you Hyukkie._

Sanha had wanted the night to last forever. But the run in with his ex under the fire palace, the panicked flight to Zepheholde to seek out comfort, and the explosive pleasure Minhyuk had provided him, had worn Sanha out completely. Almost immediately after they had cleaned up their mess, Sanha was asleep. 

He woke up the next morning, expecting to be cuddled up in Minhyuks arms, but was woken by a small commotion at the bedroom door instead. Sanha peeked over the top of the covers to see what was going on and felt immensely grateful in that moment for the underwear Minhyuk had lent him a couple of hours before.

“...wants to come in. You know he won't leave.” It was Minhyuks mothers voice that met Sanhas ears first, mixed in with a fast flow of distressed garbles from Rocky Jr.

“He _can't_.” Minhyuk whispered sounding exasperated. “Sanha is exhausted he had a long journey here.”

Minhyuk was trying to close the door but seemed to be struggling. It was only when Sanha saw a small, stoney arm waving frantically in between Minhyuks legs that he realised why. Rocky Jr was fighting to get in to see him.

Sanha giggled, feeling terribly tired but ridiculously endeared. He sat up with a groan and ran a hand through his messy hair. “Its okay Hyukkie, let him in.”

Minhyuk looked back at him over his shoulder. “Oh you're awake. Go back to sleep if you're tired Ddana. I'll take this naughty one downstairs to give you some peace.” Minhyuk bent down to scoop Rocky Jr off the floor where he was trying to crawl through Minhyuks legs.

Rocky Jr struggled hard to get a good look at Sanha around the door and when he saw him, his garbles only increased in volume as a giant smile spread across his face, revealing his one tiny white tooth that Sanha had asked him to grow a long time ago in an attempt to cheer Minhyuk up when he was sad. The sight of it pulled another giggle from Sanhas lips.

“No Hyukkie, bring him in here. You know he won't settle down otherwise.”

Minhyuk sighed in defeat and after Sanha had said good morning to his mother, he closed the door and carried the squirming rock over to the bed. With one final struggle, Rocky Jr broke free from Minhyuks hold and launched himself at Sanha creating even more noise than before. Sanha just laughed as Minhyuk tried to tell him off and covered the little rock in kisses.

“I thought you were upset because you didn't get two desserts yesterday? You don't look very upset now.” Sanha pointed out. Rocky Jr suddenly scowled, pointing at Minhyuk with an accusatory look on his face and a new gruffness to his voice.

Minhyuk gasped offended at whatever he had said. “I _never_ said that you little brat! I told you that I couldn't make you two because I was tired! You know I love you. You're my son, so don't ever saying something so upsetting again do you understand?”

Rocky Jr looked at his fathers sad expression for a few seconds before crawling off of Sanhas lap to sit in his instead. They hugged each other tight and exchanged a few grumbles which Sanha guessed were apologies.

“Me and Ddana have something to tell you now.” Minhyuk said softly. 

Sanha shuffled over the bed until he was sitting right next to them and he reached out to take Minhyuks hand.

“Me and your papa have been thinking,” Sanha began, suddenly feeling nervous. “that we want to try being a real family now.” Rocky Jr blinked up at him uncomprehending. Sanha knew that he probably saw them as a family already so he knew he needed to elaborate. “And what I mean by that is, I want to be with Minhyukkie properly now, as his boyfriend. I want...I want to be your papa too.”

Rocky Jr looked up at Minhyuk and garbled something. When he received a nod, the biggest smile Sanha had ever seen spread across his face, threatening to break it in two. He started talking quickly, pointing to Sanha a few times before he made a high-pitched noise, like chalk on a chalkboard, and dove forwards to bury his face in Minhyuks chest.

Minhyuk snorted in amusement.

Sanha just looked between them confused. “What did he say?” Sanha asked, trying and failing to coax Rocky Jr to look at him. The little rock just pressed himself closer to Minhyuk and held on tight. “Why is he acting like that?”

“He's embarrassed.” Minhyuk grinned. “You said you wanted to be his papa too but he said he doesn't want to call you that because he'll get confused.”

Sanhas mood sank. “Oh...well, I don't have to be his papa I just thought-”

“Its not that he doesn't see you that way.” Minhyuk quickly reassured him. “He just wanted to make up a name for you instead, as he already calls _me_ papa, and I guess he felt silly with what he created because now he's hiding.” Minhyuk looked down at his son fondly and stroked his head.

“What was it?”

“Dada.”

“Dada?”

“A mix between Ddana and papa.” Minhyuk explained. “He's always called you Ddana, ever since I first gave you that nickname back in the academy, so I guess he's grown a little attached to it.”

“Dada...” Sanha repeated the new nickname a few times before deciding he liked it. He giggled and reached out to touch his little one. “Look at me cutie.” Rocky Jr shook his head. “Baby look at...dada.”

After a few seconds the little rock slowly turned his face away from Minhyuks chest to look at him. He looked nervous and Sanhas heart ached.

“I love it.” He whispered. “Did you really come up with that name all by yourself? You're so smart! I want you to always call me that from now on. Do you think you can do that for me?” A small, shy nod was sent his way and Sanha was suddenly struck with an idea. “Say it for me. Say 'dada'.” Sanha leaned in close and focused hard on listening to the sounds that came out of his mouth. He asked him to repeat it a few more times. “Okay...now say 'papa'.” Sanha listened hard again and gasped excitedly. “I can hear the difference!”

“Wait really?” Minhyuk asked surprised.

Sanha grinned as he nodded. “Its only slight, but its definitely there. Now if he ever calls out to one of us, I'll know who he's calling to as well!”

“That's incredible! Maybe over time you could learn to recognise even more of his words and that way, you won't need me to translate everything!”

Sanha liked that idea a lot. The thought of being able to one day completely understand his little one sent a barrage of butterflies loose in his stomach. He knew he had to try at least. 

Minhyuk passed Rocky Jr to Sanha and stood up to stretch. It was only then that Sanha realised they were both in their underwear still and he quickly looked away from Minhyuks flexing back muscles with a blush.

Minhyuk stretched for a few more seconds before finishing with a groan and turning to look at them. “I want to take my two favourite boys out today to celebrate. Let's get ready.”

*

Minhyuks idea of a celebration was gorging on ice-cream at their favourite magical ice-cream parlour in Voredan. It was their favourite because it was the first place Rocky Jr had been able to eat human-like food.

Sanha made sure that Rocky Jr received his two desserts that he had been denied the day before and the little rock devoured them both in less than a minute before asking for more. Minhyuk just sighed and made another trip to the counter. 

Sanha ate his favourite ice-cream, the one that caused his hair to change colours and laughed until he cried as Minhyuk bit into an ice-cream that made him hiccup bubbles.

Minhyuk wiped up the mess Rocky Jr had made all over his little hands and face and leaned across the table to swipe his thumb over to corner of Sanhas lips.

“My messy babies.” Minhyuk teased.

Feeling embarrassed and slightly giddy, Sanha made an excuse about wanting more ice-cream and rushed away to buy more. He knew it was silly to get flustered over such a simple gesture, especially when he'd just been naked in front of Minhyuk just hours before, but he couldn't help it.

“I want to get something to memorialise this day.” Minhyuk said as they exited the parlour an hour later. He and Sanha were holding one of Rocky Jrs stony hands each, swinging him between them as they walked the busy streets.

“Like what?” Sanha asked.

“We could get a picture sketched of us in that tent Myungjun-hyung and Jinwoo-hyung went to. Or maybe something we can wear, all three of us.”

“Like jewellery?” Sanha looked over at him. “Why don't we make it ourselves? We could buy the supplies to make bracelets and go back to my mothers to make them. She's moved to Voredan now and her house isn't too far from here. I want to go home to collect something anyway. We'll even let Rocky Jr help. You'd like that wouldn't you little one?” Sanha asked, voice softening as he looked down at the excitable rock.

Rocky Jr nodded up at him with wide eyes.

“That's settled then.” Minhyuk said smiling at them. “But to make these bracelets more special, I'm going to need some rocks. Do you think you can find some for us?”

Rocky Jr nodded again before pulling out of their holds and racing away. Sanha always felt panicked whenever Rocky Jr ran out of their sight but Minhyuk was always there to comfort him.

Fingers threaded through Sanhas own and he stopped trying to look through the crowd for their son and looked down at Minhyuk instead.

“He'll be okay. He always is.” Minhyuk said, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So is anyone else a giant puddle of melted goo or is it just me? >.>  
> Rocky Jr getting embarrassed and burying his face in his papas chest trying to hide is probably one of the softest things I've ever written for him I just...I love him so much help


	276. Socky-Part 2.

**Minhyuk**

Minhyuk focused hard on visualising the pink crystals he wanted before tearing one of the rocks, that Rocky Jr had collected earlier that day, in half. The rock split with a loud crunch, sending a small amount of debris over the kitchen table in Myungjuns mothers new kitchen.

After collecting the supply's to make bracelets for Sanha, Rocky Jr and himself, to memorialise their first day together as a proper family, Minhyuk had been led to her house by Sanha, who was eager to see her again.

She had opened the door not expecting them at all, least of all Sanha who was supposed to be at Enhex, and gasped loudly in surprise before launching herself out of the door to embrace them all.

Minhyuk liked Ms Kim. She reminded him a lot of his Hyung. She was as energetic and excitable as Myungjun was and her laughs and smiles were infectious too. He hugged her back tight and grinned as Rocky Jr stole all of her attention with a cry of 'grandmother' on his lips.

Rocky Jr had declared that she was his grandmother himself. He'd always seen Sanha as another parental figure and as Myungjuns mother had adopted Sanha, it made sense that Rocky Jr would think that way.

When Minhyuk had first told Ms Kim that his cute son saw her as a granparent, she had been delighted and begun referring to herself as grandmother around Rocky Jr immediately, much to everyone's amusement. She had even joked on occasion that she must be getting old now that she had a grandson.

Minhyuk had never imagined he would ever have a family this large. Sure, it wasn't an official family, and wouldn't be until he and Sanha were married, but it was more than he could have ever possibly hoped for.

Minhyuk sighed happily as he looked down at the split rock in his hands. Inside of the rock was the last baby pink crystal he needed, to add to Sanhas bracelet. 

He'd just finished attaching it when he heard a small giggle. He looked up with an automatic smile at the sound to see Sanha looking down at their son on his lap, who was very clearly falling asleep but still trying to fight it. Rocky Jrs head fell forwards a few centimetres before he jerked awake again. Sanha giggled once more and cuddled the little rock closer to his chest.

“Go to sleep little one. You've had a long day.” Sanha cooed.

“Don't wanna.” Rocky Jr whined sleepily. His eyes started to close again. “Not tired.”

Minhyuk laughed. “He's trying to say he's not tired.”

Sanha rolled his eyes and started to rock him gently from side to side. “Of course you're not cutie. And that's exactly why I'm predicting you'll be fast asleep within the next five seconds.” Sanha counted down softly and sure enough, when he reached zero, a small rumbling snore could be heard. He looked up at Minhyuk and grinned. “I think eating all that ice-cream and hunting for all of those rocks has worn him out. I'll go and tuck him into my bed.”

Sanha left and a minute later Ms Kim entered the kitchen, fresh out of the shower with Mr Kim close behind. They were laughing quietly to themselves about something but stopped when Minhyuk cleared his throat to get their attention.

“Mr and Ms Kim would it be okay for us to leave Rocky Jr in your care for a few hours? I want to take Sanha out alone. Rocky Jr is fast asleep now so he shouldn't cause you any problems.”

“Sanha has already asked us if we could, and of course we said yes.” Ms Kim reassured him with a smile as she approached the teapot to busy herself with making drinks.

Minhyuk hadn't expected Sanha to ask. He'd wanted to ask himself and surprise Sanha with the prospect of some time alone, but apparently, Sanha had been thinking the same thing. That realisation made him unnecessarily happy. 

Minhyuk looked up when he heard footsteps a few minutes later to see Sanha carrying his guitar case.

“Hyukkie do you want to go for a walk?” Sanha asked innocently. “Mother and father said they'd look after Rocky Jr for us.”

Minhyuk smiled and nodded. “Sure.” He made his way to retrieve his shoes and coat that he'd left by the front door and put them on as he spoke. “Do you have anywhere specific in mind that you want to go?”

“The field with the big tree where Jinwoo-hyung proposed to Myungjun-hyung. It's close by here. But if you're hungry we could always go somewhere else and get something to eat.” The tiny hint of reluctance in Sanhas tone as he said that last sentence was well hidden. But Minhyuk had spent so many years admiring Sanha from various distances that he could read him like a book now.

He could already guess why Sanha was reluctant to go to a cafe or a restaurant, just by looking at the guitar case in his hand. He clearly wanted to play it again and Minhyuk wouldn't stop him.

“Why don't we pack a small picnic instead? We'll need to eat something if we're planning on skipping dinner.” Minhyuk suggested.

Sanha instantly perked up.

It took them another half an hour before they were seated in the field, with their simple meal spread out before them on the picnic blanket Ms Kim had provided. Minhyuk knew that within the next hour or so, they would be able to watch the sun set together, and the thought made him giddy inside.

He tried to feed Sanha himself, holding the food up to his lips, but Sanha just blushed and pushed his hand away. When Sanha tried to say that people were watching them, Minhyuk pointed out the fact that there weren't many other people there, and those who were, weren't even looking their way.

Sanha huffed and opened his mouth.

Minhyuk fed him a slice of apple. “See. Its not so bad is it?”

Sanha shook his head looking shy in response. Minhyuk continued to feed him with his fingers until all of the food was gone and they were both a giggling mess. 

“I didn't bite you!” Sanha protested, choking on another laugh.

Minhyuk pretended to sob dramatically as he cradled the hand he'd used to feed Sanha close to his chest. “You nearly bit it right off! Its practically hanging on by a thread, look!” Minhyuk thrust his perfectly healthy finger in Sanhas face.

Sanha went cross-eyed looking at it. “Oh dear you're right. It looks terrible. Will a kiss help?”

“Maybe...” Minhyuks heart skipped a beat as Sanha kissed it lightly. His lips were soft and wetted by his tongue. It made Minhyuks skin tingle. “I think it needs another one.” He said weakly.

Sanha leaned in again, more slowly this time, and let his lips linger for a second when they made contact. Then, without warning, Sanhas lips parted and he gave the tip of Minhyuks finger a small, kittenish lick.

Images of what that very tongue had done to his body the previous night made Minhyuk pull his hand away like he'd been burnt.

Sanha smirked. “Flustered? No-one here is paying attention to us, _remember_?”

Minhyuk scowled, definitely feeling flustered now. “There's a big difference between me feeding you in public and you using your tongue to seduce me Sanha.”

Sanha just giggled again and reached behind himself to grab his guitar case. He unlatched the well oiled metal clasps and opened it up to reveal the guitar Ms Kim had given to him when he was younger. He pulled the instrument free and settled it on his lap before turning to Minhyuk with an excited sparkle in his eyes.

“Do you want to hear me play?”

Minhyuk just stared at him in disbelief. How he could go from being seductive to innocent in the blink of an eye was beyond Minhyuks comprehension. His cheeks were still burning from Sanhas teasing. But he knew that this was the real reason why Sanha had wanted to come out here in the first place. So he just nodded and got comfortable. 

Watching Sanha play the guitar was one of Minhyuks favourite pastimes. The younger had an aura about him when he was focused on his music that was captivating. Minhyuk knew that he wasn't the only one that felt that way when watching Sanha either. 

He could remember clearly the first time he had seen Sanha play, inside the silver marigold tavern in Voredan when they were still students at the academy. Minhyuk had been drawn in by the music and stunned into immobility in the taverns doorway when he realised the music was coming from _Sanha_ of all people. Everyone else in the tavern that day had been entranced by the music and it was clear immediately that Sanha had a natural gift for it.

That fact was still true to this day, all of these years later. Sanha was still captivating people wherever he went with his guitar and Minhyuk felt so privileged to be able to witness Sanha playing here in his most relaxed state. 

His long, elegant fingers glided over the strings, pulling the most beautiful sounds from them. Minhyuk realised a minute in that he'd never heard this particular song before. It was slower in tempo to what Sanha usually played and every note seemed to pull at Minhyuks heart.

“I shouldn't be playing this song in front of anyone yet.” Sanha spoke up softly as his fingers continued their gentle caressing. “Its for their wedding.”

Minhyuk knew immediately that he was talking about Myungjun and Jinwoo. “You composed this song for them?”

Sanha nodded, looking down at his guitar as he built to what Minhyuk assumed was the chorus. “Me and Myungjun-hyung were working on it in secret. He wants to surprise Jinwoo-hyung. He was originally just going to sing whilst I played the guitar for him but now he has a piano, he wants to incorporate that too. He learnt to play the piano in the castle but he hasn't played it for Jinwoo-hyung yet.”

“Wow he's definitely going to be surprised.” Minhyuk replied.

“That's the idea.”

“Does the song have a name?”

“'All of my life'...or 'You're my everything'. Hyung can't decide yet.” Sanha answered. He started to quietly hum along, rendering Minhyuk speechless all over again.

The song was beautiful there was no doubt about that. Minhyuk could already imagine how it would sound with the piano accompanying it and he knew that whatever lyrics Myungjun had come up with, would end up making them all cry.

When the song came to an end, Minhyuk quickly scrubbed his eyes dry. 

Sanha looked up from his guitar and smiled. “Don't tell Hyung I played that for you.”

“Why did you?”

Sanha shrugged and looked up at the branches of the giant tree that were hanging over them. The sunset filtered through them, tingeing Sanhas blonde hair gold. He closed his eyes and breathed in the crisp air.

“I wanted to play it because we were here. This is where Jinwoo-hyung proposed, and this is where they want to get married this spring. One of the reasons they want to get married here instead of in a church is because of Baby. The dragons too big now. I told Myungjun-hyung that he should fly here on Baby's back instead of taking a carriage. Wouldn't it be cool to see him arrive at his wedding on the back of a dragon?” Sanha grinned, opening his eyes and looking back down at Minhyuk. “Hyukkie? Why are you looking at me like that?” Sanha asked, his smile fading.

Minhyuk blinked a few times, coming back to his senses. “You look beautiful in this light.”

Sanha blushed. “Did you even hear anything I just said?”

“Something about dragons.” Minhyuk mumbled, distracted again by the pink colouring rising in Sanhas cheeks. He was so pretty it hurt Minhyuks heart just looking at him. He reached out and ran a finger gently across the apple of Sanhas cheek. “I want to get married one day too.”

Sanha was still for a few seconds, looking at him seemingly stunned before he was pulling away from Minhyuks touch and busying himself with putting his guitar away.

“We're too young.” 

“That's why I said one day. But for now...” Minhyuk reached around in his pocket for the other piece of jewellery he had made Sanha in secret whilst the younger had been distracted playing with their son as they made their bracelets.

Sanha gasped when he saw what it was. “Hyukkie what-”

“It's a promise ring.” Minhyuk interrupted, holding out the slim silver band. “It represents my promise to you that one day we'll get married.”

“So...its not an engagement ring?” Sanha asked apprehensively. 

“No.”

Sanha relaxed and smiled shyly. “Do you want to put it on me?”

Minhyuk was planning too whether Sanha wanted him to or not. He took Sanhas offered hand and slipped the ring onto his finger, breathing lightly in relief when he realised it was the perfect size. Then he brought Sanhas hand to his lips and kissed it gently, feeling a fierce pride well up inside of his chest.

“Mine.” Minhyuk whispered quietly, smiling softly at his boyfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me=unnecessarily soft for Socky and their sleepy baby.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpTiZsGSiiw  
> ^This is the song+lyrics that Myungjun and Sanha have 'composed' for Myungjins wedding if anyone is interested. Time to get emo folks.


	277. Two Halves Of A Whole.

One of Myungjuns favourite past times was going to remote locations in the middle of no-where to practice his magic with Donghan. He practised his regular spells out on one of the combat fields at the guild, but his higher level spells, the SS Rank spells, he only practised when and where he was sure that he and Donghan could be alone.

Donghans location of choice this time was an old, abandoned farm. The derelict farmhouse was crumbling, its roof caved in and its walls doing a better job of decorating the floor. The empty stables didn't look any better and the kennels where hounds would have once been kept had been smashed to smithereens by either a storm or a battle fought here long ago. 

Myungjun didn't mind much about its appearance. He was sure he would have destroyed the farm itself with his magic anyway.

Donghan stopped walking halfway between the ruined buildings and the bordering forest and turned to Myungjun with a grin. 

He smiled more lately, Greys effect on him, and Myungjun loved seeing him so happy and carefree. It also made him happy to see the rainbow piercings decorating Donghans ears again and the new dragon head brooch, that Myungjun had gifted him, pinned to the front of his long leather coat.

Donghan always looked extra happy whenever these days out happened though. He liked seeing Myungjun use his higher levelled magic and Myungjun was more than willing to show him what he could do. It was immensely relieving to release the energy pent up inside of him and he couldn't wait for Jinwoo to learn of his secret so that he could release it more at home instead of having to travel far to hide it. 

“So, did you do what we discussed last time?” Donghan asked.

Myungjun nodded happily. “Yep. I saw Leaf last weekend at the castle and asked him if he'd come across any new SS plant spells I could try. He reminded me of something Shadow had said, about me being strong enough to raise an army of plants to take over Aredrinnor, and he recommended I try creating other plant companions besides the three I currently have, but one I can replicate this time. So I was thinking, I have a flower companion, a tree companion and a carnivorous plant companion, but I also utilise another type of plant for attacks.”

“Your vines.” Donghan concluded with a raised eyebrow. “You think you can create a companion using your vines?”

“No. I think I can created hundreds, if not _thousands_ , of companions using my vines.” Myungjun said, flashing him an excited smile. “When I lost control in the royal gardens, when I first unlocked my power, I created so many vines they covered the entire castle . If I can find out how to turn just one vine into a separate, walking, animated companion, then I can replicate that with _all_ of my vines.”

Something akin to worry crossed Donghans face. “Just to be clear...you're not actually thinking of creating an army and overthrowing the magic counsel right?”

“Marriage has made you soft. The old Donghan would have goaded me on to do it.” Myungjun teased.

Donghan snorted and reached out to nudge Myungjun back a step. “Shut it midget. Although the sound of marriage doesn't seem anywhere near as horrendous as it used to, I'm not planning on making Grey my bride anytime soon. I still have to tell my brother about our relationship first.”

“Why does Grey have to be the bride? Why not you? I bet you'd look great in a dress-” Myungjun shrieked and sidestepped Donghans hands that promised tickles.

“I'd look great in anything.” Donghan answered confidently, crossing his arms back over his chest, making the muscles in his arms bulge and challenge their confines of his leather sleeves. Myungjun imagined those arms in a dress and giggled. Donghans eyes narrowed. “Stop picturing me in a dress you weirdo and answer the damn question before I decide I don't want to help you practice today after all.”

Myungjun let the images go and sighed. “No, I'm not planning on creating an army to overthrow the kingdom, because despite its flaws, and the fact the magic counsel literally holds my life in their hands with my contract, I actually like the way things are done here. Leo once told me the throne hurts his backside so I wouldn't want to be King anyway.”

Donghan barked out a laugh. “That's literally the most ridiculous reason I've ever heard to not be King.”

“That's me.” Myungjun replied proudly. He looked away from Donghan to look around them instead. “Lets practice here for now then. It would be good if I could create at least one animated vine companion by the time the hour is up. We shouldn't leave Baby and Wrath alone for too long or they'll start to get antsy sensing that we're so far away.”

“We should have just brought them with us instead of leaving them locked up in the pit.”

Myungjun pouted. He had wanted to ride Baby out here but according to Shadow, who Myungjun had seen last weekend after his talk with Leaf, it wasn't wise to draw any unnecessary attention to himself. There was unrest amongst the dark guilds and Myungjuns bounty had come up more than once, mainly questions about why all of the guilds in the alliance, under the King associated with the Gravecrawlers, had decided to take down the request for Myungjuns bounty. The King had taken down the request a while ago, after Myungjun resurrected the snake boys twin, but apparently the other guilds outside of the alliance were only just hearing about it now. Shadow warned him that he may start to receive actual attempts on his life now that everyone was in such an uproar about the apparent disrespect the King had shown to the one behind the original request by denying it. Which is why Myungjun was being extra careful on when and where he rode Baby. The dragons were large and conspicuous enough and all it would take is someone with air magic to tail him and attack when he was the most vulnerable. Which, unfortunately, was when he was without contact to the earth to boost his magic. He knew Baby would defend him to the best of his abilities but if a whole group of enemies attacked at once, which seemed to be the most likely scenario, Myungjun didn't think he'd stand much of a chance, especially in the air.

“Well I'll be riding Baby back home tonight with JinJin so he'll get exercise then.” Myungjun decided. “Now stand back, I'm letting all of my magic out.”

Donghan did as he was told and took a few steps back.

Myungjun closed his eyes and took a deep breath in and out to calm himself. When he felt like he had enough control, he carefully let more of his magic seep out, bit by bit until his skin started to glow, dimly at first and then brighter until Donghan was squinting and looking away.

“Fucking hell that's too bright. Can't you do something about it before I go blind?” Donghan grumbled.

Myungjun frowned lightly, his eyes still closed. “Wait a second, I'm focusing on not exploding and killing you.”

Donghan said something under his breath that Myungjun chose to ignore and he instead focused on pulling the light back in. He guessed that his light magic was the cause of this unnatural radiation from his skin and found that the light dimmed more quickly when he thought about it in that way.

Myungjun finally opened his eyes and grinned. Now that he wasn't holding back he felt free, more like himself and the feeling was one of immense relief.

Donghan whistled low in between his teeth. “I'll never get used to feeling your aura. It's so strong its almost suffocating.” He looked back down at Myungjun with a smirk. “Totally badass. Now lets see you put that power to good use Mr SS Rank.”

*

Myungjun sunk to his knees feeling exhausted. A bead of sweat trickled down the side of his face but he didn't have the strength to wipe it away. 

“How many was that?” He asked weakly.

Donghan hummed from beside him. “Seven separate companions. It sounds good but you have no control over them anymore now that you're tired.” The sound of Donghans sword unsheathing from the harness on his back made Myungjun look up.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting rid of them. You can't leave them here because we still have no idea if they'll attack other people yet or not.”

“You're other people.” Myungjun pointed out as he watched one of his vine-made companions stumble around on its new, twisted legs. It was headless but had arms that could strangle and pierce through steel. “I understand your concern, but even out of my control I'm certain they're harmless. They were created by me and I'm an angel.”

Donghan snorted and rolled his eyes. Myungjun just grinned and used the remainder of his strength to raise a hand towards his companions. With one squeeze of his fist they crumpled and disappeared back into the earth. Myungjun fell forwards with a tired grunt and landed face first on the grass.

Donghan scooped him off the floor, stuffed an energy revive herb into his mouth and went to terraport them home before pausing.

Myungjun looked up at him, his head lulling against Donghans shoulder as his strength slowly seeped back into his muscles. “What's up Dongie?”

Donghan swallowed. “I have...I have something to tell you. And something to ask.” He stood there silently after that, making no moves to put Myungjun down but no moves to speak again either. He seemed almost scared and Myungjun didn't like that at all.

“You can tell me anything, and you know that anything you ask of me I will try to do to the best of my abilities.” Myungjun prompted him gently.

Donghan breathed out heavily before sitting down on the grass and settling Myungjun down in his lap. “Little dragon I know how to lift Gikwangs curse.”

Myungjun blinked. Then he let the words process. Then he gasped excitedly. “Really? You really know how? Dongie this is amazing!” The excitement slowly died down when he noticed the look on Donghans face. His forehead was creased with worry and the corners of his lips were pulled down. “Why are you frowning? Is it going to be difficult?”

“Extremely.” Donghan answered. “But that's not what I'm worried about.” Donghan sighed and ran a hand through his black hair. It was growing long again, brushing his shoulders. “Aera is the one who found the cure. She created Enhex so she could research dark magic in the fire palace without being detected by the magic counsel.”

Myungjuns eyebrows raised in surprise. Their sister was the one to find the cure? He knew there must be a story attached but he decided to focus on the main point of this discussion for now. He could always ask Donghan for the details later.

“So how are you going to cure your brother? And what has you so worried?”

Donghan hesitated briefly before reaching out to take Myungjuns hands in his. Myungjun liked it when Donghan held his hands. His giant hands swallowed Myungjuns whole and made him feel small, but in a way that made him feel safe.

Donghans eyes blazed as they met Myungjuns. “I need you to finish the spell. The cure requires two magic users of SS level, one specialising in dark magic and one in light. Aera is the dark user we need. She ranks SS too.”

Now Myungjun was _definitely_ shocked. Another SS rank? On Aredrinnor? He was told when he first found out about his power that there hadn't been another being as powerful as him in over one hundred years. But apparently that wasn't true any more. And Donghans _sister_ of all people?

Donghan reached out to close Myungjuns mouth for him. “Stop gawking at me like that. I can see what you ate for lunch.”

Myungjun ignored the comment. “I can't believe this, I thought I was the only one! Your sister has plant magic too right? Does this mean she knows SS Rank plant spells as well? Do you think she'll teach me?”

“Woah, slow down. You're getting ahead of yourself. One, you haven't even met her yet and two, we're not talking about plant magic, we're talking about light and dark magic.” Donghan reminded him. “Aera is going to start the spell, she's going to kick that fucker out of Gikwang and then you're going to send it back to the underworld.”

“You make it sound so easy.” Myungjun mumbled. “So what part of that worries you? Are you worried something will happen to me when the demon is let out?”

“No offence but its not you I'm worried about. Its Gikwang. Aera told us that there could be certain...consequences, to exorcising a demon that has made such a big mental, physical and magical impact on him. That's why I've not been at the guild for the past week. You know already that Gikwang came home and I've spent every day since talking this over with him. When I heard from Aera about what could happen to him...I didn't want to go through with it. But Gikwang is determined to rid himself of it for good. No matter the cost.”

“And what is the cost?” Myungjun asked quietly. “Donghan what could happen to Gikwang if we cure him?”

“Worst case scenario...he dies. His body has adapted to live with the demon inside of him and without it...”

Myungjuns whole body went cold. He didn't particularly like Gikwang, even less so after what he had done to Grey, but he didn't want the man to die. He didn't want Donghan to have to suffer any more pain. It would be cruel of fate to give him Aera but take away his brother. His other half. It was the worst case scenario indeed but Myungjun realised that it was something that they all should have seen coming. And maybe deep down, they did.

“Best case scenario?” Myungjun asked timidly.

“Best case scenario; he lives but he's either mentally, physically, or magically different.” Donghans jaw was clenched as he looked down at their entwined hands. “There's no way he can get out of a curse this terrible with no consequences. He could lose his memories, find it challenging to move without the demons strength or even lose his magic for good. This spell is full of risks and it will turn out bad somehow without fail. Its just the level of shit he gets served is left up to the luck of the draw.”

“But its always been bad for him, even now. He's already living with terrible consequences.”

“That's what he said.” Donghan groaned. “I get where he's coming from. I know that he struggles everyday with keeping the demon in check. He has to rely on pills to keep it sealed away but still the darkness seeps out of him wherever he goes. I know that he's not really my big brother any more but...”

“You're scared of what will happen if it goes wrong. You're scared you'll lose him for good.” Myungjun finished for him softly. 

Donghan nodded, his lower lip beginning to tremble. “I can't lose him little dragon.” He whispered. “I can't. He's the most important person on this shitty land to me. I can't live without him. If he dies...I wouldn't hesitate. I'd impale myself on my sword and go with him.”

Myungjun had no doubts that Donghan would do it. He may have Grey now, and his sister, but Gikwang and him shared a bond like no other. Myungjun knew that they couldn't exist without the other. Gikwang would surely kill himself too if Donghan ever died. And that was probably why Gikwang _was_ still alive. He'd probably been tempted by the thought of suicide many times after becoming a monster, but the realisation of his little brother killing himself too must have kept him strong enough to keep going.

Myungjun clung a little tighter to Donghans hands as the older male began to speak again.

“But Gikwangs reached his limit now.” A tear slipped out of the corner of Donghans eye but neither of them made any moves to wipe it away. “He said that now a cure is actually possible he needs to do it, no matter what happens. He doesn't want to live like this any more. I know its selfish of me, fuck its so damn selfish, but I'd rather he didn't take that risk. I'd rather he stayed alive. Even if I had to work for the rest of my life to afford his medication, even if I had to put up with his shitty attitude and clean up the dead bodies he leaves behind, even if I had to stay effected by his dark aura whenever we were together. I'd take it all. I'd take all of his fucking shit just so he could stay with me. Because I can't lose anyone else.”

Myungjun pulled his hands out of Donghans grasp and wrapped his arms around Donghans neck instead, tangling his fingers into the long strands of his hair and pulling him close. He let Donghan cry and didn't complain when Donghans arms wrapped around him in a bone crushing embrace.

“Everything will be okay.” Myungjun whispered. “We'll cure Gikwang and he'll survive. I'll make sure of it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dongjun being the bestest of friends again *sigh* My babies :']
> 
> Myungjun slowly on his way to world domination though oof~  
> Silently praying to myself that Gikky doesn't die. I still have no idea which direction this will go but losing both Dongie and Gikky? (and probably Aera too considering she's lived her whole life for her brothers) It would be 100/10 sad.


	278. Two sisters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warning:  
> Smut (vague af because I’m embarrassed)

Myungjun was standing in his dressing room at home, holding out two silk shirts for Jinwoo to see. One was white and cinched at the waist. The other a pretty peach that would match his hair.

“JinJin which one do you think I should wear?”

Jinwoo quickly sat up straight at the sound of his voice. He'd been falling asleep, head lulling back against the wall, as he'd had a long night out drinking with Moonbin. Myungjun had caught him sneaking back into the house in the early hours of the morning and was punishing him by making him help with his outfit. He knew Jinwoo had no real interest in what he wore and that rang true by the look on Jinwoos face and the answer that came out of his mouth.

“They're both pretty sunshine. Either one will be fine.”

Myungjun sighed and hung both back up before slipping out of his silk robe to get changed, leaving him in nothing but his underwear. He heard the small intake of breath from behind him and rolled his eyes. Jinwoo might have had little interest in his clothes but he definitely had a much bigger interest in his body. 

Jinwoos hands were warm as they settled on Myungjuns hips a few seconds later. “Do you have to go out today?” Jinwoo muttered as he pressed a kiss onto Myungjuns bare shoulder.

“Yes. Dongie invited me out to meet his sister. I'm really curious about Aera and I have lots of questions.”

Many of those questions revolved around Gikwangs cure and what he had to do to help, but he knew he couldn't speak to Jinwoo about that. Jinwoo still didn't know about Gikwangs...condition.

Jinwoo pressed himself up against Myungjuns back, grinding up against him. His lips latched onto Myungjuns neck.

Myungjun whimpered as Jinwoo began to suck gently. “JinJin stop. I don't have time for this.” Jinwoo ignored him. His hands were firm as they squeezed Myungjuns hips; Myungjuns weakness. Myungjun groaned and melted back against him.

Jinwoo chuckled. He knew he'd won. He spun Myungjun around and kissed him firmly, grinding up against him again, making Myungjuns head spin.

Myungjun was quick to forget all about his date with Donghan and his sister when Jinwoo backed him up against the wardrobe and dropped to his knees.

Jinwoo grinned up at him as he pulled Myungjuns underwear down. “Let this be my apology for making you sleep alone last night.”

Myungjun tried and failed to regain some sort of composure as Jinwoos warm hand wrapped around him. He'd wanted to be more firm, to not let Jinwoo off the hook that easily, but the only protest that came out of his mouth was a choked moan. Jinwoos lips wrapped around him and Myungjun decided he could forgive Jinwoo of anything right at that very moment. 

So long as he didn't stop.

His hands searched desperately for something to hold onto when Jinwoos tongue started to work its magic. Jinwoos free hand reached up for him and Myungjun grabbed onto it with both of his own, clutching tight as he slowly came undone.

Donghan and Aera would have to wait.

*

Myungjun woke up with a start to the sound of someone pounding on the front door. The sleep-induced disorientation lasted for a few seconds before he sat up quickly with a gasp. 

He had been dragged to bed hours earlier by his seductive fiancé where they'd continued what they'd started in the dressing room. They had promptly fallen asleep straight after getting clean. 

Myungjun had slept through his meeting with Donghan and Aera. So much for first impressions.

_Oh no she's going to hate me._

Myungjun jumped out of bed and rushed to put on some underwear. Jinwoo didn't stir at all from his sleep and slept on oblivious as Myungjun scrambled to find a pair of trousers. He was still buttoning up his shirt as he opened the front door.

Donghan was standing on the porch, his fist raised to knock again but he let it drop down to his side with a frustrated sigh as he took in Myungjuns appearance.  
“We waited hours for you! Have you been asleep this whole time?” Donghans eyes flickered down to Myungjuns neck, where Myungjun knew an impressive love bite would be blooming after how enthusiastic Jinwoo had gotten. Donghan grimaced. “Okay never mind I don't want an answer to that.”

Myungjuns hand automatically shot up to cover the mark in his embarrassment. “Sorry. I was getting ready to leave earlier but then...yeah. Where's your sister now?”

Donghan turned around looking surprised. “She was right here. Aera?”

“Over here!”

Myungjun and Donghan followed the voice around the side of the farmhouse to find the woman looking up into the sky. Directly above them the dragons were greeting each other with their usual exuberance. They clashed in the sky with excitable shrieks but Myungjuns attention was elsewhere.

He couldn't stop looking at Donghans sister. She was beautiful, enchanting even. Her softer, more feminine features held a definite allure and her body was one Myungjun knew many women would be jealous of. Her blood-red, skin-tight outfit showcased her curvy figure and reminded Myungjun all too much of her nickname; the red reaper.

She turned away from the sky to look down at him, her dark eyes giving him a quick assessment too before she smiled. “The flower knight. Its nice to finally meet you.”

“I'm glad to see my preferred name is catching on.” Myungjun smiled back at her. “Its nice to meet you too. I apologise for making you wait. I was a bit...preoccupied.”

Donghan snorted in amusement but quickly quietened when Myungjun shot him a glare.

“That's okay. I just got to spend more time with this one.” Aera replied fondly as she threw an arm over Donghans shoulders and leaned up against him looking completely comfortable. Donghan didn't make any moves to get away from her so Myungjun guessed he was feeling comfortable with the close proximity too.

Myungjun invited them inside and got to work making his guests some tea.

“Are you sure we can talk here?” Donghan asked as Myungjun handed over his steaming mug.

Myungjun took a seat at the kitchen table before answering. “Yes. JinJins fast asleep. He was out late last night drinking with Binnie. He won't be awake any time soon.”

Donghan made a noise of understanding before relaxing back in his chair. “Good. We have a lot to discuss today and-”

Aera leaned across the table effectively cutting her brother off. She looked excited. “So you're the one with SS rank light magic?”

Myungjun grinned, copying her movement and nodding excitedly. “Yes! I have lots of magical power but I'm lacking a lot in the higher levelled spells department. Donghan told me you have SS Rank magic too, but what about plant spells? Is there anything you can teach me?”

“I can teach you so many things! But,” She sat back in her chair again with a sigh, suddenly looking the picture of seriousness. “we should focus on my brothers curse right now. I'm sure Donghan has already filled you in on the basics. To break Gikwangs curse we'll need my dark magic and your light magic. And the reason it has to be SS ranked magic is because we need a lot of magical power. And when I say a lot, I mean _a lot_. We're not the ones who originally cast the curse that planted the demon inside of him, so its going to be a lot harder than it really needed to be.” Her eyes darted to her brother. Donghans face remained impassive. 

“Dongie said that you'd be able to get the demon out of Gikwang, and then I'd have to get rid of it. How will that work?”

“The demon I have inside of me gives me the power to summon and dismiss other demons at will. But I also have the power of placing the demons I summon inside of others and removing them too. If the demon inside of Gikwang had been one that I'd planted myself, then I would have been able to remove and dismiss it all by myself with ease. But because this was done by someone else's hand, it won't be that simple. I've spent months working on a spell to bypass Gikwangs curse and its nearly finished. I'll be able to yank the demon out, and then that's where you'll come in. Like I said, I have the power to summon and dismiss demons. I summon them from the underworld and then send them back there. _But_ , I can only dismiss demons that I've personally summoned. Its super annoying. So what you'll need to do, is use your light magic to dismiss it. Its the only other way to send a demon back to the underworld.”

“Why can't we just kill it? When I was younger my town was overrun by demons and me and a group of other people killed them all. That got rid of them.” Myungjun replied.

“No. That just got rid of their bodies. Their demonic souls wouldn't have necessarily left this land. Some souls are refused entry to the other planes, whilst some simply choose to stay here. Unfortunately for us, demons have the ability to latch onto, and sometimes take over, the minds and bodies of other life forms. Take Cain for example. He's had plenty of different bodies over the years. He once told me that he couldn't go back to the underworld, no matter how hard he tried. Instead, he was forced to roam the land in search of vulnerable bodies to take over. So those demons you killed back then, may still be roaming this land today. Which is why we can't chance it with Gikwangs demon. Its clearly incredibly strong and as it already has an understanding of how to latch onto other beings, we can't be sure that the demon wouldn't just jump into one of us when I kick it out of him.”

Myungjun nodded slowly, finally understanding. “I get it now. I don't particularly like the idea of just letting a powerful demon soul roam freely until it finds another victim to torment. And it would be incredibly inconvenient if one of us were to become its next target. So I'm all in. I'll help you, whatever you need me to do.”

Aera smiled wide. It was a pretty smile that lit up her face, reminding Myungjun all too much of Donghans happiest expressions. “Great!” She exclaimed. “You'll be using a spell which requires a lot of energy, so you'll need a lot of practice before the big day. I think what we should do is meet up as often as possible to practice. After I've taught you the basics of the spell, I'll summon my demons and you can practice the dismissal on them first. I can start you off with weaker demons and then gradually build you up from there.”  
“When do you think we'll be ready?” Myungjun asked. “Because me and JinJin are getting married in the spring and I'd like it if Gikwang could be there too. The real Gikwang.”

“We don't even know if he's going to survive.” Donghan butted in bluntly.

Aera scowled. “Stop saying that! He's not going to die. Me and Myungjun will make sure of that.”

“She's right Dongie. We'll do everything we can to keep him alive. And then when he's back to normal, you'll all be coming to my wedding...even if you're only there for the free food.”

Donghans lips finally quirked up at the corners. “Whatever little dragon.”

“Wait.” Aera spoke up, staring at Myungjun with eyes wide and sparkly. “Am I invited too? To your wedding?”

“Of course you are.” Myungjun answered feeling a little confused at her surprise. “You're Dongies sister aren't you? That basically makes us family.”

“That literally does not make us family.” Donghan muttered as Myungjun was pulled over the top of the table into a bone-crushing hug by the excited female.

Myungjun gasped for air over her shoulder. These half giants and their ridiculous strength always surprised him.

*

Over the following weeks Myungjun met with Donghan and Aera regularly. Aera taught him the spell he needed and helped him to practice with her summonable demons that never failed to send a shiver down Myungjuns spine. He always felt an immense relief when he successfully banished them back to the underworld. They weren't exactly pleasant to look at. Donghan was there with them to pick Myungjun up off the floor and feed him the necessary energy revive herbs when Myungjun keeled over from sheer exhaustion at the extensive use of his magical power. Aera had been right, it was a hard spell, but Myungjun was also a fast learner and the progress he had made within the first month alone stunned even himself. He was confident that Gikwang would be demon free in time for the wedding.

However, one thing always managed to slip through the cracks in his wall of confidence. The possibility of Gikwangs death. Even if they did everything right, Gikwangs body may just decide to give up, and if so, Myungjun wanted to be prepared. His first thought was his resurrection spell. If Gikwang died, then he could always try to bring him back and force his body to accept his soul again. But there was the uncertainty of being able to do it in time. For all the sins Gikwang had committed, Myungjun was sure the second his soul left his body after death it would be dragged straight down to the underworld. Myungjun only thought this after remembering that his own soul, after dying at the academy, had nearly been called away before the nurse could resurrect him. 

So, whilst Myungjun practised and prepared with Gikwangs siblings, he was also coming up with a back-up plan to save Gikwangs soul. And he had the perfect idea; The soul capturing ring that Leo had gifted him. Gikwang may have a chance after death if Myungjun bound his soul to his ring the second it left his body.

The only problem being the fact that Myungjun still hadn't used the ring yet, so he still wasn't entirely sure how it worked. And he definitely wanted to be sure before the day of Gikwangs cleansing, just in case something did go wrong.

Which is how he found himself standing on his porch one day, opening his eyes up to the spirit plane and searching for the familiar soul in the woods.

He spotted the little girl straight away, she was already watching him curiously, and when she realised that he could actually see her again she ran straight over.

Myungjun had been building up a good relationship of trust with her ever since they had first met, and he liked to think that they had formed that bond of friendship that she had so quickly rejected when they'd first met.

She stopped in front of him with a smile. “Hello Myungjun. You have a question you want to ask me.”

Myungjuns eyebrows raised slightly. “How did you know?”

“You're easy to read. Jinwoo tells you that all the time.”

Myungjun pouted. “Stop eavesdropping on our conversations!” She giggled but didn't reply. “I do have a question for you. I have a special ring which allows me to form contracts of sorts with lost souls and I would like you to be the first soul I form that contract with. Your new home will be inside of my ring, but I'd never keep you trapped in there I promise. I know a spell that will allow your spirit to take over inanimate objects and I think I may even have a way to get you a body back.” Myungjun swallowed nervously. “It wouldn't be your original body, and the body wouldn't be human, but I think we could make it work. Also, it wouldn't have to be for long as the man who taught me all about these rings told me that I would be able to help you commit enough good deeds to be allowed into Eden. So this endless wandering you've been doing could finally come to an end.”

She stared at him for a long time, expression unreadable. That just made Myungjun even more nervous. He thought she would have been jumping at the chance to finally move on from this land but apparently not.

She finally opened her mouth to speak and simply said; “No.”

Myungjuns stomach dropped. “No? Why?”

“I'm saying no because I don't want to leave. I don't want to move on. I want to stay right here.”

Myungjun relaxed feeling relieved. He could see an obvious way around this, a way for them to both get what they wanted. “Okay. So what if you don't leave? What if we just form this contract, get you a new body and then never even mention the phrase 'good deeds' again? I don't think its compulsory or anything for me to help you move on from here. Its just a viable option for if you change your mind in the future.”

This time, the girl answered straight away. “Okay.”

Myungjun liked her simple and blunt way of speaking. It certainly made things easier. He clapped his hands excitedly and pulled the bulky, ornate ring out of his pocket.

“First, I need you to touch the stone embedded in this ring.” Myungjun began his explanation as he slid the ring onto his finger. He told her what she needed to say and held out his hand.

She hesitated for a brief second before reaching out and touching the glowing stone. Her eyes widened slightly.

“Wow I can actually feel it!” She exclaimed sounding awed and somewhat emotional. “Its warm...” She sighed happily before standing up straight and staring directly into Myungjuns eyes. “I, Heo Yuqi, accept this ring as my new post, and Kim Myungjun as my new guide.”

Myungjun gasped as the realisation hit him of who this young girl really was. Now that he'd finally heard her name, everything she had ever said to him finally fell into place like one giant jigsaw puzzle.

“You're their little sister.” Myungjun managed to say before everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jinwoo still not being able to keep his hands off of Myungjun? The cutest I'm telling you.  
> (I haven't written smut in so long I'm embarrassed TT)
> 
> Aera before this chapter: A cool and chic character. Strong, knows what she's doing, doesn't take anyone's sh*t etc.  
> Aera after this chapter: An excitable bundle of fluff.  
> She has the exact same contradictory personality as Dongie ehehe~
> 
> *takes a deep breath* YUQIIIIIIIIIII. We all saw this coming lets be honest *exaggerated eye roll*


End file.
